Six years later, Guillen was managing the Chicago White Sox to a World Series championship, the franchise’s first in 88 years, and who would be one of his star pitchers? None other than Jose Contreras. Small world.
The Orioles’ trip to Cuba in 1999 was approved by the U.S. State Department, as was the Cuban all-stars’ visit to Baltimore (the Cubans won, 12-6) some five weeks later. The general idea was that friendly cultural exchange, even if it’s a brief symbolic gesture via the escapist entertainment of sports, is a more positive way to exist in the world, as opposed to decades of rigid, enforced enmity and isolation.
In March of 1999, Venezuelan shortstop Ozzie Guillen was at spring training in Florida with the Atlanta Braves. He was about to begin the 15th season of a proud and productive big-league career, mostly with the Chicago White Sox, that had included a Rookie of the Year award, three All-Star Game selections and a Gold Glove award. If Guillen, who spent some time on the Baltimore Orioles just a year earlier, had been with the Orioles instead of the Braves… Read More »
On Nov. 29, 1998, when Peyton Manning was a 22-year old rookie, he faced the Baltimore Ravens, led by 35-year-old quarterback Jim Harbaugh. Final score: Ravens 38, Colts 31. Harbaugh led a 17-point fourth-quarter rally. On Sept. 26, 1999, Manning, 23, and Harbaugh, 36, were once again opposing starting quarterbacks, as the Colts visited the San Diego Chargers. Final score: Colts 27, Chargers 19. Manning led a 14-point fourth-quarter rally.
Today is the 50th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game. And although Chamberlain’s accomplishment is impressive, to say the least, Wilt was far from perfect when the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the New York Knicks 169-147 on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pa. Chamberlain shot 36 of 63 from the field and 28 of 32 from the free-throw line. Chamberlain teammate Al Attles, though, who would go on to coach the Golden State Warriors to their only NBA championship in 1975,… Read More »
The following is my column that ran on C2 of last Sunday’s Press Democrat. It stands out freakishly, like the fictional Pushmi-pullyu, the two-headed creature from the old Dr. Doolittle children’s stories, with each head facing an opposite direction. It’s that odd, that unreal. As laughable as it is exotic. As sports accomplishments go, the legacy of Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points in an NBA game exists more as carnival exhibit or myth from ancient times (or at least pre-ESPN,… Read More »
I’m not saying Joe Namath (17 of 28, 206 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INT) was undeserving of being named MVP of Super Bowl III, the milestone win that Namath “guaranteed for the New York Jets and the American Football League. But I am saying there were a number of Jets at least equally deserving. For example: Matt Snell rushed 30 times for 121 yards and the Jets’ only touchdown. He also 4 passes for 40 yards. George Sauer Jr. caught… Read More »
Why is that when the discussion is about great Super Bowl quarterbacks, Jim Plunkett is rarely, if ever, mentioned? Here’s what Plunkett did as the Raiders starting quarterback in Super Bowl XV and XVIII. Two wins in two games, including MVP in Super Bowl XV. By the way, the Raiders were underdogs in both. Plunkett’s combined statistics for those two Super Bowls: 29 of 46 passes completed (63 percent), 433 yards, four TD passes, zero interceptions. Jim Plunkett was a… Read More »
In 1957, Carmen Basilio won the middleweight championship of the world with a split decision over Sugar Ray Robinson, who is still considered by many experts to be the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time. Angelo Dundee was Basilio’s trainer for that fight. I was only 9 at the time, but I remember listening to a live radio broadcast of that fight with my dad. In 1964, challenger Cassius Clay outboxed heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, who quit after six rounds.… Read More »
Eli Manning, who played college football at Mississippi, is seeking his second NFL championship as quarterback of the New York Giants. And he’s the second Giants QB from Ole Miss to win an NFL title. Charlie Conerly, out of Mississippi, quarterbacked the Giants to the NFL title in 1956. He also led the Giants to the NFL title games in 1958 and ’59 and played as a backup in the 1961 championship game — all losses. Two years after Conerly… Read More »
