Globe Trotting - August 22nd Edition

Just some things I thought were share-worthy from yesterday's Sunday Globe...

-My favorite story in yesterday's paper was this piece on 70-year-old Reggie St. Paul's life as a Boston-area bartender. The guy must have a million stories. I loved the anecdotes about Lennie's jazz club in Peabody. Who knew that the likes of Miles Davis, Stan Getz & Buddy Rich were playing the North Shore back in the day?

http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-21/news/29912301_1_bottles-drinks-peabody


-I won't pretend to be terribly well-informed on the No Child Left Behind Act. I know the intended goal of the policy and I know some of the controversy and debate about it. That's about all. On a gut level, however, the stat in this article that projects how many Massachusetts schools are likely to be out of compliance by 2014 according to No Child standard seems pretty damning. Massachusetts isn't exactly in the backwaters for education after all.

http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-21/news/29912446_1_waiver-school-districts-high-schools


-On the heels of Warren Buffett's Op-Ed piece in the New York Times calling for higher taxes on the wealthy comes a roundup of reaction from some Boston locals. Most of the sentiments echo Buffett's take but the bonus here is the photo of Ernie Boch Jr.

http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-21/business/29912509_1_tax-revenue-higher-taxes-urban-brookings-tax-policy-center


-Yes, this story of a man faithfully visiting his sick friend every week is a little Tuesdays With Morrie-ish (except this time it was Thursdays) but I still enjoyed it. I'm easy that way.

http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-21/news/29912499_1_sal-nurses-work-and-family

-Finally, a little civic pride. Here's a quick article on how my current adopted hometown of Melrose is raising some revenue and serving the community with a new ambulance for the Fire Department. Between this and the new Thai place that just opened on Main Street things are looking up in the home of the Red Raiders.

http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-21/yourtown/29912412_1_new-ambulance-ambulance-fees-ambulance-model

Food Photos - Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad

Starting a new feature here wherein I post pictures from the homemade cooking adventures of my better half Sara and I. It could be something that turned out wonderful, photographed well, and looks delicious. It could be an abject disaster that's good for a laugh. Who knows?  First up...a little caprese salad that Sara put together tonight:



IMG_1832, originally uploaded by noonemusings.

Sometimes simple things are best.  Aside from a couple of fresh heirloom tomatoes that Sara picked up from a farmers market today (which were awesome) everything else on the plate was from home.  Easy prep.  Easy cleanup.  Doesn't get much better than that.

Lyrics Analysis (Home Sweet Home)

Today we break down Motley Crue's power ballad, Home Sweet Home.  I remember jamming to this song on my walkman while riding a bus home from a trip with other local youngsters to the Little League World Series circa 1986.  All the shots in the video of tour buses and hard livin' on the road really spoke to me as a wide-eyed 12 year old from the suburbs.  (Make sure to look for Vince Neil kissing his centerfold posters around the 35 second mark for a particularly enjoyable moment in the video below...)  



Anyhow, onto a critical analysis of the lyrics.  As always, my comments in red...

Home Sweet Home - Motley Crue

You know I'm a dreamer
But my heart's of gold (As opposed to, you know, dreamers whose hearts aren't of gold. Thanks for the clarification.)
I had to run away high
So I wouldn't come home low.  (Explain that logic to me please.  How, precisely, does running away high prevent coming home low?  I say it doesn't.)

Just when things went right
Doesn't mean they're always wrong. (This is true in the same way that just because leprechauns are short doesn't mean they're always Irish.  Cuckoo talk.)
Just take this song and you'll never feel
Left all alone.  (Or take an imaginary friend.  Either way.)

Take me to your heart (I can virtually guarantee you don't want to do that.)
Feel me in your bones (And that's definitely a bad idea.)
Just one more night
And I'm coming off this
Long and winding road.  (Can I sue on behalf of the Beatles for use of "long and winding road?"  Please?)

I'm on my way

I'm on my way

Home sweet home.

Tonight tonight

I'm on my way

I'm on my way (Clearly)

Home sweet home. 

You know that I've seen
Too many romantic dreams
Up in lights
Fallin' off the silver screen. (Vince totally has 500 Days of Summer on his Netflix queue.)

My heart's like an open book
For the whole world to read (Don't worry.  It's a quick read.  Lots of pictures.  Mostly of skanky chicks with big hair in ripped jeans.)
Sometimes nothin'
Keeps me together at the seams. (That sounds like a pretty serious cry for help.  What happened to intentionally running away high so as not to come home low?  You seem awfully low to me.)

I'm on my way

I'm on my way

Home sweet home.

Tonight tonight

I'm on my way

Just set me free

Home sweet home. (I wonder if Motley Crue member homecomings are anything like mine.  Tackling laundry?  Hitting up Trader Joes to restock the fridge?  I'm guessing no.) 

There are a bunch more "on my ways" and "home sweet homes" and "set me frees" in the fadeout.  And some lovely piano playing.  You get the point though.  

Your thoughts on Home Sweet Home?  Fire away in the Comments section.     

Old S.I. Review (August 23, 1999)

Time for another old S.I. review.  This one takes us back 11 years to the summer of '99.  Our old buddy Tiger Woods graces the 8/23/99 cover on the heels of his second major championship at the PGA.  There's no whiff of scandal at that point for Tiger, of course, and there's only faint steroid talk as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa continue to belt home runs.  Let's jump on in and visit a simpler time for some fallen heroes.

Letters
Lots of Sandy Koufax stuff in the letters section.  The majority of readers wrote in with their appreciation for Koufax and Tom Verducci's piece on him in the 7/12/99 issue.  The following two readers were not among them...

"Pete Sampras wins his 12th Grand Slam men's singles title by winning his sixth Wimbledon, more than any man this century, and you put Sandy Koufax on your July 12 cover? Who will make your cover when Sampras wins his record-breaking 13th title? Ty Cobb?"
                                                                 -Ed Doney, Edmond, OK 

(Note - Actually, it'll be Jason Giambi. Sorry about that, Ed.)

"Before reading your profile of Koufax, I was not entirely sure whether Mr. Koufax was alive or dead.  After reading your profile, I am still note sure."
                                                                -Bill Leffingwell, Silver Spring, MD  

(Note - He's alive.)

You Want To See Something Funny?
Before we leave the Letters section let's play a quick game.  Who had the better put-down of someone named John or Jonathan Bender?  Victor Phillips of Flint, MI, speaking about future Pacer & Knick Jonathan Bender, or Richard Vernon in Breakfast Club?  You make the call...

"I have yet to understand why a 6'11", 210-pound high school senior scoring 31 points in the McDonald's All-America game makes him an NBA lottery pick.  That game is like playing pickup at your local YMCA; no defense, just run and gun.  I wish Bender the best, but when I look at him, I see another Korleone Young, not another Kevin Garnett."  


"You think he's funny? You think this is cute? You think he's "bitchin," is that it? Let me tell you something. Look at him - he's a bum. You want to see something funny? You go visit John Bender in five years. You'll see how goddamned funny he is."

Edge: Principal Vernon

Must Have Been A Slow Week
S.I.'s "Don't Miss" sporting events for the upcoming week?  Braves-Reds on a Monday night, Track & Field World Championships, the WNBA Playoffs and Falcons-Titans preseason football on Sunday.  That's not exactly a murderer's row, even without the benefit of hindsight.  For the record...Kevin Millwood won his 14th for the Braves that Monday, in a 6-2 win and I can't be bothered to look up the rest.


Allez Les Expos!
In the sidebar, next to a short story about Steffi Graf's retirement from tennis, is a bizarre "Wish List" item that roots for the Expos to win their last 40 games to earn a Wild Card berth.  I have no idea why its there but I'm sad to report that the Expos could do no better than 18-22 down the stretch to finish in 4th place in the NL East, 35 games behind the Braves.

Portraits Of Tiger & Sergio As Young Men  
Skipping over mentions of such things as Dolphin Tony Martin's money laundering trial, distress over naming rights to stadiums and Darin Erstad's brother Bryan making Faces In The Crowd, we come to the cover story about the '99 PGA Championship.  Predictably, it focuses on the duel between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia.  Of course, knowing what we know now (that the '99 PGA might have been Sergio's high water mark in a major) it seems silly that Alan Shipnuck was saying "forget Nicklaus and Palmer" by the second paragraph. 

I'll forgive Shipnuck on the Sergio hyperbole though.  We were all buying into El Nino when he was skipping around Medinah back then.  Plus, his stuff on Tiger is fascinating in retrospect.  There's discussion of Tiger's mental toughness in overcoming back nine mistakes.  The description of Tiger making a huge 8-footer for par on 17 foreshadows a decade-worth of those putts to come.  And then there's this...

It's no wonder he was so weary-this was a victory 2 1/2 years in the making.  Woods' life was turned upside down after his win at Augusta, and only recently has he come to grips with it.  The utter craziness of that first spasm of Tigermania (remember that term?) is tough to quantify, but perhaps all you need to know is this: Woods became the first golfer to make the cover of the National Enquirer.  On another occasion the tabloid pictured Woods cavorting on the dance floor of a nightclub with a prodigiously buxom blonde under the headline TIGER'S WILD NIGHT WITH TOPLESS DANCER.  He has now exchanged this swinging bachelorhood for a girlfriend of nearly a year, Joanna Jagoda, a recent graduate of UC Santa Barbara who has earned high marks for her discretion and poise amid so many inquiring minds."

Yikes.  Hard to believe that was written 11 years ago.


OK, THAT Is Over-hyping A Rivalry
With all apologies to Tom Verducci, who is a much better writer than me, his piece on Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa having another home run race in '99 does not age well.  At all.  "In the pantheon of recurring classic sports rivalries," he writes of their exploits, "they join Alydar versus Affirmed, Magic versus Bird, Nicklaus versus Palmer and the People of the United States versus the Dallas Cowboys."  Goodness gracious that sounds ridiculous now.  As does wondering whether Sosa "could be the most sympathetic power hitter in history."  Yeah, not so much.

For McGwire's part, he was upset at the time that people were focusing too much on individual achievements over team.  "That's wrong," he says in the article about highlighting individual records, "That's not good for little kids to hear."  (Apparently what was good to hear was pregame Enya, however.  The story mentions him listening to Enya and other New Age artists before games to relax.) He also explains that his consistency "all comes down to concentration and preparation"  Yes, and steroids.  Loads and loads of steroids.

Inside The NFL
Here are some highlights of Peter King's NFL notes for the week:

-"Patriots looking for rookie Andy Katzenmoyer to stop sleepwalking."  Yeah, that's not going to happen.  I know several Pats fans that bought Katzenmoyer jerseys that summer.  Didn't work out so great.  It's fun to read "New England coach Pete Carroll" when you have the luxury of knowing Bill Belichick's about to arrive on the scene though.

-Warren Sapp predicted he would lead the league in sacks in '99 (he didn't) and that it would be a make or break season for the Bucs.  My question?  How do you define whether it was a make or break season or not?  They went to the NFC Championship game that year and lost.  They won the Super Bowl three years later.  Make?  Break?  Who the hell knows?

-King reported that Charlie Casserly, already basically a lame duck, would be let go by new Redskins owner Daniel Snyder in September when Snyder was more comfortable running the franchise.  Looking back, I think we can all agree that Snyder got up to speed immediately thereafter and has done a wonderful job in that role since.

-King also reported that Green Bay would likely cut Rick Mirer or Matt Hasselbeck because of the emergence of Aaron Brooks.  Green Bay coaches said Brooks reminded them of a young Randell Cunningham.

Rainman M.I.A.
Not an overly exciting set of NBA notes.  Sacramento was praised for picking up Nick Anderson and Darrick Martin in the offseason.  The Spurs were searching for a replacement for Sean Elliott.  Perhaps the best tidbit was that Cleveland had been trying unsuccessfully for a month to get in touch with Shawn Kemp.  Apparently, The Rainman was upset that Isiah Thomas hadn't been named coach and just went off the grid.  Isiah Freaking Thomas.

Slash Stewart
How did people feel about the offseason pairing of maligned Pittsburgh QB Kordell Stewart and recently fired Chargers coach Kevin Gilbride (as the new Steelers Offensive Coordinator)?  "One Chicago scribe wrote that bringing in Gilbride to work with Stewart was like sending the Lusitania to rescue the Titanic."  Well then.


Think this post was a disaster on par with the Titanic?  Like it?  Drop me some feedback.  I'd love to hear what you have to say.

Old S.I. Review (April 27, 1987)

Man, it's been a long time since I did an old S.I. review. Too long in fact. As soon as I came across the site of a triumphant Rob Deer in a box of old magazines this past weekend though, I knew what I had to do. Let's jump right in shall we...

Bobby V. Packing Wood
Strong start to this issue with a picture of Bobby Valentine carrying about 30 Rangers bats in the dugout in an attempt to shake them out of a hitting slump next to the table of contents. Probably didn't work though since the '87 Rangers finished in a last place tie in the old AL West.

1987 Toshiba Laptop Specs
Gotta love this copy from an ad for Toshiba's new laptop computer...

The Toshiba is the most powerful laptop you can buy. With a standard 640KB memory that's expandable to 2.6 MB. And a spectacular, high-resolution gas-plasma display that let's you work for hours without getting quint lines. It is an incredible example of Toshiba's technologies in miniaturization.

Zamboni Fan, eh?Check out this fantastic letter from Steve Aureli of Knoxville, Tenn...

Thanks for Leigh Montville's fascinating article on the Zamboni (You're an Old Smoothie, March 30). I've been a Zamboni fan for years. In fact, I used to live in Waterbury, Conn., and when the Whalers were floundering not too long ago, we would go to the Hartford Civic Center and pay good money to see the Zamboni perform. Something resembling hockey was played during the long intermissions."

Things That Sounded Better At The Time
One other thing from the Letters page. Tim and Janet Matthews, a couple from Toronto, sent in a note taking writer E.M. Swift to task for his contention that Canadians, by and large, have low expectations for their athletes in international competitions. First athlete they cite to defend Canada's athletic prowess? Ben Johnson.

Remembering the Fast Start of the '87 Brew Crew
Moving on the meat of the issue, we begin with the feature story about the Milwaukee Brewers starting the season with an 13-game winning streak and a no-hitter from "embraceable lefty" Juan Nieves. Some highlights from that piece...

-Riding an 11-0 start, the Brewers drew 29,357 on Easter Sunday. I don't know what the capacity was at County Stadium but that seems like a low turnout for an 11-0 team.

-Juan Nieves channeling John Kreese..."People probably think this is a joke," Nieves said, "but it's not. It's a taste of what's to come the rest of the way. We're back. No mercy." It's worth noting at this point that Milwaukee finished 3rd in the AL East in '87.

-Did you know Juan captained the baseball, basketball and cross-country teams at Avon Old Farms? That's a fun piece of trivia. I have to admit, I didn't have Juan pegged as an Avon man.

-Best part of the article? I nominate this...

"Shortly before Opening Day, The Milwaukee Journal conducted a telephone survey of Wisconsin residents and found that 74% of them had no idea who the Brewers manager was?"

OK, first of all, a telephone survey to see how many people know the manager? That's awesome. I will pay money for copies of those phone calls. Even better that 74% didn't know though. 74%! That's tremendous.

The 1987 Phoenix Suns...More Sordid than you Remember
I think it's safe to say that the '87 Suns probably benefited from a comparative lack of media scrutiny. Consider the following...

-At the time, the '87 Suns were involved in "the largest single drug bust in the history of professional sports." No fewer than 11 players, past and present, were implicated by Phoenix law enforcement officials, including Walter Berry (a 6-time all-star and the leading scorer in Suns history).

-Berry was not only implicated but largely believed to have snitched on his teammates in the process. Good times.

-Aside from the drug bust, Phoenix police were also looking into allegations that a Suns-Bucks game from February of '87 may have been fixed.

Can you imagine the 24-hour indignation we'd be hearing from talking heads if all that was going on these days? Although....one thing would be the same and that's David Stern's reaction. Stern's quoted in the article and sounds exactly the same back then as he does now. "We've been assured there's nothing to the allegations but we're looking into it..."

The LaFontaine Game
Ahh, the old 4-OT Game 7 Isles-Caps thriller that ended on Easter Sunday. I remember it well. Hadley slept over that night and we watched into the wee hours. I can close my eyes and see Bob Mason standing dazed in the Wasington net after LaFontaine's turn-around slapper. Game over. Series over. Isles advance.

What I didn't remember until reading the article though is that Washington had a 3-1 lead in that series and lost 3rd period leads in Games 6 and 7. Now, that's a tough way to lose a series.

The Nigerian Nightmare
Skipping past articles on the Boston Marathon, Kentucky Derby prep races & a piece about Greg Louganis getting beat a few times at some indoor diving competition, we get a pre-NFL draft scouting report on Christian Okoye. Some highlights...

-Christian's favorite food was a pungent Nigerian stew called fufu.

-The stories of his athleticism and physique are pretty crazy. At the time, he was the African record-holder in the discus and a 17-time All-America in a variety of track & field events. 6'3", 255 lbs with a 34" waist. Ran a 4.45, 40. 35" vertical. Could bench 405 lbs. and could squat 725 lbs.

-Scouting reports were mixed because of his inexperience, as you would expect. Last first-round, early-second round seemed to be the consensus (and that's where he went incidentally...going to the Chiefs early in the 2nd round). Best part of the evaluations is this quote from Reed Johnson (head of player personnel for the Broncos)...

"Think of the acceleration from Asuza Pacific to playing against the Raiders! What a shock."

Ummmm...the Raiders then, or the Raiders now? Because I think Asuza Pacific could've given last year's Raiders all they could handle.

-My other favorite quote comes from Christian himself, after being handed a football for the first time in his life in college. Christian's reaction? "Very interesting....but very impractical."

Dr. Z on the '87 NFL Draft
Dr. Z goes 7 for 28 in predicting the first round of the NFL draft. Nobody ever does much better than that in hindsight. 7 for 28 is actually higher than I would've guessed. His best call, to me, is listing Rich Gannon in his top 5 underrated players section. Says if he went to USC instead of Delaware he'd be a first rounder. Good call on someone that ended up going in the 4th round (to the Pats by the way. We'll see you in at the Snow Bowl game in 15 years, Rich).

(Originally posted on 10 Cent Freeze Pops, 9/30/09)

Lyrics Analysis (Things That Make You Go Hmmm...)

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...
C&C Music Factory Featuring Freedom Williams
I was at the crib, sittin' by the fireplace
Drinkin' cocoa on the bear skin rug (I'm gonna go ahead and nominate those first two lines for "Best opening lyrics in the history of music." I mean,come on now. How can you top that?)
The door bell rang. Who could it be?
Thought to myself then started to shrug
Got to the door. Ding Dong. Who is it? (You seem genuinely perplexed by this whole thing. Why don't you just go ahead and end the suspense. Open the damn door.)
My girl's best friend had payed me a visit. ("Payed?" Come on, Lyrics World...you're better than that.)
Sly as can be, tight dress and all (I'm not sure "sly" is the right word.Her scheme, which you're about to drop on us, is awfully transparent.)
She knew that I was faithful. I really didn't have the gall. (Great line)
I tried to chilll. She made the move. (Lyrics World put the extra "l" in"chilll" and I'm glad they did. It belongs.)
Now I know my girlfriend wouldn't approve.
I didn't realize my girl was settin' me up
Yo, my girl didn't trust me. No! (Man, you can just feel the pain in his voice. That was cold, girl.)Yeah, but she lost control I wouln't take the bait.
I said chill baby baby chill baby baby wait (First of all, best line in the song. Just...awesome. But, also...did you really say that? Think about it. Think about the scenario. Then think of him dropping that exact line. Makes it even better.)
My girl bust in, Caught us creating a boom ("Creating a boom" is a phraseyou really don't hear enough.)
She said "Girlfriend"?

Things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm, hmm, hmm
Things that make you go hmm

Here's how it started
Just an example of how another brother can trample
Ruin your life, sleep with your wife (Dude, maybe your buddy's not the problem. I think it's your wife.)
Watch your behind
There was a friend of mine named Jay
Would come over late at night and say hey (Jay wasn't very articulate.)
I watched the fight. I thought it was alright.
'Cause me and Jay were really really tight (Wow. Those two lines might be the worst lyrics in music history. Horrible. Just horrible.)
So damned close we had the same blood type. (Yeah, you and several million other people. Minimum. If you're O+ or A+ then over 30% ofthe US population alone has the same blood type. Even if you have AB-, the most rare blood type, there are still at least 3 million matches in the US.)
Months went by and my wife got big (Can't say it in a more genteel way than that.)
We were havin' a child and I got another gig
So I let Jay move into the crib and chill (I think the damage is already done at this point anyway.)
He had his own room and helped pay the bills (I would hope he had his own room. Nice of him to help with the bills.)
The time had come (for the baby down to the scene)
It looked like Jay and I couldn't believe (OK, a)are you really going to be able to tell the baby looks like Jay in the delivery room? And b)assuming you could, is it really something that would make you go hmmmm? Seems more like something that would make you go apeshit.)
Before my eyes in the delivery room.

The things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm
The things that make you go hmm, hmm, hmm
The things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm
The things that make you go hmm.

Robbie Rob - break it down! (Always a good suggestion...)

Give it to me Give it to me Give it to me Give it to me (x7)
Give it to me Give it to me

Seventeen and I was havin' a ball
Eleventh grade and "Joe" I knew it all ("Joe I knew it all?" I'm not sure Lyrics World has that quite right. 17 year olds definitely think they know it all though. I agree with that part.)
I fell in love for the very first time
With this girl she really blew my mind
Inner sense and whole lotta class (Got to mean "innocence" here, no? Inner sense? That's crazy talk.)
Style that could give you whiplash (Oustanding)
We said hello and my heart beat stopped
She was the world and I was on top
Time went by, She filled my universe (Wait, so she's the world and you're the universe? I'm getting confused.)
We made love, She said I was the first
My boy kept tellin' me. Yo, I don't know
I think your girl's been playing tic tac toe (I bet Jay was involved.)
I'll ask my girl I know she only loves me
Wasn't I the one who took your viginity? (I love pop songs that rhyme "me" with "virginity.")The look on her face read sorrow and gloom
She said "Yeah, Why do you guys always ask that?" (That doesn't seem to rhyme but that's OK.)

(Chorus)
Things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm
It's the things that make you go hmm

(Repeat Chorus)

Hey ladies
Have you ever had a man
Go away for business, come back with a tan
Comes home late at night from work
You cooked him dinner now you feel like a jerk
Sayin' he didn't have time to eat
And he's not even hungry, he wants to be treat (What? "Wants to be treat?" Has to be another Lyrics World error.)
To the bedroom he said his head hurts
You're only makin' love in radical spurts (What's wrong with that?)
Mysterious calls and the phone goes click
You say to yourself "I'm gonna hit him with a brick" (In the words of Ron Burgandy, "Boy, that escalated quickly...")
Ain't no way he could be cheatin' on me
I wonder who bought him those BVD's (Really wish I had never read that line.)
Dressed to a T to hang with the fellas
Over the guys and I'm getting jealous
Comin' home late smellin' like perfume (fume)

(Repeat Chorus x7) (In retrospect, was that really necessary? Repeating the chorus 7 times? I say no.)

Things that make you go hmmm...

(Originally posted on 10 Cent Freeze Pops, 3/13/07)

Old S.I. Review (April 12, 1993)

For this edition of Old S.I. Review we go with an April, 1993 issue celebrating North Carolina's NCAA title over Michigan in the Chris Webber timeout game. As always, let's begin at the beginning...

Sign O' The Times

First indication we're looking at something from the early-90's? Within the first 5 pages we've already had appearances from Chris Sabo (with goggles), Vendela & Kathy Ireland. Strong start.

Letters

The first highlight from the Letters section is so good I'm just going to go ahead and transcribe the whole thing...

Air Ball?

Wait a minute! You finally give the Cleveland Cavaliers some overdue attention (Can The Cavs Finally Jam? March 15) and they come off as hayseeds from the set of Hee Haw. In Cleveland we love the Cavs as players and, more importantly, as upstanding citizens of our community. Lenny Wilkens will soon be the NBA's winningest coach, and Northeast Ohio knows him as the Knights of Columbus choice for Catholic of the Year. We respect Brad Daugherty for extolling the virtues of Cleveland and a college education on The Arsenio Hall Show. We love Mark Price for his all-out hustle, leadership and marksmenship on the court, and for the example he provides our young people at The Chapel in Akron. We relate to the blue-collar work ethic of Craig Ehlo and Hot Rod Williams's total unselfishness as our super sub, plus the toughness of all our role players - even Danny Ferry, with his continuing struggles.

You missed the hoop on this one. Air ball! The real story behind these Cavs is one of unspoiled and unselfish players who seem to like each other as people and as athletes. That cliche about family values really applies to this special team.

Lyle R. Pohly
Mogadore, Ohio

Wow. So many questions after reading that letter. Like, is that Brad Daugherty-Arsenio Hall footage up on youtube yet? What do you get for winning the Northeast Ohio Catholic of the Year award? And, finally, did Lyle really drop an "Air ball!" taunt in a letter to S.I.?

Moving on, two readers wrote in to comment on a recent article about Bulls GM Jerry Krause. One guy said he thanks Krause for every single Bulls victory and claims his accomplishments are underrated. The other guy calls him a mediocre GM and argues that the Bulls wouldn't be a .500 team without Jordan. You can decide which guy was more right in the final analysis.

Finally, Lawrence T. Stoogenke (great name) of Stamford, CT wrote in to question how Phoenix Suns fans could've left Walter Davis off of their 25th anniversary team. The starting 5, as voted by the fans, was Paul Westphal, Jeff Hornacek, Alvan Adams, Charles Barkley and Tom Chambers. I don't feel like doing a ton of research but that seems like a valid point. Davis is still the all-time leading scorer in Suns history I believe. I'd have ranked him and K.J. ahead of Hornacek.

Bring Back The Smythe

In the Scorecard section, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is praised for getting rid of the old division and conference names and replacing them with "more user-friendly" geographic ones. Screw that. I hated it then and I still hate it now. I'd much rather still have the Adams, Patrick, Norris and Smythe divisions. Not to mention the Wales and Campbell conferences. Who cares if the other way is more "user-friendly?"

Hatin' On Vinny

"Testaverde looks like a quarterback, acts like a quarterback, he even talks like a quarterback. But he's got the heart of a placekicker."
-quote from Tim McDonald in the Florida Times-Union after Vinny left Tampa to sign with Cleveland

Mike Tyson Report

What was Iron Mike up to in the spring of 1993, you ask? Well, he was in prison. And he was reportedly about to convert to Islam and change his name to Malik Abdul Aziz. Which, apparently, he did end up doing according to his Wiki page. Also, according to his Wiki page, Tyson has 7 children: Gena, Mikey, D'Amato, Rayna, Amir, Miguel and Exodus. Awesome.

UNC-Michigan Recap

The cover story by Alexander Wolff, on Carolina's victory over Michigan in the national title game, was focused more on Dean Smith's greatness than Chris Webber's timeout. The headlines and the pictures are on Webber. And there's an insert titled "I Cost Our Team the Game" all about it as well. But the main article was really focused much more on Smith and the Heels.

One thing that was kind of news to me is that Michigan led by 4 with about 4:00 left. I didn't remember that. I thought they were chasing most of the game. But the game was very back-and-forth according to the story. And Michigan actually had a double-digit lead at one point.

Couple good points, which Wolff mentions in the story, on the Webber/timeout stuff.....1)Webber almost definitely traveled before he even took the timeout. 2)UNC had a bunch of fouls to give so, even if he doesn't call that timeout, Michigan's going to have a hard time getting a shot away in the final 10 seconds.

Best part of the story? I nominate these lines...

There also abides in Smith much of the activist spirit that helped integrate lunch counters and campaigned for a nuclear freeze - the man who, like John Stuart Mill, believes that society is perfectible. The coach takes after the public man, and thus his teams are the product of constant refinement.

Gotta respect anyone that can work a John Stuart Mill reference into a game story.

Birth Of The Marlins

Some highlights from Tim Kurkjian's article on the first game in Florida Marlins history, a 6-3 win behind starter Charlie Hough over the Dodgers...

-First AB in Marlins history was Hough against Jose Offerman. Charlie fanned him on 3 pitches.

-From 1982-1989 only Jack Morris won more games in the majors than Hough which, having lived through the 80's, seems semi-impossible to me.

-As of the article, Hough was the only pitcher in major league history to throw at least 375 innings both as a starter and a reliever.

-Chuck Carr, described as "an accomplished breakdancer," claimed he would steal 100 bases and could play CF as well as Andy Van Slyke. So, basically, he was biting Willie Mays Hayes' routine 4 years after Majoe League came out. Didn't do as well as Willie either. Chuck stole 58 bases in '93 which was the only time in his career he cracked 32 steals.

-Pitcher Bob McClure wrote a book called Rotting: The Craze of the 90's. According to Bob the book's about "doing nothing, looking like you're doing nothing, but not feeling guilty about it." It's currently unavailable on Amazon....

http://www.amazon.com/Rotting-Craze-90s-Rott-McClure/dp/0533092094/ref=sr_1_1/103-7848951-2299816?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173150023&sr=8-1

There is one customer review though. From 1998.

-SS Alex Arias used to rub a "red-haired voodoo Trool Doll" for good luck.

More Expansion '93 Tidbits

-Based on the records of previous expansion teams S.I. predicted that neither the Marlins nor the Rockies would have a winning season until at least 2000. Both beat that prediction with ease. The Rockies had 3 winning seasons in a row starting in 1995, including a wild card appearance. And, of course, the Marlins won the World Series in 1997.

-A blurb on Mile High Stadium, the Rockies' home for the 1993 season, speculates on whether the altitude would create a big home-field advantage. No mention of the impact it would have on offensive numbers as a whole though.

Sounded Good At The Time

In an article about the NFL free agency season being marked by numerous big-money deals for O-linemen, comes this this quote from Colts GM Jim Irsay...

"It's been a land rush to get the linemen. But we've got a franchise quarterback in Jeff George, and we're determined to protect our investment."

A year later George was shipped to Atlanta.

Muggsy

Moving on, the next story is a 3-page profile on Muggsy Bogues which, among other things, features a sublime picture of Muggsy trying to set a screen on Bill Laimbeer. I also enjoyed these two quotes from the story...

"People always say we'll probably never see another Larry Bird. But I've always felt we a better chance of seeing another Larry Bird than we do another Muggsy Bogues. Nobody has ever done what Muggsy is doing. And you really don't get the full effect of Muggsy until you go up and stand next to him."
-Hornets coach Allan Bristow

(You can debate the Bird-Bogues stuff all you like. I'm just enjoying the phrase "full effect of Muggsy.")

"Will a midget really bother Patrick Ewing?"
-Former Hornets coach Dick Harter, speaking from his hands and knees, mocking Muggsy and explaining to reporters why he didn't use Muggsy to front Ewing in certain defensive sets.

(Sadly, to this day, I'm not sure we've ever adaquetly answered this question. It's one of life's great mysteries.)

Sounded Good at the Time, Part II

In a story about Rock Newman, manager of then-Heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe, Rock is quoted as saying...

"We're on a roll. The wind's at our back. Everything we've touched has turned to gold."

While the 3 Evander Holyfield fights would ultimately define his career, Bowe would lose the title to Holyfield in their second fight about 7 months after this quote.

Letdown

Biggest disappointment of the issue is probably the one-page "Sports People" story about Shawn Bradley going on his Mormon mission prior to joining the NBA. Surprisingly bereft of any interesting anecdotes. A close runner-up is a big feature story on the history of ceremonial first pitches in major league baseball. Pretty boring for the most part.

NBA Coach Predictions

Finally, let's wrap things up by seeing how successful S.I. was in predicting which NBA coaches had the best chances of getting fired in April of '93....

Most Likely To Go - Ron Rothstein, Pistons

(Rothstein was fired at the end of the '93 season)

On The Bubble - Rick Adelman, Trail Blazers; Bob Hill, Pacers; Randy Pfund, Lakers; Jerry Sloan, Jazz

(Adelman lasted one more year before he was fired. Bob Hill was fired at the end of the season. Randy Pfund lasted until the end of the next season, when he was replaced by Magic Johnson. Jerry Sloan is still coaching the Jazz and is currently the 4th winningest coach in NBA history.)

Resigned To New Roles - Don Nelson, Warriors; Wes Unseld, Bullets

(Nelson lasted two more years in Golden State before jumping to the Knicks. Wes lasted one more year in Washington before getting the axe.)

Safe (Maybe) - Fred Carter, 76ers; Garry St. Jean, Kings; Bob Weiss, Hawks

(Carter was canned at the end of the '94 season. St. Jean lasted until 1997 with the Kings. Weiss went the way of Rothstein, getting fired at the end of the '93 season.)

So, by and large, the predictions were pretty solid. Only big misfire was Jerry Sloan.

(Originally posted on 10 Cent Freeze Pops, 3/4/07)