Baseball’s annual general manager’s meetings are currently going on, and these meetings usually signal the beginning of the “hot stove league”, the period in the off-season that major league teams begin building their teams for the following season through free agent signings and trades. The first major trade of the meetings was announced yesterday, as the Florida Marlins dealt one of their young stars, 2nd baseman Dan Uggla, to the Atlanta Braves for infielder Omar Infante and pitcher Mike Dunn. For the Marlins, it was one of their classic money-dump moves, as Uggla is due for a huge contract and recently turned down an offer from them. Former Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez is now taking the helm as Bobby Cox’s replacement with the Braves, so the move makes total sense for them and vastly improves their lineup. Pitcher Cliff Lee is the hot free agent commodity this year, and his agents have already met with representatives of the Yankees and his current team, the Texas Rangers. I think the fact that the San Francisco Giants won the World Series this year, with a lineup of mostly low-cost players, may keep the big money from flowing in free agency this year like it usually does, as teams look at what they have on their roster, compare it to what the Giants accomplished, and decide to either go with their home-grown talent, or improve their teams with a timely trade or two. Lee and outfielder Carl Crawford should wind up with big paydays, but after them there won’t be any huge signings. Two other potential big name free agents are Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko, who would be attractive to a team looking for that one last big bat missing from their lineup. I don’t see either Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera leaving the Yankees. The 2 World Series teams have already made moves to save money, with the Giants choosing not to resign Edgar Renteria, and the Rangers declining next year’s option on Vlad Guerrero. Major League Baseball, like most other sports, is a copycat league, and with the big spenders like the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Dodgers and Phillies not having ultimate success this past year, this may be the year of teams staying the course with what they have in their own system, with pressure being put on managers to do what San Francsco’s Bruce Bochy did this past season – keep your team competitive, get hot at the right time and ride the wave to a title.
Classic Team Logo of The Day
There are a lot of unique team names and logos among baseball’s lower minor league levels, and the Brevard County Manatees of the Florida State League, featured in this logo, are one of them. The Manatees are the Single A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The franchise came into existence in 1994 and were tied to the Florida Marlins at that time. Some of the club’s alumni are Josh Beckett, World Series hero Edgar Renteria, Grady Sizemore, Ryan Braun, Randy Winn and Kevin Millar. When they were a Marlins’ minor league club, the Manatees’ mascot’s name was “Hugh”. Yes, sound it out. It’s pretty clever.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1963 Topps baseball card of former Dodgers’ pitcher Don Drysdale, who teamed with Sandy Koufax to give the Dodgers one of the top starting pitching tandems in baseball history. Drysdale broke in with the Dodgers in 1956, when they were still in Brooklyn, but had most of his success in Los Angeles in the 1960s. He was known for having a mean streak and brushing back hitters, and once owned the major league record for consecutive shutout innings pitched, 58, that was ultimately broken by another Dodger – Orel Hershiser. He won the Cy Young Award as baseball’s best pitcher in 1962, was a 9-time All Star, and played on 3 World Series winning teams with the Dodgers. After his playing days were over, Drysdale enjoyed a successful broadcasting career, not only on baseball telecasts but on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, and also on L.A. Rams football games, teaming with Dick Enberg. He grew up in California and one of his high school baseball teammates was actor Robert Redford. Also, in the Disney movie Herbie The Love Bug, Herbie’s car number was 53, in honor of Drysdale. The big righthander was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1984, and he died of a heart attack in 1993.
NHL – Sabres’ Resurgence
For the second straight time in HSBC Arena last night, the Buffalo Sabres gave their home fans something to cheer about. After Thomas Vanek’s highlight reel goal in overtime beat the Washington Capitals in the previous game, Tyler Myers swiped the puck and beat the goaltender with a quick shot to beat Vancouver, 4-3 on Monday. After an 0-6-1 start on home ice, Buffalo is finally starting to get their bearings at the Arena, and also overall. They’ve had to do it the hard way, as they’ve gone to overtime and/or shootouts in their last five starts. In those games they’ve collected 9 out of a possible 10 points in the standings, losing only to Martin Biron and the Rangers in OT. When a team is struggling to find its’ way, usually getting back on track doesn’t come easy, they have to battle their way out of it, and to their credit, the Sabres have. Myers, who was either totally lost or too busy reading his press clippings from last year early on, has turned his game completely around and become a force, both offensively and defensively, on this current streak. The team had to fight through the loss of goalie Ryan Miller to injury, but they not only did, they turned it into a positive, as Jhonas Enroth, after a shaky start, proved that he can be a viable option in goal if Miller needs rest later in the season. He’s already been sent back to Portland to continue getting playing time, but Enroth may get the call over Patrick Lalime later in the year when needed. One of the best things about the victory over Vancouver last night was that even after blowing a 2-goal lead in the third period, the Sabres didn’t fold, as they did in the playoffs against Boston last year under similar circumstances. They stormed out of the gate in the OT period and dominated play, and were rewarded with Myers’ winning goal. Vanek’s game has been great during this streak, and there’s no doubt this team needs him to be a factor if they are going to continue to climb in the standings. Derek Roy, whose scoring line for the playoffs last year was zeros across the board, seems determined to be a leader on the team this year. He has been the one consistent point producer for the team since the season began. The defense corps had its’ share of lapses early on, but the new players added on the blue line are getting more comfortable with each other and improving also. Jordan Leopold in particular looks like a great addition. He’s solid defensively and active on the offensive end, and should really help the team’s power play as the season plays out. The Sabres may have dug themselves into too deep of a hole to repeat last season’s division title but fans shouldn’t see that as a disappointment. The goal should be to make sure they qualify for the playoffs, and develop a team with the toughness and confidence to make a run in those playoffs. Part of that development is pulling together as a team to win close games, and the Sabres are beginning to do that.
Classic Team Logo of The Day
Here is an “alternate” logo of a long-time minor league hockey franchise, the Hershey Bears, who play in the American Hockey League. The Bears, currently affiliated with the NHL Washington Capitals, are the oldest franchise in the AHL, having existed since 1938. They have won 11 Calder Cup championships, signifying the AHL title, in their existence, including last season (2009-10). This logo is reminiscent of the team’s original logo, when they were actually known as the “Hershey B’ars”, after the candy bar, and it also incorporates the team’s color scheme of chocolate and white. Notable players in the franchise’s long history include Frank Mathers, Willie Marshall, Arnie Kullman, Mike Nykoluk, Tim Tookey and Don Cherry.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
1959 Topps hockey card of defenseman Harry Howell, known for his longevity as his pro hockey career spanned 25 seasons. Howell played 17 of those seasons with the New York Rangers, gaining a reputation as a steady, “stay-at-home” style of defenseman. He was a seven time NHL All Star, and was elected to hockey’s Hall of Fame in 1979. Howell won the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s best defenseman, in 1967, the last year of play for the league’s “original six”, before 6 expansion teams were added. Howell also coached briefly with the Minnesota North Stars, and in 1990, finally won the Stanley Cup ring that had eluded him his entire playing career, while serving as a scout for the Edmonton Oilers.
NFL – Bills Game Review
It’s always an adventure with the Buffalo Bills, but they did hang on to win their first game of the season on Sunday, beating the Detroit Lions, 14-12, in a game that was much more entertaining than the low final score would indicate. The win was a long time coming and has to be a huge relief in the locker room, even if it was against a team playing a backup quarterback that has now lost an NFL record 25 consecutive games on the road. Coach Chan Gailey, after the game, made it a point to mention how enthusiastic the crowd was, how they helped the team hold on and get the win, and how they continue to support the team despite the mounting losses this year. I believe that the fans have mostly stuck with the Bills this year because they have played entertaining football even in their losses, and the fans will support the team as long as they see that they are getting an honest effort.
On Sunday, the Bills’ offense played a pretty good game but had trouble finishing drives. The running game had its’ best outing of the year, as Fred Jackson rushed for 135 yards, had 170 total yards, and scored both Buffalo touchdowns. Ryan Fitzpatrick managed the game well, for the most part extending drives long enough to keep his team in favorable field position even if they had trouble putting points on the board. He connected with Lee Evans and Stevie Johnson on a couple deep passes, but also, as has been the case in almost every game this year, missed open receivers on plays where he took shots downfield.
The defense played an inspired game, as they again showed improvement in both stopping the run and getting off the field on third down. Kyle Williams continued to play at a Pro Bowl level on the defensive line, and Chris Kelsay, who seems to be playing more and more in his old familiar three-point stance along the line rather than at outside linebacker, played his best game of the year. Dwan Edwards led the team in tackles and had an interception also. On the negative side, whatever defense the coaches called that had LB Paul Posluszny attempting to cover Calvin Johnson on the Lions’ touchdown at the end of the game was a mistake. At that point, with the clock running down and Detroit out of timeouts, priority one for the defense should have been to keep everything in front of them and make sure to tackle whoever wound up with the ball short of the goal line. Instead, they left one of the NFL’s best receivers all alone, with Posluszny frantically chasing him, to haul in what could have been a tying touchdown. To their credit, the defense stopped the two-point conversion try to preserve the win.
Hopefully the Bills can build on the win, continue to improve each week and win a few more games this season. They have at least shown the ability to compete each week with whatever opponent they face.
Classic Team Logo of The Day
This is the original logo of the National Football League’s Seattle Seahawks, used from their inaugural season as an expansion team in 1976 until 2001. The Seahawks have the distinction of being born as a National Conference team playing in the NFC West division, then being switched to the American Conference’s AFC West division after one year, only to be moved back to the NFC West division when the league realigned in 2002. Some notable players from the team’s history include Curt Warner (the running back), Steve Largent, Ricky Watters, Shaun Alexander, Cortez Kennedy, the infamous Brian Bosworth and quarterbacks Jim Zorn, Dave Krieg and Warren Moon.
Classic Sports Card of The Day
We have featured, in past posts, the football cards of former Monday Night Football analysts, including Frank Gifford, Don Meredith and Dan Dierdorf. With another MNF game coming up tonight, here is the 1966 Philadelphia card of former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, who also worked on the Monday Night telecasts. Karras had an outstanding NFL career with the Lions, and despite being suspended for the entire 1963 season, along with Paul Hornung, for gambling, was a 4-time Pro Bowler who was also elected to the All Decade team for the 1960s. While he was still playing, Karras had a lead role in the movie Paper Lion, the story of writer George Plimpton’s short-lived attempt to try out with the Lions, which led to him going into acting after his football days were over. He worked on MNF alongside Gifford and Howard Cosell for 3 seasons, and was successful as a television actor, in the series Webster, and in movies, most notably Victor/Victoria and Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles.
The Bob Kalsu Story
Yesterday was Veterans’ Day, a day when all the brave men and women who have served our great country are honored with a day of remembrance. Over the years there have been lots of stories of professional athletes who served bravely in combat during their youth, including legendary football coach Tom Landry, baseball star Ted Williams, football’s last 60 minute man – Chuck Bednarik, Steelers’ running back Rocky Bleier and recently, Cardinals’ safety Pat Tillman, who walked away from his big NFL contract to enlist in the Army after 9/11, then paid the ultimate price for that service, dying in what turned out to be a friendly fire accident in Afghanistan. One other athlete, who wasn’t a big name, was the only pro football player to be killed in action in Vietnam. That player was Bob Kalsu, an offensive lineman out of Oklahoma who appeared to have a bright future in the pros with the Buffalo Bills when he was called to duty. Kalsu had earned a spot in the starting lineup with the Bills in 1968, and was named the team’s Rookie of The Year. Following that season, Kalsu, in order to satisfy his ROTC obligation, entered the Army as a Second Lieutenant and arrived in Vietnam in November 1969 as part of the 101st Airborne Division. He was killed in action on July 21, 1970 when his unit came under enemy mortar fire at FSB Ripcord near the A Shau Valley. According to Thomas Militello, who was there the day Kalsu died, “he was killed trying to save the lives of his friends. He was a real hero.” His plight remained pretty anonymous for years, but in July 2001, Sports Illustrated printed an article bringing his courageous story to light. In 1999, NFL Films produced a feature story on Kalsu that won an Emmy, and a year later the Bills honored Kalsu by adding his name to their “Wall of Fame”. Kalsu’s story is a reminder that in this country’s history, people from all backgrounds, and all walks of life, have paid the ultimate price so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have. Kalsu only played one year for the Bills so his presence on the team’s Wall isn’t for his playing accomplishments, but the fact that 70,000+ fans can enjoy a Sunday afternoon cheering for their team, while living in a free country where all things are possible, is a direct result of the sacrifice he made. His may be the most deserving name to be honored on that wall.
Western New York servicemen stationed at FOB Kalsu in Iraq.