SportsNetUSA Blogs

Usually on a mid morning or a late afternoon you can find people watching a variety of television stations with programming that the station defines as a sporting competition. Or the station itself is a sports station supporting a competitive event. Ah, the world of semantics, that world that can drive people into frenzies when you are watching some type of competitive event and someone blurts out the words “sporting event”. So people, let us try to figure out what it is that takes something from being just a competitive event and elevates it into being a sport. Most people will try to tell us that a “sport” is an event that involves some sort of physical movement, but if that is true most events that people argue over can still be placed in the category of “sport”. People will tell us that there must be a competitive attitude, some sort of competition with a winner and a loser at the end. Fine, everything is still in and no one has been eliminated from our category of “sport”. Do you need teammates? No. Can it be you against the world or no one? Yes. Are there some areas of competition that have less physical prowess than others that are called “sport”? Yes.
Does a competitive event have to have a sense of athleticism to be placed in that elite world of “sport”?

Ahhhh… that might be the biggest argument for and against what makes some people decide whether an event is a “sport”. Most competitive events that have a set of rules for such things as scoring goals, or crossing a line first, often define what many people consider to be a “sport”. However, the degree of skill and performance in others sports is judged according to well-defined criteria such as diving, gymnastics or figure skating.

“The oldest definition of sport in English (1300) is of anything humans find amusing or entertaining. Other meanings include gambling and events staged for the purpose of gambling; hunting; and games and diversions, including ones that require exercise.” Roget’s defines the noun sport as an “activity engaged in for relaxation and amusement” with synonyms including diversion and recreation.” The word “sport” finds its origin from a French word: desports -which means leisure- and the French word is from the Persian word: bord - which means winning. Then again some claim it originates from Chinese term that suggests physical conditioning and training. Now I know there are a few of my cohorts at SPORTSNETUSA.NET that are currently scouring through their dictionary looking for another definition of the word “sport”.  If you have taken the time to do that you will find that the above thoughts include all the other suggestions you could send.

That puts us back into the dilemma, what is a sport? As many of us know, there are some “sports” that have an affinity for the arts, such as figure skating, artistic gymnastics, dance sports, Tai Chi. And there are some arts that have an affinity for “sports”. Plus there are those national events around the globe that would put themselves in the semantic world of “sport” - Gaelic games, hurling, lawn bowling, bull fighting, etc.

So Mr. Phil, check out the ice, figure out your degree of weight, speed and angle and slide your curling stone into the area of scoring as your teammates clean the path in front of your stone. Do not be bothered by the chuckling or the humor that maybe thrown in your direction, because I am sure that the competitive event you have picked to participate in would be called “sport” by many.
Now Title IX, before you get your response out and start to gently redefine what I’ve been saying, just consider this: if the word “sport” gets shared with walking down a peaceful golf course and (for the older crowd) strolling around the basketball court for 5 minutes at a time, is it so difficult to share it too with those other competitive events that some may scoff at?

Hey, pass me the peanuts and another Ice Tea and I’ll take four cards. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you we are practicing for the WORLD SERIES OF… you got it…

With each New Year we at SPORTSNETUSA.NET are lucky enough to find a voice that may stick around with our group and earn that wonderful moniker: THE NICKNAME. We have no “Magic “Johnson, a career double, double man and to some the greatest Laker of all time. No “Air” Jordon, a man who seemed like he could lift off at any time when he’d fly through the air for a spectacular dunk. Do we have a “Spud”? No, we don’t even have a “Spud”. It’s not that there aren’t some in the department that are 5′6″; it’s just that they can’t dunk.

Now I do believe there are some who think they are the “Pistol”; they feel that they can shoot… shoot themselves in the foot, shoot down their opportunities and shoot off their mouths. Now, we should have a “Minister of Defense” and I am sure that some feel we do, there is one who has watched the backside and tracked down the opposition to SPORTSNETUSA.NET, the only problem is that our candidate hasn’t been ordained.

I would love to have a Wizard in our group, especially someone as talented and gifted as the “Wizard of Oz”, but if any of our people were that acrobatic they would be next door in the theatre department auditioning for Cats. Now if one of our earlier broadcasters was still around he would most likely think he was, or should have been called, “The Dominator”, but since he wasn’t Czech and even though he claimed he could skate, the only thing I ever saw him skate away from was his score on a golf course. Do we have a “Wild Thing”? Well, we know we have those people that we all know who could fit that nick name if we were nick naming anyone because of their past… but since we are not, we shall pass on that nickname.

Do Nicknames describe? I think they do. George Herman Ruth: “the Babe / The Sultan of Swat”, Randy Johnson: “the Big Unit”, Ted Williams: “the splendid splinter / the kid”. And of course, those of our group who have their own nicknames: “Title IX” - the lover and proponent of women sports on the college and pro level. I am not sure he has ever seen a sport with women athletes that he does not appreciate. “The Franchise”- I guess the nickname should say it all. If you could bottle this person’s personality, talent and sell it on the open market you could make a fortune. “Big E or E” - No, the E does not stand for ego; I must say I am not sure if this person has an ego. It stands for excellence, enthusiasm, effort. “Stick Boy”- One of our resident hockey gurus, plus the person who will stick with us when we come up with a productive idea.

“The encyclopedia of softball and or baseball”- Yes, this does say it all. If you have a question on either type of game during a broadcast you’d like to be partnered with him. Is he always right? That is for you to decide, but Vinny do you not think you have worked long enough… get out of this person’s way, he is that good. “The Intern” - Now if this was an episode of “Dr. Kildare” or “Ben Casey” you’d want to be the “intern”… But at SPORTSNETUSA.NET this is not a title you want, unless you have a strong back. “The Laser” - His hands are quicker than a slap shot from the top of the circle. And if there is a glass or bottle involved watch out, not only are his hands quick, so is his sense of humor, wit, charm and the love of the game. “Pedal to the Metal” (aka “Minister of Defense”) - every group has to have someone in their group that relates to the “hunting channel” first. You need balance and perspective and you get that building rock gardens and keeping an eye on the bureaucrats who see the world of radio and education as a dying profession. Do not step in front of this person’s car… even if he gives you a running head start…

Last but not least is “The Buddha of Babble”. Oh yes, if this person gets on his soap box pass out the oxygen tanks because there will be no more air to breath; he will have used it all up by the end of his fifty second thought. Does he make sense? He doesn’t care. Does he change thought patterns quicker than most people change lanes on a freeway and does he ever agree with anyone? Yes to both… sometimes. But does he have fun? Does he care about and respect all those other strange and unique people he knows at SPORTSNETUSA.NET? Again, yes to both. So look out next time someone calls you honey, sweetie, flat foot, air head or numb-…, they might just be describing who the world thinks you are. Damn nicknames are fun.

If my prediction of Tiger Woods not breaking Jack Nicklaus’s record is going to hold up, this will be the year that we golf fans will look back on as the year of THE BEAR.   In 1980 Jack turned forty years old and, even in today’s standard, we realize that in the golfing world you start to get long in the tooth at forty years old. Your concentration might be a little shaky, your swing may start leaking oil and your hand may quiver over a fifteen foot putt. But for Jack turning forty years old was a good thing for him and the game of golf.   Now I know many golf fans may look at Jack’s 1980 record and not be too impressed, he started fourteen events and only finished in the top ten four times. But two of those top ten finishes were in major events. One of those top ten finishes was a record setting victory in the United States Open and that record stood until 2011 when Rory McIllroy broke Jack’s record. Jack opened with a brilliant first round and then held on as his playing partner challenged up to the final round, when Jack finally pulled away and won his fourth United States Open tying the likes of Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan with four victories.

Now, that one victory might have been the best way to look at a career that might have been sputtering just a little at the ripe old age of forty. With this victory of the Open being impressive maybe the PGA Championship victory might be even more impressive at the age of forty. Those unsteady forty-year-old hands were extremely steady in the PGA as Jack had a runaway victory over Andy Bean. As others found the 1980 PGA a difficult tournament and had an average of 74.60 per round, Jack found solace in his play and carded an average of 68.50. At the younger/older age of forty Jack won two major tournaments and at the time was the leader in stroke play tournaments.

Thomas Boswell made a statement in 1986; “Some things cannot possibly happen, because they are both too improbable and too imperfect. The U.S. hockey team cannot beat the Russians in the 1980 Olympics. Jack Nicklaus cannot shoot 65 to win The Masters at age 46. Nothing else comes immediately to mind.”   In 1986 the then forty-six year old Nicklaus loaded up his bag and got ready to play in one of his last major tournaments. Most reporters and some players thought that Nicklaus was “washed up” or “through”, yet Jack showed the world that he was far from being through and played spectacular golf to win the 1986 Masters. A total of six Masters and, if not for worn out hips, Jack Nicklaus would have made a run at another at the age of fifty eight where he finished sixth.

So, if Mr. Woods is going to make his run, let the run begin now in 2012. Mr. Woods is thirty six years old and in the last few years we have watched the oil leak from a masterful ball striker. The putts that have always fallen in the hole now glimpse at the cup as they roll slightly by and, if concentration is a key when you pass thirty-five, Tiger needs to find that mental place to recoup the thing that once was, TIGER. In the early years he was a phenom; Tiger made money and won his first major.   From 1999-2002 Tiger won six consecutive tournaments and the most consecutive wins since the immortal Ben Hogan’s streak in 1948. In 1998, 2000 and 2001 the surge began with his first of many majors to come and the modern-day grand slam happened and the whispers started about Jack’s record. In 2003 and 2004 Tiger settled into a slump which led him to trying to recreate his swing hoping to bring back earlier years of success.

In 2005, Tiger brought back the crowds and his magic by capturing another major and refueling his chase of the GOLDEN BEAR’S record. With his 10^th major, the 2005 U.S. Open, and as he began to dominate again in 2006 he surpassed numbers of Jack with another major victory. At the close of his first 11 seasons, Woods’s 54 wins and 12 major wins had surpassed the all-time eleven-season PGA Tour total win record of 51 (set by Byron Nelson) and total majors record of 11 (set by Jack Nicklaus).   As the chase continued for Jack’s record most of us would have to say that besides Jack’s brilliant victory at forty, Tiger’s victory on one leg in 2008 had to be one of the more gutsy performances by an athlete in an event that lasted more than one day. And this is where, as injuries and father time starts to work against one of the great golfers of all time, the story stops… for now… It is now up to Mr. Woods, at the ripe old age of thirty six. He must have the same desire, need and want for the game of golf that Mr. Nicklaus has had for years.

There needs to be the respect for the game like those before him have had, Hogan, Palmer, Nelson and Nicklaus. Plus Tiger needs to be Tiger again. You see, Jack was always Jack, but for those of us who loved Arnie, we saw our hero try to be Arnold Palmer the golfer and just come up short at the beginning of his decline. If Tiger cannot find that person who once dominated golf again then…

I am so excited about the NFL playoffs and all of the story lines that are building.  Maybe college football will wise up some day, sorry I always have to throw that in.  I have said many times over that I hate when whatever source comes out with the “ All Time Greatest List” of any kind.  Just because Gone With the Wind is at the top of movie lists does not make it so.  Just because Stairway to Heaven is at the top of many “ All Time Rock Songs” does not make it so.  It is okay to come up with these but they should never be taken too seriously.  I equate it to the chicken or the egg came first.  It is futile because neither side can be proven.  In sports the “ All Time Greatest” cannot be quantified.  Even if you just went by numbers what would that prove.  Sandy Koufax does not have the largest numbers and yet many say he was the greatest pitcher.  There are too many variables to consider.  All eras are different.  Long ago there was not coast to coast travel because there were no teams past the Mississippi River.  There did not use to be night games nor relief pitchers and for many years no black players.  So having said all of that I am asking Mark and his son a serious straight question.  Who is the Greatest Coach and the Greatest Quarterback of the Green Bay Packers of All Time?

Let’s start with the quarterback position.  I will limit it to a three man race, Starr, Favre and Rodgers.  Mark feel free to throw in Arnie Herber if you would like.  I will just use some numbers for each because I tend to write too much.  Bart Starr, 152 touchdowns, 94 wins as the starting quarterback, 24, 718 yards,  5 NFL Titles and 2 Super Bowl wins, the only two he played in.  Plus he was 9-1 all time in the playoffs.  Not as many teams in his time nor as many playoff games.  He also played for Vince Lombardi and never won a playoff game without Lombardi.

Brett Favre is next.  Have Packer fans forgiven Brett yet or is it too soon.  I know there are people who are cheering for Rodgers so they can say, Favre only won one Super Bowl while Rodgers has two already.  Still a lot of hate out there for Favre.    Brett won 160 games as the starter for the Packers, he played in 2 Super Bowls and won 1,  over 61,000 yards and 442 touchdowns for the Packers.  The Packers were lousy until he and Holmgren arrived.

Aaron Rodgers currently has 41 wins, 132 touchdowns and one Super Bowl and looking to make it back to back.  He is a great quarterback and is amazing in the pocket or on the run.  He is also from Northern California so that is a plus.  If he averages 30 touchdown passes for another 10 years he will pass Favre and if the Packers average 12 wins a season for another 10 years he will pass him for wins.

The All Time Greatest Coach would seem to be easy, Lombardi.  I mean the Super Bowl Trophy bears his name.  He was 89-29-4, won 5 Championships and 2 Super Bowls and dominated the game.  The Packers became a household name.  He was 9-1 in the playoffs.  He never had a losing season even when he coached the Redskins for a year.  Vince had his life cut short and this brings up another thing that drives me crazy.  Projecting ahead and trying to say someone would have done this and that.  We will never know if Lombardi would have kept it up and had he coached longer would the same mystique be there.  We cannot say for certain if there had been a Super Bowl at the beginning of the 1960’s that the Packers would have won.  Most likely they would have but for certain it can’t be said.

What about Curly Lambeau?  He coached the Packers from 1921-1949.  The frozen tundra in Green Bay bears his name.  His record was 209-104-21.  He won 6 NFL Championships or one more than Lombardi.  When you talk about the greatest, where does he stand?  Would a little town like Green Bay have lasted without the success Lambeau brought.  Would there ever have been a Lombardi with the Packers had there not been a Lambeau?  Just because Lombardi was in the television age and he was not, should he be disqualified?

Mike Holmgren came to the Packers the same year as Brett Favre in 1992.  He won 75 games and led them to two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win.  He also guided them to a record 6 playoff appearances in a row.  The Packers had only 2 out of 19 years with a winning record before he and Favre got there. He put the Packers back on the NFL map.  He is from San Francisco so that is a plus, I like to root for California connected coaches and athletes.  I don’t know how much he played in getting Favre but he certainly played a huge role in his development.  Did you know the Packers got Favre for the 19^th overall pick in the 1992 Draft?  The Falcons ended up getting a running back from Southern Mississippi named Tony Smith?  Tony Smith you say?

Now for Mike McCarthy he looks like he may be on a multiple Super Bowl run here.  If they win this year that would be 2 wins over 6 years with more to come.  I should not project but he is rapidly rising on the coaching ranks.

Before I end I want to send out condolences to the Packers’ offensive coordinator Joe Philbin and his family for the loss of his son, Michael Philbin.  I cannot imagine what this loss feels like and is a reminder there are more important things than sports.

There you go Mark, have at it.  This is a serious question and for me there is no right or wrong answer.  I am just curious to get your view and anyone’s view.  I did not realize that you were an owner of the Packers…so be careful as this may get back to the other owners.

There are some here at SPORTSNETUSA.NET that are driven crazy this time of year. College football comes to an end and we hear: “we lost again”, “what happened we were winning then we …”of course it just does not happen to be only college football, it is Ice Hockey, NBA basketball, NFL Football and a few other obscure sports. It drives “stick boy” and “Title IX” nuts having to explain to others that they didn’t play in last night’s game. Or that if those individuals who keep insisting “they lost”, then they ask them “what position did you play?”

Now neither “stick boy” nor “Title IX” have problems with people who root for their Alma mater or schools they are currently attending and use the phrase; WE. They even let it slide when announcers like myself sometimes attach my loyalty to the team we are broadcasting. But when you have attended one college or university and you do not attend their games or follow them closely in the sport section and use the terminology “we” when they watch another university or college lose that they never attended, oh look out! Because the rhetoric that is thrown their direction is harsher than the beating LSU took against Alabama, the Falcons took against the Giants and more quieting than being a Steelers fan in a Denver Bronco bar.

So I guess there are very few times you can, for at least “stick boy” and “title IX,” use the term “we”. I mean, if you are a former player or coach, okay. If you are a student, alum, teacher, administrator, worker at the college, university or high school, okay. If you are a relative to most of the groups listed I would say that’s okay. Plus parents should be able to use the “we” term most of the time.

Now let me see, most of the workers, players, coaches, relatives has the above work for those who are in the pro game also, oh yes and let us not forget about the OWNER(S).

Ah, the owner… that lost soul who lives and dies with each game played by his team. That person who puts out his or her money for the love of the game and, in some cases, no financial reward at the end of the day. Who is that owner? What may they own? Why is there nothing but Pride? Because ownership is:

Ownership of property may be private, collective, or common and the property may be objects, land/real estate or intellectual property. Determining ownership in law involves determining who has certain rights and duties over the property. These rights and duties, sometimes called a ‘bundle of rights’, can be separated and held by different parties.

And it is also the right for US owners to cry, pout, complain, think we were robbed, when WE lose a game. That’s right this year and years to follow I get to say without any challenge from “stick boy”, “title IX” “EEEEE” or anyone else that when our GREEN BAY PACKERS win “We just won another SUPER BOWL”. Ah yes it is so nice being one of the many owners of one of the greatest franchises of all time in professional sports. By the way guys, if you want to ride in my “Yaris” or have lunch at “Islands” call my secretary… I might just be at the stockholder’s meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

It is 2012 and this year I plan on writing at least one blog a month, okay maybe two, three, four or more, but at least one. I am going to write noncontroversial blogs. Wait, I am going to write blogs that really only have one side. Alright, I will try to write blogs that will not cause others to question my relationships with women, people of other races or religious beliefs. I will stay away from “pay to play”, “not enough color in coaching”, “which gender is better looking and more marketable”, “cheats”, “liars” “scoundrels” and “political agencies who govern sports on all levels”. I will not boast about my teams I support nor my athletic association with certain teams I have as a stock holder/owner. I will look at all teams with an open mind, a fair view and a respectful attitude.

As far as discussions or looks at present or athletes of the past, I will realize that time has caught up with me and I should view people, plays, and sensational occurrences with a modern perspective. I will take a hard look at the now and a lesser look at the revelations of past championship plays. I am going to stay away from any or all conversations or written statements that have the phrase; “great”, “greater than”, “greatest”, or “greatest of all time” in them. I will become oblivious to any such statements or conversations and I will become “DEAF” if I even start hearing the “G-word”.

For those who have said I have been the blocker of time, the non-seer of modern times, the discoverer of the stick and rock game eras, I will embrace technology. I will be the reader of all the articles on new equipment, courses, stadiums, ballparks, turf, sports medicine, new materials, clothing, shoes, delivery of product etc… I will turn to my younger colleagues at SPORTSNETUSA.NET and seek out their advice and knowledge on all sports and sports related subjects and I will not question their responses, answers or sources of materials. As a matter of fact, I will cherish and store their responses in a special area so if I feel I need a knowledgeable response to a sports related topic I can turn to the vault of knowledge and find an answer.

Last but not least, I will walk away and not respond too, even ignore, any topic of controversy that may occur at SPORTSNETUSA.NET, be it on FMN, the HIGH SCHOOL SPORT ZONE, any team broadcast, a conversation in the station or a blog on any topic by one of my fellow sports personalities here at SPORTSNETUSA.NET or 90.1 FM KBPK. Yes, I will listen, acknowledge, smile, and walk away, sign off or write nothing. Wow, I feel so much better knowing this year at SPORTSNETUSA.NET is going to be smooth, quiet and run like a good Swiss watch or a fast thorough bred horse ….or maybe a wild horse …like a Bronco …. Did you watch that game? Tim Tebow, please ………………………………………WELCOME TO 2012 and another great year here on SPORTSNETUSA.NET!!!! Did someone mention NCAA, Penn State, Lakers …..

Today with about five minutes left in the Bronco-Steeler game I thought to myself, no way is Tebow going to pull this game out, right?  Big Ben led the Steelers to a score to  tie the game.  I thought Ben was on his way to adding to his legacy.  I also thought Skip Bayless is right the Broncos always run the ball up the middle on first down.  It was then that Tebow cocked his left arm and threw the short slant to Demaryius Thomas who proceeded 80 yards for the winning touchdown in overtime.

Right or wrong Tebow has been the story of this season.  Those that hate Tebow really need to just give him some credit.  He is only in his second year and he led a team that started 1-4 and with no one believing, he led the Broncos to a division title and a playoff win against the Pittsburg Steelers.  The Steelers were banged up but they still had the top rated defense and are one of the best organizations in the NFL.  Tebow went 10 of 21 for  316 yards and 2 touchdowns and he ran for one as well.  Pretty amazing and all I could do was laugh as it was happening.

I have no idea how much success he will have.  I think making predictions is about as useless as trying to determine who is the greatest player at each position of all time.  Today’s game proves that the expression of Any Given Sunday is true and alive.  What has stunned me about Tebow is not that people had opinions about his game and personal beliefs.  What stunned me was how absolute and strong they were.  It was stunning as I watched broadcasters foam at the mouth and how much venom they directed his way.  It reminded me of the same venom that was directed towards Brett Favre the last few years.  I cannot recall such a young quarterback being attacked so viciously before.  I also must question guys that are called experts.  I know that guys like me that never played professionally can’t be called experts.  I get that but is that all that is necessary?   Is that it?  You played pro ball and you are on television or radio?  Merril Hoge was one guy that was very critical of Tebow.  Hoge was a running back for seven years and he averaged 3.8 yards a carry.  Guess that is all you need.  Herm Edwards is a guy that I heard be critical and I like Herm a lot.  He played in the NFL and coached for 8 years.  I pulled for his teams because of him.  Edwards was 54-74 as a coach.  Does that make him an expert?  I am not against guys having an opinion but they get called and credited as experts.  Also experts will bring up all of the predictions they got right.  They seldom mention the ones they missed on.  So I will enjoy this win today and pull for Tebow down the road.  I do think it ends next week against the Patriots but it makes for a good story.  Seldom have I found a team that wins as much as they lose so interesting.  I just want all of those who have hated his game and said “ he can’t play” to stand up and to keep saying so.

Congratulations Matt Flynn on winning the fifteenth game of the year for the Green Bay Packers.  Way to go by tossing six touchdowns and 480 yards and beating the Lions.  So what do you have against Aaron Rodgers?  Have you heard people suggesting that Flynn and his performance proves that Rodgers is a system quarterback and this will hurt his chances of winning the MVP?  I can’t decide if people just say things to get people to watch or listen, you know for ratings.  I go with that thought and then I think, on the other hand are there some people that actually believe this garbage?  Are there actually people that want to make a name or create controversy and so they try to take away from Rodger’s amazing year?  I get so tired of the debates just for the sake of debating.  Aaron Rodgers should be the MVP of the league and his year should be applauded and appreciated.  He does benefit from the team and the organization he plays for.  Every great athlete does.  Montana had the West Coast System designed and taught by Bill Walsh.  Brees and Brady have great systems and great head coaches.  I am really disturbed by the recent trend in which critics try to take away from great years by pointing out that winning players have great systems, great coaches or other great players around them.  So let’s give a player more credit because he is not as successful but in people’s opinion he did not have the same help.  Please!  This resulted in Felix Hernandez winning the Cy Young with only 13 wins!

This falls under the category of, don’t over think this.  Don’t let others try to convince you that what you saw was not what you saw.  Having said this I must also say that I am tired of hearing about Rodgers having the greatest season ever or doing things no one has ever done before.  Name most any great quarterback and they have had unbelievable runs.  Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Montanta, Favre, Brady and Brees have had runs where they could not be stopped.  We live in the era where everything has to be the best or the greatest of all time or most amazing thing we have ever seen.  I always argue that each season and performance should stand on it’s own.  I do not have the need to grade everything on an “ All Time” basis.  It drives me crazy, it drives me crazy, it drives me crazy.  I do know this, not just anyone can do what Rodgers, Brees and Brady can do.  Remember when Brady got hurt and Matt Cassel took over and the Patriots went 11-5?  So could anyone step in and replace Brady?  No.  Jeff Blake and Aaron Brooks played for the Saints and they ran the same system by coach Mike McCarthy from 2000-2004.  They had one playoff win and 2 winning seasons.  If it is just the system they should have been more successful.  McCarthy was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers in 2005.  They ranked last in points scored and yards gained.  Enough with the system quarterback.

Brees and Brady broke the single season passing yardage record set 27 years ago by Dan Marino.  They too have had amazing records and should one of them it would be wrong but not the worst ever.  In my opinion this does compare to the American League MVP voting in 1941.  Ted Williams led the league in home runs(37), runs(135), on base percentage(.553) and slugging percentage(.735).  He also had 120 RBI and hit .406 and did not win the MVP.  Joe Dimaggio hit .357 with 30 homers, 125 RBI.  He also did a little thing called a 56 game hitting streak.  Sometimes, that is just the breaks.  I guess Jolting Joe was not penalized because he played on a great team called the New York Yankees and came up in the Yankee System.

I love sports and sometimes take them way too seriously.  I have a friend that I have been flat out fighting with the entire NFL season and it started last year.  We have been communicating via email and it has been nasty.  I am a Cowboy fan and he is a Charger fan.  It started last year when he boldly claimed that the Chargers were headed to the Super Bowl and this was their year.  I said to him that as long as Norv Turner was their head coach I did not think he would ever take them to the Super Bowl.  I thought it was a measured and unbiased look at the Chargers’ chances.  He was offended and blasted my knowledge of football and then started on my team.  He ripped Wade Phillips and I agreed, I thought Phillips was a great assistant coach but not a good head coach and a bad hire.  He then ripped Tony Romo and said he was terrible, the worst quarterback in the league he said.  I gave him a chance to back away from that statement.  I said he was not an elite qb but a second tier guy, somewhere between 10 and 15 in starters.  That really fanned the flames.  He went into who Romo had dated and the blasting was on.

Well, Romo got hurt and the Cowboys stunk and went 6-10 and he was joyous and he felt victorious.  So I had to start hating the Chargers even though I have always liked them.  I started rooting against them because I was sick of his bragging and then his way over the top of all things Chargers.  I will give you the short list of things he has said, of course he tries to deny them now.  You ever have a sports friend like that?  Says outrageous things and gets called on them and then they deny ever saying it?  Maddening is what it is.  He said Dan Fouts was the all-time greatest quarterback.  I said he could not be because he never even played in a Super Bowl and Joe Montana was a perfect four for four and was the standard.  He then said that winning Super Bowls was over rated and not important.  I was stunned.  This is professional sports we are talking about not high school!  In pro sports it is all about winning, whether fair or unfair.  So I switched to basketball because we are both Laker fans and I thought he would concede.  I said look at Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, they are considered great because they won so many championships.  His response was did I think Allen Iverson was not great because he never won a title?  I said Iverson was a great player but would not go down as one of the greatest because he did not win a championship.  His next statement floored me.  He said he could take all the NBA players in history that did not win titles and I could take those that did, and he would beat my team all day, every day.  I should have stopped it right here but no, I think I can reason with the guy.  He lists Iverson, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Steve Nash, Bernard King and Patrick Ewing.  I listed Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, Kareem, Wilt, Jerry West, Hakeem the Dream, Bill Russell and I can’t even remember who else.

Next he says Don Coryell was the greatest NFL coach of all time.  Then the biggest one of all.  He predicted that Philip Rivers would win more Super Bowls than Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Tom Brady, get this, put together.  I swear, I gave him a chance to reconsider this  boast.  I told him that means Rivers would have to win 12 total and he has not even been to one in his career.  He did not back down and kept with his prediction that the Chargers would win it all this year.  I reminded him about his failed prediction the year before and it did not matter.  I now realize that he has a problem and I am not the one to help him.  Of course I now realize that I have a problem of I can’t let sports arguments go.  I need help.  One last thing before I stop.  He also said that Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees would not really that good they just played in a good system and they would long be forgotten.  Philip Rivers would go down as the quarterback of his time and the greatest of all time!  I told him he should pull his head out of a certain part of River’s body.  Was that fair.

I hate to admit how many emails I have sent and how much time and energy I have wasted.  Have you ever had a sports friend like this?  I have to leave now and go seek help.  One last thing, I was right, Norv Turner will not lead the Chargers to the Super Bowl.  Now, if I can only my friend to admit that……….

The Fullerton College Football season should not be judged by wins and losses this year. It should be judged as the year that Fullerton College Football had to say good-bye to one of its biggest fans and supporters, Coach Gene Murphy.

I am sure by the time you see this blog you will have read numerous articles about Coach Murphy. You will see some names of notoriety connected with the game of football in all the articles and you might even be taken aback by the individuals who owe their start as a player, assistant coach or head coach to Gene Murphy. So, my story about Gene is just going to be about the man that my partner, Corey Neyland, and I encountered for many years.

I had the pleasure to start working on Fullerton College Football games 10 years ago. Our Crew back then was Chuck, Scott Beck, Tracy Thackrah and I. I can remember my first game watching the Hornets with their shuffling of quarterbacks on every other series. I can remember us shaking our heads wondering what the heck was going on, “pick a quarterback… please” we kept muttering and hearing statements on the coach, “realize he came from that football power at Cal State Fullerton.” Maybe the statement should have been, “when is someone going to give this coach quality facilities so that the quality players will come to him?”

My relationship with Coach Murphy started to grow after that season. I had my team I wanted to follow and I found a coach who loved and respected the game, the players, the students and his fellow coaches. Coach Murphy made everyone feel as if they belonged, that they were one of the important cogs in the machinery no matter whom they were. He made you feel as if the team was yours and there was part of the Coach Murphy’s thinking that confirmed the team was yours not just his even though he was the Head Coach.

After a couple years of doing color commentary I was fortunate enough to become the voice of Hornet football. In doing play by play with the Hornets I felt I had to be at every practice, at least two a week. My partner Corey Neyland came on as the other voice of Hornet football and he too frequented the Hornet practice facility. Coach Murphy allowed us to walk the field and interact with his coaches as if we were the general managers of the Hornet franchise. Never once did Coach Murphy dissuade us from conversation with anyone or muffle our open questioning of the team. He let us be us, both on and off the air, and yes we knew he was listening to replays because he would comment on our statements. Damn, we loved him.

One of my best times with Coach Murphy was the year the Hornets had no home field. We shared fields, we were the home team at away games, we had no place to call home. So I dubbed the team, “the lost boys” ala PETER PAN. Even Mr. Ed Ford listed the HORNETS as the LOST BOYS on our website that year. I knew it bothered Coach Murphy a little because in our interviews if I said, “lost boys” he would correct me and tell me the team was not “lost boys”. But he never asked me not to say it, change our website or discouraged us from being with the team in any of our free moments.

Coach Murphy used to always like to pick on my partner Corey who looks like an ex-college football player. He would tease him about his hair, his physic or inquiry about his personal relationships and never once did you feel as if Coach Gene Murphy ever asked or said anything wrong. He would tease people about their size, their ethnic background, clarity in their speech and, for some of us, our age.

Gene, Murph, Coach Murphy, was just a fun man to be around. He knew more about football and people than you could ever put into any volume of books. He made you smile when you saw him, he made you chuckle flying all over the practice field in his “Rascal” and he made you laugh out loud with his off the cuff remarks about anything and everything, yourself included.

Coach Murphy was a winner, not just because of the final tally of games on the ledger. He was a winner because of his philosophy, his attitude, his drive and his desire to make those people he touched better people. He was a man who understood how to be a coach, an educator and a mentor, all in one.