What a crazy week, baseball is back and soon it's almost gone. It's still happening but if a couple more teams have the same results as the Marlins we could be done. I do question the MLB testing procedure, I don't take these positive tests at face value. The problem though is if the MLB testing isn't good than any number they put out isn't good. 11 positives on one team is a bad look, whether the legitimate or not, and I'm pretty sure MLB isn't trying sabotage themselves. Anyway, this is going to be a strange grouping tonight, let's get some more numbers.
61 61*: I've talked about this movie a lot. It's probably my favorite baseball movie. I talk about Little Big League, Major League, and A League of Their Own a lot, but 61* is my favorite. It tells the story of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle chasing 60 Home Runs of Babe Ruth, and the scrutiny and attention the two players got. Roger Maris was the unassuming superstar, he wasn't a true Yankee, as he didn't come up the system like the previous great Yankee outfielders. He was chasing the legend, the revered Babe Ruth. Throw on the fact that Major League Baseball added games to the schedule, many Ruth defenders refused to acknowledge Maris record as the true record, hence the asterisk affixed to the 61. It was an excellent movie, it only played on HBO so I suggest trying to fine it and watch it.
62 #62 from the Waterboy: This really an excuse to talk about the Waterboy. The scene in particular is when the SCLSU Mud Dogs are playing Western Missiissippi and an offensive lineman from Western tells Bobby he's going to play with his mama later that night. Bobby doesn't like that so he throws the ball at 62 and lets him score a touchdown before drop kicking him, and telling him he loves his mama very much. The Waterboy is such a fun movie, and when it comes to Adam Sandler movies it's from his wheelhouse time. #62 was an actual college football player at Florida, James Bates. He is involved in college football still.
63 Spencer Lee: Spencer Lee has 63 wins wrestling for Iowa. His career record is 63-5 in 3 years of wrestling. Spencer is my favorite wrestler to watch, he is so good at what he does, it's an absolute clinic when he's on the mat. He even topples the bigger oppenents with ease. He was on his way to his 3rd national title this year when Covid-19 cancelled the NCAAs. It sucks because it takes away his shot becoming a 4-time National Champion, which is rare air. I'm guessing he'll get his shot at #3 next year, and hopefully go to the Olympics and get the gold.
64 Randall McDaniel: It takes a lot to get noticed as an offensive lineman. When Randall McDaniel played I noticed him. He played guard for the Vikings in the 90's. He's in the NFL Hall of Fame. Guard play is usually only seen when they make mistakes but McDaniel made so many plays you knew who he was. Plus his name rhymes so it's perfect.
65 Willie Mays 1965 Season: In 1965 Willie Mays put up his best season as a pro. He was 34 and had career highs in Home Runs 52, slugging 645, OPS+ 185 and WAR 11.2. He won his 2nd MVP award that season. I never watched Willie play, but from what I've heard he's the greatest player ever. He played Gold Glove defense, he hit homers, he swiped bases, and he played in more difficult era than Babe Ruth. The fact Mays had this good of a season at age 34 is unbelievable to me. Plus he was doing it having to travel across the county to play most of his games. Just crazy to see.
66 Mario Lemieux: I'm not as big of a hockey fan as I used to be, but Super Mario is my 2nd favorite player, we'll be seeing my favorite in a couple numbers. Mario was so good, that instead of paying him the owners of the Penguins just gave him the team. He was the 2nd best player in the NHL for most of career. He missed 3 years battling cancer and came back just as good.
67 Richard Petty: In 1967 Richard Petty won 27 races out of the 48 he ran, including 10 in a row. I don't talk about Petty a lot since I never really watched him race. But to dominate a sport, any sport that much for 10 straight races is just incredible. There is so much that can go wrong in a car, especially in the 60's when the cars weren't very dependable. Petty though pushed through all that and won races, lots of races, a record that will never be touched. These days if a guy wins 8 races he's dominate, but winning over half your races is unheard of.
68 Jaromir Jagr: Here is my favorite hockey player ever. I loved watching Jagr in my younger days when he had his long hair coming out of the back of his helmet. He played such a different game when I watched, it was so cool. He's won 2 Stanley Cups and has amassed almost 2000 points in his career. He was just so good and he's still good as he just retired 2 years ago.
69 Billy Bob: I give it a 10 a motherfucking 10. William Robert was the heart and soul of the West Canaan Coyotes, when he was right they were unstoppable, and when he was having concussion problems the team struggled. He made all the key plays, he opened up the hole for Tweeder to block the punt, he caught the ball on the hook and ladder and scored the winning Touchdown. Then he cried because Billy Bob cries. Varsity Blues is such a good movie, I love it so much. Puke and rally baby.
70 The Summer of '98: Mark McGwire broke the previous record from earlier in this post by hitting 70 home runs in 1998, much like Maris he was pushed along the way by someone close to him. However instead of a teammate it was a player from a rival team. Sammy Sosa helped push McGwire to the finish line by hitting 66 home runs of his own. I watched McGwire chase those 70 home runs with wide eyes and I'll never forget watching him hit 62 or 70. Those were iconic moments and steroids or not they were very memorable.
Per usual this was more fun than I though it would be, I only had a couple things in mind for this set and the rest of the pieces fell into place. Not sure I'll kick another one out this week, but stay tuned and keep enjoying these as much a I like writing them.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
By The Numbers 51-60 Edition
50 up 50 to go, provided I don't go past 100, which I probably will because this is pretty fun. Meanwhile real sports are coming back so I might have to sprinkle some of those in. Let's see what these next 10 have in store.
51 Randy Johnson: The Big Unit is the best lefty of our times. A late bloomer it took a while for Johnson to find his footing but once he found it he didn't let it go. He was so dominant and put so much fear into players, fear that a 6'10" guy who throws sidearm at 99 miles per hour can bring. He bounced around a lot but Johnson got the big numbers 300 Wins 4,875 Strikeouts (2nd all time) and an ERA under 3.30 for his career.
52 Patrick Willis: I warned that there would be a lot of linebackers. Patrick Willis was awesome in his short career, he only played 8 seasons. He lead the league in tackles as a rookie. He was 1st team all pro 5 times, firmly placing himself in the upper echelon of Linebackers of his time. He had a nose for the ball and made so many plays. Hate when guys hang it up early but Willis being able to take care of himself as he gets older will be good.
53 Anthony Hitchens: Hitch wears 53 for the Chiefs, but I remember him for wearing 31 at Iowa, dude a was beast for the Hawkeyes, and he was part of a trio linebackers that were amazing. I was happy for Hitch when he won the Super Bowl this year, and I was really happy he won it in Kansas City and not Dallas since that's who drafted him. I hope for continued success for him.
54 Sergio Romo: I can't express what a huge deal Romo was for the Giants in their run. I've talked about him before being one of the best bullpen arms the Giants had. Relievers are usually flash in the pans with only a couple good years. Romo had a few great years, he set up in 2010 and was the closer in 2012. The fastball he threw to Miguel Cabrera to end the 2012 World Series is still one of my favorite pitches ever.
55 Dikembe Mutombo: There are 2 very vivid images of Dikembe that I have. The first is the easy one, the finger wag. When he would block a shot he would wag that finger in your face and let you know. The 2nd is when the 8 seed Nuggets beat the 1 seed Supersonics in 1994 and Mutombo was on the floor crying with the ball over his head. That image was just incredible, and is everlasting.
56 Alvin Mack/Luther Lavay: The 2 best movie linebackers ever. Mack was on his way to the next level once he finished his season at ECU. He couldn't read, but he could read an offense and knew what to do every snap. He also had the gift of shit talk, he got into the opponents heads so easily and that would eventually cost him. Shark Lavay was the anchor of the Miami Sharks defense, he got his million dollar bonus on a play where he breaks his neck. He throws the best parties and can cut a car in half with a chainsaw. I'm guessing Lawrence Taylor didn't have to stretch too far to play Shark but I wasn't giving him an official spot on this list.
57 Dereck Rodriguez: I don't care he spells his name wrong, Pudge Rodriguez's kid is a good pitcher for the Giants. He's got great hair and though he still has to learn how to pitch a bit more consistent, he's nice to have on the team.
58 Derrick Thomas: He's my favorite football player who didn't play for Washington. Not only because we share a name, which he also spelled wrong, it was how he played. I loved watching DT just wreck shop on opposing offenses. He had 7 sacks in a game, which is a record. He died after a car accident the day the Rams the won the Super Bowl. For some reason they waited until 2009 to put him in the Hall of Fame which is crap since he was the best LB in 90's.
59 London Fletcher: Underdog, heart, fight, leader. Those are what I think of when you say London Fletcher. He broke through with the Rams but eventually ended up in Washington. He was a true pro MLB and despite being smallish he made a shit load of plays. London was a great player and probably first ballot Hall of Very Good.
60 Bill Mazeroski Walk Off: The 1960 World Series ended on one of the greatest home runs ever. With the game tied in the bottom of the 9th, he took a 1-0 pitch deep to left field to win the World Series for the Pirates. It's the only Game 7 Walk Off in World Series history. Forbes Field was a big park and it took a shot to get one out of there. The ball actually goes over the 406 sign in left field when it left. Just amazing.
Another 10 down, lots of linebackers and I left a few off the list. Another acknowledgment of Derrick Thomas, he was amazing and I loved watching him play. See ya next time.
51 Randy Johnson: The Big Unit is the best lefty of our times. A late bloomer it took a while for Johnson to find his footing but once he found it he didn't let it go. He was so dominant and put so much fear into players, fear that a 6'10" guy who throws sidearm at 99 miles per hour can bring. He bounced around a lot but Johnson got the big numbers 300 Wins 4,875 Strikeouts (2nd all time) and an ERA under 3.30 for his career.
52 Patrick Willis: I warned that there would be a lot of linebackers. Patrick Willis was awesome in his short career, he only played 8 seasons. He lead the league in tackles as a rookie. He was 1st team all pro 5 times, firmly placing himself in the upper echelon of Linebackers of his time. He had a nose for the ball and made so many plays. Hate when guys hang it up early but Willis being able to take care of himself as he gets older will be good.
53 Anthony Hitchens: Hitch wears 53 for the Chiefs, but I remember him for wearing 31 at Iowa, dude a was beast for the Hawkeyes, and he was part of a trio linebackers that were amazing. I was happy for Hitch when he won the Super Bowl this year, and I was really happy he won it in Kansas City and not Dallas since that's who drafted him. I hope for continued success for him.
54 Sergio Romo: I can't express what a huge deal Romo was for the Giants in their run. I've talked about him before being one of the best bullpen arms the Giants had. Relievers are usually flash in the pans with only a couple good years. Romo had a few great years, he set up in 2010 and was the closer in 2012. The fastball he threw to Miguel Cabrera to end the 2012 World Series is still one of my favorite pitches ever.
55 Dikembe Mutombo: There are 2 very vivid images of Dikembe that I have. The first is the easy one, the finger wag. When he would block a shot he would wag that finger in your face and let you know. The 2nd is when the 8 seed Nuggets beat the 1 seed Supersonics in 1994 and Mutombo was on the floor crying with the ball over his head. That image was just incredible, and is everlasting.
56 Alvin Mack/Luther Lavay: The 2 best movie linebackers ever. Mack was on his way to the next level once he finished his season at ECU. He couldn't read, but he could read an offense and knew what to do every snap. He also had the gift of shit talk, he got into the opponents heads so easily and that would eventually cost him. Shark Lavay was the anchor of the Miami Sharks defense, he got his million dollar bonus on a play where he breaks his neck. He throws the best parties and can cut a car in half with a chainsaw. I'm guessing Lawrence Taylor didn't have to stretch too far to play Shark but I wasn't giving him an official spot on this list.
57 Dereck Rodriguez: I don't care he spells his name wrong, Pudge Rodriguez's kid is a good pitcher for the Giants. He's got great hair and though he still has to learn how to pitch a bit more consistent, he's nice to have on the team.
58 Derrick Thomas: He's my favorite football player who didn't play for Washington. Not only because we share a name, which he also spelled wrong, it was how he played. I loved watching DT just wreck shop on opposing offenses. He had 7 sacks in a game, which is a record. He died after a car accident the day the Rams the won the Super Bowl. For some reason they waited until 2009 to put him in the Hall of Fame which is crap since he was the best LB in 90's.
59 London Fletcher: Underdog, heart, fight, leader. Those are what I think of when you say London Fletcher. He broke through with the Rams but eventually ended up in Washington. He was a true pro MLB and despite being smallish he made a shit load of plays. London was a great player and probably first ballot Hall of Very Good.
60 Bill Mazeroski Walk Off: The 1960 World Series ended on one of the greatest home runs ever. With the game tied in the bottom of the 9th, he took a 1-0 pitch deep to left field to win the World Series for the Pirates. It's the only Game 7 Walk Off in World Series history. Forbes Field was a big park and it took a shot to get one out of there. The ball actually goes over the 406 sign in left field when it left. Just amazing.
Another 10 down, lots of linebackers and I left a few off the list. Another acknowledgment of Derrick Thomas, he was amazing and I loved watching him play. See ya next time.
Thursday, July 16, 2020
By The Numbers 41-50 Edition
After doing 4 of these I feel like I'm going to have to do another batch just of honorable mention guys. There are so many I would've loved to add to the list, but they just had bad numbers. I couldn't talk about Davey Allison at 28 because there were already 2 guys. Muggsy Bogues should get a mention for #1, I could go on but I won't. This one has some special numbers in it, let's see what the next 10 have.
41 Glen Rice: This is the first time I'm putting someone on this list solely for their prowess in a video game. We played NBA Live 98 a lot in high school and we always put Glen Rice on our team to shoot 3's, pairing him with Mitch Richmond made you unstoppable against the computer. We would shoot 3 after 3. I never watched Glen Rice the actual player, but on that video game he was deadly from deep.
42 Jackie Robinson: I don't think there is a number more synonymous with a name than 42. 42 is Jackie Robinson and Jackie Robinson is 42. Obviously Jackie is remembered for breaking the color barrier in baseball, but he was also pretty damn good. He made his Major League debut at age 28 giving away at least 4 years of his career. He could've reached 2,000 hits with those years, and he probably would have 100 more stolen bases for his career with those years. I love how we've recently celebrated Jackie more than ever before, but the state of baseball for American black players is slowly going back to before his time.
43 Josey Jewell: I've been to one Iowa football game, Josey Jewell got tossed in the 1st quarter for a targeting call while blocking on a punt return. There is nothing more memorable than that. The starting MLB gets the boot on a punt return, that's some shit. Josey was a tackling machine at Iowa, the 2nd best players on the defense in 2015 he made so many plays. He played so hard and really made himself better. I've recently learned he read comments from people on twitter who questioned his play and that made him play harder. That's kins of crazy but Josey is that dude. He also made this video which is badass.
44 Dallas Clark: Granted I wasn't an Iowa fan when Dallas Clark was at Iowa, and I never really like the Colts, but he was the exception on those teams. He was absolute beast on the Colts with Peyton Manning. He averaged over 10 yards a catch, scored double digit TDs a couple times. The dude was just really good, and he blocked pretty tough.
45 Adam Steinmann: There is something special about your high school best friend. Mine was Adam, we did a lot together. Some nights it was party till I puked, other nights it was Mt. Dew, chips and the Playstation, we would road trip just us two and talk about everything. Adam wore 45 in football. There are so many stories I could share about us but my favorite will always be the 2 winters we coached basketball together, he was the 8th grade coach and I was the 7th grade coach. The league we coached in the games were always Saturday. Well 1 Friday night we had a party, and we slept in. We were supposed to meet the kids at the school at 9 or something, this league you didn't take a bus so we would have a caravan of parents driving to the games. The players came and woke us up with a garbage can full of beer cans in the doorway, luckily no parents followed them in. We eventually got up and got going but we were in rough shape, and that's when hangovers didn't last more than a couple hours. I love Adam like a brother and though we talk less these days we still have those times when we shoot each other a message. I'll never forget the good times we had.
46 George Kittle: I'm sure you know who George Kittle is. He's the best Tight End in the NFL right now. When he was at Iowa he was a Touchdown machine. He made so many huge touchdown catches in 2015. He was CJ Beathard's safety valve inside the red zone. Kittle has an infectious attitude and just loves to have fun and play the game. George seems like a good dude and I can't wait to see him get paid when he gets that 2nd contract.
47 Rod Beck: The Giants have had a lot of closers in my time. Rod Beck is probably my favorite. Brian Wilson has the ring, Rob Nen was probably the best, but Beck is the most iconic. Him looking in for the signs with his arm dangling there, just loose, plus that horseshoe mustache, he was intimidating on the mound. Beck was huge part of those Giants teams in the mid 90's that weren't the best but they were in the race a lot, and he was fun to watch and imitate.
48 Pablo Sandoval: You hit 3 home runs in a World Series game for my favorite team you'll always be one of my favorites. The Panda did just that in 2012 when he started off the eventual sweep of the Tigers with 3 homers in Game 1. He also caught the foul pop up to clinch the 2014 World Series championship. That's 2 huge moments in 3 championship runs. He's had his issues with the team, mainly leaving after 2014, but all has been forgiven and he's back with the Giants to finish off his career being appreciated as he should.
49 Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson debut: In 1949 the New York Giants debuted their first 2 African American Players, Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson (who was actually playing for his 2nd ML team). Irvin had played in the Negro Leagues for 9 years before joining the Giants, he eventually got enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
50 Neon Boudeaux: He's probably the greatest college basketball player ever. He was an underrecruited high school player from the bayou in Louisiana. Coach Pete Bell watched him play in a pick up game and for some reason gave him a car so he would attend Western University. Neon was an absolute force in his game against #1 Indiana, a game the Dolphins go on to win, but Pete Bell can't stomach the fact he cheated to win so he outs himself and quits. Neon eventually found his way to the NBA.
This one was full of Hawkeyes and Giants, but hey sometimes that's how it goes. The 50's will be full of linebackers so prepare yourself now. Feel free to let me know who you like in these numbers, again it's been a ton of fun.
41 Glen Rice: This is the first time I'm putting someone on this list solely for their prowess in a video game. We played NBA Live 98 a lot in high school and we always put Glen Rice on our team to shoot 3's, pairing him with Mitch Richmond made you unstoppable against the computer. We would shoot 3 after 3. I never watched Glen Rice the actual player, but on that video game he was deadly from deep.
42 Jackie Robinson: I don't think there is a number more synonymous with a name than 42. 42 is Jackie Robinson and Jackie Robinson is 42. Obviously Jackie is remembered for breaking the color barrier in baseball, but he was also pretty damn good. He made his Major League debut at age 28 giving away at least 4 years of his career. He could've reached 2,000 hits with those years, and he probably would have 100 more stolen bases for his career with those years. I love how we've recently celebrated Jackie more than ever before, but the state of baseball for American black players is slowly going back to before his time.
43 Josey Jewell: I've been to one Iowa football game, Josey Jewell got tossed in the 1st quarter for a targeting call while blocking on a punt return. There is nothing more memorable than that. The starting MLB gets the boot on a punt return, that's some shit. Josey was a tackling machine at Iowa, the 2nd best players on the defense in 2015 he made so many plays. He played so hard and really made himself better. I've recently learned he read comments from people on twitter who questioned his play and that made him play harder. That's kins of crazy but Josey is that dude. He also made this video which is badass.
44 Dallas Clark: Granted I wasn't an Iowa fan when Dallas Clark was at Iowa, and I never really like the Colts, but he was the exception on those teams. He was absolute beast on the Colts with Peyton Manning. He averaged over 10 yards a catch, scored double digit TDs a couple times. The dude was just really good, and he blocked pretty tough.
45 Adam Steinmann: There is something special about your high school best friend. Mine was Adam, we did a lot together. Some nights it was party till I puked, other nights it was Mt. Dew, chips and the Playstation, we would road trip just us two and talk about everything. Adam wore 45 in football. There are so many stories I could share about us but my favorite will always be the 2 winters we coached basketball together, he was the 8th grade coach and I was the 7th grade coach. The league we coached in the games were always Saturday. Well 1 Friday night we had a party, and we slept in. We were supposed to meet the kids at the school at 9 or something, this league you didn't take a bus so we would have a caravan of parents driving to the games. The players came and woke us up with a garbage can full of beer cans in the doorway, luckily no parents followed them in. We eventually got up and got going but we were in rough shape, and that's when hangovers didn't last more than a couple hours. I love Adam like a brother and though we talk less these days we still have those times when we shoot each other a message. I'll never forget the good times we had.
46 George Kittle: I'm sure you know who George Kittle is. He's the best Tight End in the NFL right now. When he was at Iowa he was a Touchdown machine. He made so many huge touchdown catches in 2015. He was CJ Beathard's safety valve inside the red zone. Kittle has an infectious attitude and just loves to have fun and play the game. George seems like a good dude and I can't wait to see him get paid when he gets that 2nd contract.
47 Rod Beck: The Giants have had a lot of closers in my time. Rod Beck is probably my favorite. Brian Wilson has the ring, Rob Nen was probably the best, but Beck is the most iconic. Him looking in for the signs with his arm dangling there, just loose, plus that horseshoe mustache, he was intimidating on the mound. Beck was huge part of those Giants teams in the mid 90's that weren't the best but they were in the race a lot, and he was fun to watch and imitate.
48 Pablo Sandoval: You hit 3 home runs in a World Series game for my favorite team you'll always be one of my favorites. The Panda did just that in 2012 when he started off the eventual sweep of the Tigers with 3 homers in Game 1. He also caught the foul pop up to clinch the 2014 World Series championship. That's 2 huge moments in 3 championship runs. He's had his issues with the team, mainly leaving after 2014, but all has been forgiven and he's back with the Giants to finish off his career being appreciated as he should.
49 Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson debut: In 1949 the New York Giants debuted their first 2 African American Players, Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson (who was actually playing for his 2nd ML team). Irvin had played in the Negro Leagues for 9 years before joining the Giants, he eventually got enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
50 Neon Boudeaux: He's probably the greatest college basketball player ever. He was an underrecruited high school player from the bayou in Louisiana. Coach Pete Bell watched him play in a pick up game and for some reason gave him a car so he would attend Western University. Neon was an absolute force in his game against #1 Indiana, a game the Dolphins go on to win, but Pete Bell can't stomach the fact he cheated to win so he outs himself and quits. Neon eventually found his way to the NBA.
This one was full of Hawkeyes and Giants, but hey sometimes that's how it goes. The 50's will be full of linebackers so prepare yourself now. Feel free to let me know who you like in these numbers, again it's been a ton of fun.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
By The Numbers 31-40 Edition
This is such a fun exercise and the higher the numbers go the harder it will be. Not many players have numbers above 50, there will be a few easy ones but not as many options as what the first 40 have. I'm pumped for tonight's group let's get it.
31 Reggie Miller: I never liked Reggie Miller the basketball player, but I love Reggie Miller the shit talker. When Reggie went toe to toe with Spike Lee, that was quality entertainment. The Reggie Miller part of the Jordon Documentary was outstanding, I could listen to Reggie tell stories for hours. He had an ugly shot and a worse hair cut, but he was a great shooter. He may been ahead of his time, with the volume, of 3's shot today he could've been even more cerebral.
32 Anthony Thomas: The A-Train is my favorite Running Back from my years as a Michigan fan. The dude was unbelievable, he was so big and so fast. As a younger player he would catch passes out of the backfield and as he got older he got better between the tackles. He was an enigma at his size to be able to be that fast, he eventually got drafted by the Bears and won Rookie of the Year in 2001 but that was the height of his career.
33 Scottie Pippen: Scottie is my favorite basketball player ever. I loved watching him play. His length made him a great defender, his arms seemed to stretch forever. He was listed at Small Forward but in the triangle he brought the ball up, so he was actually a Point Forward. He was the perfect 2nd man for MJ, he could distribute, he could score, he could get to the basket, and he didn't need to dominate the ball to be difference maker. The Jordan documentary shit on Pippen a lot, he had a few brain cramps and I thought they focused a little to much on those, but that doesn't matter, nobody can be perfect like MJ so I don't hold those moments against Pippen.
34 Bo Jackson: Is he the single greatest athlete of our time? He could be, he played 2 professional sports at All Star levels. He broke Tecmo Bowl and he broke baseball bats. I think if Bo had focused only on baseball he would've been a Hall of Fame player, he could've been Barry Bonds with an arm. He had the speed and the power, plus he could throw it on a line from the warning track to home. His body failed him before he could really hit his peak, but everyone will still remember his greatness.
35 Justin Verlander: I've written a lot about Verlander since firing this back up. JV is probably my favorite pitcher from the last decade, (who didn't pitch for the Giants). I watched him work in Kansas City and I'll always remember that night, not for his pitching but for his pregame routine. Watching him prepare was the highlight of the game for me. He's also got the super model wife and he seems to be one of the voices int he game who carries some weight. JV is heading to the Hall of Fame and I'll be happy he got there while also happy he gave up those 2 homers to Panda in the 2012 World Series.
36 Sean Taylor: I'm cheating on this one, Sean Taylor was actually #21 when he passed away, but when Washington drafted him he wore 36 his first season. I wanted to talk about Clemente so I save Sean T. for this here. He was on his way to Canton. The dude was a damn missile for the ball, he could find anyone and ruin their day. He was maturing as a player when he was murdered and I only saw good things for his future. We are born a year apart, both on April 1st, me 1982 and him in 1983. After Darrell Green, Sean T. is my favorite player in franchise history.
37 The 1937 Baseball Hall of Fame Class: The inaugural class in 1936 had all the guys you would expect, the 2nd class in 1937 though had some big names. The players elected by the writers were Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, and Cy Young. There was also a Centennial Commision that was put in place to get a few of the men who showed outstanding service to the game, those men were Connie Mack, John McGraw, Morgan Bulkeley, Ban Johnson, and George Wright. The players you've heard of, mostly. The others though you might not have. Mack and McGraw had the most wins in each league, Mack is still has the most managers wins in MLB history, 3,731 and he was still managing at the time of his induction. McGraw is 2nd on the list, and most wins in NL history with 2,763, almost a thousand behind Mack. Morgan Bulkeley was the first president of the National League and Ban Johnson was the first president of the American League, Ban Johnson was the defacto commissioner before there was an official commissioner, and he personally paid to transport gamblers to the trial of the 1919 White Sox to make Charlie Comisky look bad. George Wright was the first owner of a professional team. I've never been to the Hall, but with my recent dive into the 1919 White Sox I want to go now more than ever.
38 Brian Wilson: Fear the Beard, it was the rally cry in 2010. Wilson was the closer for the first World Series title, and his performances were stressful, the Giants announcers labeled it torture. He had to put at least a couple guys on base before wiggling off the hook. I did get to watch Wilson live in 2009, he was throwing 100 MPH heaters past the Brewers hitters, and he tried to blow that save as well. Wilson is a character and his antics were almost as legendary as his beard and his pitching. He flamed out like most closers, but he was awesome for those couple years.
39 Ted Williams debuts: I don't get to talk about Ted Williams very much, but in 1939 one of the best hitters ever debuted for the Boston Red Sox. All he did was lead the league in RBIs and finish 4th in MVP voting as a 20 year old. He hadn't faced big league pitching yet and he still hit .327, that's incredible, if a 20 year old hit like now he would be set for life. Williams lost his prime years to the war and lost even more years to the Korean War. He was a special player, a bit of a thorny personality but a great great player.
40 Madison Bumgarner: There is nobody else to put here, Bum is the damn man. He carried the Giants to the title in 2014. He tried to do it again in 2016, but there wasn't enough around him. He is statistically the best postseason pitcher in history. He has 2 amazing performances in the Wild Card game, 2014 and 2016. He World Series debut in 2010 he pitched a gem in Game 4 setting up the Giants to close the series in 5 games. 2014 we all know the World Series stories he had. He is the ultimate big game pitcher, and yes he doesn't have the hardware of Kershaw or Verlander, but he has the rings that they don't and he had a huge part in all 3. He'll be always be a legend for the Giants.
This as always was a fun one, got to do a little research on guys and found some neat things. Come back again for 41-50 as we keep this train rolling without many sports to talk about.
31 Reggie Miller: I never liked Reggie Miller the basketball player, but I love Reggie Miller the shit talker. When Reggie went toe to toe with Spike Lee, that was quality entertainment. The Reggie Miller part of the Jordon Documentary was outstanding, I could listen to Reggie tell stories for hours. He had an ugly shot and a worse hair cut, but he was a great shooter. He may been ahead of his time, with the volume, of 3's shot today he could've been even more cerebral.
32 Anthony Thomas: The A-Train is my favorite Running Back from my years as a Michigan fan. The dude was unbelievable, he was so big and so fast. As a younger player he would catch passes out of the backfield and as he got older he got better between the tackles. He was an enigma at his size to be able to be that fast, he eventually got drafted by the Bears and won Rookie of the Year in 2001 but that was the height of his career.
33 Scottie Pippen: Scottie is my favorite basketball player ever. I loved watching him play. His length made him a great defender, his arms seemed to stretch forever. He was listed at Small Forward but in the triangle he brought the ball up, so he was actually a Point Forward. He was the perfect 2nd man for MJ, he could distribute, he could score, he could get to the basket, and he didn't need to dominate the ball to be difference maker. The Jordan documentary shit on Pippen a lot, he had a few brain cramps and I thought they focused a little to much on those, but that doesn't matter, nobody can be perfect like MJ so I don't hold those moments against Pippen.
34 Bo Jackson: Is he the single greatest athlete of our time? He could be, he played 2 professional sports at All Star levels. He broke Tecmo Bowl and he broke baseball bats. I think if Bo had focused only on baseball he would've been a Hall of Fame player, he could've been Barry Bonds with an arm. He had the speed and the power, plus he could throw it on a line from the warning track to home. His body failed him before he could really hit his peak, but everyone will still remember his greatness.
35 Justin Verlander: I've written a lot about Verlander since firing this back up. JV is probably my favorite pitcher from the last decade, (who didn't pitch for the Giants). I watched him work in Kansas City and I'll always remember that night, not for his pitching but for his pregame routine. Watching him prepare was the highlight of the game for me. He's also got the super model wife and he seems to be one of the voices int he game who carries some weight. JV is heading to the Hall of Fame and I'll be happy he got there while also happy he gave up those 2 homers to Panda in the 2012 World Series.
36 Sean Taylor: I'm cheating on this one, Sean Taylor was actually #21 when he passed away, but when Washington drafted him he wore 36 his first season. I wanted to talk about Clemente so I save Sean T. for this here. He was on his way to Canton. The dude was a damn missile for the ball, he could find anyone and ruin their day. He was maturing as a player when he was murdered and I only saw good things for his future. We are born a year apart, both on April 1st, me 1982 and him in 1983. After Darrell Green, Sean T. is my favorite player in franchise history.
37 The 1937 Baseball Hall of Fame Class: The inaugural class in 1936 had all the guys you would expect, the 2nd class in 1937 though had some big names. The players elected by the writers were Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, and Cy Young. There was also a Centennial Commision that was put in place to get a few of the men who showed outstanding service to the game, those men were Connie Mack, John McGraw, Morgan Bulkeley, Ban Johnson, and George Wright. The players you've heard of, mostly. The others though you might not have. Mack and McGraw had the most wins in each league, Mack is still has the most managers wins in MLB history, 3,731 and he was still managing at the time of his induction. McGraw is 2nd on the list, and most wins in NL history with 2,763, almost a thousand behind Mack. Morgan Bulkeley was the first president of the National League and Ban Johnson was the first president of the American League, Ban Johnson was the defacto commissioner before there was an official commissioner, and he personally paid to transport gamblers to the trial of the 1919 White Sox to make Charlie Comisky look bad. George Wright was the first owner of a professional team. I've never been to the Hall, but with my recent dive into the 1919 White Sox I want to go now more than ever.
38 Brian Wilson: Fear the Beard, it was the rally cry in 2010. Wilson was the closer for the first World Series title, and his performances were stressful, the Giants announcers labeled it torture. He had to put at least a couple guys on base before wiggling off the hook. I did get to watch Wilson live in 2009, he was throwing 100 MPH heaters past the Brewers hitters, and he tried to blow that save as well. Wilson is a character and his antics were almost as legendary as his beard and his pitching. He flamed out like most closers, but he was awesome for those couple years.
39 Ted Williams debuts: I don't get to talk about Ted Williams very much, but in 1939 one of the best hitters ever debuted for the Boston Red Sox. All he did was lead the league in RBIs and finish 4th in MVP voting as a 20 year old. He hadn't faced big league pitching yet and he still hit .327, that's incredible, if a 20 year old hit like now he would be set for life. Williams lost his prime years to the war and lost even more years to the Korean War. He was a special player, a bit of a thorny personality but a great great player.
40 Madison Bumgarner: There is nobody else to put here, Bum is the damn man. He carried the Giants to the title in 2014. He tried to do it again in 2016, but there wasn't enough around him. He is statistically the best postseason pitcher in history. He has 2 amazing performances in the Wild Card game, 2014 and 2016. He World Series debut in 2010 he pitched a gem in Game 4 setting up the Giants to close the series in 5 games. 2014 we all know the World Series stories he had. He is the ultimate big game pitcher, and yes he doesn't have the hardware of Kershaw or Verlander, but he has the rings that they don't and he had a huge part in all 3. He'll be always be a legend for the Giants.
This as always was a fun one, got to do a little research on guys and found some neat things. Come back again for 41-50 as we keep this train rolling without many sports to talk about.
Monday, July 13, 2020
By The Numbers 21-30 Edition
This is going to be loaded group. Some of the best athletes of our time have worn these numbers, cutting the list down was a little tough. Let's see what we got.
21 Roberto Clemente: I'm not a huge fan of players from before my time, Clemente though is the exception. I read about him in Grade School and grew to love him. His charity was the reason for my initial love, but the more I learned about the ballplayer the more I liked him. He had a rocket of an arm in right field. Hit over .300, while amassing those 3,000 hits and 240 home runs. A career WAR of 94.8, he was just an impressive player and an even more impressive person.
22 Andrew McCutchen/Will Clark: The last few lists I've made of baseball players, I've wanted so bad to put McCutchen on the list, but he plays Centerfield and whenever I pick my favorites Mike Trout is my CF. So when I talk about 22, I was all ready just to ramble about Will Clark, but I realized I can finally talk about Cutch. He was a dynamic defender while also swinging a pretty stick. He left off every all decade team though because of Trout. Will Clark broke my heart when he left the Giants after 1993. I thought he would be there forever. He has since reconciled with the team and is the bridge from the great late 80's early 90's teams to today.
23 Michael Jordan: There is nobody else, he's the best basketball player there ever was. Jordan changed the game and I think basketball would be different if he never played. The 6 Championships, 2 Olympic Gold Medals and the ultimate brand. Jordan is special and yes I do fight against the LeBron bashing by MJ fans, but it has nothing to do with Jordan and more to do with people just being stupidly unfair to LBJ.
24 Champ Bailey: He only was on Washington for 4 seasons but he's still one of my favorites. Champ was just like Charles Woodson in college, he played both ways at Georgia. When Washington drafted him it was the next best thing since we didn't have a shot at Woodson the year before. He did force himself out which lead to him being traded to Denver but I still paid attention to him and enjoyed watching him play.
25 Barry Bonds: We got a hell of an outfield going here tonight, Bonds in left, Cutch in center and Clemente in right, plus we got 27 coming up in a little bit. If you read the blog you know Bonds is my guy, love everything about him, own 3 jerseys of his. I love talking about Bonds and his amazing feats on the diamond. I always come back to the 500/500, or even the 400/400 which he's the lone member of each club.
26 Babe Ruth 1921 season: At the age of 26 Babe Ruth put up his 2nd best season in terms of WAR but m terms of counting stats it was his best season 59 home runs, 168 RBIs, 177 runs scored, .377 batting average and 17 stolen bases. That's career bests in RBIs, Runs and SBs, while his 2nd best season in HRs and Avg. His age 28 season he had a better WAR but because he walked more. In 1921 it was his 2nd season in New York and the 2nd season with the live ball, which Ruth didn't exactly need but it helped. I often discount the Babe but what he was truly magical. The Babe would just fall out of bed and have 10+ WAR seasons, just amazing.
27 Mike Trout: Best baseball player on the planet, next number.
28 Darrell Green/Buster Posey: Darrell Green is my favorite football player ever. I've never been to a Washington game, but I did go to watch Darrell Green get enshrined into the Hall of Fame in Canton. A truly memorable day. Green was a special talent who even when he retired he was the fastest man in the NFL.He was amazing. Buster Posey is the turning point for the Giants, before him no World Series titles since New York, with him 3 in 5 years. There is nothing we can do to pay Buster back for what he's done for the franchise. His 2012 was a great season, and though his skills at the plate were great his prowess behind the plate have been just as good. Needless to say, both of these guys are franchise greats.
29 Kevin Harvick: Needless to say 29 isn't exactly deep. Though I'm not the biggest Harvick fan what he did when he took over driving the Dale Earnhardt car is truly remarkable. He was a young driver and was thrust into the spotlight of the sport, to no fault of his own. He did well in that 29 car but found more success later in his career in the 4, but that first season driving the white car with red letters will always be something I remember.
30 Aaron White: The Ginja Ninja was one of the biggest reasons for the jump Iowa basketball took in the 20teens, after falling off the planet in the late 00's. White was a fun player to watch, he had amazing dunks and when he jumped a pass on defense, you knew the thunder was coming. He was so fun to watch and was a great college player, you knew he wasn't built for the pro game, but he's found success in Europe.
This group was fun to talk about, hopefully the 30's are just as good.
21 Roberto Clemente: I'm not a huge fan of players from before my time, Clemente though is the exception. I read about him in Grade School and grew to love him. His charity was the reason for my initial love, but the more I learned about the ballplayer the more I liked him. He had a rocket of an arm in right field. Hit over .300, while amassing those 3,000 hits and 240 home runs. A career WAR of 94.8, he was just an impressive player and an even more impressive person.
22 Andrew McCutchen/Will Clark: The last few lists I've made of baseball players, I've wanted so bad to put McCutchen on the list, but he plays Centerfield and whenever I pick my favorites Mike Trout is my CF. So when I talk about 22, I was all ready just to ramble about Will Clark, but I realized I can finally talk about Cutch. He was a dynamic defender while also swinging a pretty stick. He left off every all decade team though because of Trout. Will Clark broke my heart when he left the Giants after 1993. I thought he would be there forever. He has since reconciled with the team and is the bridge from the great late 80's early 90's teams to today.
23 Michael Jordan: There is nobody else, he's the best basketball player there ever was. Jordan changed the game and I think basketball would be different if he never played. The 6 Championships, 2 Olympic Gold Medals and the ultimate brand. Jordan is special and yes I do fight against the LeBron bashing by MJ fans, but it has nothing to do with Jordan and more to do with people just being stupidly unfair to LBJ.
24 Champ Bailey: He only was on Washington for 4 seasons but he's still one of my favorites. Champ was just like Charles Woodson in college, he played both ways at Georgia. When Washington drafted him it was the next best thing since we didn't have a shot at Woodson the year before. He did force himself out which lead to him being traded to Denver but I still paid attention to him and enjoyed watching him play.
25 Barry Bonds: We got a hell of an outfield going here tonight, Bonds in left, Cutch in center and Clemente in right, plus we got 27 coming up in a little bit. If you read the blog you know Bonds is my guy, love everything about him, own 3 jerseys of his. I love talking about Bonds and his amazing feats on the diamond. I always come back to the 500/500, or even the 400/400 which he's the lone member of each club.
26 Babe Ruth 1921 season: At the age of 26 Babe Ruth put up his 2nd best season in terms of WAR but m terms of counting stats it was his best season 59 home runs, 168 RBIs, 177 runs scored, .377 batting average and 17 stolen bases. That's career bests in RBIs, Runs and SBs, while his 2nd best season in HRs and Avg. His age 28 season he had a better WAR but because he walked more. In 1921 it was his 2nd season in New York and the 2nd season with the live ball, which Ruth didn't exactly need but it helped. I often discount the Babe but what he was truly magical. The Babe would just fall out of bed and have 10+ WAR seasons, just amazing.
27 Mike Trout: Best baseball player on the planet, next number.
28 Darrell Green/Buster Posey: Darrell Green is my favorite football player ever. I've never been to a Washington game, but I did go to watch Darrell Green get enshrined into the Hall of Fame in Canton. A truly memorable day. Green was a special talent who even when he retired he was the fastest man in the NFL.He was amazing. Buster Posey is the turning point for the Giants, before him no World Series titles since New York, with him 3 in 5 years. There is nothing we can do to pay Buster back for what he's done for the franchise. His 2012 was a great season, and though his skills at the plate were great his prowess behind the plate have been just as good. Needless to say, both of these guys are franchise greats.
29 Kevin Harvick: Needless to say 29 isn't exactly deep. Though I'm not the biggest Harvick fan what he did when he took over driving the Dale Earnhardt car is truly remarkable. He was a young driver and was thrust into the spotlight of the sport, to no fault of his own. He did well in that 29 car but found more success later in his career in the 4, but that first season driving the white car with red letters will always be something I remember.
30 Aaron White: The Ginja Ninja was one of the biggest reasons for the jump Iowa basketball took in the 20teens, after falling off the planet in the late 00's. White was a fun player to watch, he had amazing dunks and when he jumped a pass on defense, you knew the thunder was coming. He was so fun to watch and was a great college player, you knew he wasn't built for the pro game, but he's found success in Europe.
This group was fun to talk about, hopefully the 30's are just as good.
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
By The Numbers: 11-20 Edition
We move into the next group of 10 numbers, I got some real favorites in this group, let's get into it.
11 Denny Hamlin: He's my favorite driver in NASCAR, 41 career wins. Denny is a consistent driver who seems to always be in races at his tracks. Another thing about Denny is his power inside the sport. He had lead a driver's group that has helped shape rules in the sport, he also recruited for the iRacing that was on Fox during the Covid Break. Denny has come a long way in the sport, he has a few flaws but he's my guy and I got 3 Daytona 500 winning diecasts thanks to him.
12 Brandon Smith: He's heading into his Senior year and hopefully Brandon can see his potential. He's a very physical receiver with amazing hands and body control. Smith was forced into action early as a true freshman because there was nobody else with his physical attributes that could play outside. Since then he's grown so much as player, and become a smarter receiver. He had a little injury bug last year but he's been outstanding when on the field and has some of the best catches for Iowa in the last couple years.
13 Joe Kane: The Heisman hopeful with a little bit of a drinking problem. In The Program the Able Kane was trying to lead The Eastern State University Timberwolves to glory. Joe Kane was a junior, which made his Heisman run a little strange since back in the early 90's not many underclassmen made a run at the trophy. Instead though he got a little banged up and ended up in rehab for drinking. He did redeem himself and got the girl as well as his motorcycle back.
14 Desmond King: I talked about Dez in the college football reflections post, 4 year start, consensus All American and Thorpe Award winner in 2015. Desomond King is the best football player that Iowa had in the entire decade, he was truly special. I still wish he got to play some WR in 2016 when the WR corp was depleted. Instead he just played CB and eventually went to the Chargers where he's been named an All Pro. Dez is the man, truly a Hawkeye Legend.
15 Tommy Frazier: I know I picked a Nebraska guy, but in my defense when Tommy was playing for the Skers they weren't in the Big Ten and didn't play Michigan or Iowa. Tommy was awesome, probably the most athletic QB the Huskers of the 90's had. He was runner up to Eddie George for the Heisman in 1995. He had blood clot issues and other health issues which derailed his professional career before it even got started, but I remember watching him play and loving his talent.
16 Joe Montana: I always go back and forth with Joe Montana and Tom Brady. I had Montana #1 for years, but lately I've been thinking Brady. Joe Cool was so fun to watch, and even though I didn't watch a lot of his greatness, I saw enough. He was so calm in the pocket and delivered the ball in the right spot to free up Jerry Rice and John Taylor. I would like to see what Montana could do with today's rules where receivers have a little more freedom to move. He still has the best line ever right before that last minute drive about going to see John Candy in the other end zone.
17 Doug Williams: It was the first game I remember watching, the Super Bowl Doug Williams won for Washington in 1988. As I got older I took a lot of pride in my team being the one with black QB that won the Super Bowl. It was huge deal at the time and it's slowly lost it's importance, which is good, while he's been joined in the club by Russell Wilson. Williams was an ok QB and has been in the front office for the team since 2014.
18 Matt Cain: I've watched Matt Cain pitch live more than any pitcher in my life. It's a complete coincidence I've been to two of his starts, both in Milwaukee. He has 3 rings, a perfect game, and was the ace of the 2012 staff. Cain was the first big piece for the Giants rebuild that lead to the 3 in 5 years. He had to pitch on some bad teams that were only there to let Barry Bonds hit home runs. I'll always remember Cain as the guy who would lose 1-0 or 2-1, he would pitch brilliantly and get no run support.
19 1919 White Sox: I wasn't ever a huge expert of the 1919 White Sox, I didn't research their history or try to see what happened beyond what Field of Dreams or Eight Men Out talked about. Then last year I listened to a podcast called Infamous America, and they told the entire story of the Black Sox. I learned so much, and I listened to the podcast 3 times just to make sure I didn't miss anything. The story is so complex, fun, and interesting. The Eight Men Out story is full of falsehoods and doesn't tell an accurate story of what really happened. I suggest listening to the podcast and heading over to SABR and reading what their research team has found.
20 Barry Sanders: I don't think there is better football player in my life than Barry Sanders. He was electric to watch, so fun, so exciting. You didn't know if it was going to be a 2 yard loss or a 30 yard gain on any given play. Barry was the most explosive running back, he didn't have the line Emmit Smith did, but he made so many plays on his own. I love watching his highlight films, and often can remember watching a lot of those breakaway runs live. I'm not sure we've had anyone close to him since he retired, and man do I miss his style.
This was a fun group, little Quarterback heavy, but the low numbers will do that. Hoping to get the next 10 done before the weekend, enjoy.
11 Denny Hamlin: He's my favorite driver in NASCAR, 41 career wins. Denny is a consistent driver who seems to always be in races at his tracks. Another thing about Denny is his power inside the sport. He had lead a driver's group that has helped shape rules in the sport, he also recruited for the iRacing that was on Fox during the Covid Break. Denny has come a long way in the sport, he has a few flaws but he's my guy and I got 3 Daytona 500 winning diecasts thanks to him.
12 Brandon Smith: He's heading into his Senior year and hopefully Brandon can see his potential. He's a very physical receiver with amazing hands and body control. Smith was forced into action early as a true freshman because there was nobody else with his physical attributes that could play outside. Since then he's grown so much as player, and become a smarter receiver. He had a little injury bug last year but he's been outstanding when on the field and has some of the best catches for Iowa in the last couple years.
13 Joe Kane: The Heisman hopeful with a little bit of a drinking problem. In The Program the Able Kane was trying to lead The Eastern State University Timberwolves to glory. Joe Kane was a junior, which made his Heisman run a little strange since back in the early 90's not many underclassmen made a run at the trophy. Instead though he got a little banged up and ended up in rehab for drinking. He did redeem himself and got the girl as well as his motorcycle back.
14 Desmond King: I talked about Dez in the college football reflections post, 4 year start, consensus All American and Thorpe Award winner in 2015. Desomond King is the best football player that Iowa had in the entire decade, he was truly special. I still wish he got to play some WR in 2016 when the WR corp was depleted. Instead he just played CB and eventually went to the Chargers where he's been named an All Pro. Dez is the man, truly a Hawkeye Legend.
15 Tommy Frazier: I know I picked a Nebraska guy, but in my defense when Tommy was playing for the Skers they weren't in the Big Ten and didn't play Michigan or Iowa. Tommy was awesome, probably the most athletic QB the Huskers of the 90's had. He was runner up to Eddie George for the Heisman in 1995. He had blood clot issues and other health issues which derailed his professional career before it even got started, but I remember watching him play and loving his talent.
16 Joe Montana: I always go back and forth with Joe Montana and Tom Brady. I had Montana #1 for years, but lately I've been thinking Brady. Joe Cool was so fun to watch, and even though I didn't watch a lot of his greatness, I saw enough. He was so calm in the pocket and delivered the ball in the right spot to free up Jerry Rice and John Taylor. I would like to see what Montana could do with today's rules where receivers have a little more freedom to move. He still has the best line ever right before that last minute drive about going to see John Candy in the other end zone.
17 Doug Williams: It was the first game I remember watching, the Super Bowl Doug Williams won for Washington in 1988. As I got older I took a lot of pride in my team being the one with black QB that won the Super Bowl. It was huge deal at the time and it's slowly lost it's importance, which is good, while he's been joined in the club by Russell Wilson. Williams was an ok QB and has been in the front office for the team since 2014.
18 Matt Cain: I've watched Matt Cain pitch live more than any pitcher in my life. It's a complete coincidence I've been to two of his starts, both in Milwaukee. He has 3 rings, a perfect game, and was the ace of the 2012 staff. Cain was the first big piece for the Giants rebuild that lead to the 3 in 5 years. He had to pitch on some bad teams that were only there to let Barry Bonds hit home runs. I'll always remember Cain as the guy who would lose 1-0 or 2-1, he would pitch brilliantly and get no run support.
19 1919 White Sox: I wasn't ever a huge expert of the 1919 White Sox, I didn't research their history or try to see what happened beyond what Field of Dreams or Eight Men Out talked about. Then last year I listened to a podcast called Infamous America, and they told the entire story of the Black Sox. I learned so much, and I listened to the podcast 3 times just to make sure I didn't miss anything. The story is so complex, fun, and interesting. The Eight Men Out story is full of falsehoods and doesn't tell an accurate story of what really happened. I suggest listening to the podcast and heading over to SABR and reading what their research team has found.
20 Barry Sanders: I don't think there is better football player in my life than Barry Sanders. He was electric to watch, so fun, so exciting. You didn't know if it was going to be a 2 yard loss or a 30 yard gain on any given play. Barry was the most explosive running back, he didn't have the line Emmit Smith did, but he made so many plays on his own. I love watching his highlight films, and often can remember watching a lot of those breakaway runs live. I'm not sure we've had anyone close to him since he retired, and man do I miss his style.
This was a fun group, little Quarterback heavy, but the low numbers will do that. Hoping to get the next 10 done before the weekend, enjoy.
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
By The Numbers: 0-10 Edition
Sports and numbers, 2 things that go together. When thinking about what to write about I thought, why not do another series. Let's talk about what person you think of when you hear a #. When I say 23, you know who you think about, 42 a certain player comes to mind. I'm not going to pick necessarly the best player to wear each number, instead it will be my favorite or something that comes to mind. Could be a real athlete, a movie character, an event, a record, anything that's a number. We'll start at 0 and go to 99, who knows maybe I'll do a couple over 100. Tonight we start at 0 and we'll get to 10, so 11 different things to talk about.
00 Willie Mayes Hayes: You may run like Mayes but you hit like shit. Willie Mayes Hayes is the best all around player on the Cleveland Indians in the movie franchise Major League. He can steal bases at will, play great defense in Centerfield and in the 2nd movie he adds a little pop to his bat. Played by Wesley Snipes we all love Willie.
1 Braylon Edwards/David Terrell: There are lots of great players who wore #1, but to me these 2 are my favorites. They both dominated at Michigan as Wide Receivers. They both went top 10 in the draft, and they both disappointed for the most part. Braylon had a couple good years in Cleveland but nothing great. I loved watching both of these guys catch passes at Michigan, they were so damn in college. They wanted to start a WR legacy and the #1 but I don't think that happened.
2 Rusty Wallace/Charles Woodson: I couldn't pick just one. Rusty Wallace was my favorite driver for early life until he retired following the 2005 season. His car was black and gold in my younger days and I thought it was the coolest, plus it was MGD which my dad drank so as a kid I thought that was right. He was a good driver, who eventually made the Hall of Fame, and if it weren't Dale Senior he might have a few more championships. Charles Woodson wore 2 at Michigan, he was AWESOME. The only predominantly defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, though he did play some receiver and returned punts. He was another level at Michigan, helping lead the Wolverines to 12-0 and a share of a National Title in 1997.
3 The Triplets: When the Giants won 3 titles in 5 years that was about the peak of my sports fandom. The sheer luck of it all happening, plus them not being the Yankees and dominating the sport that way was incredible. Sure they missed the postseason the 2 off years but it only made the titles even more special. The 2010 one exercised the demons, 2012 they fought back from the brink, twice, and of course 2014 they had no business winning but MadBum wouldn't let them lose. I think people don't give them enough credit but I'll never forget those 3 nights and where I was when the titles were won.
4 Chris Webber: Man did I love C-Webb, I even have a school picture day when I wore his Warriors jersey to school, I'll assume I had no idea it was picture day and I just wore it. He was awesome at Michigan leading the Fab Five to back to back title games, while also changing the look of sports. The baggy shorts changed my entire style. I was looking for shorts that came past my knees and honestly still have that preference in my shorts. Those 2 years solidified my status as a Michigan fan as a young man, something I held onto for a while as you can see by this list.
5 Timmy DeVoe: Timmy was a good friend of mine as a kid. He was another reason I like Rusty Wallace. Timmy was #5 for the Juda baseball team, and he was a very good shortstop. He died tragically in the summer between his sophomore and junior years. He wore his #5 baseball jersey in the casket for his visitation and funeral. I miss Timmy when I play ball and I often think about him especially on a pop up when he would tap his glove on his leg twice before reaching up to catch it.
6 Robby Thompson: There is no other answer. I wear 6 to honor Robby, I love that number. 6 is a part of me, it's my favorite number, it can't be topped. Robby was awesome, gave me my Giants fandom, I owe everything for my love of baseball to Robby Thompson and I'll never be able to repay him, so instead I cherish his jersey number.
7 Marvin McNutt: When I converted to Iowa for my college football rooting interests, there was guy on the Hawkeyes who seemed to make every huge play. That guy was Marvin McNutt. He held a lot of the school records for receivers when he left college. He was so sure handed and made all the tough catches. He has one of the most TDs in Iowa history, a last second grab against Michigan State, a play known as 7 got 6.
8 Cal Ripken Jr.: We named our son after this guy, he changed the game of baseball. Out were the days of the glove only Shortstop, in was the big body shortstop. The guy who could field the position and hit in the middle of the line up. Without Ripken we don't get A-Rod, Jeter, Correa, or Lindor.
9 Roger Maris: I didn't know a lot about Roger Maris until I watched 61*, a brilliant movie that Billy Crystal made in 2001. It chronicles the home run race between Micky Mantle and Roger Maris as they chase down Babe Ruth's 60 home runs. A record so cherished that they put an asterisk by Maris name because he had more games to do it. Barry Pepper played Maris and you couldn't tell them apart in the pictures. The movie is very good and I kind of need to watch it again.
10 Robert Griffin III/Tom Brady: When I wrote about 2012 I wrote my love letter to RG, and when I wrote about the 2012 draft I wrote it again. I loved that dude for that season and I'm still bitter at that stupid field. Tom Brady wore #10 at Michigan, and I loved Tom Brady at Michigan. I thought they screwed the pooch letting Drew Henson share time with Brady their two seasons together. Brady wasn't amazing at Michigan but he was pretty damn good, and he had a few weapons, if they had just let him play I think they would've been better those 2 years coming off the National Championship.
That's the first round, I'll get some more done in the coming weeks and will probably post more than once a week for this series. Should be fun, let me know some of your favorite numbers (0-10) I don't want to ruin the next few of these.
00 Willie Mayes Hayes: You may run like Mayes but you hit like shit. Willie Mayes Hayes is the best all around player on the Cleveland Indians in the movie franchise Major League. He can steal bases at will, play great defense in Centerfield and in the 2nd movie he adds a little pop to his bat. Played by Wesley Snipes we all love Willie.
1 Braylon Edwards/David Terrell: There are lots of great players who wore #1, but to me these 2 are my favorites. They both dominated at Michigan as Wide Receivers. They both went top 10 in the draft, and they both disappointed for the most part. Braylon had a couple good years in Cleveland but nothing great. I loved watching both of these guys catch passes at Michigan, they were so damn in college. They wanted to start a WR legacy and the #1 but I don't think that happened.
2 Rusty Wallace/Charles Woodson: I couldn't pick just one. Rusty Wallace was my favorite driver for early life until he retired following the 2005 season. His car was black and gold in my younger days and I thought it was the coolest, plus it was MGD which my dad drank so as a kid I thought that was right. He was a good driver, who eventually made the Hall of Fame, and if it weren't Dale Senior he might have a few more championships. Charles Woodson wore 2 at Michigan, he was AWESOME. The only predominantly defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, though he did play some receiver and returned punts. He was another level at Michigan, helping lead the Wolverines to 12-0 and a share of a National Title in 1997.
3 The Triplets: When the Giants won 3 titles in 5 years that was about the peak of my sports fandom. The sheer luck of it all happening, plus them not being the Yankees and dominating the sport that way was incredible. Sure they missed the postseason the 2 off years but it only made the titles even more special. The 2010 one exercised the demons, 2012 they fought back from the brink, twice, and of course 2014 they had no business winning but MadBum wouldn't let them lose. I think people don't give them enough credit but I'll never forget those 3 nights and where I was when the titles were won.
4 Chris Webber: Man did I love C-Webb, I even have a school picture day when I wore his Warriors jersey to school, I'll assume I had no idea it was picture day and I just wore it. He was awesome at Michigan leading the Fab Five to back to back title games, while also changing the look of sports. The baggy shorts changed my entire style. I was looking for shorts that came past my knees and honestly still have that preference in my shorts. Those 2 years solidified my status as a Michigan fan as a young man, something I held onto for a while as you can see by this list.
5 Timmy DeVoe: Timmy was a good friend of mine as a kid. He was another reason I like Rusty Wallace. Timmy was #5 for the Juda baseball team, and he was a very good shortstop. He died tragically in the summer between his sophomore and junior years. He wore his #5 baseball jersey in the casket for his visitation and funeral. I miss Timmy when I play ball and I often think about him especially on a pop up when he would tap his glove on his leg twice before reaching up to catch it.
6 Robby Thompson: There is no other answer. I wear 6 to honor Robby, I love that number. 6 is a part of me, it's my favorite number, it can't be topped. Robby was awesome, gave me my Giants fandom, I owe everything for my love of baseball to Robby Thompson and I'll never be able to repay him, so instead I cherish his jersey number.
7 Marvin McNutt: When I converted to Iowa for my college football rooting interests, there was guy on the Hawkeyes who seemed to make every huge play. That guy was Marvin McNutt. He held a lot of the school records for receivers when he left college. He was so sure handed and made all the tough catches. He has one of the most TDs in Iowa history, a last second grab against Michigan State, a play known as 7 got 6.
8 Cal Ripken Jr.: We named our son after this guy, he changed the game of baseball. Out were the days of the glove only Shortstop, in was the big body shortstop. The guy who could field the position and hit in the middle of the line up. Without Ripken we don't get A-Rod, Jeter, Correa, or Lindor.
9 Roger Maris: I didn't know a lot about Roger Maris until I watched 61*, a brilliant movie that Billy Crystal made in 2001. It chronicles the home run race between Micky Mantle and Roger Maris as they chase down Babe Ruth's 60 home runs. A record so cherished that they put an asterisk by Maris name because he had more games to do it. Barry Pepper played Maris and you couldn't tell them apart in the pictures. The movie is very good and I kind of need to watch it again.
10 Robert Griffin III/Tom Brady: When I wrote about 2012 I wrote my love letter to RG, and when I wrote about the 2012 draft I wrote it again. I loved that dude for that season and I'm still bitter at that stupid field. Tom Brady wore #10 at Michigan, and I loved Tom Brady at Michigan. I thought they screwed the pooch letting Drew Henson share time with Brady their two seasons together. Brady wasn't amazing at Michigan but he was pretty damn good, and he had a few weapons, if they had just let him play I think they would've been better those 2 years coming off the National Championship.
That's the first round, I'll get some more done in the coming weeks and will probably post more than once a week for this series. Should be fun, let me know some of your favorite numbers (0-10) I don't want to ruin the next few of these.
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