April 30th, 2009 03:00am
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Texas Rangers president Nolan Ryan, the Hall of Famer with seven no-hitters, 324 wins and 222 complete games, has banned pitch counts throughout the organization. One word from this old-school fan: Hooray. And three more words: It’s about time.
Ryan has the guts to say what many introspective fans have thought for years — baseball’s obsession with pitch counts (limiting starting pitchers to a certain number regardless of that pitcher’s effectiveness) …
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April 29th, 2009 03:00am
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The new baseball film, “Sugar,” which is getting strong reviews and opens in Sonoma County on Friday, features Jose Rijo as Alvarez, a baseball consultant whose opinions can help make big-league careers. Rijo should be no stranger to Bay Area fans.
Rijo, a 20-year-old right-hander, came to the Oakland A’s from the Yankees in 1985 as part of the multiplayer deal that sent Rickey Henderson to New York.
Rijo showed promise …
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April 27th, 2009 09:00pm
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Greg Page, a former WBA heavyweight champion, died Monday, eight years after he suffered a severe brain injury and a stroke in the aftermath of his final bout. He was 50. Page’s finest moment in the ring didn’t occur during a real fight; it occurred during a sparring session.
In 1990, Page’s time as a highly ranked heavyweight was past. But he was still fit and skilled and competitive, and so …
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April 27th, 2009 03:00am
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In 1969, Vince Lombardi came to Washington to coach the Redskins, and Ted Williams came to manage the Senators. Has there ever been a greater NFL coach/MLB manager combination in the same city?
In a wonderful new book on Vince Lombardi, expertly written by my colleague Phil Barber and handsomely produced by The Lyons Press, there is a photo of the great coach with Ted Williams, just after both …
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April 26th, 2009 03:00am
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Tyson,” a new documentary by director James Toback, made its premiere in New York on Friday and has been getting rave reviews.
As a serious fan of boxing history and a serious movie fan, I look forward to seeing it when it opens at The Rialto in Santa Rosa on May 29.
Mike Tyson, who took the boxing world by storm in the late 1980s, no longer fights but remains …
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April 25th, 2009 03:00am
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In a recent blog, I named a bunch of quarterbacks who got little or no respect in the NFL draft, who then turned out to be pretty good, in some cases great, in other cases Hall of Famers. Well, I forgot a few.
But thanks to readers of this blog who took up the challenge to add to my list, three QBs that should never have slipped my mind can now …
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April 24th, 2009 03:00am
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Lombardi took over a downtrodden Green Bay Packers franchise in 1959 and in nine years made the city, the team and his name synonymous with winning — five NFL championships, including the first two Super Bowls.
In 1996, Torre took over a once-proud Yankees franchise that hadn’t won a World Series in 17 years. He proceeded to manage the Yankees to four World Series championships in five years, including three in …
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April 23rd, 2009 03:00am
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In 30 seconds I can name seven great quarterbacks who either weren’t drafted at all or who were drafted as afterthoughts. Feel free to add to the list. Feel free to add other positions besides QB.
Joe Montana, drafted in the third round, 82nd overall, by the 49ers in 1979.
Ken Stabler, drafted in the second round, 52nd overall, by the Raiders in 1968.
Brett Favre, drafted in the second round, 33rd overall, …
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April 22nd, 2009 03:00am
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That’s what my colleague Phil Barber wrote in a copy of the just-published “The Official Vince Lombardi Playbook,” which he authored.
I can’t wait to read it. The book, loaded with Lombardi photos and mementos and recollections from the Hall of Fame coach’s friends and former players, will be in bookstores this summer.
This should be must-reading for any football fan with any interest in the sport’s history.
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April 21st, 2009 03:00am
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Forget Mel Kiper. The most astute analysis of the NFL draft was written by John Sayles and spoken by Frances McDormand, in the role of football fanatic “Bunny,” in the 1996 film “Lone Star.” Check it out:
“They try to make it dramatic, like it’s a big surprise about who picks who in the first round. Only they’ve been going over it for months with their experts and their computers.
“Doctors’ reports, …
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Robert Rubino has been a daily copy editor for nearly 30 years and a weekly sports columnist for 15 years. 
