Back during our Cleveland, Ohio residence era, when the Browns were a regular weekly winner, this fellow would loyally wend his way to the old Lakefront Stadium on every autumn and early winter Sunday the team happened to be in town. Through local Touchdown Club and other connections, we'd managed to strike up acquaintanceships with a number of the players, adding a certain personal touch.
While driving homeward on one particular heavily trafficked late Sunday afternoon following a Browns' game, we kept seeing auto after auto coming from the opposite direction, many housing entire family complements. What continually repeated itself was the private thought "Why on earth weren't all these people at the stadium? Aren't they wasting their time doing something else? How could they have passed up the sole outstanding event taking place in the entire metropolis?" A self-centered opinion this was indeed.
However, that feeling still persists decades later in a most similar way. Today, with eyes glued to the TV screen every Sunday afternoon, Sunday night, and Monday night throughout the NFL season, we can't avoid sympathizing with that vast multitude of forlorn non-gridiron fans who fail to realize what they're missing week after week.
Part of the problem has to lie with the game's rather exteme complexities, which defy comprehension by that huge array of non-cognoscenti. Whereas in contrast, a low grade moron can understand and get kicks from a basketball, hockey, or soccer match, football requires knowledge that altogether too many folk lack the time or inclination to acquire.
Perhaps we're unduly prejudiced, and must admit that our universe is chock-full of other pleasurable diversions for almost everybody, albeit beyond this writer's intense interest span. It's not unlikely that a lot of people may hold pity for us in ignoring such stimulating activities as attending ladies' fashion shows, breeding canine species, tracking deer with killer weapons at the ready, or numerous other pursuits. Nevertheless, we'll remain content where we are, and let the gridiron game's non-followers suffer their manifold losses.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
THE NFL HITS A NEW LOW -- OR DOES IT?
SETTING: Monday Night Football, October 26, 2009
LOCATION: FedEx Field, Washington D.C.
OCCASION: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Washington Redskins 17
PRINCIPAL FEATURE: The ultimate in degradation of a head coach
Jim Zorn may not be the greatest front-line combat play caller the game has known, as indicated by the Redskins’ lack of success so far this season. Nevertheless, he is still the team’s head coach, and rather than unceremoniously fire the man, the club owners have chosen instead to demote him to a position which more resembles that of chief clerk and bottle washer.
Throughout this past Monday evening, some clown upstairs carried out his newly-assigned duties of deciding upon every Redskin offensive action to be undertaken, via phone contact with the bench and thence the quarterback. Meanwhile, this writer had the displeasure of watching the camera’s continual focusing on Coach Zorn, who forever seemed to be studying his play sheet in an after-the-fact effort to figure out what his legions had just finished running off.
If we understand the gridiron game correctly, the head coach’s responsibility is to defeat his opponents as often as possible. He represents football’s counterpart to Wellington at Waterloo, Eisenhower in the ETO, and MacArthur in the Philippines. Failure to carry out this sacred mission can result in nothing other than dismissal.
Apparently the muddleheaded Washington club ownership views it differently. Don’t order the fellow to clean out his desk and be off the premises by sundown. Oh no, it’s far more meaningful to simply strip him of his most fundamental on-the-field role, i.e. actively directing the team’s every move from opening kickoff to final whistle, week after week and season after season.
Can the reader imagine what the effect would have been if some franchise’s top dogs had ever tried to pull this sort of “go stand in the corner, Bad Boy” business on Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, or Jimmy Johnson?
On one hand, we must applaud Zorn for maintaining his composure under the unfriendly camera and daily condemnation by the press. However, we’d have much preferred to see him exit from the stage while thumbing his nose at the front office bigwigs. When a man is no longer allowed to play his role to the hilt, he should refuse ignominious position reduction to sidelines observer.
Perhaps, however, the conclusions we’ve expounded upon to this point aren’t really warranted. Isn’t it equally possible that the Redskins’ management has started the ball rolling in the direction of a brand new era for professional football? Supposing we have a look at what new grid action vistas may lie ahead for us.
As in any other corporate endeavor, the end goal is optimum profitability. And who bears the main responsibility for such achievement? The top level management corps, right?
Wouldn’t it make more sense in the relatively near future for the task of winning football games to become vested with those chaps occupying mahogany desks, rather than the harried field coach and his staff?
We might suggest making offensive play selection and defensive deployment throughout any game a Board of Directors’ duty. After all, such conglomeration of executive tycoons, bankers, insurance advisers, lawyers, and other competent persons are the ones who must answer to the stockholders. What should prevent said groups from taking the bull by the horns and directing bench activity?
Our first recommendation, therefore, would be to revise the NFL’s scheduling system so that games may be played only when Boards of Directors were holding their meetings – say the third Thursday of each month. The one hour of action time regulation would have to be expanded, of course, to where perhaps a full day might be required, considering the lengthy executive deliberation required.
Furthermore, immediately after an opening kickoff, the team in possession’s board membership, viewing the game on closed circuit TV, would move, second, and vote upon each ensuing offensive play from scrimmage. The results could be promptly emailed to the appropriate party in the stands, for retransmission to the quarterback by radio.
Contrarily, the defending board in another city would take appropriate play-by-play deployment action to dictate such strategic steps as number of pass rushers, linebacker movement, and specific downfield receiver coverage.
In due course, it might well become advisable for each club to have separate boards of directors, one to handle offense and the other defense.
Board responsibilities would obviously include determining when any questionable field official decision calls for a challenge, subject to majority vote, with a yea answer sent by email, instructing the emasculated head coach to throw the red flag.
It would make further sense for board action to be required in determining when time out should be called, and even personnel assignment. For example, the email message from the conference room might say “Pull Schmaltz out at left guard and put in Gittleheimer”.
Taken altogether then, perhaps we all owe a debt of gratitude to the Washington Redskin ownership for having introduced a brand new and most exciting element to our blessed gridiron game. An apology just may be in order for our undue and rash opening criticism.
LOCATION: FedEx Field, Washington D.C.
OCCASION: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Washington Redskins 17
PRINCIPAL FEATURE: The ultimate in degradation of a head coach
Jim Zorn may not be the greatest front-line combat play caller the game has known, as indicated by the Redskins’ lack of success so far this season. Nevertheless, he is still the team’s head coach, and rather than unceremoniously fire the man, the club owners have chosen instead to demote him to a position which more resembles that of chief clerk and bottle washer.
Throughout this past Monday evening, some clown upstairs carried out his newly-assigned duties of deciding upon every Redskin offensive action to be undertaken, via phone contact with the bench and thence the quarterback. Meanwhile, this writer had the displeasure of watching the camera’s continual focusing on Coach Zorn, who forever seemed to be studying his play sheet in an after-the-fact effort to figure out what his legions had just finished running off.
If we understand the gridiron game correctly, the head coach’s responsibility is to defeat his opponents as often as possible. He represents football’s counterpart to Wellington at Waterloo, Eisenhower in the ETO, and MacArthur in the Philippines. Failure to carry out this sacred mission can result in nothing other than dismissal.
Apparently the muddleheaded Washington club ownership views it differently. Don’t order the fellow to clean out his desk and be off the premises by sundown. Oh no, it’s far more meaningful to simply strip him of his most fundamental on-the-field role, i.e. actively directing the team’s every move from opening kickoff to final whistle, week after week and season after season.
Can the reader imagine what the effect would have been if some franchise’s top dogs had ever tried to pull this sort of “go stand in the corner, Bad Boy” business on Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, or Jimmy Johnson?
On one hand, we must applaud Zorn for maintaining his composure under the unfriendly camera and daily condemnation by the press. However, we’d have much preferred to see him exit from the stage while thumbing his nose at the front office bigwigs. When a man is no longer allowed to play his role to the hilt, he should refuse ignominious position reduction to sidelines observer.
Perhaps, however, the conclusions we’ve expounded upon to this point aren’t really warranted. Isn’t it equally possible that the Redskins’ management has started the ball rolling in the direction of a brand new era for professional football? Supposing we have a look at what new grid action vistas may lie ahead for us.
As in any other corporate endeavor, the end goal is optimum profitability. And who bears the main responsibility for such achievement? The top level management corps, right?
Wouldn’t it make more sense in the relatively near future for the task of winning football games to become vested with those chaps occupying mahogany desks, rather than the harried field coach and his staff?
We might suggest making offensive play selection and defensive deployment throughout any game a Board of Directors’ duty. After all, such conglomeration of executive tycoons, bankers, insurance advisers, lawyers, and other competent persons are the ones who must answer to the stockholders. What should prevent said groups from taking the bull by the horns and directing bench activity?
Our first recommendation, therefore, would be to revise the NFL’s scheduling system so that games may be played only when Boards of Directors were holding their meetings – say the third Thursday of each month. The one hour of action time regulation would have to be expanded, of course, to where perhaps a full day might be required, considering the lengthy executive deliberation required.
Furthermore, immediately after an opening kickoff, the team in possession’s board membership, viewing the game on closed circuit TV, would move, second, and vote upon each ensuing offensive play from scrimmage. The results could be promptly emailed to the appropriate party in the stands, for retransmission to the quarterback by radio.
Contrarily, the defending board in another city would take appropriate play-by-play deployment action to dictate such strategic steps as number of pass rushers, linebacker movement, and specific downfield receiver coverage.
In due course, it might well become advisable for each club to have separate boards of directors, one to handle offense and the other defense.
Board responsibilities would obviously include determining when any questionable field official decision calls for a challenge, subject to majority vote, with a yea answer sent by email, instructing the emasculated head coach to throw the red flag.
It would make further sense for board action to be required in determining when time out should be called, and even personnel assignment. For example, the email message from the conference room might say “Pull Schmaltz out at left guard and put in Gittleheimer”.
Taken altogether then, perhaps we all owe a debt of gratitude to the Washington Redskin ownership for having introduced a brand new and most exciting element to our blessed gridiron game. An apology just may be in order for our undue and rash opening criticism.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
INTOLERANCE -- EARLY 20TH CENTURY STYLE
A previous entry in this blog presented our studied selection of the best baseball players by position and within defined era throughout the game’s history. It represents the culmination of having analyzed every individual career hitting and pitching record from the 1870s up through the most current season. Needless to say, the effort has been extremely time-consuming.
While covering the game’s earlier activity years, i.e. from the beginning until circa 1915, we couldn’t help but note the predominance of names like Donovan, Murphy, Callahan, Collins, O’Rourke, O’Shaughnessy and literally countless others indicating Irish ancestry.
With the Smiths, Joneses, Browns, and the like so overshadowed by Emerald Islers, our curiosity became somewhat aroused. What on earth had drawn all those Pats and Mikes to the ballyards?
Having a business colleague on hand a few years back whose surname was as Irish as Paddy’s whistle, we asked him about the whys and wherefores of so many Hibernian tags appearing by score upon score throughout said era. His prompt and straightforward answer came while pointing toward his mouth with one finger, as he said “They had to eat”.
Following a bit of further explanation, we were rather astounded in learning that much strong anti-Irish sentiment prevailed in those days throughout the country. Our super-sophisticated Anglo-Saxon and Germanic origin barons simply refused to hire them for regular trade jobs. As a consequence, many such inferiorized lads possessing reasonable diamond skills thronged to the ball parks in order to earn a decent living.
We’re inclined to suspect that the problem was really rooted in anti-Catholicism. We can’t really corroborate this, however, since very few Italian or other central European names showed up during the period in question. Perhaps the snobbery advocates of the era just didn’t care to associate with people whose ancestors had been failed potato farmers.
It seems worth noting that the fate of the Irish during the century’s aught and teen years bears comparability with so many young blacks being forced to seek boxing careers in the 1920s and 1930s, due to sheer prejudice.
By way of closing comment, any perusal of today’s major league baseball rosters will show so many Martinez’, Rodriquez’, Gonzalez’, Fernandez’, Hernandez’, Sanchez’, Lopez’, Cabreras, et al that we have difficulty distinguishing one from the other. We can proudly say that they didn’t become diamond aces due to ethnic intolerance, but simply well above average playing skills. That fact, in itself, seems to indicate progress.
While covering the game’s earlier activity years, i.e. from the beginning until circa 1915, we couldn’t help but note the predominance of names like Donovan, Murphy, Callahan, Collins, O’Rourke, O’Shaughnessy and literally countless others indicating Irish ancestry.
With the Smiths, Joneses, Browns, and the like so overshadowed by Emerald Islers, our curiosity became somewhat aroused. What on earth had drawn all those Pats and Mikes to the ballyards?
Having a business colleague on hand a few years back whose surname was as Irish as Paddy’s whistle, we asked him about the whys and wherefores of so many Hibernian tags appearing by score upon score throughout said era. His prompt and straightforward answer came while pointing toward his mouth with one finger, as he said “They had to eat”.
Following a bit of further explanation, we were rather astounded in learning that much strong anti-Irish sentiment prevailed in those days throughout the country. Our super-sophisticated Anglo-Saxon and Germanic origin barons simply refused to hire them for regular trade jobs. As a consequence, many such inferiorized lads possessing reasonable diamond skills thronged to the ball parks in order to earn a decent living.
We’re inclined to suspect that the problem was really rooted in anti-Catholicism. We can’t really corroborate this, however, since very few Italian or other central European names showed up during the period in question. Perhaps the snobbery advocates of the era just didn’t care to associate with people whose ancestors had been failed potato farmers.
It seems worth noting that the fate of the Irish during the century’s aught and teen years bears comparability with so many young blacks being forced to seek boxing careers in the 1920s and 1930s, due to sheer prejudice.
By way of closing comment, any perusal of today’s major league baseball rosters will show so many Martinez’, Rodriquez’, Gonzalez’, Fernandez’, Hernandez’, Sanchez’, Lopez’, Cabreras, et al that we have difficulty distinguishing one from the other. We can proudly say that they didn’t become diamond aces due to ethnic intolerance, but simply well above average playing skills. That fact, in itself, seems to indicate progress.
Friday, October 16, 2009
THINGS WE CAN DO WITHOUT WHEN WATCHING SPORTS EVENTS
We’ve always abhorred being in a football grandstand overburdened with drunks, purportedly as a result of their bringing bottles along for self-protection against inclement weather. Our student days at Ohio State provided the basis for such feeling, since no autumn Saturday afternoon could ever be judged complete without being surrounded by dozens of obnoxious inebriates.
Several years following graduation, the opportunity arose to travel to South Bend, Indiana for a Notre Dame gridiron game. All the while seated in a completely packed stadium, and later moving out with the crowd after the final whistle, we encountered exactly one, repeat one, disgusting chap who’d had a few too many. We couldn’t help but note the contrast with our earlier Columbus, Ohio experience, where the upper deck air would become so alcohol-saturated that even lighting a match could be somewhat dangerous.
What we’ve introduced up to this point is an innate dislike for ungentlemanly spectator behavior. We see no need to add the expression unladylike as well, since the male of the species accounts for our entire displeasure.
With nearly all our present-day major sport-watching activities restricted to televised broadcasts, we’ll now focus on the numerous personal annoyances brought about as the cameramen continually seek new vistas, to avoid audience boredom between plays or foul balls. The more despicable aspects we’re forced to witness are itemized below.
Grandstand Tarzans
Regardless of how hot it gets on summer afternoons in the bleacher area, we deplore seeing men with their shirts removed. Since most such offenders aren’t exactly built like Apollo, this makes the view even worse.
Halloween Costuming
Maybe we’re a bit old-fashioned, but fully hate having the camera shift around to locate those nauseating exhibitionist types wearing outlandish costumes, often further aggravated by painting their faces to resemble creatures in horror films. We’d much prefer viewing the scantily-clad pom-pom girls down on the playing field, or else the more attractive fair sex spectators.
On the other hand, we have no objection to fans’ holding up catchy slogan signs or Green Bay rooters with their cheesehead bonnets. We’re not that prudish.
Lesser Offenses
We consider it utterly childish for grown men to come to the stadia clad in the uniforms of their local teams. On a similar premise, would the person don a toga when attending a stage performance of Julius Caesar, or go to see Carmen in a toreador outfit?
This sort of garb ought to be restricted to kids.
Furthermore, bringing a fielder’s glove to the game as a potential aid in catching foul or home run balls should be a prerogative reserved for the younger set only. An adult looks absolutely nonsensical doing this. This fellow wisely discontinued the practice at around age twelve, after many unsuccessful afternoons at Cleveland’s old Lakefront Stadium.
Salivary Gland Activity
Long ago, some baseball players would appear on the field with lumpily-distorted faces, due to a chaw of tobacco being stored in one cheek. The purpose was to reduce mouth dryness. Our modern lads have happily switched to bubble gum or Gatorade. Still, these relieving features never seem to prevent performers from frequent spitting. How the cameras always manage to turn on to a fellow only two seconds before he expectorates has become a mystery indeed. We realize, though, that this condition will have to be lived with. After all, these boys are the stars of the show.
At least, we can be happy it’s only saliva, and not yesteryear’s ugly brown tobacco juice.
Several years following graduation, the opportunity arose to travel to South Bend, Indiana for a Notre Dame gridiron game. All the while seated in a completely packed stadium, and later moving out with the crowd after the final whistle, we encountered exactly one, repeat one, disgusting chap who’d had a few too many. We couldn’t help but note the contrast with our earlier Columbus, Ohio experience, where the upper deck air would become so alcohol-saturated that even lighting a match could be somewhat dangerous.
What we’ve introduced up to this point is an innate dislike for ungentlemanly spectator behavior. We see no need to add the expression unladylike as well, since the male of the species accounts for our entire displeasure.
With nearly all our present-day major sport-watching activities restricted to televised broadcasts, we’ll now focus on the numerous personal annoyances brought about as the cameramen continually seek new vistas, to avoid audience boredom between plays or foul balls. The more despicable aspects we’re forced to witness are itemized below.
Grandstand Tarzans
Regardless of how hot it gets on summer afternoons in the bleacher area, we deplore seeing men with their shirts removed. Since most such offenders aren’t exactly built like Apollo, this makes the view even worse.
Halloween Costuming
Maybe we’re a bit old-fashioned, but fully hate having the camera shift around to locate those nauseating exhibitionist types wearing outlandish costumes, often further aggravated by painting their faces to resemble creatures in horror films. We’d much prefer viewing the scantily-clad pom-pom girls down on the playing field, or else the more attractive fair sex spectators.
On the other hand, we have no objection to fans’ holding up catchy slogan signs or Green Bay rooters with their cheesehead bonnets. We’re not that prudish.
Lesser Offenses
We consider it utterly childish for grown men to come to the stadia clad in the uniforms of their local teams. On a similar premise, would the person don a toga when attending a stage performance of Julius Caesar, or go to see Carmen in a toreador outfit?
This sort of garb ought to be restricted to kids.
Furthermore, bringing a fielder’s glove to the game as a potential aid in catching foul or home run balls should be a prerogative reserved for the younger set only. An adult looks absolutely nonsensical doing this. This fellow wisely discontinued the practice at around age twelve, after many unsuccessful afternoons at Cleveland’s old Lakefront Stadium.
Salivary Gland Activity
Long ago, some baseball players would appear on the field with lumpily-distorted faces, due to a chaw of tobacco being stored in one cheek. The purpose was to reduce mouth dryness. Our modern lads have happily switched to bubble gum or Gatorade. Still, these relieving features never seem to prevent performers from frequent spitting. How the cameras always manage to turn on to a fellow only two seconds before he expectorates has become a mystery indeed. We realize, though, that this condition will have to be lived with. After all, these boys are the stars of the show.
At least, we can be happy it’s only saliva, and not yesteryear’s ugly brown tobacco juice.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
PRO FOOTBALL TAKES A FURTHER DOWNHILL STEP
Throughout the bygone 1946-1949 college football seasons, Notre Dame’s gallant crews achieved a seldom-matched period of invincibility. So devastating was their offensive and defensive prowess that Coach Frank Leahy sometimes felt obligated to put his third- or fourth-string unit on the field in the last quarter, just to keep the score from becoming too lopsided.
This particular humane action led a contemporary sports writer named Kyle Crichton to compose a humorous article, predicting what might happen in that particular era’s future, should the Fighting Irish lads’ indomitable thrust go unabated.
Mr. Crichton’s feeling was that handicaps would be imposed on the Notre Damers, beginning with their entire backfield crew having their legs encased in burlap bags, as though they were Sunday picnic sack race participants.
The article went on to describe how this supposed restriction would likely still fail to stop the murderous Irish onslaught, with the sack aspect being replaced by tying the left halfback’s right leg to the right halfback’s left, requiring the pair to carry the ball in three-legged race fashion.
According to Crichton’s prognostications, the constant touchdown barrage still couldn’t be held in check. The last-ditch effort would also require every Notre Dame downfield pass receiver to run his patterns while carrying an egg in a spoon, whereby allowing it to drop to the ground would cause an automatic incompletion. Again, the article’s content found the powerful South Benders not to be the least bit impeded.
The closing paragraphs described how such increasingly severe encumbrances would eventually lead to the gridiron game’s complete demise, as it gradually became reduced to a living room-staged contest, with footballs as furniture props.
Despite that article’s gross exaggeration, we can’t help but notice a somewhat similar trend in our more modern age.
The present-day game carried out on NFL fields across the land, and the extent to which rules keep being amended from year to year, evidence a demand for ever greater protection of quarterback sanctity. In fact, we find the latest doctrines extremely disquieting.
Football is a rugged game calling for rough and ready players at every position. Somehow though, the feeling seems to have developed that our signal-calling, scrambling, precision-passing quarterback gentry have been moulded in highly fragile Chinese porcelain, not the customary flesh and bone.
One of our earlier articles appearing on this blog tossed out a few disturbed comments regarding this same issue, wondering if the day might come when two hands below the waist would be sufficient to “tackle” a ball carrier, along with similar steps on the route to ultimate sissification.
Under this season’s updated rules, we can’t help but anticipate future year defensive pass rushers needing only to get close to the quarterback and shout “Boo!”, or perhaps simply look cross-eyed at him, with the result being construed as a sack.
We sincerely hope the NFL bigwigs will again come to realize that football is a man’s game, not a contest which imposes overly severe limitations, just to prevent quarterbacks from getting their elbows bruised.
This particular humane action led a contemporary sports writer named Kyle Crichton to compose a humorous article, predicting what might happen in that particular era’s future, should the Fighting Irish lads’ indomitable thrust go unabated.
Mr. Crichton’s feeling was that handicaps would be imposed on the Notre Damers, beginning with their entire backfield crew having their legs encased in burlap bags, as though they were Sunday picnic sack race participants.
The article went on to describe how this supposed restriction would likely still fail to stop the murderous Irish onslaught, with the sack aspect being replaced by tying the left halfback’s right leg to the right halfback’s left, requiring the pair to carry the ball in three-legged race fashion.
According to Crichton’s prognostications, the constant touchdown barrage still couldn’t be held in check. The last-ditch effort would also require every Notre Dame downfield pass receiver to run his patterns while carrying an egg in a spoon, whereby allowing it to drop to the ground would cause an automatic incompletion. Again, the article’s content found the powerful South Benders not to be the least bit impeded.
The closing paragraphs described how such increasingly severe encumbrances would eventually lead to the gridiron game’s complete demise, as it gradually became reduced to a living room-staged contest, with footballs as furniture props.
Despite that article’s gross exaggeration, we can’t help but notice a somewhat similar trend in our more modern age.
The present-day game carried out on NFL fields across the land, and the extent to which rules keep being amended from year to year, evidence a demand for ever greater protection of quarterback sanctity. In fact, we find the latest doctrines extremely disquieting.
Football is a rugged game calling for rough and ready players at every position. Somehow though, the feeling seems to have developed that our signal-calling, scrambling, precision-passing quarterback gentry have been moulded in highly fragile Chinese porcelain, not the customary flesh and bone.
One of our earlier articles appearing on this blog tossed out a few disturbed comments regarding this same issue, wondering if the day might come when two hands below the waist would be sufficient to “tackle” a ball carrier, along with similar steps on the route to ultimate sissification.
Under this season’s updated rules, we can’t help but anticipate future year defensive pass rushers needing only to get close to the quarterback and shout “Boo!”, or perhaps simply look cross-eyed at him, with the result being construed as a sack.
We sincerely hope the NFL bigwigs will again come to realize that football is a man’s game, not a contest which imposes overly severe limitations, just to prevent quarterbacks from getting their elbows bruised.
Monday, October 5, 2009
WHO CARES IF THE CROWD DOESN'T ROAR?
Back during the mid-1930s, a former U.S. Naval Academy super halfback named Tom Hamilton devised a parlor football game, using a special deck of gain and loss value cards, along with means for taking relative imaginary player skills into consideration. According to the writer’s recollection, no other such product of that era could match it.
Commander Hamilton’s creation appeared under the tree one long bygone Christmas morning, and was enthusiastically accepted. However, although the accompanying instructional material assured user enjoyment equal to “Everything but the roar of the crowd”, this proved to be a gross exaggeration. Despite such shortcoming, the dual concept of results measurement by card values and theoretical player prowess created a favorable and lasting impression on this fellow’s mind.
Several December 25ths later, Santa dropped off a book published by the Esquire magazine folk, devoted to social hosting and hostessing excellence from about every angle, covering cocktail mixing, vintage wine selection, exotic recipes, and even parlor games of all sorts. That last mentioned category included a chapter entitled Football for Feeble Fullbacks, describing how a gridiron match effect could be achieved with no more than a single deck of conventional bridge cards.
Obviously, this rather juvenile attempt at stirring up football thrills also fell way short of the mark. Nevertheless, the garden variety playing card utilization feature did register deeply.
Putting one, two, and three together, so to speak, the idea of developing a truly realistic living room football game by moulding the Hamilton and Esquire concepts into a composite
product sounded terrific – and that’s exactly what we set out to do.
The culminative result, after roughly fifty years of constant revision and update, is what we now humbly deem the most masterful game of its kind ever developed. The evolution from a pair of regular decks and a few manual pages into the present three hundred card/vast computer file concoction, supplemented by two ordinary dice, has proven to be tedious and often frustrating, yet most enjoyable throughout the ages. We honestly feel that everything except the collective spectator shouting has indeed been accomplished. To the best of our knowledge, not a single on-the-playing-field element has been overlooked in our comprehensive parlor table venture.
From the exuberant verbiage we’ve been displaying, the reader might deduce that we claim to have reached perfection, nirvana, the zenith, utopia, or whatever. Unfortunately, this isn’t quite the case. Our brainchild has a few drawbacks, to be cited in a moment. Nevertheless, we can say with complete confidence that the most exotic software in our modern universe couldn’t possibly bring about its equal.
Admittedly, today’s amusement market does offer a wide array of computerized footballia, with enough vicarious thrills to satisfy almost any couch-bound spectator, even those whose gridiron play knowledge is quite limited. Still, in the face of such so-called competition, we’re fully able to scoff at the entire pack.
On the other hand, our boisterous clamor needs toning down somewhat, in view of the fact that our product isn’t the least bit salable. Its heavy reliance on dice rolls and card turning, along with the patience-straining tedium of having to call up several sequential excel worksheets on play after play, is more than the average living room quarterback will tolerate. Furthermore, our game demands an intimate understanding of gridiron rules and strategy. Altogether too many parties would readily lose interest.
Having run out of negative aspects, we can now go on to say with certainty that the world’s most sophisticated software would never be able to generate the features we proudly present below.
1. This is essentially a game of solitaire, with a spectator atmosphere prevailing throughout, as opposed to one related to a skilled coach or an ace quarterback. The user isn’t playing against the house or an imaginary opponent, but merely following the written progressive stage instructions as each new play develops, then letting the dice and cards create the strategy and resultant action, favorable or otherwise.
2. The massive 300-card deck has been assembled in a semi-scientific manner, with its varying values taking into consideration all estimable odds in accordance with actual field occurrences.
3. We’ve carried out countless exercises, while watching televised NFL matches from a clock standpoint, to ensure that the turning over of all 300 cards is truly equivalent to a real life 15-minute quarter.
4. There is provision for varying the offensive attack formations, i.e. the T, the shotgun, or even the latest “wildcat” craze.
5. Eight different built-in club rosters are available, from which two opposing units may be chosen, showing mythical player names, their positions filled on offensive, defensive, or the manifold special teams, and complete with jersey numbers and relative athletic prowess values. Instead, however, the user may take the trouble of assembling his or her own combative units.
6. We’ve provided the means for carrying out every conceivable play situation from opening kickoff to final whistle.
7. Special situation modes can be established in line with strategic effort, “time” management, and other elements, including goal line, clock killing, hurry up, and desperation.
8. The offensive deployment may be changed prior to each new play, in respect to number of downfield receiver, blocking linemen, and running back complements.
9. Comparable defensive deployment adjustment is available, taking either a three-man or four-man front line into consideration, along with linebacker and deep secondary assignments, including the possibility of a safety or cornerback blitz.
10. Specific player identification is made from the results of 8 and 9, so that individual assignments and overall team values can be determined.
11. Based on 8 through 10 above, offensive and defensive value advantages are established for running plays, pass protection, and downfield receiving vs. deep secondary effort.
12. An offensive play selection is then made with numerous options available, including run play direction or passing distance, augmented by draws, bootlegs, handoff fakes, single and double reverses, audible calls, and even the explosive flea flicker.
13. A no-huddle decision may be exercised in order to conserve precious clock time.
14. The offense may further choose to try a quarterback sneak, a goal line dive, a closing seconds kneeldown, spiking the ball to stop the clock, a fake kick and run or pass, even an intentional safety for strategic purposes.
15. Any number of situations may arise on a pass play, such as a quarterback scramble, an option to alter the selected receiver or zone, election to run instead, throwing the ball away, or the ignominious sack.
16. We haven’t overlooked the desperation-inspired Hail Mary pass, with allowance for the slim odds it might be successful.
17. Regular, squib, or even onside kickoffs may be executed.
18. Punts can be made on a regular basis, or else directed out of bounds.
19. A punt might be either run back, fair caught, or downed by the kicking team.
20. Field goal opportunities exist from suitable distances.
21. An option is included for either a one- or two-point after touchdown attempt.
22. There are provisions for downfield lateral passing and stepping out of bounds to stop the clock.
23. Long running or passing gains are possible, based on the odds involved, and so are heroic goal line stands.
24. Upset factors can occur, such as blocked kicks, scrimmage or downfield fumbles, and broken plays.
25. Penalties may be assessed, if the cards so dictate, for offside, illegal procedure, offensive or defensive holding, pass interference, an array of unnecessary roughness calls, and even unsportsmanlike conduct.
26. Players can be ejected from the game for fighting.
27. Injuries might occur on any given play, with varying lengths of time for related absence from the field, according to dice-determined severity.
28. A coach can throw the red challenge flag under certain play result conditions, with either reversal or rejection possible.
29. Time elapsed between plays is determinable on a varied basis, in line with clock rule applications.
30. A log is maintainable, recording the set-up, execution, and detailed results of each play, along with penalties, upset factors, time elapsed, and other key elements. Complete post-game statistics may be accurately compiled from this document, if desired.
Thanks to the log cited in 30 above, should any given game become too tedious to continue, the user can cease play and return hours or even days later, able to resume exactly where he or she had left off.
So there we have it – a living room version of gridiron conduct, replete with all the trimmings. We’ve often noted a certain degree of anticipatory excitement arising at suspenseful times during the play, which helps overcome the tedium brought on by continued dice rolling, card turning, and computer file call-up.
We’d be more than pleased to furnish added specifics based on reader requests, even to the extent of submitting demonstrative material by email.
Finally, speaking once again of challenges, that is precisely what we’re proposing to anybody who claims to have found or devised a more thorough game of this nature.
Commander Hamilton’s creation appeared under the tree one long bygone Christmas morning, and was enthusiastically accepted. However, although the accompanying instructional material assured user enjoyment equal to “Everything but the roar of the crowd”, this proved to be a gross exaggeration. Despite such shortcoming, the dual concept of results measurement by card values and theoretical player prowess created a favorable and lasting impression on this fellow’s mind.
Several December 25ths later, Santa dropped off a book published by the Esquire magazine folk, devoted to social hosting and hostessing excellence from about every angle, covering cocktail mixing, vintage wine selection, exotic recipes, and even parlor games of all sorts. That last mentioned category included a chapter entitled Football for Feeble Fullbacks, describing how a gridiron match effect could be achieved with no more than a single deck of conventional bridge cards.
Obviously, this rather juvenile attempt at stirring up football thrills also fell way short of the mark. Nevertheless, the garden variety playing card utilization feature did register deeply.
Putting one, two, and three together, so to speak, the idea of developing a truly realistic living room football game by moulding the Hamilton and Esquire concepts into a composite
product sounded terrific – and that’s exactly what we set out to do.
The culminative result, after roughly fifty years of constant revision and update, is what we now humbly deem the most masterful game of its kind ever developed. The evolution from a pair of regular decks and a few manual pages into the present three hundred card/vast computer file concoction, supplemented by two ordinary dice, has proven to be tedious and often frustrating, yet most enjoyable throughout the ages. We honestly feel that everything except the collective spectator shouting has indeed been accomplished. To the best of our knowledge, not a single on-the-playing-field element has been overlooked in our comprehensive parlor table venture.
From the exuberant verbiage we’ve been displaying, the reader might deduce that we claim to have reached perfection, nirvana, the zenith, utopia, or whatever. Unfortunately, this isn’t quite the case. Our brainchild has a few drawbacks, to be cited in a moment. Nevertheless, we can say with complete confidence that the most exotic software in our modern universe couldn’t possibly bring about its equal.
Admittedly, today’s amusement market does offer a wide array of computerized footballia, with enough vicarious thrills to satisfy almost any couch-bound spectator, even those whose gridiron play knowledge is quite limited. Still, in the face of such so-called competition, we’re fully able to scoff at the entire pack.
On the other hand, our boisterous clamor needs toning down somewhat, in view of the fact that our product isn’t the least bit salable. Its heavy reliance on dice rolls and card turning, along with the patience-straining tedium of having to call up several sequential excel worksheets on play after play, is more than the average living room quarterback will tolerate. Furthermore, our game demands an intimate understanding of gridiron rules and strategy. Altogether too many parties would readily lose interest.
Having run out of negative aspects, we can now go on to say with certainty that the world’s most sophisticated software would never be able to generate the features we proudly present below.
1. This is essentially a game of solitaire, with a spectator atmosphere prevailing throughout, as opposed to one related to a skilled coach or an ace quarterback. The user isn’t playing against the house or an imaginary opponent, but merely following the written progressive stage instructions as each new play develops, then letting the dice and cards create the strategy and resultant action, favorable or otherwise.
2. The massive 300-card deck has been assembled in a semi-scientific manner, with its varying values taking into consideration all estimable odds in accordance with actual field occurrences.
3. We’ve carried out countless exercises, while watching televised NFL matches from a clock standpoint, to ensure that the turning over of all 300 cards is truly equivalent to a real life 15-minute quarter.
4. There is provision for varying the offensive attack formations, i.e. the T, the shotgun, or even the latest “wildcat” craze.
5. Eight different built-in club rosters are available, from which two opposing units may be chosen, showing mythical player names, their positions filled on offensive, defensive, or the manifold special teams, and complete with jersey numbers and relative athletic prowess values. Instead, however, the user may take the trouble of assembling his or her own combative units.
6. We’ve provided the means for carrying out every conceivable play situation from opening kickoff to final whistle.
7. Special situation modes can be established in line with strategic effort, “time” management, and other elements, including goal line, clock killing, hurry up, and desperation.
8. The offensive deployment may be changed prior to each new play, in respect to number of downfield receiver, blocking linemen, and running back complements.
9. Comparable defensive deployment adjustment is available, taking either a three-man or four-man front line into consideration, along with linebacker and deep secondary assignments, including the possibility of a safety or cornerback blitz.
10. Specific player identification is made from the results of 8 and 9, so that individual assignments and overall team values can be determined.
11. Based on 8 through 10 above, offensive and defensive value advantages are established for running plays, pass protection, and downfield receiving vs. deep secondary effort.
12. An offensive play selection is then made with numerous options available, including run play direction or passing distance, augmented by draws, bootlegs, handoff fakes, single and double reverses, audible calls, and even the explosive flea flicker.
13. A no-huddle decision may be exercised in order to conserve precious clock time.
14. The offense may further choose to try a quarterback sneak, a goal line dive, a closing seconds kneeldown, spiking the ball to stop the clock, a fake kick and run or pass, even an intentional safety for strategic purposes.
15. Any number of situations may arise on a pass play, such as a quarterback scramble, an option to alter the selected receiver or zone, election to run instead, throwing the ball away, or the ignominious sack.
16. We haven’t overlooked the desperation-inspired Hail Mary pass, with allowance for the slim odds it might be successful.
17. Regular, squib, or even onside kickoffs may be executed.
18. Punts can be made on a regular basis, or else directed out of bounds.
19. A punt might be either run back, fair caught, or downed by the kicking team.
20. Field goal opportunities exist from suitable distances.
21. An option is included for either a one- or two-point after touchdown attempt.
22. There are provisions for downfield lateral passing and stepping out of bounds to stop the clock.
23. Long running or passing gains are possible, based on the odds involved, and so are heroic goal line stands.
24. Upset factors can occur, such as blocked kicks, scrimmage or downfield fumbles, and broken plays.
25. Penalties may be assessed, if the cards so dictate, for offside, illegal procedure, offensive or defensive holding, pass interference, an array of unnecessary roughness calls, and even unsportsmanlike conduct.
26. Players can be ejected from the game for fighting.
27. Injuries might occur on any given play, with varying lengths of time for related absence from the field, according to dice-determined severity.
28. A coach can throw the red challenge flag under certain play result conditions, with either reversal or rejection possible.
29. Time elapsed between plays is determinable on a varied basis, in line with clock rule applications.
30. A log is maintainable, recording the set-up, execution, and detailed results of each play, along with penalties, upset factors, time elapsed, and other key elements. Complete post-game statistics may be accurately compiled from this document, if desired.
Thanks to the log cited in 30 above, should any given game become too tedious to continue, the user can cease play and return hours or even days later, able to resume exactly where he or she had left off.
So there we have it – a living room version of gridiron conduct, replete with all the trimmings. We’ve often noted a certain degree of anticipatory excitement arising at suspenseful times during the play, which helps overcome the tedium brought on by continued dice rolling, card turning, and computer file call-up.
We’d be more than pleased to furnish added specifics based on reader requests, even to the extent of submitting demonstrative material by email.
Finally, speaking once again of challenges, that is precisely what we’re proposing to anybody who claims to have found or devised a more thorough game of this nature.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
A WELCOME ADVENTURE AT LOS ANGELES COLISEUM
We can’t resist recounting an extremely memorable personal anecdote from many years back, with football as the background theme. Since we’ve told it on several occasions to fellow grid game lovers, the readers are kindly asked to accept our humble apology wherever overkill has resulted.
The setting is Los Angeles, with the writer being on a business visit to a local client’s premises. One of the company’s executives dropped by on a midweek afternoon to indicate that he had an extra ticket for a game that night at the Coliseum. The New York Giants had come to town to face the Rams in a pre-season exhibition match.
“Would you care to see it?”, asked the gentleman, whose name happened to be Floyd.
After a leap in the air and a double heel click, the answer was a most enthusiastic “Yep!”
“Fine then,” continued Floyd. “We’ll leave work around five PM, meet my wife for dinner, and afterwards all head to the game together.”
Suddenly a dull thud sensation could be felt in the pit of the stomach. “Oh, Lord,” came the unspoken reaction to the man’s statement. “He’s going to a football game and bringing his wife along. What a ridiculous move!”
Immediate nightmarish thoughts came to mind, due to the prospect of spending some three grandstand hours listening to a female’s endless dumb questions, such as “Why is the whole crowd cheering, Floyd? Did somebody hit a home run?”
Anyway, the countdown toward our five o’clock departure and subsequent rendezvous promptly began. In due course, we found Mrs. F already waiting for us at a spiffy restaurant. After attending to the introduction, hubby excused himself to make a phone call, leaving the two of us seated side-by-side in a plushly upholstered dining booth.
Our acquaintance began with a minute or two of utterly useless small talk, before Floyd’s better half looked up and calmly asked “What do you think of Billy Wade?”, referring to the Rams’ incumbent quarterback.
“Oh, I never cared much for his playing,” was the relatively disinterested response.
She readily carried on, a bit more emphatically this time, “Well, maybe not, but he’s running out of the pocket better than he did last season.”
With these words, a bolt of lightning crackled over this fellow’s head. “Good God,” was the silent but resounding reaction. “The lady speaks fluent football!”
From that point onward, the evening proved to be exceedingly pleasant. Upon arrival at the Coliseum, Floyd’s wife sat in the middle, and the two of us jointly proceeded to plan play-by-play strategy for the home-town Rams. Our accomplishments amounted to little, however, since the Giants gave them a pretty thorough licking.
That was the first and only occasion for meeting Floyd’s unexpectedly grid-cognizant wife, because that initial visit found all needed business matters fully resolved. Still, the entire affair remains a vivid memory. A hitherto disdain for female admittance into hallowed football circles had been irrevocably nullified.
Since that momentous event so long ago, some highly significant evolutionary changes have been effected where the fair sex is concerned. Nowadays, the act of witnessing a National Football League game would prove extremely disappointing if the broadcast failed to feature a most knowledgeable young lady or two down on the playing field, offering meaningful on-the-spot commentary from start to final whistle.
The setting is Los Angeles, with the writer being on a business visit to a local client’s premises. One of the company’s executives dropped by on a midweek afternoon to indicate that he had an extra ticket for a game that night at the Coliseum. The New York Giants had come to town to face the Rams in a pre-season exhibition match.
“Would you care to see it?”, asked the gentleman, whose name happened to be Floyd.
After a leap in the air and a double heel click, the answer was a most enthusiastic “Yep!”
“Fine then,” continued Floyd. “We’ll leave work around five PM, meet my wife for dinner, and afterwards all head to the game together.”
Suddenly a dull thud sensation could be felt in the pit of the stomach. “Oh, Lord,” came the unspoken reaction to the man’s statement. “He’s going to a football game and bringing his wife along. What a ridiculous move!”
Immediate nightmarish thoughts came to mind, due to the prospect of spending some three grandstand hours listening to a female’s endless dumb questions, such as “Why is the whole crowd cheering, Floyd? Did somebody hit a home run?”
Anyway, the countdown toward our five o’clock departure and subsequent rendezvous promptly began. In due course, we found Mrs. F already waiting for us at a spiffy restaurant. After attending to the introduction, hubby excused himself to make a phone call, leaving the two of us seated side-by-side in a plushly upholstered dining booth.
Our acquaintance began with a minute or two of utterly useless small talk, before Floyd’s better half looked up and calmly asked “What do you think of Billy Wade?”, referring to the Rams’ incumbent quarterback.
“Oh, I never cared much for his playing,” was the relatively disinterested response.
She readily carried on, a bit more emphatically this time, “Well, maybe not, but he’s running out of the pocket better than he did last season.”
With these words, a bolt of lightning crackled over this fellow’s head. “Good God,” was the silent but resounding reaction. “The lady speaks fluent football!”
From that point onward, the evening proved to be exceedingly pleasant. Upon arrival at the Coliseum, Floyd’s wife sat in the middle, and the two of us jointly proceeded to plan play-by-play strategy for the home-town Rams. Our accomplishments amounted to little, however, since the Giants gave them a pretty thorough licking.
That was the first and only occasion for meeting Floyd’s unexpectedly grid-cognizant wife, because that initial visit found all needed business matters fully resolved. Still, the entire affair remains a vivid memory. A hitherto disdain for female admittance into hallowed football circles had been irrevocably nullified.
Since that momentous event so long ago, some highly significant evolutionary changes have been effected where the fair sex is concerned. Nowadays, the act of witnessing a National Football League game would prove extremely disappointing if the broadcast failed to feature a most knowledgeable young lady or two down on the playing field, offering meaningful on-the-spot commentary from start to final whistle.
CLOTHES MAKE THE ATHLETE
In our vast world of sports, we occasionally tend to sit back and speculate just why we personally favor football (the real American kind, that is) over all others. There are numerous reasons, of course, but one which readily comes to mind is the garb the players don. The gridiron performer, in his heavily protective paddedness, appears far more he-manish than any of the rest. When the opposing teams trot onto the field at game’s start, what we essentially see are true hidebound warriors, duly geared to do battle. The spectator can find nothing the least bit sissified from the way they are dressed.
Consider, for example, what we observe whenever participants in fellow sports take the scene. Baseball and (even more so) jockey clothing makes the fellows look slightly leprechaunish. Soccer and rugby chaps resemble English schoolboys romping about. Hockey stars, rugged though they may be, are clad somewhat like girls. Basketball and track performers impress us as running around in their underwear, golfers show up wearing Sunday afternoon picnic attire, and tennis aces might as well be occupying backyard lounge chairs seeking a suntan.
As we’ve already indicated, there are additional reasons in support of our favoritism. At least, though, the gallant, gladiator-like football behemoths definitely lead the pack in the wardrobe department.
Consider, for example, what we observe whenever participants in fellow sports take the scene. Baseball and (even more so) jockey clothing makes the fellows look slightly leprechaunish. Soccer and rugby chaps resemble English schoolboys romping about. Hockey stars, rugged though they may be, are clad somewhat like girls. Basketball and track performers impress us as running around in their underwear, golfers show up wearing Sunday afternoon picnic attire, and tennis aces might as well be occupying backyard lounge chairs seeking a suntan.
As we’ve already indicated, there are additional reasons in support of our favoritism. At least, though, the gallant, gladiator-like football behemoths definitely lead the pack in the wardrobe department.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
OUR OWN PRIVATE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
This blog already contains an article wherein we offer a somewhat disparaging view at how our major sport athletes either have hall of fame honors ceremoniously bestowed upon them by those so empowered, or else summarily cast into limbo for personal off-the-field indiscretions. Although our negative feelings about the process remain unchanged, we do feel that certain special mention is due to carefully selected college and pro football players, non-players, and even games.
We’ve had our fair share of crowd-pleasing ball-toters, super-accurate forward passers, downfield aerial snaggers, quarterback-on-their-rump dumpers, ultra fierce blockers or tacklers, and fellows whose toes have lofted many a long and effective boot. The fame shrines at South Bend, Indiana and Canton, Ohio are chock-full of their revered names.
With all due respect to these lads’ collective prowess, we prefer instead to present what we deem a more compact, yet decidedly qualified compilation of our own. Altogether, our private Hall of Fame includes just 37 choice entries.
The honors list breaks down into three principal categories:
· Innovators, or those men who provided the game’s backbone by what they contributed
in their own manner;
· Milestone Games, by which the sport has evolved from era to era, in some cases rather
explosively;
· Patron Saints, identifying players who will forever remain in memory as those who initially
showed us “how it’s done”, skill by skill.
As for the last element cited above, most of the feats achieved and the records set by our chosen gallants have been exceeded several times over by latter-day aces. Nevertheless, we feel prime accolades are due to the boys who did the mould casting.
Having said as much, here are the persons and events we consider worthy of gridiron gianthood, with according background explanations.
INNOVATORS
1. Although mighty few football fans will recognize the name William Webb Ellis, this chap
deserves a good deal of credit. He was an English soccer player who, in 1823, flagrantly
broke one of the game’s steadfast rules by catching an opponent’s kicked ball and running
with it. Well, Holy Mackerel, Andy! That just wasn’t done, Old Boy!
Young Mr. Ellis’ unforgiveable deed became readily nullified, with due admonishment for
such an outrageous violation. Believe it or not, however, there were a few more
progressive-minded blokes associated with the sport who viewed the idea of carrying the
ball forward as not being all that bad. The simple effort of history’s very first known
leather-lugger eventually led to the development of rugby, a similar game which allowed
tucking and running, as opposed to toe or cranial projection only. Indeed, the lad belongs
among the truly creative innovators of football as we know it today.
2. The first “football” match played on U.S. soil was still soccer, and took place at Rutgers in
1869. The conversion to rugby style didn’t come until 1876. It wasn’t until 1880 that the
seven-man line and four-member backfield configuration we see in today’s considerably
modified form became official.
With the game’s popularity momentum having steadily grown for nearly a decade,
especially in such eastern schools as Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Pennsylvania, et al, Walter
Camp, one of the sport’s more renowned playing, coaching, and journalistic figures, decided
to honor the eleven boys he judged to be the best for the 1889 season at their respective
positions. Consequently, the first All-America team was picked, giving rise to a practice
that has been carried out every year since by various committee-like groups, newspapers,
wire services, and what have you.
Along with his many other contributions to the gridiron game, Mr. Camp therefore earned
lasting recognition as the man who initiated annual player performance honoring. The
foundation bearing his name continues on to the present time, with that being one of its key
programs.
3. It may come as a surprise to find the name Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. President,
among our select group. Without question, the man belongs there, even though he never
was known to have been an actual player or coach.
By the mid-aught years of the 20th century, football had become so rugged as to be
virtually murderous. Bone-crunching, head-bashing, and violently tackling line play made
up the order of the day. The rules allowed for straight ahead ball-toting, lateral passing, or
kicking offense only. Way too many young fellows had become nearly or actually crippled,
and even killed in some instances, due to the uncompromising roughness.
Before the opening of the 1906 season, with the game under severe fire due to its frightful
excesses, the time had clearly arrived for corrective action. It was at this point when
President Roosevelt stepped in and warned the powers who controlled gridiron affairs that
football absolutely had to be opened up, so to speak, as opposed to the sheer grinding of
opponents into the dirt on play after play.
The historic result, of course, was making it legal for a back to pass the ball forward from
behind the scrum (i.e. scrimmage in our modern parlance) line to certain teammates eligible
to catch and gallop onward with it.
Well, that change saved the day. Although the pass was to remain in very limited use for
several seasons to come, the threat always existed, thus loosening up the action for
improved player safety. The number of crippling and fatal injuries dropped dramatically,
with the end result being the sport’s sheer salvation. We fans of today should be extremely
grateful for that.
4. Football’s first great innovative head coach was Glenn Scobey Warner, known to all as
“Pop”, a former Cornell University guard, who took over the reins at the Carlisle,
Pennsylvania Indian School during the century’s mid-aught years. This educational
institution, created for youthful Native American boys, offered up some of the greatest
player material ever assembled to date, reaching almost unprecedented heights. Among
the many ace warriors was a lad named Jim Thorpe, the closest thing to Superman any
sport had seen up to then and for at least several decades thereafter.
Warner introduced two revolutionary (for the time) offensive attack formations, the first (or
“A”) becoming known as the single wingback, featuring strength concentration on one side
or the other, as deployment dictated, and the other the double wingback, (or “B”), wherein
the power was more evenly balanced to allow movement in either direction.
Pop’s innovations, chiefly the single wingback, soon became the standard modus operandi
for schools across the country. Even after the professional league came into existence in
1920, his system continued to prevail, with a sole notable exception, which we’ll enlarge
upon later. One might say that the Warner systems were clearly the “in” thing from around
1907 until 1941, which adds up to a mighty long reign of influence.
5. If you ask any died-in-the-wool football fan from the old days, particularly if he happens to
have Irish ancestry, he’ll quickly tell you in glowing terms that Notre Dame is the game’s
unmatched representative institution. In actual fact, such words decidedly defy argument.
A look at grid history from 1913 up until the present date makes them awfully hard to
dispute.
Ironically, the cause of it all really stemmed from just one man’s never-in-many-respects
equaled coaching achievements at South Bend. Knute Kenneth Rockne, an immigrant lad
from Norway, covered himself with glory as a pass-catching end during his student days
with the Irish (more about that under MILESTONE GAMES below), but mainly later, as
the man who instilled the unbeatable Notre Dame team spirit, which has carried on long
beyond his tragic plane crash death in 1931.
This writer twice had the privilege of attending that school’s annual early spring alumni
breakfast gathering, to pay homage to their greatest gridiron figure. Never in our
experience anywhere or at any other time have we sat and listened to so many passionately
rendered eulogies paid to the one and only “Rock”, most often by his former players. No
doubt exists in our mind whatsoever as to who is responsible for having created the never-
diminishing-to-the-slightest-degree Notre Dame fighting spirit.
6. On the 20th of August, 1920, several football-connected gentlemen assembled at Ralph
Hay’s Canton, Ohio automobile agency, where they occupied running boards while
discussing the idea of forming a professional football league. An agreement resulted, and
what we respectfully call the NFL today was born. The results, the effect, and the countless
thrills observed ever since are well known to us all.
Two of the more influential attendees at that fateful meeting were George Stanley Halas, a
former Illinois University end, and Earl Lambeau, an ex-Notre Dame back as a freshman.
The newly-conceived National Football League had no more prominent pioneers than these
men, who respectively became owners and coaches of the Chicago Bears and Green Bay
Packers, with both long devotion and immensely successful careers. The professional game
has had no more innovative a pair than field rivals “Papa Bear” and “Curly”.
7. The final creative genius on our opening honors list first became widely known as head
coach at Massillon, Ohio High School, from whence he moved up to a short but memorable
reign at Ohio State. His name was Paul Brown, and his contributions to offensive strategy
and squad organization can never be forgotten.
In 1946, a new pro league, labeled the All-America Football Conference, took the field as a
rival to the firmly-established NFL. It enjoyed only a four-year playing span, not without
turmoil and financial failures, following which just three franchises survived to be absorbed
into the more senior organization.
During the brief four-season stint, two teams dominated the AAFC scene, being the San
Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns, the latter coached by the masterful Paul. What
he accomplished over that short span in regard to offensive attack maneuvering was so
utterly simple, yet extremely effective, that it defied imagination. His forward
pass/mousetrap blocking/screen pass play sequence proved to be the most astounding
methodology seen in a half-century.
Still, Brown’s innovations didn’t end on the field. He also introduced scientific coaching
techniques which had been completely unheard of up until then, but have since become
standard universal practice wherever the game is played, from the pros down to the
junior high teams.
He was the first to conduct detailed written classroom examinations, testing individual
player knowledge as to each teammate’s required role on every play in the squad’s book.
He introduced the stationing of assistant coaches in the upper stands, with open line bench
telephone contact. Using the relatively new unlimited substitution rule to best advantage,
he initiated the means of directing his offensive attack from the sidelines, by sending in
alternating “messenger” guards before each coming play. Never before had movie reruns of
previous games been employed, a practice he inaugurated to better evaluate individual
after-the-fact field performance. Brown preceded all others in installing a radio inside his
quarterback’s helmet, for the purpose of conveying strategic orders more readily, on an
experimental basis.
Indeed, this small in stature, but mighty in status gentleman holds forth to this day as the
most prolific innovator the modern game has seen.
MILESTONE GAMES
Our focus now switches from coaches and other men of influence to what we deem the most significant games, collegiate and professional, in the sport’s evolution.
1. Rutgers vs. Princeton November 6, 1869
We’ve already discussed about where and when the game, actually still soccer, was first
played on American soil. Rutgers, the home team, outgoaled rival Princeton 6-4. This
particular match remains significant, having “started the ball rolling”, as we might say in a
pun-like manner.
2. Latrobe vs. Jeannette August 31, 1895
While college level football held an exclusive position throughout the earliest of eras,
legend tells us that pick-up teams had been assembled on relatively rare occasions here
and there, with participants receiving minor compensation for their efforts, even though
such practices were supposedly forbidden, or at least heavily frowned upon.
The first officially proclaimed professional game took place on the date shown above,
whereby a Latrobe, Pennsylvania gent named John Braillier had organized a team to
challenge another from the nearby town of Jeannette, and winning 12-0. We include this
contest on our list since it paved the way toward eventual future pay-for-play football.
3. Michigan vs. Stanford January 1, 1902
Here we have another start-up encounter of a key nature. The annual west coast
Tournament of Roses pageant in Pasadena, California had begun as far back as 1890, with
numerous events being staged. At the close of the regular 1901 college football season, the
decision was reached to sponsor a special game, along with the yearly gala parade and
other festivities.
Mighty Michigan, a fabulously heroic “point-a-minute” scoring machine wrought by Coach
Fielding H. “Hurry-Up” Yost, received an invitation to travel out and face Stanford, the
best that sector could offer as a host team, but a weak sister in comparison to the
Wolverines.
Not unexpectedly, the visitors from the east thumped the Pacific coasters 49-0, in one of
history’s well-remembered lopsided contests. Again, however, we’ve chosen to site this
pummeling rout as the beginning of what has become so renowned in years since as the
Rose Bowl.
4. Notre Dame vs. Army November 1, 1913
Earlier in this piece we discussed legalization of the forward pass, beginning with 1906.
Despite its authorized existence, such play had been used rather sparingly, chiefly as a
semi-desperation measure, throughout the ensuing seven seasons. However, this day in
1913 changed everything overnight, figuratively speaking.
The West Point Cadets, a ferocious band of gridiron lads in their own right, had invited a
team from (as the local paper stated) South Bend, Illinois to come take its turn being sent
down to defeat. Well, things didn’t quite wind up that way.
As life guards at the Cedar Point, Ohio beach resort during the summer of 1913, Notre
Dame varsity players, quarterback Charles “Gus” Dorais and end Knute Rockne, had
practiced passing and receiving maneuvers whenever there were no swimmers in
imminent danger. Upon their return to school that autumn, the lads had the aerial attack
situation firmly in hand.
Having persuaded Coach Jess Harper to let them try their act on the field against Army,
the pair quickly proceeded to dazzle the future generals. With Rock running hitherto
unseen downfield patterns, and Gus heaving the rugby-style pigskin with utmost accuracy,
the passing offense, duly supplemented by the first-rate alternate line plunging efforts of
fullback Ray Eichenlaub, the Irish rang up 35 points to West Point’s 13, for a decidedly
resounding victory.
Starting with the 1914 season then, college squads from coast-to-coast began augmenting
their previously-established running game with forward passing, albeit still restricted
somewhat by conservatism. Still, a distinctly new gridiron age had been brought to life,
and we’re presently quite aware of what it eventually led to.
From the developmental significance viewpoint, this game therefore stands as the first of
three which rank above all others. The specifics of the other two follow immediately below.
5. Chicago Bears vs. Washington Redskins December 8, 1940; Stanford vs. Nebraska January
1, 1941
Before Glenn Warner donned the coaching mantle at Carlisle circa 1907, and commenced
devising his single and double wing offenses, the standard backfield array had consisted of
a quarterback right behind the center, with three others standing side-by-side-by-side a
few yards to his rear, thus forming, if viewed from overhead, an inverted letter T.
Insofar as we’ve determined, though, nobody ever called said lineup the T-Formation.
Such term didn’t fall into use until many years later.
Meanwhile, of course, the single wing attack was almost exclusively in vogue, with its
two-winged cousin playing a secondary role from the popularity angle. However, the
Warner systems did not enjoy a 100% status.
According to the most factual information we’ve managed to gather, in all the years of
Warner-style domination, the only club throughout the nation carrying on with the ancient
T setup were George Halas’ Chicago Bears. Since the rules also permitted one back to
begin moving laterally prior to the start of any play, they added this feature in 1931.
Up until 1940, the Midway Monsters from Chicago didn’t overly mystify their opponents
with deceptive T-activity, despite a rather consistently winning pattern. Then came the
fateful day (well, two days actually), when a pair of back-to-back victories changed the
game again, most likely forever, as things stand today.
December 8, 1940 found the western conference champion Bears visiting their eastern
counterparts, the Washington Redskins, for the annual NFL title.
Anybody who saw or listened to that game on the radio can’t ever forget it. Quarterback
Sid Luckman’s superb passing and T-attack generalship, plus the open-field running of
George McAfee, Ray “Jolting” Nolting, and Bill Osmanski, aided immensely by marvelous
offensive and defensive line play, chalked up an incredible 73-0 final score. Whatever the
Bears attempted all afternoon had the Midas touch. No championship contest has ever
matched this one in many respects. “Wow! How about that T-Formation?” came the
universal cry.
A mere 24 days later, the phenomenon was compounded on Pasadena Rose Bowl
turf. Despite a much closer point count, Stanford’s 21-13 victory over Nebraska featured
additional T-flavor, as quarterback Frankie Albert directed an attack which resembled the
workings of a Swiss watch, amply aided by the running of halfbacks Pete Kmetovic and
Hugh Gallarneau, along with fullback Norm Standlee’s crunching bucks. Once again, a
powerful front line held its own both ways. On the second occasion in less than a month,
the expressions of “Wow!” were repeated by onlookers almost everywhere.
The 1941 season opened up on a brand new theme, featuring an across-the-board frantic
switchover to the purportedly devastating T, from the NFL ranks down to junior high.
Not since 1914, after Notre Dame’s shocking aerial win on the plains of West Point, had
such a sweeping transformation been brought about. No other suitable course of action lay
open for any school or pro club to follow.
Well, despite what we just said, that wasn’t entirely the case. A few diehard coaches, like
Bob Neyland at Tennessee and John Bain “Jock” Sutherland at Pittsburgh, stuck to the
single-wing, while Dana Bible down at Texas and Jeff Cravath out in Southern California
retained their long-established double-side version. Pop Warner, now in retirement,
offered advice far and wide as to how the T could be effectively defended against. He
didn’t seem to attract many listeners.
Aside from Michigan and Princeton temporarily readopting the single wing formation,
spiced up with a highly successful buck-lateral variation, in the late 1940s, everything
since has been T and cakes, yet subject to refinements and modifications galore. With
different coaches taking command in later years, even Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Texas, and
USC changed their ways.
PATRON SAINTS
Our final honors grouping relates to the boys who either virtually invented or at least initially perfected certain major aspects of field performance.
1. William “Pudge” Heffelfinger, Yale 1891 – Guard Play
Coach John W. Heisman described Heff as “Inventor and finest exponent of guard
interference. The most devastating player I ever saw in action.”
2. Frank Hinkey, Yale 1894 – Defensive Line Play
Although weighing a mere 145 pounds, this fellow has been described by almost countless
bygone day observers as the toughest tackler who ever lived. Whether true or not, it’s been
said that not an inch of ground was gained around his end position in four whole years.
3. Adolph “Germany” Schulz, Michigan 1908 – Center and Linebacker Play
Perhaps the first center deployed to back up the line on defense, he developed such role as a
true science for all others to follow.
4. James Francis “Jim” Thorpe, Carlisle 1912, NFL until 1928 – All-Around Ability
Pop Warner’s gifted do-everything-magnificently halfback possessed more natural athletic
skills than any individual before, and Lord knows for how many decades thereafter.
5. Charlie Brickley, Harvard 1913 – Dropkicking
His five successful field goals against Yale in 1913 tell the whole story. He also played
fullback on Harvard’s greatest team ever.
6. Huntington “Tack” Hardwick, Harvard 1914 – Blocking
Reputed by Heisman and others to be the best blocker the gridiron game ever had, he
applied this quality as both an end and halfback.
7. Wilbur “Fats” Henry, Washington & Jefferson 1919, NFL until 1928 – tackle play
Again we quote Coach Heisman, who called Henry “The perfect tackle in every phase of the
game.”
8. Harold “Brick” Muller, California 1922, NFL in 1926 – All-Around End Play
He not only handled his position like no other of his or most other day, but could drop back
and chuck forward passes with the best.
9. Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden, Notre Dame 1924 – Unified
Backfield Play
This was the most renowned four-man unit in history at quarter, left half, right half, and full,
respectively. There may have been greater backfields since, but probably never one so
beautifully coordinated.
10. Harold “Red” Grange, Illinois 1925, NFL until 1934 – Broken Field Running
From his university days onward at halfback, he was the perennial yardstick against whom
all subsequent thrill-producing ball-carriers were compared for long years afterward. “The
greatest since Grange” accolade became one of the sport’s most commonly applied clichés.
11. Ernest Alonzo “Ernie” Nevers, Stanford 1925, NFL until 1931 – All-Around Backfield Play
As fullback (i.e. essentially tailback) in Stanford’s double-wing offense, he was rated even
superior to Jim Thorpe by Pop Warner, who coached them both.
12. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski, Minnesota 1929, NFL until 1937, to return for a year in 1943
– Line Plunging
In addition, the Bronk did everything so superbly that Dean of Sportswriters Grantland
Rice once said that eleven Nagurskis could probably beat any other team theoretically
made up of a single player. He was as foreboding at the tackle position as he proved to be
at fullback.
13. Don Hutson, Alabama 1934, NFL until 1945 – Pass Receiving
Initially in the 1935 Rose Bowl victory against Stanford, followed by all his years at end
with the Green Bay Packers, the “Alabama Antelope” literally wrote the book on running
downfield patterns, grabbing forward passes, and then eluding enemy defenders, for Jerry
Rice and so many others to read.
14. Samuel Adrian “Sammy” Baugh, Texas Christian 1936, NFL until 1952 – Forward Passing
Tailback “Slingin’ Sammy” overshadowed every passer who had ever come before him,
and quite possibly all those who’ve succeeded him.
15. Sid Luckman, Columbia 1938, NFL until 1950; Frankie Albert, Stanford 1941, AAFC and
NFL until 1952 – T-Formation Quarterbacking
The eminent greatness of this pair has already been evidenced above under MILESTONE
GAMES
16. Lou Groza, Ohio State Frosh 1942, AAFC and NFL from 1946 to 1967 – Place Kicking
“Lou the Toe” introduced hitherto unmatched scientific artistry into field goal and extra
point kicking. He also played offensive tackle with considerable skill.
17. Felix “Doc” Blanchard and Glenn “Junior” Davis, Army 1946 – One-Two Backfield
Punch
“Mr. Inside” (Blanchard) and “Mr. Outside” (Davis) came across as the most dynamic
backfield duo in history, completely unmatched before and most likely ever since.
18. Bobby Layne, Texas 1947, NFL until 1962 – Clutch Quarterbacking
There have been very few quarterbacks, if any, who could match this lad as a third-down
dire situation performer.
19. George Blanda, Kentucky 1948, NFL until 1975 – Playing Longevity
As both quarterback and place kicker, George deserves special honors for his unequaled
years of uninterrupted (except in 1959) gridiron service.
20. Eddie LeBaron, University of Pacific 1951, NFL until 1963 – Deceptive Ball Handling
Eddie was exceeded by few if anyone at this extremely specialized T-quarterback skill.
21. James Nathaniel “Jim” Brown, Syracuse 1956, NFL until 1965 – Composite Running
A modern era running back must be exceptionally versatile, that is fully capable at hitting
the line, sweeping wide, catching short passes, and returning kicks. Jim set all the
requisite standards, and has since been the comparison yardstick for the many great
composite ball-carriers who’ve followed, just as did Grange in former times at his
particular specialty.
22. Francis “Fran” Tarkenton, Georgia 1960, NFL until 1978 – Quarterback Scrambling
Whereas Bobby Layne was expert at getting out of tight jams by his thrilling clutch
performances, Tarkenton cast a new mould in troubled situations by deftly scrambling
around his backfield area to avoid opposing defensive linemen by the ton.
23. Jan Stenerud, Montana State, 1966, NFL until 1985 – Soccer-Style Place Kicking
An immigrant from Norway, where he perfected his kicking style on the soccer field, Jan
became the undisputed master at his art, albeit not the one to introduce it at the outset.
24. Larry Wilson, Utah 1959, NFL until 1972 – Defensive Back Blitzing
Thanks to Larry’s inventive blitzing techniques from a secondary position, pursuit of
enemy quarterbacks is no longer a role played exclusively by defensive linemen and
charging backers-up.
25. Steve Tasker, Northwestern 1984, NFL until 1997 – Specialty Team Play
Blithely ignored until more recent gridiron campaign years, performance on kicking, kick
receiving, or certain other alternate units has now come to warrant mention unto itself.
Although fundamentally cast as a pass receiver, Steve nevertheless deserves prime Patron
Saint honors for his added accomplishments in the long-unheralded specialty teams field.
We’ve had our fair share of crowd-pleasing ball-toters, super-accurate forward passers, downfield aerial snaggers, quarterback-on-their-rump dumpers, ultra fierce blockers or tacklers, and fellows whose toes have lofted many a long and effective boot. The fame shrines at South Bend, Indiana and Canton, Ohio are chock-full of their revered names.
With all due respect to these lads’ collective prowess, we prefer instead to present what we deem a more compact, yet decidedly qualified compilation of our own. Altogether, our private Hall of Fame includes just 37 choice entries.
The honors list breaks down into three principal categories:
· Innovators, or those men who provided the game’s backbone by what they contributed
in their own manner;
· Milestone Games, by which the sport has evolved from era to era, in some cases rather
explosively;
· Patron Saints, identifying players who will forever remain in memory as those who initially
showed us “how it’s done”, skill by skill.
As for the last element cited above, most of the feats achieved and the records set by our chosen gallants have been exceeded several times over by latter-day aces. Nevertheless, we feel prime accolades are due to the boys who did the mould casting.
Having said as much, here are the persons and events we consider worthy of gridiron gianthood, with according background explanations.
INNOVATORS
1. Although mighty few football fans will recognize the name William Webb Ellis, this chap
deserves a good deal of credit. He was an English soccer player who, in 1823, flagrantly
broke one of the game’s steadfast rules by catching an opponent’s kicked ball and running
with it. Well, Holy Mackerel, Andy! That just wasn’t done, Old Boy!
Young Mr. Ellis’ unforgiveable deed became readily nullified, with due admonishment for
such an outrageous violation. Believe it or not, however, there were a few more
progressive-minded blokes associated with the sport who viewed the idea of carrying the
ball forward as not being all that bad. The simple effort of history’s very first known
leather-lugger eventually led to the development of rugby, a similar game which allowed
tucking and running, as opposed to toe or cranial projection only. Indeed, the lad belongs
among the truly creative innovators of football as we know it today.
2. The first “football” match played on U.S. soil was still soccer, and took place at Rutgers in
1869. The conversion to rugby style didn’t come until 1876. It wasn’t until 1880 that the
seven-man line and four-member backfield configuration we see in today’s considerably
modified form became official.
With the game’s popularity momentum having steadily grown for nearly a decade,
especially in such eastern schools as Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Pennsylvania, et al, Walter
Camp, one of the sport’s more renowned playing, coaching, and journalistic figures, decided
to honor the eleven boys he judged to be the best for the 1889 season at their respective
positions. Consequently, the first All-America team was picked, giving rise to a practice
that has been carried out every year since by various committee-like groups, newspapers,
wire services, and what have you.
Along with his many other contributions to the gridiron game, Mr. Camp therefore earned
lasting recognition as the man who initiated annual player performance honoring. The
foundation bearing his name continues on to the present time, with that being one of its key
programs.
3. It may come as a surprise to find the name Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. President,
among our select group. Without question, the man belongs there, even though he never
was known to have been an actual player or coach.
By the mid-aught years of the 20th century, football had become so rugged as to be
virtually murderous. Bone-crunching, head-bashing, and violently tackling line play made
up the order of the day. The rules allowed for straight ahead ball-toting, lateral passing, or
kicking offense only. Way too many young fellows had become nearly or actually crippled,
and even killed in some instances, due to the uncompromising roughness.
Before the opening of the 1906 season, with the game under severe fire due to its frightful
excesses, the time had clearly arrived for corrective action. It was at this point when
President Roosevelt stepped in and warned the powers who controlled gridiron affairs that
football absolutely had to be opened up, so to speak, as opposed to the sheer grinding of
opponents into the dirt on play after play.
The historic result, of course, was making it legal for a back to pass the ball forward from
behind the scrum (i.e. scrimmage in our modern parlance) line to certain teammates eligible
to catch and gallop onward with it.
Well, that change saved the day. Although the pass was to remain in very limited use for
several seasons to come, the threat always existed, thus loosening up the action for
improved player safety. The number of crippling and fatal injuries dropped dramatically,
with the end result being the sport’s sheer salvation. We fans of today should be extremely
grateful for that.
4. Football’s first great innovative head coach was Glenn Scobey Warner, known to all as
“Pop”, a former Cornell University guard, who took over the reins at the Carlisle,
Pennsylvania Indian School during the century’s mid-aught years. This educational
institution, created for youthful Native American boys, offered up some of the greatest
player material ever assembled to date, reaching almost unprecedented heights. Among
the many ace warriors was a lad named Jim Thorpe, the closest thing to Superman any
sport had seen up to then and for at least several decades thereafter.
Warner introduced two revolutionary (for the time) offensive attack formations, the first (or
“A”) becoming known as the single wingback, featuring strength concentration on one side
or the other, as deployment dictated, and the other the double wingback, (or “B”), wherein
the power was more evenly balanced to allow movement in either direction.
Pop’s innovations, chiefly the single wingback, soon became the standard modus operandi
for schools across the country. Even after the professional league came into existence in
1920, his system continued to prevail, with a sole notable exception, which we’ll enlarge
upon later. One might say that the Warner systems were clearly the “in” thing from around
1907 until 1941, which adds up to a mighty long reign of influence.
5. If you ask any died-in-the-wool football fan from the old days, particularly if he happens to
have Irish ancestry, he’ll quickly tell you in glowing terms that Notre Dame is the game’s
unmatched representative institution. In actual fact, such words decidedly defy argument.
A look at grid history from 1913 up until the present date makes them awfully hard to
dispute.
Ironically, the cause of it all really stemmed from just one man’s never-in-many-respects
equaled coaching achievements at South Bend. Knute Kenneth Rockne, an immigrant lad
from Norway, covered himself with glory as a pass-catching end during his student days
with the Irish (more about that under MILESTONE GAMES below), but mainly later, as
the man who instilled the unbeatable Notre Dame team spirit, which has carried on long
beyond his tragic plane crash death in 1931.
This writer twice had the privilege of attending that school’s annual early spring alumni
breakfast gathering, to pay homage to their greatest gridiron figure. Never in our
experience anywhere or at any other time have we sat and listened to so many passionately
rendered eulogies paid to the one and only “Rock”, most often by his former players. No
doubt exists in our mind whatsoever as to who is responsible for having created the never-
diminishing-to-the-slightest-degree Notre Dame fighting spirit.
6. On the 20th of August, 1920, several football-connected gentlemen assembled at Ralph
Hay’s Canton, Ohio automobile agency, where they occupied running boards while
discussing the idea of forming a professional football league. An agreement resulted, and
what we respectfully call the NFL today was born. The results, the effect, and the countless
thrills observed ever since are well known to us all.
Two of the more influential attendees at that fateful meeting were George Stanley Halas, a
former Illinois University end, and Earl Lambeau, an ex-Notre Dame back as a freshman.
The newly-conceived National Football League had no more prominent pioneers than these
men, who respectively became owners and coaches of the Chicago Bears and Green Bay
Packers, with both long devotion and immensely successful careers. The professional game
has had no more innovative a pair than field rivals “Papa Bear” and “Curly”.
7. The final creative genius on our opening honors list first became widely known as head
coach at Massillon, Ohio High School, from whence he moved up to a short but memorable
reign at Ohio State. His name was Paul Brown, and his contributions to offensive strategy
and squad organization can never be forgotten.
In 1946, a new pro league, labeled the All-America Football Conference, took the field as a
rival to the firmly-established NFL. It enjoyed only a four-year playing span, not without
turmoil and financial failures, following which just three franchises survived to be absorbed
into the more senior organization.
During the brief four-season stint, two teams dominated the AAFC scene, being the San
Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns, the latter coached by the masterful Paul. What
he accomplished over that short span in regard to offensive attack maneuvering was so
utterly simple, yet extremely effective, that it defied imagination. His forward
pass/mousetrap blocking/screen pass play sequence proved to be the most astounding
methodology seen in a half-century.
Still, Brown’s innovations didn’t end on the field. He also introduced scientific coaching
techniques which had been completely unheard of up until then, but have since become
standard universal practice wherever the game is played, from the pros down to the
junior high teams.
He was the first to conduct detailed written classroom examinations, testing individual
player knowledge as to each teammate’s required role on every play in the squad’s book.
He introduced the stationing of assistant coaches in the upper stands, with open line bench
telephone contact. Using the relatively new unlimited substitution rule to best advantage,
he initiated the means of directing his offensive attack from the sidelines, by sending in
alternating “messenger” guards before each coming play. Never before had movie reruns of
previous games been employed, a practice he inaugurated to better evaluate individual
after-the-fact field performance. Brown preceded all others in installing a radio inside his
quarterback’s helmet, for the purpose of conveying strategic orders more readily, on an
experimental basis.
Indeed, this small in stature, but mighty in status gentleman holds forth to this day as the
most prolific innovator the modern game has seen.
MILESTONE GAMES
Our focus now switches from coaches and other men of influence to what we deem the most significant games, collegiate and professional, in the sport’s evolution.
1. Rutgers vs. Princeton November 6, 1869
We’ve already discussed about where and when the game, actually still soccer, was first
played on American soil. Rutgers, the home team, outgoaled rival Princeton 6-4. This
particular match remains significant, having “started the ball rolling”, as we might say in a
pun-like manner.
2. Latrobe vs. Jeannette August 31, 1895
While college level football held an exclusive position throughout the earliest of eras,
legend tells us that pick-up teams had been assembled on relatively rare occasions here
and there, with participants receiving minor compensation for their efforts, even though
such practices were supposedly forbidden, or at least heavily frowned upon.
The first officially proclaimed professional game took place on the date shown above,
whereby a Latrobe, Pennsylvania gent named John Braillier had organized a team to
challenge another from the nearby town of Jeannette, and winning 12-0. We include this
contest on our list since it paved the way toward eventual future pay-for-play football.
3. Michigan vs. Stanford January 1, 1902
Here we have another start-up encounter of a key nature. The annual west coast
Tournament of Roses pageant in Pasadena, California had begun as far back as 1890, with
numerous events being staged. At the close of the regular 1901 college football season, the
decision was reached to sponsor a special game, along with the yearly gala parade and
other festivities.
Mighty Michigan, a fabulously heroic “point-a-minute” scoring machine wrought by Coach
Fielding H. “Hurry-Up” Yost, received an invitation to travel out and face Stanford, the
best that sector could offer as a host team, but a weak sister in comparison to the
Wolverines.
Not unexpectedly, the visitors from the east thumped the Pacific coasters 49-0, in one of
history’s well-remembered lopsided contests. Again, however, we’ve chosen to site this
pummeling rout as the beginning of what has become so renowned in years since as the
Rose Bowl.
4. Notre Dame vs. Army November 1, 1913
Earlier in this piece we discussed legalization of the forward pass, beginning with 1906.
Despite its authorized existence, such play had been used rather sparingly, chiefly as a
semi-desperation measure, throughout the ensuing seven seasons. However, this day in
1913 changed everything overnight, figuratively speaking.
The West Point Cadets, a ferocious band of gridiron lads in their own right, had invited a
team from (as the local paper stated) South Bend, Illinois to come take its turn being sent
down to defeat. Well, things didn’t quite wind up that way.
As life guards at the Cedar Point, Ohio beach resort during the summer of 1913, Notre
Dame varsity players, quarterback Charles “Gus” Dorais and end Knute Rockne, had
practiced passing and receiving maneuvers whenever there were no swimmers in
imminent danger. Upon their return to school that autumn, the lads had the aerial attack
situation firmly in hand.
Having persuaded Coach Jess Harper to let them try their act on the field against Army,
the pair quickly proceeded to dazzle the future generals. With Rock running hitherto
unseen downfield patterns, and Gus heaving the rugby-style pigskin with utmost accuracy,
the passing offense, duly supplemented by the first-rate alternate line plunging efforts of
fullback Ray Eichenlaub, the Irish rang up 35 points to West Point’s 13, for a decidedly
resounding victory.
Starting with the 1914 season then, college squads from coast-to-coast began augmenting
their previously-established running game with forward passing, albeit still restricted
somewhat by conservatism. Still, a distinctly new gridiron age had been brought to life,
and we’re presently quite aware of what it eventually led to.
From the developmental significance viewpoint, this game therefore stands as the first of
three which rank above all others. The specifics of the other two follow immediately below.
5. Chicago Bears vs. Washington Redskins December 8, 1940; Stanford vs. Nebraska January
1, 1941
Before Glenn Warner donned the coaching mantle at Carlisle circa 1907, and commenced
devising his single and double wing offenses, the standard backfield array had consisted of
a quarterback right behind the center, with three others standing side-by-side-by-side a
few yards to his rear, thus forming, if viewed from overhead, an inverted letter T.
Insofar as we’ve determined, though, nobody ever called said lineup the T-Formation.
Such term didn’t fall into use until many years later.
Meanwhile, of course, the single wing attack was almost exclusively in vogue, with its
two-winged cousin playing a secondary role from the popularity angle. However, the
Warner systems did not enjoy a 100% status.
According to the most factual information we’ve managed to gather, in all the years of
Warner-style domination, the only club throughout the nation carrying on with the ancient
T setup were George Halas’ Chicago Bears. Since the rules also permitted one back to
begin moving laterally prior to the start of any play, they added this feature in 1931.
Up until 1940, the Midway Monsters from Chicago didn’t overly mystify their opponents
with deceptive T-activity, despite a rather consistently winning pattern. Then came the
fateful day (well, two days actually), when a pair of back-to-back victories changed the
game again, most likely forever, as things stand today.
December 8, 1940 found the western conference champion Bears visiting their eastern
counterparts, the Washington Redskins, for the annual NFL title.
Anybody who saw or listened to that game on the radio can’t ever forget it. Quarterback
Sid Luckman’s superb passing and T-attack generalship, plus the open-field running of
George McAfee, Ray “Jolting” Nolting, and Bill Osmanski, aided immensely by marvelous
offensive and defensive line play, chalked up an incredible 73-0 final score. Whatever the
Bears attempted all afternoon had the Midas touch. No championship contest has ever
matched this one in many respects. “Wow! How about that T-Formation?” came the
universal cry.
A mere 24 days later, the phenomenon was compounded on Pasadena Rose Bowl
turf. Despite a much closer point count, Stanford’s 21-13 victory over Nebraska featured
additional T-flavor, as quarterback Frankie Albert directed an attack which resembled the
workings of a Swiss watch, amply aided by the running of halfbacks Pete Kmetovic and
Hugh Gallarneau, along with fullback Norm Standlee’s crunching bucks. Once again, a
powerful front line held its own both ways. On the second occasion in less than a month,
the expressions of “Wow!” were repeated by onlookers almost everywhere.
The 1941 season opened up on a brand new theme, featuring an across-the-board frantic
switchover to the purportedly devastating T, from the NFL ranks down to junior high.
Not since 1914, after Notre Dame’s shocking aerial win on the plains of West Point, had
such a sweeping transformation been brought about. No other suitable course of action lay
open for any school or pro club to follow.
Well, despite what we just said, that wasn’t entirely the case. A few diehard coaches, like
Bob Neyland at Tennessee and John Bain “Jock” Sutherland at Pittsburgh, stuck to the
single-wing, while Dana Bible down at Texas and Jeff Cravath out in Southern California
retained their long-established double-side version. Pop Warner, now in retirement,
offered advice far and wide as to how the T could be effectively defended against. He
didn’t seem to attract many listeners.
Aside from Michigan and Princeton temporarily readopting the single wing formation,
spiced up with a highly successful buck-lateral variation, in the late 1940s, everything
since has been T and cakes, yet subject to refinements and modifications galore. With
different coaches taking command in later years, even Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Texas, and
USC changed their ways.
PATRON SAINTS
Our final honors grouping relates to the boys who either virtually invented or at least initially perfected certain major aspects of field performance.
1. William “Pudge” Heffelfinger, Yale 1891 – Guard Play
Coach John W. Heisman described Heff as “Inventor and finest exponent of guard
interference. The most devastating player I ever saw in action.”
2. Frank Hinkey, Yale 1894 – Defensive Line Play
Although weighing a mere 145 pounds, this fellow has been described by almost countless
bygone day observers as the toughest tackler who ever lived. Whether true or not, it’s been
said that not an inch of ground was gained around his end position in four whole years.
3. Adolph “Germany” Schulz, Michigan 1908 – Center and Linebacker Play
Perhaps the first center deployed to back up the line on defense, he developed such role as a
true science for all others to follow.
4. James Francis “Jim” Thorpe, Carlisle 1912, NFL until 1928 – All-Around Ability
Pop Warner’s gifted do-everything-magnificently halfback possessed more natural athletic
skills than any individual before, and Lord knows for how many decades thereafter.
5. Charlie Brickley, Harvard 1913 – Dropkicking
His five successful field goals against Yale in 1913 tell the whole story. He also played
fullback on Harvard’s greatest team ever.
6. Huntington “Tack” Hardwick, Harvard 1914 – Blocking
Reputed by Heisman and others to be the best blocker the gridiron game ever had, he
applied this quality as both an end and halfback.
7. Wilbur “Fats” Henry, Washington & Jefferson 1919, NFL until 1928 – tackle play
Again we quote Coach Heisman, who called Henry “The perfect tackle in every phase of the
game.”
8. Harold “Brick” Muller, California 1922, NFL in 1926 – All-Around End Play
He not only handled his position like no other of his or most other day, but could drop back
and chuck forward passes with the best.
9. Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden, Notre Dame 1924 – Unified
Backfield Play
This was the most renowned four-man unit in history at quarter, left half, right half, and full,
respectively. There may have been greater backfields since, but probably never one so
beautifully coordinated.
10. Harold “Red” Grange, Illinois 1925, NFL until 1934 – Broken Field Running
From his university days onward at halfback, he was the perennial yardstick against whom
all subsequent thrill-producing ball-carriers were compared for long years afterward. “The
greatest since Grange” accolade became one of the sport’s most commonly applied clichés.
11. Ernest Alonzo “Ernie” Nevers, Stanford 1925, NFL until 1931 – All-Around Backfield Play
As fullback (i.e. essentially tailback) in Stanford’s double-wing offense, he was rated even
superior to Jim Thorpe by Pop Warner, who coached them both.
12. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski, Minnesota 1929, NFL until 1937, to return for a year in 1943
– Line Plunging
In addition, the Bronk did everything so superbly that Dean of Sportswriters Grantland
Rice once said that eleven Nagurskis could probably beat any other team theoretically
made up of a single player. He was as foreboding at the tackle position as he proved to be
at fullback.
13. Don Hutson, Alabama 1934, NFL until 1945 – Pass Receiving
Initially in the 1935 Rose Bowl victory against Stanford, followed by all his years at end
with the Green Bay Packers, the “Alabama Antelope” literally wrote the book on running
downfield patterns, grabbing forward passes, and then eluding enemy defenders, for Jerry
Rice and so many others to read.
14. Samuel Adrian “Sammy” Baugh, Texas Christian 1936, NFL until 1952 – Forward Passing
Tailback “Slingin’ Sammy” overshadowed every passer who had ever come before him,
and quite possibly all those who’ve succeeded him.
15. Sid Luckman, Columbia 1938, NFL until 1950; Frankie Albert, Stanford 1941, AAFC and
NFL until 1952 – T-Formation Quarterbacking
The eminent greatness of this pair has already been evidenced above under MILESTONE
GAMES
16. Lou Groza, Ohio State Frosh 1942, AAFC and NFL from 1946 to 1967 – Place Kicking
“Lou the Toe” introduced hitherto unmatched scientific artistry into field goal and extra
point kicking. He also played offensive tackle with considerable skill.
17. Felix “Doc” Blanchard and Glenn “Junior” Davis, Army 1946 – One-Two Backfield
Punch
“Mr. Inside” (Blanchard) and “Mr. Outside” (Davis) came across as the most dynamic
backfield duo in history, completely unmatched before and most likely ever since.
18. Bobby Layne, Texas 1947, NFL until 1962 – Clutch Quarterbacking
There have been very few quarterbacks, if any, who could match this lad as a third-down
dire situation performer.
19. George Blanda, Kentucky 1948, NFL until 1975 – Playing Longevity
As both quarterback and place kicker, George deserves special honors for his unequaled
years of uninterrupted (except in 1959) gridiron service.
20. Eddie LeBaron, University of Pacific 1951, NFL until 1963 – Deceptive Ball Handling
Eddie was exceeded by few if anyone at this extremely specialized T-quarterback skill.
21. James Nathaniel “Jim” Brown, Syracuse 1956, NFL until 1965 – Composite Running
A modern era running back must be exceptionally versatile, that is fully capable at hitting
the line, sweeping wide, catching short passes, and returning kicks. Jim set all the
requisite standards, and has since been the comparison yardstick for the many great
composite ball-carriers who’ve followed, just as did Grange in former times at his
particular specialty.
22. Francis “Fran” Tarkenton, Georgia 1960, NFL until 1978 – Quarterback Scrambling
Whereas Bobby Layne was expert at getting out of tight jams by his thrilling clutch
performances, Tarkenton cast a new mould in troubled situations by deftly scrambling
around his backfield area to avoid opposing defensive linemen by the ton.
23. Jan Stenerud, Montana State, 1966, NFL until 1985 – Soccer-Style Place Kicking
An immigrant from Norway, where he perfected his kicking style on the soccer field, Jan
became the undisputed master at his art, albeit not the one to introduce it at the outset.
24. Larry Wilson, Utah 1959, NFL until 1972 – Defensive Back Blitzing
Thanks to Larry’s inventive blitzing techniques from a secondary position, pursuit of
enemy quarterbacks is no longer a role played exclusively by defensive linemen and
charging backers-up.
25. Steve Tasker, Northwestern 1984, NFL until 1997 – Specialty Team Play
Blithely ignored until more recent gridiron campaign years, performance on kicking, kick
receiving, or certain other alternate units has now come to warrant mention unto itself.
Although fundamentally cast as a pass receiver, Steve nevertheless deserves prime Patron
Saint honors for his added accomplishments in the long-unheralded specialty teams field.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
THOSE REPEATEDLY MEANINGLESS HALL OF FAME CLICHES
Although we’re quite ready to acknowledge that a great deal of enjoyment can be gained through watching TV baseball and football games, almost countless occasions arise when we’re sorely tempted to grab the remote and click the mute key. This applies especially when those supposedly skilled announcer teams digress into believing themselves to be updated versions of Hope and Crosby or Abbott and Costello. Moreover, when the boys aren’t making with the cornball dialogue, they tend to resort to senseless statistical comparisons dreamed up by their nearby computer-probing colleagues.
What we find equally meaningless in their vocabularial output is the incessant prefacing of past or present-day player names with either the term “Hall of Famer” or “Future Hall of Famer”, whichever the case may be. They are obviously referring to current or potential symbolic inhabitants of Cooperstown, South Bend, and Canton.
We have to ask what real significance is attachable to such past or coming honors due. In our book it amounts to selection by a squadron of self-appointed diamond or gridiron experts, judging a fellow’s qualifications not only due to on-the-field performance, but supplemented with off-the-field or post-playing days behavior for supposedly good measure. To us, this adds up to excessive oldmaidishness, as opposed to pure objectivity in evaluating athletic greatness.
The requisite factors by which a baseball or football superstar might attain this coveted Hall of Fame status has been as laid out below for too long a while.
1. The fellow must have established some impressive batting, strikeout, forward passing, ball
carrying, or whatever other appropriate statistics.
2. He should have been cordial and affable when talking to sportswriters throughout his career, free of temper tantrums and the like.
3. Mr. Right didn’t dare have engaged in off-the-field betting, even when his own team contests weren’t involved, as did Pete Rose, Paul Hornung, and Alex Karras.
4. Our hero should not have used performance-enhancing drugs and lied about the matter, a la home run champion Barry Bonds, mound ace Roger Clemens, and others.
5. The lad should have avoided being an activist in player vs. owner relations, the way Catfish Hunter, Curt Flood, and John Mackey carried on.
6. Said candidate had to behave himself admirably both off the field and in post-playing years, i.e. not competing in a second sport for pocket money like Jim Thorpe, being found guilty of counterfeiting like Billy Cannon, abusing dog lovers’ psyches for needless animal cruelty like Michael Vick, nor committing any other untoward or indecent act
7. A player should never have expressed or exhibited any socialistic leanings, such as Rutgers’ and the NFL’s Paul Robeson.
As far as we’re concerned, category No. 1 is the only one worthy of consideration. How in God’s name do the other six bear on a man’s playing ability? The unfortunate aspect is that the do-gooder element in any selection committee always seems to prevail, causing either lengthy delay or else never-ending exclusion from otherwise deserved honors.
Our review of the current hallowed hall rosters, based on intimate knowledge of both sports gathered over the years, convinces us that these sacred chambers include numerous members whom we deem less than justifiably qualified, rather often because they were such nice guys, a sportswriter would be happy to introduce them to his sister. On the other hand, too many worthy fellows have had to wait an excessively long time before being admitted, or else have been permanently blackballed, due to inability to meet falsely applied moral standards.
Did Babe Ruth’s carousing and womanizing make him a model citizen throughout his playing days? Did Ty Cobb’s fiery competitiveness, exhibited by sliding into bases with spikes flying high, intended to seriously injure an opposing fielder, or his physically assaulting a crippled heckler in the stands render him as an upstanding Cooperstown-worthy gentleman? Why did these two men deserve to be charter enshrinees, when others later on have been precluded for their moral indiscretions?
Pete Alexander, a fabulous pitcher, often took the mound while nursing a murderous hangover. Paul Waner, one of the great hitters, was known to become extremely tipsy during games, from drinking between innings. Why didn’t the tsk-tskers hold such behavior against them? Well, perhaps they actually did, but were outnumbered in the voting.
We thus hold to our steadfast opinion that what count above any other considerations are the four-baggers knocked, the ball carrying yardage gained, the bases pilfered, the pass completion percentage, the opponents fanned, the downfield aerials snagged, the long balls pulled down by sensational fielding, the winning field goals booted, the clutch base hits, the enemy quarterbacks sacked, and whatever else pertains exclusively to a fellow’s diamond or gridiron accomplishments. If he cheated at poker, stole from church poor boxes, started barroom brawls, wrote dirty words on restroom walls, waved the red flag at Communist rallies, or beat up a few wives, none of these factors need have a bearing.
Despite what we say here, our revered TV announcers will undoubtedly continue to bestow their respectful but valueless honor designations upon player after player, in between their inane jocularities and ridiculous statistical comparisons as the seasons progress from year to year. We can do little but offer our opinions in regard to their lack of merit.
What we find equally meaningless in their vocabularial output is the incessant prefacing of past or present-day player names with either the term “Hall of Famer” or “Future Hall of Famer”, whichever the case may be. They are obviously referring to current or potential symbolic inhabitants of Cooperstown, South Bend, and Canton.
We have to ask what real significance is attachable to such past or coming honors due. In our book it amounts to selection by a squadron of self-appointed diamond or gridiron experts, judging a fellow’s qualifications not only due to on-the-field performance, but supplemented with off-the-field or post-playing days behavior for supposedly good measure. To us, this adds up to excessive oldmaidishness, as opposed to pure objectivity in evaluating athletic greatness.
The requisite factors by which a baseball or football superstar might attain this coveted Hall of Fame status has been as laid out below for too long a while.
1. The fellow must have established some impressive batting, strikeout, forward passing, ball
carrying, or whatever other appropriate statistics.
2. He should have been cordial and affable when talking to sportswriters throughout his career, free of temper tantrums and the like.
3. Mr. Right didn’t dare have engaged in off-the-field betting, even when his own team contests weren’t involved, as did Pete Rose, Paul Hornung, and Alex Karras.
4. Our hero should not have used performance-enhancing drugs and lied about the matter, a la home run champion Barry Bonds, mound ace Roger Clemens, and others.
5. The lad should have avoided being an activist in player vs. owner relations, the way Catfish Hunter, Curt Flood, and John Mackey carried on.
6. Said candidate had to behave himself admirably both off the field and in post-playing years, i.e. not competing in a second sport for pocket money like Jim Thorpe, being found guilty of counterfeiting like Billy Cannon, abusing dog lovers’ psyches for needless animal cruelty like Michael Vick, nor committing any other untoward or indecent act
7. A player should never have expressed or exhibited any socialistic leanings, such as Rutgers’ and the NFL’s Paul Robeson.
As far as we’re concerned, category No. 1 is the only one worthy of consideration. How in God’s name do the other six bear on a man’s playing ability? The unfortunate aspect is that the do-gooder element in any selection committee always seems to prevail, causing either lengthy delay or else never-ending exclusion from otherwise deserved honors.
Our review of the current hallowed hall rosters, based on intimate knowledge of both sports gathered over the years, convinces us that these sacred chambers include numerous members whom we deem less than justifiably qualified, rather often because they were such nice guys, a sportswriter would be happy to introduce them to his sister. On the other hand, too many worthy fellows have had to wait an excessively long time before being admitted, or else have been permanently blackballed, due to inability to meet falsely applied moral standards.
Did Babe Ruth’s carousing and womanizing make him a model citizen throughout his playing days? Did Ty Cobb’s fiery competitiveness, exhibited by sliding into bases with spikes flying high, intended to seriously injure an opposing fielder, or his physically assaulting a crippled heckler in the stands render him as an upstanding Cooperstown-worthy gentleman? Why did these two men deserve to be charter enshrinees, when others later on have been precluded for their moral indiscretions?
Pete Alexander, a fabulous pitcher, often took the mound while nursing a murderous hangover. Paul Waner, one of the great hitters, was known to become extremely tipsy during games, from drinking between innings. Why didn’t the tsk-tskers hold such behavior against them? Well, perhaps they actually did, but were outnumbered in the voting.
We thus hold to our steadfast opinion that what count above any other considerations are the four-baggers knocked, the ball carrying yardage gained, the bases pilfered, the pass completion percentage, the opponents fanned, the downfield aerials snagged, the long balls pulled down by sensational fielding, the winning field goals booted, the clutch base hits, the enemy quarterbacks sacked, and whatever else pertains exclusively to a fellow’s diamond or gridiron accomplishments. If he cheated at poker, stole from church poor boxes, started barroom brawls, wrote dirty words on restroom walls, waved the red flag at Communist rallies, or beat up a few wives, none of these factors need have a bearing.
Despite what we say here, our revered TV announcers will undoubtedly continue to bestow their respectful but valueless honor designations upon player after player, in between their inane jocularities and ridiculous statistical comparisons as the seasons progress from year to year. We can do little but offer our opinions in regard to their lack of merit.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
A VALUABLE LESSON IN GRIDIRON SPORTSMANSHIP
At the close of the 1949 season, the Cleveland Browns were due to face the San Francisco 49ers in the final game ever played by the soon-to-become-defunct All-America Football Conference teams. The annual league championship rested on the outcome.
Otto Graham, the Browns’ renowned quarterback, would be leading his team’s attack on that fateful day. Unfortunately, due to injuries suffered earlier in the season, both his knees were being literally held together with bailing wire and scotch tape. Little effort would thus be required to render him utterly powerless, and haulable off on a stretcher, by means of over-aggressive joint-twisting tackles.
Buck Shaw, the 49ers’ head coach, sternly warned his players before the game that anyone intentionally further crippling Graham would be off the squad from that day forward. While bringing him down was required action as always, unfair destruction could not be the prime motive.
The coach’s compelling point was that winning the game as a result of wiping out Graham would produce a hollow victory. He wanted to preserve the dignity of conquering the Cleveland legions with Otto at the forefront.
As things turned out, quarterback Graham played the full game and led his team to the league title. Nevertheless, the story stands as a monumental tribute to the sportsmanship of Buck Shaw. It’s a shame such qualities are not more paramount in football.
Otto Graham, the Browns’ renowned quarterback, would be leading his team’s attack on that fateful day. Unfortunately, due to injuries suffered earlier in the season, both his knees were being literally held together with bailing wire and scotch tape. Little effort would thus be required to render him utterly powerless, and haulable off on a stretcher, by means of over-aggressive joint-twisting tackles.
Buck Shaw, the 49ers’ head coach, sternly warned his players before the game that anyone intentionally further crippling Graham would be off the squad from that day forward. While bringing him down was required action as always, unfair destruction could not be the prime motive.
The coach’s compelling point was that winning the game as a result of wiping out Graham would produce a hollow victory. He wanted to preserve the dignity of conquering the Cleveland legions with Otto at the forefront.
As things turned out, quarterback Graham played the full game and led his team to the league title. Nevertheless, the story stands as a monumental tribute to the sportsmanship of Buck Shaw. It’s a shame such qualities are not more paramount in football.
EVEN PRO FOOTBALL HAS ITS FLAWS
This article forms a sister piece to the one published earlier which focused on modern baseball’s observed shortcomings, at least from our private point of view. Although our list of gripes about football is somewhat shorter, we feel that certain rule and announcing amendments merit consideration.
The football played on American fields prior to the advent of the forward pass would be barely recognizable today. Back then the game featured nothing but raw, bonecrushing, man-to-man contact, with bloody faces, players wearing head bandages resembling war wounded, and unhappily, fatal injuries. Changes soon became mandatory so as to prevent wholesale mayhem.
By necessity, therefore, the roughness element has been curtailed on a very gradual basis over the century and a quarter-plus of gridiron combat. Not only are players now equipped with more protective field attire, but rules have become somewhat over-restrictive. Dozens upon dozens of blocking, tackling, and other tactics have been outlawed to a constantly increasing degree. Avoidance, well at least major reduction, of serious injury stands paramount today.
Despite additional safeguards being written into grid law with the start of each new season, football is still a mighty rugged game, and hopefully will always remain so. Player casualties can never be totally eliminated, no matter how hard the rule makers try.
Keeping that last point firmly in mind, we feel compelled to ask the question just where does optimum player protection end and the road to virtual sissification begin? Have the field officials become overcharged with penalty assessment duties which seem to be approaching a stage of overkill? Although we strongly endorse legislation against meddling with face masks, roughing the kicker, and other subhuman acts, we can’t quite grasp the need for these ever-increasing limitations on basic blocking and tackling methods. There are moments when watching our space age contests that we tend to wince at flags thrown for what seem like reasonably legitimate means of knocking opponents off their feet.
At the risk of sounding a bit on the exaggerated side, could we possibly be heading toward the day when all a defensive player had to do in stopping an enemy ball carrier was touch him with two hands below the waist? Furthermore, might blocking be limited to merely getting into an opponent’s way, forcing him to take a circuitous route in pursuit of the man he seeks to bring down?
We all realize, of course, that not every player performing on every field every Saturday or Sunday throughout every season has been endowed with the gentlemanliness attributed to an English aristocrat. There’s a pretty fair sized band of fellows with inbred cravings to blow those guys wearing opposite color jerseys to kingdom come. Moreover, they often tend to get by with their excessive roughness without being caught. Obviously, no rule restrictions will ever be adequate to keep such rage in check, and the sissification process we’ve been observing lately won’t help.
Our second subject of concern deals with sudden death overtime, whose provision was written into the rules before the 1958 season. At the time, this writer stood among the loudest applauders of the change. As many football players could be heard to say prior to such enactment, finishing a game with a tie score is like kissing your sister.
Said marked improvement notwithstanding, we’re not exactly thrilled with the rules applied to the overtime period. In our opinion, the game’s extended result is way too reliant upon which team wins the coin toss following the fourth quarter close. This accords them the chance to gain possession right off, with the opportunity to execute a quick score, while the opposition holds no retaliatory option.
We would prefer to see an overtime session not to be considered complete until each opponent has been allowed at least one possession. Causing the game to proceed even longer for this reason should certainly pose no hardship. Meanwhile, the fairness level would be raised to a point where we believe greater satisfaction may be achieved.
Another rule which has remained in effect from the very beginning is that a regulation game must end after sixty minutes of play while the clock is officially running. Football strategy as we know it today thus requires effective time utilization, especially as the fourth quarter is nearing its end. Last instant field goals or touchdown runs can be witnessed on many current era occasions, resulting in extremely thrilling cliffhanger finishes.
Nevertheless, we have often wondered if the clock should really be such a vital controlling element. Might it not be at least as equitable to base a game’s action span on a specified number of plays executed within each quarter instead?
As in baseball, with its nine unclocked innings, plus extras if needed to settle ties, would undue harm result from eliminating time control as an essential element?
Final quarter game-stalling tactics by the team ahead would continue to prevail. On the other hand, a trailing opponent frantically seeking a last-minute score could no longer rely upon incomplete pass plays or stepping out of bounds to stop the outmoded clock. We’d clearly be in line for a number of key strategy alterations. A few abuses might arise as well, but with such matters resolvable through rules enactment, none of which would put the game any further under the sissification umbrella, as defined earlier herein.
On the other hand, such a break from entrenched tradition would admittedly call for careful review before taking a step of such magnitude. A thousand or more objections, logical or simply manufactured to preserve the past, are likely to be raised. Our sole intent on this point has been to lay open the question of play quantities vs. the all-powerful clock as a topic for conjecture.
Moving further on, we wish to register the same gripe addressed to baseball earlier, regarding the never-abating flow of meaningless statistics generated from game to game by the boys sitting near the press box with their computers. Their sworn task is to keep the announcers forever supplied with chatting points between plays.
It’s a well-known fact that new records are being set every year, a few of which do warrant public mention. However, this doesn’t give due license to dwell upon yardage gained, pass completion percentage, number of sacks, and the like from every conceivable angle week after week. We urge cutting out these boring stat concoctions, so the announcing crew may focus more pointedly upon the game at hand, not just the latest comparison with inconsequential past history.
Our final disgruntlement deals further with the two or sometimes three man crews up in the box, supplemented by pretty ladies down on the field offering closer exposure. We have no objection to the girls and their color-providing efforts. What we grit our teeth over is the men, who all too frequently seem to consider themselves as reincarnations of Abbott and Costello or the Marx Brothers. Once again, Lads, please restrict your descriptive dialogue to the purely physical aspects of the game before you. In addition to knocking off the senseless stats, quit trying to prove how immensely funny you are.
That’s it, Folks, for the game of football. You may or may not agree with our feelings. Just remember, the door is always open for argument.
The football played on American fields prior to the advent of the forward pass would be barely recognizable today. Back then the game featured nothing but raw, bonecrushing, man-to-man contact, with bloody faces, players wearing head bandages resembling war wounded, and unhappily, fatal injuries. Changes soon became mandatory so as to prevent wholesale mayhem.
By necessity, therefore, the roughness element has been curtailed on a very gradual basis over the century and a quarter-plus of gridiron combat. Not only are players now equipped with more protective field attire, but rules have become somewhat over-restrictive. Dozens upon dozens of blocking, tackling, and other tactics have been outlawed to a constantly increasing degree. Avoidance, well at least major reduction, of serious injury stands paramount today.
Despite additional safeguards being written into grid law with the start of each new season, football is still a mighty rugged game, and hopefully will always remain so. Player casualties can never be totally eliminated, no matter how hard the rule makers try.
Keeping that last point firmly in mind, we feel compelled to ask the question just where does optimum player protection end and the road to virtual sissification begin? Have the field officials become overcharged with penalty assessment duties which seem to be approaching a stage of overkill? Although we strongly endorse legislation against meddling with face masks, roughing the kicker, and other subhuman acts, we can’t quite grasp the need for these ever-increasing limitations on basic blocking and tackling methods. There are moments when watching our space age contests that we tend to wince at flags thrown for what seem like reasonably legitimate means of knocking opponents off their feet.
At the risk of sounding a bit on the exaggerated side, could we possibly be heading toward the day when all a defensive player had to do in stopping an enemy ball carrier was touch him with two hands below the waist? Furthermore, might blocking be limited to merely getting into an opponent’s way, forcing him to take a circuitous route in pursuit of the man he seeks to bring down?
We all realize, of course, that not every player performing on every field every Saturday or Sunday throughout every season has been endowed with the gentlemanliness attributed to an English aristocrat. There’s a pretty fair sized band of fellows with inbred cravings to blow those guys wearing opposite color jerseys to kingdom come. Moreover, they often tend to get by with their excessive roughness without being caught. Obviously, no rule restrictions will ever be adequate to keep such rage in check, and the sissification process we’ve been observing lately won’t help.
Our second subject of concern deals with sudden death overtime, whose provision was written into the rules before the 1958 season. At the time, this writer stood among the loudest applauders of the change. As many football players could be heard to say prior to such enactment, finishing a game with a tie score is like kissing your sister.
Said marked improvement notwithstanding, we’re not exactly thrilled with the rules applied to the overtime period. In our opinion, the game’s extended result is way too reliant upon which team wins the coin toss following the fourth quarter close. This accords them the chance to gain possession right off, with the opportunity to execute a quick score, while the opposition holds no retaliatory option.
We would prefer to see an overtime session not to be considered complete until each opponent has been allowed at least one possession. Causing the game to proceed even longer for this reason should certainly pose no hardship. Meanwhile, the fairness level would be raised to a point where we believe greater satisfaction may be achieved.
Another rule which has remained in effect from the very beginning is that a regulation game must end after sixty minutes of play while the clock is officially running. Football strategy as we know it today thus requires effective time utilization, especially as the fourth quarter is nearing its end. Last instant field goals or touchdown runs can be witnessed on many current era occasions, resulting in extremely thrilling cliffhanger finishes.
Nevertheless, we have often wondered if the clock should really be such a vital controlling element. Might it not be at least as equitable to base a game’s action span on a specified number of plays executed within each quarter instead?
As in baseball, with its nine unclocked innings, plus extras if needed to settle ties, would undue harm result from eliminating time control as an essential element?
Final quarter game-stalling tactics by the team ahead would continue to prevail. On the other hand, a trailing opponent frantically seeking a last-minute score could no longer rely upon incomplete pass plays or stepping out of bounds to stop the outmoded clock. We’d clearly be in line for a number of key strategy alterations. A few abuses might arise as well, but with such matters resolvable through rules enactment, none of which would put the game any further under the sissification umbrella, as defined earlier herein.
On the other hand, such a break from entrenched tradition would admittedly call for careful review before taking a step of such magnitude. A thousand or more objections, logical or simply manufactured to preserve the past, are likely to be raised. Our sole intent on this point has been to lay open the question of play quantities vs. the all-powerful clock as a topic for conjecture.
Moving further on, we wish to register the same gripe addressed to baseball earlier, regarding the never-abating flow of meaningless statistics generated from game to game by the boys sitting near the press box with their computers. Their sworn task is to keep the announcers forever supplied with chatting points between plays.
It’s a well-known fact that new records are being set every year, a few of which do warrant public mention. However, this doesn’t give due license to dwell upon yardage gained, pass completion percentage, number of sacks, and the like from every conceivable angle week after week. We urge cutting out these boring stat concoctions, so the announcing crew may focus more pointedly upon the game at hand, not just the latest comparison with inconsequential past history.
Our final disgruntlement deals further with the two or sometimes three man crews up in the box, supplemented by pretty ladies down on the field offering closer exposure. We have no objection to the girls and their color-providing efforts. What we grit our teeth over is the men, who all too frequently seem to consider themselves as reincarnations of Abbott and Costello or the Marx Brothers. Once again, Lads, please restrict your descriptive dialogue to the purely physical aspects of the game before you. In addition to knocking off the senseless stats, quit trying to prove how immensely funny you are.
That’s it, Folks, for the game of football. You may or may not agree with our feelings. Just remember, the door is always open for argument.
Monday, May 11, 2009
BASEBALL'S FIRST 100 YEARS -- THE FABLE AND THE CHASTITY
Once or twice in the proverbial blue moon, a person finds himself rummaging through hoary old attic or closet contents, with an occasional surprise discovery. “Gosh, I’d forgotten about this” is the usual impromptu comment.
A fairly recent such nosing-about venture caused this writer to uncover the June 1939 issue of Baseball Magazine. At the time, this highly revered copy was nothing short of a museum piece, hence still worth holding onto 70 years later.
What was so special about this particular issue? Well, it commemorated the game’s supposed 100th anniversary. The front cover picture featured Major General Abner Doubleday, who had purportedly “invented” baseball exactly one century earlier.
Any present-day fan up on his diamond lore now realizes that perhaps the General did participate in a few games during those early days, but numerous competent researchers have long proven his originative accomplishments to be sheer folly. His so-called contribution to the sport holds no more validity than does comedian Bob Newhart’s still memorable monologue skit about a game company executive telling Mr. Doubleday over the phone that nobody would ever be interested in playing baseball.
It does seem strange, however, that the Doubleday myth had persisted as long as a full century. Apparently, everyone even remotely concerned with baseball back then blithely accepted the romantic fable with never the need (or maybe the audacity) to question the historical “facts”.
Nevertheless, throughout our earth’s 25,000-plus daily whirlarounds since 1939, our society has progressed from a state of extreme naïvity to a sophistication degree perhaps a thousand times over. No longer are we the least bit inclined to accept inadequately-documented tales.
The real baseball story, in fact, is that, like Topsy of literary fame, it “jist growed” from as far back as the 1830s or thereabouts.
Still, that particular element makes up only part of our subject matter here. Back in June 1939, the avid Baseball Magazine reader wasn’t simply naïve, but ready and willing to accept as well a duly antiseptic-laced historical account of the game’s stated 100-year official existence.
We certainly don’t wish to detract from the niceties of our national pastime in this commemorative edition, since it contained a great many nostalgic articles and past era player photos. We hold no regrets over having kept the magazine tucked away for posterity.
On the other hand, thanks to the whitewashing process, the editors made sure to portray the game as having been pure as the driven snow all along. Accordingly, the reader saw no mention whatsoever of George Herman Ruth’s unsavory off-the-field activities, Grover Cleveland Alexander’s passion for the hard stuff, or any similarly distasteful matters. The former days’ Hollywood film industry censors had nothing on this magazine’s publishers. Not only did they scrub the Babe and Old Pete with Dutch cleanser, but even failed to offer the slightest reference to the Black Sox scandal of 1919, when the World Series was sold out to gambling barons.
About all we can add at this stage is that, should a comparably decontaminated baseball lore publication go to press today, we readers as a collective body would promptly toss it into the nearest waste basket. Nobody would dare attempt to convince us that the likes of Ruth, Alexander, et al bore angel’s wings and the 1919 Series went off squeaky clean from start to finish.
Perhaps the moral to this theme is that we seem to have made some significant advances over the past seven decades, from a state of blind belief to one literally oozing a taste for realism.
A fairly recent such nosing-about venture caused this writer to uncover the June 1939 issue of Baseball Magazine. At the time, this highly revered copy was nothing short of a museum piece, hence still worth holding onto 70 years later.
What was so special about this particular issue? Well, it commemorated the game’s supposed 100th anniversary. The front cover picture featured Major General Abner Doubleday, who had purportedly “invented” baseball exactly one century earlier.
Any present-day fan up on his diamond lore now realizes that perhaps the General did participate in a few games during those early days, but numerous competent researchers have long proven his originative accomplishments to be sheer folly. His so-called contribution to the sport holds no more validity than does comedian Bob Newhart’s still memorable monologue skit about a game company executive telling Mr. Doubleday over the phone that nobody would ever be interested in playing baseball.
It does seem strange, however, that the Doubleday myth had persisted as long as a full century. Apparently, everyone even remotely concerned with baseball back then blithely accepted the romantic fable with never the need (or maybe the audacity) to question the historical “facts”.
Nevertheless, throughout our earth’s 25,000-plus daily whirlarounds since 1939, our society has progressed from a state of extreme naïvity to a sophistication degree perhaps a thousand times over. No longer are we the least bit inclined to accept inadequately-documented tales.
The real baseball story, in fact, is that, like Topsy of literary fame, it “jist growed” from as far back as the 1830s or thereabouts.
Still, that particular element makes up only part of our subject matter here. Back in June 1939, the avid Baseball Magazine reader wasn’t simply naïve, but ready and willing to accept as well a duly antiseptic-laced historical account of the game’s stated 100-year official existence.
We certainly don’t wish to detract from the niceties of our national pastime in this commemorative edition, since it contained a great many nostalgic articles and past era player photos. We hold no regrets over having kept the magazine tucked away for posterity.
On the other hand, thanks to the whitewashing process, the editors made sure to portray the game as having been pure as the driven snow all along. Accordingly, the reader saw no mention whatsoever of George Herman Ruth’s unsavory off-the-field activities, Grover Cleveland Alexander’s passion for the hard stuff, or any similarly distasteful matters. The former days’ Hollywood film industry censors had nothing on this magazine’s publishers. Not only did they scrub the Babe and Old Pete with Dutch cleanser, but even failed to offer the slightest reference to the Black Sox scandal of 1919, when the World Series was sold out to gambling barons.
About all we can add at this stage is that, should a comparably decontaminated baseball lore publication go to press today, we readers as a collective body would promptly toss it into the nearest waste basket. Nobody would dare attempt to convince us that the likes of Ruth, Alexander, et al bore angel’s wings and the 1919 Series went off squeaky clean from start to finish.
Perhaps the moral to this theme is that we seem to have made some significant advances over the past seven decades, from a state of blind belief to one literally oozing a taste for realism.
THINGS WE'VE GROWN TO DISLIKE ABOUT BASEBALL
A Handful of Key Pet Peeves
By virtue of having followed major league baseball since early childhood, and studied its history in extreme depth from time immemorial, this writer has developed an undying love for the game. Unhappily, however, said devotion chiefly applies to how things used to be. Over recent years, a number of complaints have been engendered regarding certain practices, rules, and attitudes which we deem rather less than fully acceptable. The intent of this piece is to present them in our best highly opinionated style.
We readily recall when there were two simply-organized leagues, consisting of eight clubs each, all bounded on the west by St. Louis. Baseball was indeed a game back then, far removed from today’s multi-million dollar business atmosphere which predominates the present scene. It isn’t just the glory of winning any longer, but the bucks to be gained at every level, from executive mogul down to player. Although this apparently recession/depression-proof industry continues to provide summers filled with sheer excitement, way too much of its former flavor seems to have faded away.
Perhaps we’re just old-fashioned, tradition-bound, ultra-conservative, or whatever, but can’t help having reached a rather advanced stage of upsettedness over how the whole scheme is being administered. As a consequence, we’re taking issue with several don’t likes, then offering recommendations for change where pertinent, essentially harking back, we admit to say, the “good old days”.
In order of relative significance, what we judge to be the game’s modern-age bad points and their proposed rectification, if feasible, follow below. However, a few of the topics we’re raising herein aren’t likely to be implementable. Why not? Simply because they’d have the effect of reducing club revenues, the reasons for which will be obvious to the reader. Still, we prefer to think of baseball’s true merits and its fairness, not merely the big bucks that are being striven for every day.
SCHEDULING
This writer is a longstanding steadfast advocate of assuring a completely level playing field from all aspects, season-by-season, for each participating team. We fail to see such feature in existence under present rules and circumstances.
Years ago, a regular season consisted of 154 games, whereby a club would face every opponent within its league exactly 22 times. On this premise, the odds were fully equal. Today instead, with each circuit broken down into the three divisions, the greatest part of each team’s schedule includes confrontations with its sectional rivals, supplemented by limited encounters elsewhere. We thus hear much talk about relatively “tough” vs. “weak” intraleague opposition. Is this what a person might call a level overall playing field?
There are currently 14 American and 16 National League franchises. We would propose to correct this non-understandable lopsidedness by returning the Milwaukee Braves to the junior circuit from whence it initially sprung, thus restoring complete balance. With every club then required to play 11 games with each opponent within its league, we’d easily and painlessly return to the 154 season total.
Corollary to the above steps would be elimination of those senseless interleague games held in June and July, scheduled merely to attract additional fans. We see no value, other than greed-motivated profitability enhancement, in such continuance, while remaining quite aware that the club owners would scream to high heaven at the mere suggestion of such a “radical” idea.
Technically speaking, these moves could negate the need for post-season playoffs to determine who the World Series rivals are to be, by virtue of simple reversion to former eras, with the winningest teams in each league up against one another.
The above thoughts notwithstanding, we really aren’t that dead set against playoffs each year, as lead-ups to the World Series. Some such practice might well remain under consideration, maybe on a round-robin basis between the four, six, or even eight leading teams from each circuit. This would certainly help satisfy the dollar-mongers who rule the roost, by retaining a bit of the spice which keeps the fans in nail-biting frenzy. You see, we aren’t that old-fashioned and outmoded.
DESIGNATED HITTERS
Countless adjectives immediately come to mind at the very mention of this American League park rule, which began in 1973. Our word list includes stupid, ridiculous, silly, nonsensical, and idiotic for openers, and could likely carry for a mile or so.
Why in God’s name should pitchers be turned into virtual eunuchs when it comes to wielding a bat? Way back when, a hurler who couldn’t hold his own at the plate, or even in another field position when it wasn’t his turn on the mound, would be relegated to the minors with little delay.
We certainly don’t expect our modern-day pitchers to have the hitting talents of a Ruth or the base-circling heroics of a Cobb. The sole need would be for him to take his regular turn at bat and do a reasonably fair job in reaching first base safely from time to time. Sure, his presence at the plate would often constitute a weak spot in the lineup, but with the same handicap applicable to the opposing team as well. Here again, we’re seeking another level playing field situation.
A further deplorable element regarding today’s moundsmen, about which we grudgingly feel that little can be done, is the degree to which they are coddled. You’d swear sometimes that they were made of fragile crystal. We quickly become annoyed upon hearing an announcer’s semi-depressed tone when stating that “Glotzenheimer has thrown almost 100 pitches in this game so far”, meaning he must be relieved soon, or else his arm might fall off.
Undoubtedly, there are testimonials on file from competent physicians to the effect that a pitcher’s efficiency declines significantly after 100 per-game throws, over and above the countless others during the pre-action and between-innings warm-up tosses. Nevertheless, we recall the time when going the full nine added up to a masterful feat, bringing on a sense of true accomplishment as a hurler trudged to the dugout after retiring opponent number 27 in a glorious finish. We sorely miss that now-obsolescent feature. Is there anything so really wrong in allowing a fellow to go the route, just so long as he doesn’t get into too much trouble?
MAPLE BATS
Our blood nearly reaches a boiling point whenever a bat breaks as the ball is hit, followed by a huge, sharp-edged hunk of wood hurling onto the field or elsewhere. This is pretty dangerous business, and all due to using that infernal maple instead of the traditional ash. Earlier this season, a behind-the-plate umpire was actually struck in the head by such a piece of flying lumber.
Without question, maple bats ought to be permanently outlawed before somebody, including maybe a fan, gets blinded, maimed, or even killed by wooden shrapnel. Ash has been in use for ages, and has proven to be far safer.
CHALLENGES AND REPLAYS
How many times have we witnessed a close infield play where the out vs. safe condition is clearly obvious, but with the umpire dead wrong in his call? What can be more disgusting to watch, as the arbiter stands silently and authoritatively, endowed with papal-like infallibility, with no recourse for his error? An onto-the-field charge by a violently protesting manager amounts to an utter waste of effort.
For heaven’s sake, football has effectively adopted a means whereby a coach may challenge a close play call, with resultant need for a relook at the result from alternate camera angles inside a special enclosed viewing booth. In every such case, a potential decision reversal lies in the offing. How long must we continue enduring downright umpire inaccuracy, with no provision for remedy whatsoever? Are we too proud to copycat what the gridiron boys do?
BALLS AND STRIKES
Since we’re already on the subject of umpires, we firmly believe that the heavily padded fellow hunching down behind the catcher has become virtually redundant. Electronic gadgetry is frequently displayed on the TV screen, to indicate precisely where a pitched ball has crossed the plate in relation to the strike zone. Talk about infallibility -- we seem to have it right at our fingertips. Even in a non-televised game, we should be able to put this system into full effect, with maybe a touch more of technology.
We thus envision balls and strikes being determined automatically, rather than by umpires who are known to define the crucial zone perimeter in their own respectively varying terms. Every hitter and pitcher has an awareness of which men apply either “tight” or “liberal” judgment in such regard, and make personal adjustments accordingly. What good lies in perpetuating such inconsistent thinking, when modern technology has provided more workable methods? Once again, we must cite our lack of sentimental ties with the past.
USE OF STEROIDS
The present-day game faces no problem more ticklish than this. We actually find ourselves at both ends of the spectrum from an opinionated viewpoint.
In principle, we feel that a player is entitled to enhance his strength and performance prowess by whatever means he considers appropriate, even if the end results will surely wreak irreparable body damage. That’s for him to decide upon personally. The world doesn’t seem to care if he smokes heavily or drinks to excess when off the field, so why worry over other means of self-destruction?
On the other hand, how can a practice as dangerous as this be condoned, when growing kids stand to be induced to follow suit, and thus better their chances of attaining big league status too? Steroids, therefore, loom as unduly harmful to the country’s athletic youth. How dare we allow their use to continue without the severest of restrictions?
Only one answer seems appropriate here, and that is out-and-out policing and control. It may become necessary to go so far as to extract frequently periodic urine specimens from every player on a surprise basis, following any given game. A person found guilty of steroid use by such means alone would have to be unceremoniously bounced out of baseball, either permanently or at least for an extended period. No other shortcut method looks suitable if we’re going to protect our growing generation.
FREE AGENCY
This is a more or less bonus feature added, because the situation cited can’t be deemed all bad, just a mite deplorable.
We still retain an old-fashioned opinion that an individual player ought to hold continuing loyalty to his current team, provided he’s being treated fairly. Jumping to any other club should lie pretty far down on his to do list, and be carried out only after careful soul-searching.
Perhaps this is totally impractical thinking within our present day and age, but we can’t help holding a dislike for franchise hopping, solely in search of a higher pay check.
Nevertheless, there’s little sense in ignoring the fact that the cause of all this came from club owners’ greed and the virtual slavery contracts the leagues once imposed on players. Whereas the industrial sweatshop days eventually gave way to the organized labor movement, comparable conditions have come to fruition within the baseball universe. Who can blame the franchise jumper, when he’s simply exercising the rights brought about in defiance of those Simon Legree-type moguls?
Consequently, we see no druthers other than to grit our teeth as star performers continuously flit between cities at their legal option, once free agent status goes into effect. Let the owners stew in the mess they created themselves, and endure the added out-of-pocket expense.
PERSONNEL COMPLEMENT EXPLOSION
It’s quite easy to hark back to the era when any given ball club had only a field manager, a coach at first, another at third, a trainer, and a bat boy. Over the past several decades, however, the staff complement has expanded to a point of what appears to be near absurdity.
Today there are pitching coaches, hitting coaches, infield coaches, outfield coaches, bullpen coaches, bench coaches, and God know what else. Our question is whether or not we really need all this vice-presidential baggage.
Ok, we’ll concede to the pitching, hitting, and fielding experts as justifiable, by virtue of said titles. However, what’s the point in paying a fellow to sit out in the bullpen every afternoon or evening and watch relievers warm up? Do his duties involve any more than answering the phone from the dugout, and accordingly informing a couple of the boys to get off their duffs and start tossing a few? Actually, we’d like to know.
As for the bench coach, the only task we can dream up is for him to assign seating places to players when they aren’t on the field. To us, this seems somewhat tantamount to hiring a person to arrange appointments for a one-chair barber shop. Again, are there valid reasons? In any event, this does help create jobs, and that’s what we seem to need these days.
On a related score, why must there be three jovially-voiced announcers to cover every televised game? One fellow used to be enough years ago. Two actually makes some sense, due to provision for additional technical know-how, citing the presence of Joe Morgan along with Jon Miller, for example. Good Lord, though, why should a third guy be required? How soon will the crew sizes be bumped up to four?
STATS, STATS, AND MORE STATS
An unfortunate outshoot of this personnel overexpansion trend is that those announcing gentry are further supported by various technicians and (perhaps worst by far) on-scene statisticians.
As the announcer trios regale the viewing audience with the glorious field events taking place before everyone’s eyes, the stats boys sit nearby with their computers, and continually drum up what often amounts to the game of baseball’s most useless information, merely for its sake.
Will we never cease to be kept apprised of such unimportant matters as Tommy Smithsmythe’s just having hit a double, thus tying the existing record for most two-baggers on a Sunday afternoon in August when the temperature exceeds 70 degrees Fahrenheit? Yes, we’re exaggerating our point, but much of the tripe we get fed game after game sounds almost that ridiculous. Why not have the lads pack up their computers and go someplace to hack?
HALL OF FAME
Although we do deem it most fitting that players be honored annually by means of organized admission to Cooperstown’s hallowed chambers, certain strong feelings persist. We’ve always believed that a chap’s performance on the field ought to be the sole criterion for selection. Whether or not he held up supermarkets, ran internet scams, or frequented brothels after his active days were over should bear no consequence.
There have been debatable cases, but mostly pertinent to playing era activities. Pete Rose’s gambling, albeit on games other than his team’s own, has kept him blackballed. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and possibly Alex Rodriguez appear in line for similar fate, due to steroid use untruthfulness. Buck Weaver and Joe Jackson, guilty only of failure to report proposed bribes in the 1919 World Series scandal, remain on the never-never-never list.
Despite his widely-known carousing and womanizing, Babe Ruth was promptly ushered into Cooperstown as a charter member upon its inauguration. Nobody cared about Ty Cobb’s having assaulted a crippled grandstand occupant, Pete Alexander’s chronic drunkenness, not to mention Paul Waner’s, even while on the playing field. There does seem to be a fairly fine line between selectivity on one hand and perpetual rejection on the other.
We’ll close this particular bit, however, by citing an extreme situation where exclusion was perfectly justifiable, no matter how great the fellow performed on the field. Hal Chase, considered by many to be the best defensive first baseman the game ever had, was openly guilty of betting against his own teams (and there were several). His finally being banned, undoubtedly far too late, appears to be grossly insufficient punishment. As far as we’re concerned, he should have been sent before a firing squad. There are limits of corruption, and he surpassed them probably more than anyone else before or since. We hope so, anyway.
BOTTOM OF THE NINTH
Very well then, Fellow Ardent Fans, as Popeye used to say in the Sunday morning comic strips of yesteryear, “Them’s me sediments”. We’d enjoy seeing baseball scaled back somewhat to earlier, more conservative practices, and an increased sense of overall fairness implemented.
By virtue of having followed major league baseball since early childhood, and studied its history in extreme depth from time immemorial, this writer has developed an undying love for the game. Unhappily, however, said devotion chiefly applies to how things used to be. Over recent years, a number of complaints have been engendered regarding certain practices, rules, and attitudes which we deem rather less than fully acceptable. The intent of this piece is to present them in our best highly opinionated style.
We readily recall when there were two simply-organized leagues, consisting of eight clubs each, all bounded on the west by St. Louis. Baseball was indeed a game back then, far removed from today’s multi-million dollar business atmosphere which predominates the present scene. It isn’t just the glory of winning any longer, but the bucks to be gained at every level, from executive mogul down to player. Although this apparently recession/depression-proof industry continues to provide summers filled with sheer excitement, way too much of its former flavor seems to have faded away.
Perhaps we’re just old-fashioned, tradition-bound, ultra-conservative, or whatever, but can’t help having reached a rather advanced stage of upsettedness over how the whole scheme is being administered. As a consequence, we’re taking issue with several don’t likes, then offering recommendations for change where pertinent, essentially harking back, we admit to say, the “good old days”.
In order of relative significance, what we judge to be the game’s modern-age bad points and their proposed rectification, if feasible, follow below. However, a few of the topics we’re raising herein aren’t likely to be implementable. Why not? Simply because they’d have the effect of reducing club revenues, the reasons for which will be obvious to the reader. Still, we prefer to think of baseball’s true merits and its fairness, not merely the big bucks that are being striven for every day.
SCHEDULING
This writer is a longstanding steadfast advocate of assuring a completely level playing field from all aspects, season-by-season, for each participating team. We fail to see such feature in existence under present rules and circumstances.
Years ago, a regular season consisted of 154 games, whereby a club would face every opponent within its league exactly 22 times. On this premise, the odds were fully equal. Today instead, with each circuit broken down into the three divisions, the greatest part of each team’s schedule includes confrontations with its sectional rivals, supplemented by limited encounters elsewhere. We thus hear much talk about relatively “tough” vs. “weak” intraleague opposition. Is this what a person might call a level overall playing field?
There are currently 14 American and 16 National League franchises. We would propose to correct this non-understandable lopsidedness by returning the Milwaukee Braves to the junior circuit from whence it initially sprung, thus restoring complete balance. With every club then required to play 11 games with each opponent within its league, we’d easily and painlessly return to the 154 season total.
Corollary to the above steps would be elimination of those senseless interleague games held in June and July, scheduled merely to attract additional fans. We see no value, other than greed-motivated profitability enhancement, in such continuance, while remaining quite aware that the club owners would scream to high heaven at the mere suggestion of such a “radical” idea.
Technically speaking, these moves could negate the need for post-season playoffs to determine who the World Series rivals are to be, by virtue of simple reversion to former eras, with the winningest teams in each league up against one another.
The above thoughts notwithstanding, we really aren’t that dead set against playoffs each year, as lead-ups to the World Series. Some such practice might well remain under consideration, maybe on a round-robin basis between the four, six, or even eight leading teams from each circuit. This would certainly help satisfy the dollar-mongers who rule the roost, by retaining a bit of the spice which keeps the fans in nail-biting frenzy. You see, we aren’t that old-fashioned and outmoded.
DESIGNATED HITTERS
Countless adjectives immediately come to mind at the very mention of this American League park rule, which began in 1973. Our word list includes stupid, ridiculous, silly, nonsensical, and idiotic for openers, and could likely carry for a mile or so.
Why in God’s name should pitchers be turned into virtual eunuchs when it comes to wielding a bat? Way back when, a hurler who couldn’t hold his own at the plate, or even in another field position when it wasn’t his turn on the mound, would be relegated to the minors with little delay.
We certainly don’t expect our modern-day pitchers to have the hitting talents of a Ruth or the base-circling heroics of a Cobb. The sole need would be for him to take his regular turn at bat and do a reasonably fair job in reaching first base safely from time to time. Sure, his presence at the plate would often constitute a weak spot in the lineup, but with the same handicap applicable to the opposing team as well. Here again, we’re seeking another level playing field situation.
A further deplorable element regarding today’s moundsmen, about which we grudgingly feel that little can be done, is the degree to which they are coddled. You’d swear sometimes that they were made of fragile crystal. We quickly become annoyed upon hearing an announcer’s semi-depressed tone when stating that “Glotzenheimer has thrown almost 100 pitches in this game so far”, meaning he must be relieved soon, or else his arm might fall off.
Undoubtedly, there are testimonials on file from competent physicians to the effect that a pitcher’s efficiency declines significantly after 100 per-game throws, over and above the countless others during the pre-action and between-innings warm-up tosses. Nevertheless, we recall the time when going the full nine added up to a masterful feat, bringing on a sense of true accomplishment as a hurler trudged to the dugout after retiring opponent number 27 in a glorious finish. We sorely miss that now-obsolescent feature. Is there anything so really wrong in allowing a fellow to go the route, just so long as he doesn’t get into too much trouble?
MAPLE BATS
Our blood nearly reaches a boiling point whenever a bat breaks as the ball is hit, followed by a huge, sharp-edged hunk of wood hurling onto the field or elsewhere. This is pretty dangerous business, and all due to using that infernal maple instead of the traditional ash. Earlier this season, a behind-the-plate umpire was actually struck in the head by such a piece of flying lumber.
Without question, maple bats ought to be permanently outlawed before somebody, including maybe a fan, gets blinded, maimed, or even killed by wooden shrapnel. Ash has been in use for ages, and has proven to be far safer.
CHALLENGES AND REPLAYS
How many times have we witnessed a close infield play where the out vs. safe condition is clearly obvious, but with the umpire dead wrong in his call? What can be more disgusting to watch, as the arbiter stands silently and authoritatively, endowed with papal-like infallibility, with no recourse for his error? An onto-the-field charge by a violently protesting manager amounts to an utter waste of effort.
For heaven’s sake, football has effectively adopted a means whereby a coach may challenge a close play call, with resultant need for a relook at the result from alternate camera angles inside a special enclosed viewing booth. In every such case, a potential decision reversal lies in the offing. How long must we continue enduring downright umpire inaccuracy, with no provision for remedy whatsoever? Are we too proud to copycat what the gridiron boys do?
BALLS AND STRIKES
Since we’re already on the subject of umpires, we firmly believe that the heavily padded fellow hunching down behind the catcher has become virtually redundant. Electronic gadgetry is frequently displayed on the TV screen, to indicate precisely where a pitched ball has crossed the plate in relation to the strike zone. Talk about infallibility -- we seem to have it right at our fingertips. Even in a non-televised game, we should be able to put this system into full effect, with maybe a touch more of technology.
We thus envision balls and strikes being determined automatically, rather than by umpires who are known to define the crucial zone perimeter in their own respectively varying terms. Every hitter and pitcher has an awareness of which men apply either “tight” or “liberal” judgment in such regard, and make personal adjustments accordingly. What good lies in perpetuating such inconsistent thinking, when modern technology has provided more workable methods? Once again, we must cite our lack of sentimental ties with the past.
USE OF STEROIDS
The present-day game faces no problem more ticklish than this. We actually find ourselves at both ends of the spectrum from an opinionated viewpoint.
In principle, we feel that a player is entitled to enhance his strength and performance prowess by whatever means he considers appropriate, even if the end results will surely wreak irreparable body damage. That’s for him to decide upon personally. The world doesn’t seem to care if he smokes heavily or drinks to excess when off the field, so why worry over other means of self-destruction?
On the other hand, how can a practice as dangerous as this be condoned, when growing kids stand to be induced to follow suit, and thus better their chances of attaining big league status too? Steroids, therefore, loom as unduly harmful to the country’s athletic youth. How dare we allow their use to continue without the severest of restrictions?
Only one answer seems appropriate here, and that is out-and-out policing and control. It may become necessary to go so far as to extract frequently periodic urine specimens from every player on a surprise basis, following any given game. A person found guilty of steroid use by such means alone would have to be unceremoniously bounced out of baseball, either permanently or at least for an extended period. No other shortcut method looks suitable if we’re going to protect our growing generation.
FREE AGENCY
This is a more or less bonus feature added, because the situation cited can’t be deemed all bad, just a mite deplorable.
We still retain an old-fashioned opinion that an individual player ought to hold continuing loyalty to his current team, provided he’s being treated fairly. Jumping to any other club should lie pretty far down on his to do list, and be carried out only after careful soul-searching.
Perhaps this is totally impractical thinking within our present day and age, but we can’t help holding a dislike for franchise hopping, solely in search of a higher pay check.
Nevertheless, there’s little sense in ignoring the fact that the cause of all this came from club owners’ greed and the virtual slavery contracts the leagues once imposed on players. Whereas the industrial sweatshop days eventually gave way to the organized labor movement, comparable conditions have come to fruition within the baseball universe. Who can blame the franchise jumper, when he’s simply exercising the rights brought about in defiance of those Simon Legree-type moguls?
Consequently, we see no druthers other than to grit our teeth as star performers continuously flit between cities at their legal option, once free agent status goes into effect. Let the owners stew in the mess they created themselves, and endure the added out-of-pocket expense.
PERSONNEL COMPLEMENT EXPLOSION
It’s quite easy to hark back to the era when any given ball club had only a field manager, a coach at first, another at third, a trainer, and a bat boy. Over the past several decades, however, the staff complement has expanded to a point of what appears to be near absurdity.
Today there are pitching coaches, hitting coaches, infield coaches, outfield coaches, bullpen coaches, bench coaches, and God know what else. Our question is whether or not we really need all this vice-presidential baggage.
Ok, we’ll concede to the pitching, hitting, and fielding experts as justifiable, by virtue of said titles. However, what’s the point in paying a fellow to sit out in the bullpen every afternoon or evening and watch relievers warm up? Do his duties involve any more than answering the phone from the dugout, and accordingly informing a couple of the boys to get off their duffs and start tossing a few? Actually, we’d like to know.
As for the bench coach, the only task we can dream up is for him to assign seating places to players when they aren’t on the field. To us, this seems somewhat tantamount to hiring a person to arrange appointments for a one-chair barber shop. Again, are there valid reasons? In any event, this does help create jobs, and that’s what we seem to need these days.
On a related score, why must there be three jovially-voiced announcers to cover every televised game? One fellow used to be enough years ago. Two actually makes some sense, due to provision for additional technical know-how, citing the presence of Joe Morgan along with Jon Miller, for example. Good Lord, though, why should a third guy be required? How soon will the crew sizes be bumped up to four?
STATS, STATS, AND MORE STATS
An unfortunate outshoot of this personnel overexpansion trend is that those announcing gentry are further supported by various technicians and (perhaps worst by far) on-scene statisticians.
As the announcer trios regale the viewing audience with the glorious field events taking place before everyone’s eyes, the stats boys sit nearby with their computers, and continually drum up what often amounts to the game of baseball’s most useless information, merely for its sake.
Will we never cease to be kept apprised of such unimportant matters as Tommy Smithsmythe’s just having hit a double, thus tying the existing record for most two-baggers on a Sunday afternoon in August when the temperature exceeds 70 degrees Fahrenheit? Yes, we’re exaggerating our point, but much of the tripe we get fed game after game sounds almost that ridiculous. Why not have the lads pack up their computers and go someplace to hack?
HALL OF FAME
Although we do deem it most fitting that players be honored annually by means of organized admission to Cooperstown’s hallowed chambers, certain strong feelings persist. We’ve always believed that a chap’s performance on the field ought to be the sole criterion for selection. Whether or not he held up supermarkets, ran internet scams, or frequented brothels after his active days were over should bear no consequence.
There have been debatable cases, but mostly pertinent to playing era activities. Pete Rose’s gambling, albeit on games other than his team’s own, has kept him blackballed. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and possibly Alex Rodriguez appear in line for similar fate, due to steroid use untruthfulness. Buck Weaver and Joe Jackson, guilty only of failure to report proposed bribes in the 1919 World Series scandal, remain on the never-never-never list.
Despite his widely-known carousing and womanizing, Babe Ruth was promptly ushered into Cooperstown as a charter member upon its inauguration. Nobody cared about Ty Cobb’s having assaulted a crippled grandstand occupant, Pete Alexander’s chronic drunkenness, not to mention Paul Waner’s, even while on the playing field. There does seem to be a fairly fine line between selectivity on one hand and perpetual rejection on the other.
We’ll close this particular bit, however, by citing an extreme situation where exclusion was perfectly justifiable, no matter how great the fellow performed on the field. Hal Chase, considered by many to be the best defensive first baseman the game ever had, was openly guilty of betting against his own teams (and there were several). His finally being banned, undoubtedly far too late, appears to be grossly insufficient punishment. As far as we’re concerned, he should have been sent before a firing squad. There are limits of corruption, and he surpassed them probably more than anyone else before or since. We hope so, anyway.
BOTTOM OF THE NINTH
Very well then, Fellow Ardent Fans, as Popeye used to say in the Sunday morning comic strips of yesteryear, “Them’s me sediments”. We’d enjoy seeing baseball scaled back somewhat to earlier, more conservative practices, and an increased sense of overall fairness implemented.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
BASEBALL'S DREAM TEAMS
When all-time baseball team rosters are selected by voting fans, the focus gets placed on the most memorable heroics, often those occurring in World Series play. Furthermore, when self-styled diamond "experts" make their annual Cooperstown elections, they think first of the fellows in the prime public eye over the years, and all too often those who always talked nice to the press gentry.
Both groups are clearly off the mark. Baseball is not a game consisting only of October heroes and smooth interviewees. Unlike every other top-level sport, its most pertinent facts must come from selective statistical analysis.
By applying two simple, yet semi-scientific formulas -- the first which compares hitters/baserunners with a getting on base/getting around the bases/batting teammates in/smashing home runs/and pinch hitting blend, and the other evaluating pitchers using a durability/control/relief results/effectiveness/and base hitting mixture -- we've been able to compile three separate era dream squads. A number of the names so honored may be somewhat surprising. In turn, the reasons for asking "Where the hell is __________?" can also prove to be rather frequent.
Why three different eras? That's easy to answer. The game has changed ever so much during the approximate century and a third since it first got under way.
From 1870ish through 1919, the goal of the batsman was to get on the bases, then around them by the most expedient means possible, thus often calling for wholesale "theft". Home runs were quite rare, due to the ball's deadness relative to years afterward. Pitchers were expected to go the full nine innings no matter what, be nearly as prolific at the plate as on the mound, and likely play a field position when not required to hurl.
Then the Babe, the Mighty Bambino, the Sultan of Swat appeared on the scene. This man "double-handedly" converted the game from the high-flying spikes age of Ty Cobb into the long ball-hitting craze. George Herman Ruth did a lot more than "build" Yankee Stadium. He revitalized the sport in a new sensational, not to mention crowd-pleasing manner.
Baseball's second era thus essentially began with 1920 and roared through 1969. While the chaps at the plate swung more and more for the fence, the pitching aces did a fine job of making them miss a few and pop up or ground out often enough to keep matters in check.
However, the advent of the 1970s and thereafter makes it look as though "them days is gone forever", insofar as the preceding era is concerned. The ball has become livelier than during any age before, allowing slender and agile shortstop types to hit a good share of circuit clouts.
Pitchers' earned run averages have been climbing somewhat in proportion to the Dow-Jones industrials. What's more, our heavily bombarded moundsmen aren't even permitted to step up to the plate on their own when playing in an American League park.
Today, it's all odds and averages. While the batters slug away, managers grow antsy when a hurler gets close to throwing 100 pitches per game. Staying on the hill for a complete nine-inning go-around has virtually become a thing of the past.
Yes, the game has evolved drastically indeed since the 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, and so on. It is only logical, therefore, to choose our 25-man dream rosters for each of the three distinct eras described above, to avoid needless apple vs. orange player performance measurements. Nevertheless, the readers are cautioned to brace themselves for a few shocks.
Obviously, not every player's career fits snugly into an established set of year spans. Wherever overlaps occurred, they were resolved simply by which era the hitter/baserunner amassed the greater number of safe knocks, and pitchers correspondingly the more wins plus saves. In just a few cases did the relative "counts" come close.
As everyone will have doubtless noted, no provision has been made in our formulization for fancy-dan fielding prowess. We might say as well that baseball is a game for stickmen and hurlers, not gold glovers.
The following layout scheme explains the meaning of everything entered related to an individual player.
Period
LINEUP Special Nickname
Years with Each Club Pos Alt B T Pts
BENCH
Player Name Special Nickname
Years with Each Club Pos, Pos, Pos B T Pts
PITCHERS
Player Name Special Nickname
Years with Each Club B T Pts
MANAGER
Name Special Nickname
Years Managed Each Club
1870-1919
LINEUP
Tristram E. "Tris" Speaker Spoke; The Grey Eagle
Boston AL 1907-1915
Cleveland AL 1916-1926
Washington AL 1927
Philadelphia AL 1928 CF PH L L 80.60
John Peter "Honus" Wagner The Flying Dutchman
Louisville NL 1897-1899
Pittsburgh NL 1900-1917 SS 1B, 2B, 3B, RF R R 69.17
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb The Georgia Peach
Detroit AL 1905-1926
Philadelphia AL 1927-1928 RF CF, PH L R 88.34
Zachary Davis "Zack" Wheat Buck
Brooklyn NL 1909-1926
Philadelphia AL 1927 LF PH L R 66.15
Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie Larry
Philadelphia NL 1896-1900
Philadelphia AL 1901-1902; 1915-1916
Cleveland AL 1902-1914 1B 2B, SS R R 61.38
Edward Trowbridge "Eddie" Collins Sr. Cocky
Philadelphia AL 1906-1914; 1927-1930
Chicago AL 1915-1926 2B PH L R 72.40
Adrian Constantine "Cap" Anson Pops; Old Anse
Chicago NL 1876-1897 C 1B, 3B R R 56.11
George Stacey Davis
Cleveland NL 1890-1892
New York NL 1893-1901; 1903
Chicago AL 1902; 1904-1909 3B 2B, SS, OF B R 54.03
BENCH
Samuel Earl "Sam" Crawford Wahoo Sam
Cincinnati NL 1899-1902
Detroit AL 1903-1917 1B, CF, RF, PH L L 69.68
Fred Clifford Clarke Cap
Louisville NL 1894-1899
Pittsburgh NL 1900-1915 LF, PH L R 56.81
Edward James "Ed" Delahanty Big Ed
Philadelphia NL 1888-1889; 1891-1901
Cleveland PL 1890
Washington AL 1902-1903 1B, 2B, SS, LF, CF R R 56.01
Jacob Peter "Jake" Beckley St. Jacob
Pittsburgh NL 1888-1889; 1891-1896
Pittsburgh PL 1890
New York NL 1896-1897
Cincinnati NL 1897-1903
St. Louis NL 1904-1907 1B L L 55.03
Robert Hayes "Bobby" Veach
Detroit AL 1912-1923
Boston AL 1924-1925
New York AL 1925
Washington AL 1925 LF, PH L R 54.45
Sherwood Robert "Sherry" Magee
Philadelphia NL 1904-1914
Boston NL 1915-1917
Cincinnati NL 1917-1919 1B, LF, RF, PH R R 53.63
Lafayette Napoleon "Lave" Cross
Louisville AA 1887-1888
Philadelphia AA 1889; 1891
Philadelphia PL 1890
Philadelphia NL 1892-1897
St. Louis NL 1898-1899; 1900
Cleveland NL 1899
Brooklyn NL 1900
Philadelphia AL 1901-1905
Washington AL 1906-1907 2B, SS, 3B, OF, C R R 43.11
PITCHERS
Walter Perry Johnson Barney; The Big Train
Washington AL 1907-1927 R R 86.74
Denton True "Cy" Young Foxy Grandpa
Cleveland NL 1890-1898
St. Louis NL 1899-1900
Boston AL 1901-1908
Cleveland AL 1909-1911
Boston NL 1911 R R 78.03
Christopher "Christy" Mathewson Big Six; Matty
New York NL 1900-1916 R R 71.07
Grover Cleveland Alexander Pete
Philadelphia NL 1911-1917; 1930
Chicago NL 1918-1926
St. Louis NL 1926-1929 R R 64.71
Edward Stewart "Eddie" Plank Hank
Philadelphia AL 1901-1914
St. Louis FL 1915
St. Louis AL 1916-1917 L L 60.91
Mordecai Peter Centennial "Three Finger" Brown Miner
St. Louis NL 1903
Chicago NL 1904-1912; 1916
Cincinnati NL 1913
St. Louis FL 1914
Brooklyn FL 1914
Chicago FL 1915 B R 58.93
Edward Augustine "Ed" Walsh Big Ed
Chicago AL 1904-1916
Boston NL 1917 R R 57.57
Charles Gardner "Old Hoss" Radbourn
Providence NL 1881-1885
Boston NL 1886-1889
Boston PL 1890
Cincinnati NL 1891 B R 54.44
James Francis "Pud" Galvin Gentle Jeems; The Little Steam Engine
Buffalo NL 1879-1885
Pittsburgh AA 1885-1886
Pittsburgh NL 1887-1889; 1891-1892
Pittsburgh PL 1890
St. Louis NL 1892 R R 54.07
Charles Augustus "Kid" Nichols Nick
Boston NL 1890-1901
St. Louis NL 1904-1905
Philadelphia NL 1905-1906 B R 53.89
MANAGER
John Joseph McGraw Little Napoleon
Baltimore NL 1899
Baltimore AL 1901-1902
New York NL 1902-1932
1920-1969
LINEUP
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial Stan the Man
St. Louis NL 1941-1944; 1946-1963 1B LF, CF, RF L L 76.51
Willie Howard Mays Say Hey
New York NL 1951-1957
San Francisco NL 1958-1972
New York NL 1972-1973 CF 1B R R 72.27
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron Hammerin' Hank
Milwaukee NL 1954-1965
Atlanta NL 1966-1974
Milwaukee AL 1975-1976 LF 1B, RF, DH R R 77.44
George Herman "Babe" Ruth The Bambino; The Sultan of Swat
Boston AL 1914-1919
New York AL 1920-1934
Boston NL 1935 RF LF L L 71.73
James Emory "Jimmie" Foxx Double X; The Beast
Philadelphia AL 1925-1935
Boston AL 1936-1942
Chicago NL 1942; 1944
Philadelphia NL 1945 C 1B, 3B R R 65.70
Melvin Thomas "Mel" Ott Master Melvin
New York NL 1926-1947 3B CF, RF L R 66.26
Rogers Hornsby Rajah
St. Louis NL 1915-1926; 1933
New York NL 1927
Boston NL 1928
Chicago NL 1929-1932
St. Louis AL 1933-1937 SS 2B, 3B R R 60.55
Charles Leonard "Charlie" Gehringer The Mechanical Man
Detroit AL 1924-1942 2B L R 57.36
BENCH
Frank Robinson
Cincinnati NL 1956-1965
Baltimore AL 1966-1971
Los Angeles NL 1972
California AL 1973-1974
Cleveland AL 1974-1976 1B, LF, RF, DH R R 66.46
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams The Splendid Splinter; The Thumper
Boston AL 1939-1942; 1946-1960 LF, RF L R 66.29
Willie Lee McCovey Stretch
San Francisco NL 1959-1973; 1977-1980
San Diego NL 1974-1976
Oakland AL 1976 1B, LF, PH L L 63.32
Enos Bradsher Slaughter Country
St. Louis NL 1938-1953
New York AL 1954-1955; 1956-1959
Kansas City AL 1955-1956
Milwaukee NL 1959 LF, RF, PH L R 63.15
Albert William "Al" Kaline
Detroit AL 1953-1974 1B, CF, RF, DH, PH R R 62.49
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig Columbia Lou; The Iron Horse
New York AL 1923-1939 1B L L 62.36
Paul Glee Waner Big Poison
Pittsburgh NL 1926-1940
Brooklyn NL 1941; 1943-1944
Boston NL 1941-1942
New York AL 1944-1945 1B, RF, PH L L 60.96
Joseph Edward "Joe" Cronin
Pittsburgh NL 1926-1927
Washington AL 1928-1934
Boston AL 1935-1945 1B, SS, 3B R R 53.25
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra
New York AL 1946-1963
New York NL 1965 LF, C, PH L R 51.30
PITCHERS
Warren Edward Spahn
Boston NL 1942; 1946-1952
Milwaukee NL 1953-1964
New York NL 1965
San Francisco NL 1965 L L 64.57
Pack Robert "Bob" Gibson Hoot
St. Louis NL 1959-1975 R R 61.41
Robin Evan Roberts
Philadelphia NL 1948-1961
Baltimore AL 1962-1965
Houston NL 1965-1966
Chicago NL 1966 B R 57.67
James Paul David "Jim" Bunning
Detroit AL 1955-1963
Philadelphia NL 1964-1967; 1970-1971
Pittsburgh NL 1968-1969
Los Angeles NL 1969 R R 57.03
Juan Antonio Marichal Manito; The Dominican Dandy
San Francisco NL 1960-1973
Boston AL 1974
Los Angeles NL 1975 R R 56.07
Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove Mose
Philadelphia AL 1925-1933
Boston AL 1934-1941 L L 55.79
Donald Scott "Don" Drysdale Big D
Brooklyn NL 1956-1957
Los Angeles NL 1958-1969 R R 55.06
Charles Herbert "Red" Ruffing
Boston AL 1924-1930
New York AL 1930-1942; 1945-1946
Chicago AL 1947 R R 54.24
MANAGER
Cornelius Alexander "Connie" Mack The Tall Tactician
Pittsburgh NL 1894-1896
Philadelphia AL 1901-1950
1970-2008 (Subjet to annual update thereafter)
LINEUP
Peter Edward "Pete" Rose Charlie Hustle
Cincinnati NL 1963-1978; 1984-1986
Philadelphia NL 1979-1983
Montreal NL 1984 2B 1B, 3B, LF, RF B R 56.59
Rickey Henley Henderson
Oakland AL 1979-1984; 1989-1995; 1998
New York AL 1985-1989
Toronto AL 1993
San Diego NL 1996-1997; 2001
Anaheim AL 1997
New York NL 1999-2000
Seattle AL 2000
Boston AL 2002
Los Angeles NL 2003 LF CF, DH, PH R L 64.73
Barry Lamar Bonds
Pittsburgh NL 1986-1992
San Francisco NL 1993-2007 CF LF L L 69.96
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson Mr. October
Kansas City AL 1967
Oakland AL 1968-1975; 1987
Baltimore AL 1976
New York AL 1977-1981
California AL 1982-1986 RF CF, DH L L 56.73
Eddie Clarence Murray
Baltimore AL 1977-1988; 1996
Los Angeles NL 1989-1991; 1997
New York NL 1992-1993
Cleveland AL 1994-1996
Anaheim AL 1997 1B DH B R 56.90
Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub Le Grand Orange
Houston NL 1963-1968
Montreal NL 1969-1971; 1979
New York NL 1972-1975; 1981-1985
Detroit AL 1976-1979
Texas AL 1980 DH 1B, RF, PH L R 63.22
Atanasio "Tony" Perez
Cincinnati NL 1964-1976; 1984-1986
Montreal NL 1977-1979
Boston AL 1980-1982
Philadelphia NL 1983 3B 1B, DH, PH R R 55.77
Craig Alan Biggio
Houston NL 1988-2007 C 2B, LF, CF R R 50.77
Calvin Edwin “Cal” Ripken Jr.
Baltimore AL 1981-2001 SS 3B, DH R R 50.66
BENCH
David Mark "Dave" Winfield
San Diego NL 1973-1980
New York AL 1981-1990
California AL 1990-1991
Toronto AL 1992
Minnesota AL 1993-1994
Cleveland AL 1995 LF, RF, DH R R 60.71
Carl Michael Yastrzemski Yaz
Boston AL 1961-1983 1B, CF, LF, DH L R 59.30
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey Jr. Junior
Seattle AL 1989-1999; 2009
Cincinnati NL 2000-2008
Chicago AL 2008 LF, CF, RF L L 57.65
Harold Douglas Baines
Chicago AL 1980-1989; 1996-1997; 2000-2001
Texas AL 1989-1990
Oakland AL 1990-1992
Baltimore AL 1993-1995; 1998-2000
Cleveland AL 1999 RF, DH, PH L L 56.72
Rafael Corrales Palmeiro
Chicago NL 1987-1988
Texas AL 1989-1993; 1999-2003
Baltimore AL 1994-1998; 2004-2005 1B, OF, DH L L 56.41
Andre Nolan Dawson The Hawk
Montreal NL 1976-1986
Chicago NL 1987-1992
Boston AL 1993-1994
Florida NL 1995-1996 CF, RF, DH R R 54.56
Ted Lyle Simmons
St. Louis NL 1968-1980
Milwaukee AL 1981-1985
Atlanta NL 1986-1988 C, 1B, DH, PH B R 48.26
PITCHERS
Steven Norman "Steve" Carlton Lefty
St. Louis NL 1965-1971
Philadelphia NL 1972-1986
San Francisco NL 1986
Chicago AL 1986
Cleveland AL 1987
Minnesota AL 1987-1988 L L 66.16
Gregory Alan “Greg” Maddux
Chicago NL 1986-1992; 2004-2006
Atlanta NL 1993-2003
Los Angeles NL 2006; 2008
San Diego NL 2007-2008 R R 64.01
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver The Franchise; Tom Terrific
New York NL 1967-1977; 1983
Cincinnati NL 1977-1982
Chicago AL 1984-1986
Boston AL 1986 R R 58.26
Donald Howard "Don" Sutton
Los Angeles NL 1966-1980; 1988
Houston NL 1981-1982
Milwaukee AL 1982-1984
Oakland AL 1985
California AL 1985-1987 R R 56.62
Philip Henry "Phil" Niekro Knucksie
Milwaukee NL 1964-1965
Atlanta NL 1966-1983; 1987
New York AL 1984-1985
Cleveland AL 1986-1987
Toronto AL 1987 R R 56.05
Randall David "Randy" Johnson
Montreal NL 1988-1989
Seattle AL 1989-1998
Houston NL 1998
Arizona NL 1999-2004; 2007-2008
New York AL 2005-2006
San Francisco NL 2009 R L 55.32
Lynn Nolan Ryan The Express
New York NL 1966-1971
California AL 1972-1979
Houston NL 1980-1988
Texas AL 1989-1993 R R 55.04
William Roger Clemens
Boston AL 1984-1996
Toronto AL 1997-1998
New York AL 1999-2003; 2007
Houston NL 2004-2006 R R 54.42
Gaylord Jackson Perry
San Francisco NL 1962-1971
Cleveland AL 1972-1975
Texas AL 1975-1977; 1980
San Diego NL 1978-1979
New York AL 1980
Atlanta NL 1981
Seattle AL 1982-1983
Kansas City AL 1983 R R 53.22
MANAGER
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson
Cincinnati NL 1970-1978
Detroit AL 1980-1995
Both groups are clearly off the mark. Baseball is not a game consisting only of October heroes and smooth interviewees. Unlike every other top-level sport, its most pertinent facts must come from selective statistical analysis.
By applying two simple, yet semi-scientific formulas -- the first which compares hitters/baserunners with a getting on base/getting around the bases/batting teammates in/smashing home runs/and pinch hitting blend, and the other evaluating pitchers using a durability/control/relief results/effectiveness/and base hitting mixture -- we've been able to compile three separate era dream squads. A number of the names so honored may be somewhat surprising. In turn, the reasons for asking "Where the hell is __________?" can also prove to be rather frequent.
Why three different eras? That's easy to answer. The game has changed ever so much during the approximate century and a third since it first got under way.
From 1870ish through 1919, the goal of the batsman was to get on the bases, then around them by the most expedient means possible, thus often calling for wholesale "theft". Home runs were quite rare, due to the ball's deadness relative to years afterward. Pitchers were expected to go the full nine innings no matter what, be nearly as prolific at the plate as on the mound, and likely play a field position when not required to hurl.
Then the Babe, the Mighty Bambino, the Sultan of Swat appeared on the scene. This man "double-handedly" converted the game from the high-flying spikes age of Ty Cobb into the long ball-hitting craze. George Herman Ruth did a lot more than "build" Yankee Stadium. He revitalized the sport in a new sensational, not to mention crowd-pleasing manner.
Baseball's second era thus essentially began with 1920 and roared through 1969. While the chaps at the plate swung more and more for the fence, the pitching aces did a fine job of making them miss a few and pop up or ground out often enough to keep matters in check.
However, the advent of the 1970s and thereafter makes it look as though "them days is gone forever", insofar as the preceding era is concerned. The ball has become livelier than during any age before, allowing slender and agile shortstop types to hit a good share of circuit clouts.
Pitchers' earned run averages have been climbing somewhat in proportion to the Dow-Jones industrials. What's more, our heavily bombarded moundsmen aren't even permitted to step up to the plate on their own when playing in an American League park.
Today, it's all odds and averages. While the batters slug away, managers grow antsy when a hurler gets close to throwing 100 pitches per game. Staying on the hill for a complete nine-inning go-around has virtually become a thing of the past.
Yes, the game has evolved drastically indeed since the 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, and so on. It is only logical, therefore, to choose our 25-man dream rosters for each of the three distinct eras described above, to avoid needless apple vs. orange player performance measurements. Nevertheless, the readers are cautioned to brace themselves for a few shocks.
Obviously, not every player's career fits snugly into an established set of year spans. Wherever overlaps occurred, they were resolved simply by which era the hitter/baserunner amassed the greater number of safe knocks, and pitchers correspondingly the more wins plus saves. In just a few cases did the relative "counts" come close.
As everyone will have doubtless noted, no provision has been made in our formulization for fancy-dan fielding prowess. We might say as well that baseball is a game for stickmen and hurlers, not gold glovers.
The following layout scheme explains the meaning of everything entered related to an individual player.
Period
LINEUP Special Nickname
Years with Each Club Pos Alt B T Pts
BENCH
Player Name Special Nickname
Years with Each Club Pos, Pos, Pos B T Pts
PITCHERS
Player Name Special Nickname
Years with Each Club B T Pts
MANAGER
Name Special Nickname
Years Managed Each Club
1870-1919
LINEUP
Tristram E. "Tris" Speaker Spoke; The Grey Eagle
Boston AL 1907-1915
Cleveland AL 1916-1926
Washington AL 1927
Philadelphia AL 1928 CF PH L L 80.60
John Peter "Honus" Wagner The Flying Dutchman
Louisville NL 1897-1899
Pittsburgh NL 1900-1917 SS 1B, 2B, 3B, RF R R 69.17
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb The Georgia Peach
Detroit AL 1905-1926
Philadelphia AL 1927-1928 RF CF, PH L R 88.34
Zachary Davis "Zack" Wheat Buck
Brooklyn NL 1909-1926
Philadelphia AL 1927 LF PH L R 66.15
Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie Larry
Philadelphia NL 1896-1900
Philadelphia AL 1901-1902; 1915-1916
Cleveland AL 1902-1914 1B 2B, SS R R 61.38
Edward Trowbridge "Eddie" Collins Sr. Cocky
Philadelphia AL 1906-1914; 1927-1930
Chicago AL 1915-1926 2B PH L R 72.40
Adrian Constantine "Cap" Anson Pops; Old Anse
Chicago NL 1876-1897 C 1B, 3B R R 56.11
George Stacey Davis
Cleveland NL 1890-1892
New York NL 1893-1901; 1903
Chicago AL 1902; 1904-1909 3B 2B, SS, OF B R 54.03
BENCH
Samuel Earl "Sam" Crawford Wahoo Sam
Cincinnati NL 1899-1902
Detroit AL 1903-1917 1B, CF, RF, PH L L 69.68
Fred Clifford Clarke Cap
Louisville NL 1894-1899
Pittsburgh NL 1900-1915 LF, PH L R 56.81
Edward James "Ed" Delahanty Big Ed
Philadelphia NL 1888-1889; 1891-1901
Cleveland PL 1890
Washington AL 1902-1903 1B, 2B, SS, LF, CF R R 56.01
Jacob Peter "Jake" Beckley St. Jacob
Pittsburgh NL 1888-1889; 1891-1896
Pittsburgh PL 1890
New York NL 1896-1897
Cincinnati NL 1897-1903
St. Louis NL 1904-1907 1B L L 55.03
Robert Hayes "Bobby" Veach
Detroit AL 1912-1923
Boston AL 1924-1925
New York AL 1925
Washington AL 1925 LF, PH L R 54.45
Sherwood Robert "Sherry" Magee
Philadelphia NL 1904-1914
Boston NL 1915-1917
Cincinnati NL 1917-1919 1B, LF, RF, PH R R 53.63
Lafayette Napoleon "Lave" Cross
Louisville AA 1887-1888
Philadelphia AA 1889; 1891
Philadelphia PL 1890
Philadelphia NL 1892-1897
St. Louis NL 1898-1899; 1900
Cleveland NL 1899
Brooklyn NL 1900
Philadelphia AL 1901-1905
Washington AL 1906-1907 2B, SS, 3B, OF, C R R 43.11
PITCHERS
Walter Perry Johnson Barney; The Big Train
Washington AL 1907-1927 R R 86.74
Denton True "Cy" Young Foxy Grandpa
Cleveland NL 1890-1898
St. Louis NL 1899-1900
Boston AL 1901-1908
Cleveland AL 1909-1911
Boston NL 1911 R R 78.03
Christopher "Christy" Mathewson Big Six; Matty
New York NL 1900-1916 R R 71.07
Grover Cleveland Alexander Pete
Philadelphia NL 1911-1917; 1930
Chicago NL 1918-1926
St. Louis NL 1926-1929 R R 64.71
Edward Stewart "Eddie" Plank Hank
Philadelphia AL 1901-1914
St. Louis FL 1915
St. Louis AL 1916-1917 L L 60.91
Mordecai Peter Centennial "Three Finger" Brown Miner
St. Louis NL 1903
Chicago NL 1904-1912; 1916
Cincinnati NL 1913
St. Louis FL 1914
Brooklyn FL 1914
Chicago FL 1915 B R 58.93
Edward Augustine "Ed" Walsh Big Ed
Chicago AL 1904-1916
Boston NL 1917 R R 57.57
Charles Gardner "Old Hoss" Radbourn
Providence NL 1881-1885
Boston NL 1886-1889
Boston PL 1890
Cincinnati NL 1891 B R 54.44
James Francis "Pud" Galvin Gentle Jeems; The Little Steam Engine
Buffalo NL 1879-1885
Pittsburgh AA 1885-1886
Pittsburgh NL 1887-1889; 1891-1892
Pittsburgh PL 1890
St. Louis NL 1892 R R 54.07
Charles Augustus "Kid" Nichols Nick
Boston NL 1890-1901
St. Louis NL 1904-1905
Philadelphia NL 1905-1906 B R 53.89
MANAGER
John Joseph McGraw Little Napoleon
Baltimore NL 1899
Baltimore AL 1901-1902
New York NL 1902-1932
1920-1969
LINEUP
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial Stan the Man
St. Louis NL 1941-1944; 1946-1963 1B LF, CF, RF L L 76.51
Willie Howard Mays Say Hey
New York NL 1951-1957
San Francisco NL 1958-1972
New York NL 1972-1973 CF 1B R R 72.27
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron Hammerin' Hank
Milwaukee NL 1954-1965
Atlanta NL 1966-1974
Milwaukee AL 1975-1976 LF 1B, RF, DH R R 77.44
George Herman "Babe" Ruth The Bambino; The Sultan of Swat
Boston AL 1914-1919
New York AL 1920-1934
Boston NL 1935 RF LF L L 71.73
James Emory "Jimmie" Foxx Double X; The Beast
Philadelphia AL 1925-1935
Boston AL 1936-1942
Chicago NL 1942; 1944
Philadelphia NL 1945 C 1B, 3B R R 65.70
Melvin Thomas "Mel" Ott Master Melvin
New York NL 1926-1947 3B CF, RF L R 66.26
Rogers Hornsby Rajah
St. Louis NL 1915-1926; 1933
New York NL 1927
Boston NL 1928
Chicago NL 1929-1932
St. Louis AL 1933-1937 SS 2B, 3B R R 60.55
Charles Leonard "Charlie" Gehringer The Mechanical Man
Detroit AL 1924-1942 2B L R 57.36
BENCH
Frank Robinson
Cincinnati NL 1956-1965
Baltimore AL 1966-1971
Los Angeles NL 1972
California AL 1973-1974
Cleveland AL 1974-1976 1B, LF, RF, DH R R 66.46
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams The Splendid Splinter; The Thumper
Boston AL 1939-1942; 1946-1960 LF, RF L R 66.29
Willie Lee McCovey Stretch
San Francisco NL 1959-1973; 1977-1980
San Diego NL 1974-1976
Oakland AL 1976 1B, LF, PH L L 63.32
Enos Bradsher Slaughter Country
St. Louis NL 1938-1953
New York AL 1954-1955; 1956-1959
Kansas City AL 1955-1956
Milwaukee NL 1959 LF, RF, PH L R 63.15
Albert William "Al" Kaline
Detroit AL 1953-1974 1B, CF, RF, DH, PH R R 62.49
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig Columbia Lou; The Iron Horse
New York AL 1923-1939 1B L L 62.36
Paul Glee Waner Big Poison
Pittsburgh NL 1926-1940
Brooklyn NL 1941; 1943-1944
Boston NL 1941-1942
New York AL 1944-1945 1B, RF, PH L L 60.96
Joseph Edward "Joe" Cronin
Pittsburgh NL 1926-1927
Washington AL 1928-1934
Boston AL 1935-1945 1B, SS, 3B R R 53.25
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra
New York AL 1946-1963
New York NL 1965 LF, C, PH L R 51.30
PITCHERS
Warren Edward Spahn
Boston NL 1942; 1946-1952
Milwaukee NL 1953-1964
New York NL 1965
San Francisco NL 1965 L L 64.57
Pack Robert "Bob" Gibson Hoot
St. Louis NL 1959-1975 R R 61.41
Robin Evan Roberts
Philadelphia NL 1948-1961
Baltimore AL 1962-1965
Houston NL 1965-1966
Chicago NL 1966 B R 57.67
James Paul David "Jim" Bunning
Detroit AL 1955-1963
Philadelphia NL 1964-1967; 1970-1971
Pittsburgh NL 1968-1969
Los Angeles NL 1969 R R 57.03
Juan Antonio Marichal Manito; The Dominican Dandy
San Francisco NL 1960-1973
Boston AL 1974
Los Angeles NL 1975 R R 56.07
Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove Mose
Philadelphia AL 1925-1933
Boston AL 1934-1941 L L 55.79
Donald Scott "Don" Drysdale Big D
Brooklyn NL 1956-1957
Los Angeles NL 1958-1969 R R 55.06
Charles Herbert "Red" Ruffing
Boston AL 1924-1930
New York AL 1930-1942; 1945-1946
Chicago AL 1947 R R 54.24
MANAGER
Cornelius Alexander "Connie" Mack The Tall Tactician
Pittsburgh NL 1894-1896
Philadelphia AL 1901-1950
1970-2008 (Subjet to annual update thereafter)
LINEUP
Peter Edward "Pete" Rose Charlie Hustle
Cincinnati NL 1963-1978; 1984-1986
Philadelphia NL 1979-1983
Montreal NL 1984 2B 1B, 3B, LF, RF B R 56.59
Rickey Henley Henderson
Oakland AL 1979-1984; 1989-1995; 1998
New York AL 1985-1989
Toronto AL 1993
San Diego NL 1996-1997; 2001
Anaheim AL 1997
New York NL 1999-2000
Seattle AL 2000
Boston AL 2002
Los Angeles NL 2003 LF CF, DH, PH R L 64.73
Barry Lamar Bonds
Pittsburgh NL 1986-1992
San Francisco NL 1993-2007 CF LF L L 69.96
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson Mr. October
Kansas City AL 1967
Oakland AL 1968-1975; 1987
Baltimore AL 1976
New York AL 1977-1981
California AL 1982-1986 RF CF, DH L L 56.73
Eddie Clarence Murray
Baltimore AL 1977-1988; 1996
Los Angeles NL 1989-1991; 1997
New York NL 1992-1993
Cleveland AL 1994-1996
Anaheim AL 1997 1B DH B R 56.90
Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub Le Grand Orange
Houston NL 1963-1968
Montreal NL 1969-1971; 1979
New York NL 1972-1975; 1981-1985
Detroit AL 1976-1979
Texas AL 1980 DH 1B, RF, PH L R 63.22
Atanasio "Tony" Perez
Cincinnati NL 1964-1976; 1984-1986
Montreal NL 1977-1979
Boston AL 1980-1982
Philadelphia NL 1983 3B 1B, DH, PH R R 55.77
Craig Alan Biggio
Houston NL 1988-2007 C 2B, LF, CF R R 50.77
Calvin Edwin “Cal” Ripken Jr.
Baltimore AL 1981-2001 SS 3B, DH R R 50.66
BENCH
David Mark "Dave" Winfield
San Diego NL 1973-1980
New York AL 1981-1990
California AL 1990-1991
Toronto AL 1992
Minnesota AL 1993-1994
Cleveland AL 1995 LF, RF, DH R R 60.71
Carl Michael Yastrzemski Yaz
Boston AL 1961-1983 1B, CF, LF, DH L R 59.30
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey Jr. Junior
Seattle AL 1989-1999; 2009
Cincinnati NL 2000-2008
Chicago AL 2008 LF, CF, RF L L 57.65
Harold Douglas Baines
Chicago AL 1980-1989; 1996-1997; 2000-2001
Texas AL 1989-1990
Oakland AL 1990-1992
Baltimore AL 1993-1995; 1998-2000
Cleveland AL 1999 RF, DH, PH L L 56.72
Rafael Corrales Palmeiro
Chicago NL 1987-1988
Texas AL 1989-1993; 1999-2003
Baltimore AL 1994-1998; 2004-2005 1B, OF, DH L L 56.41
Andre Nolan Dawson The Hawk
Montreal NL 1976-1986
Chicago NL 1987-1992
Boston AL 1993-1994
Florida NL 1995-1996 CF, RF, DH R R 54.56
Ted Lyle Simmons
St. Louis NL 1968-1980
Milwaukee AL 1981-1985
Atlanta NL 1986-1988 C, 1B, DH, PH B R 48.26
PITCHERS
Steven Norman "Steve" Carlton Lefty
St. Louis NL 1965-1971
Philadelphia NL 1972-1986
San Francisco NL 1986
Chicago AL 1986
Cleveland AL 1987
Minnesota AL 1987-1988 L L 66.16
Gregory Alan “Greg” Maddux
Chicago NL 1986-1992; 2004-2006
Atlanta NL 1993-2003
Los Angeles NL 2006; 2008
San Diego NL 2007-2008 R R 64.01
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver The Franchise; Tom Terrific
New York NL 1967-1977; 1983
Cincinnati NL 1977-1982
Chicago AL 1984-1986
Boston AL 1986 R R 58.26
Donald Howard "Don" Sutton
Los Angeles NL 1966-1980; 1988
Houston NL 1981-1982
Milwaukee AL 1982-1984
Oakland AL 1985
California AL 1985-1987 R R 56.62
Philip Henry "Phil" Niekro Knucksie
Milwaukee NL 1964-1965
Atlanta NL 1966-1983; 1987
New York AL 1984-1985
Cleveland AL 1986-1987
Toronto AL 1987 R R 56.05
Randall David "Randy" Johnson
Montreal NL 1988-1989
Seattle AL 1989-1998
Houston NL 1998
Arizona NL 1999-2004; 2007-2008
New York AL 2005-2006
San Francisco NL 2009 R L 55.32
Lynn Nolan Ryan The Express
New York NL 1966-1971
California AL 1972-1979
Houston NL 1980-1988
Texas AL 1989-1993 R R 55.04
William Roger Clemens
Boston AL 1984-1996
Toronto AL 1997-1998
New York AL 1999-2003; 2007
Houston NL 2004-2006 R R 54.42
Gaylord Jackson Perry
San Francisco NL 1962-1971
Cleveland AL 1972-1975
Texas AL 1975-1977; 1980
San Diego NL 1978-1979
New York AL 1980
Atlanta NL 1981
Seattle AL 1982-1983
Kansas City AL 1983 R R 53.22
MANAGER
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson
Cincinnati NL 1970-1978
Detroit AL 1980-1995
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
