Tiger's back, and it all makes sense
by ZombieMonta on Mar 16, 2010 2:01 PM EDT
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It was almost 15 years ago today, on March 18, 1995, that Michael Jordan announced that he was returning to the NBA with a two-word statement that simply read: "I'm back." Jordan, who had been retired since the end of the 1993 season, suited up for the Bulls that Sunday in a nationally-televised contest against the Indiana Pacers on NBC's Game of the Week. That game remains the most watched regular season game in the history of the NBA.
How fitting is it then that Tiger Woods announced his return to his sport on almost the same day Jordan did? Is it a coincidence? Maybe (probably). But Woods is the only athlete in the last twenty or so years who you can even compare to Michael Jordan. Who else but Woods and Jordan have single-handedly carried their respected sports to the degree that they have? When LeBron James took his Cavaliers to the finals against the Spurs, the ratings for the games were three times lower than the ratings Jordan's Bulls got in the '98 championship. Similarly, the total purse money given out at PGA tour events is more than three times higher than it was before Tiger joined up in 1996. Without Jordan and without Woods, the NBA and PGA just haven't been the same, and no matter what you think of Woods, the game of golf is better with him on the tee range than it is with him in a sex clinic.
When Woods arrives at Augusta National on the first week of April, the atmosphere and coverage there will be something out of this world. And if you don't think that that played into Woods' decision-making, then you must not know Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. After retiring from minor league baseball, Jordan could've picked any time to come back to the Chicago Bulls. It wasn't a coincidence that he came back on a game airing on NBC, back when NBC was the most-watched network in the country. It isn't a coincidence that Woods is coming back at the Masters, the biggest and most highly-covered golf tournament in the country, which also happens to draw the highest ratings. It certainly wasn't a coincidence that his first press conference since the car crash happened during the Accenture golf tournament, a decision everyone saw as a jab to the company that had dropped him as a sponsor that December.
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Today in Sports History: March 16th
by ZombieMonta on Mar 16, 2010 12:53 PM EDT
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3/16/2003 - Ricky Davis goes for a triple-double
The Cavaliers were seconds away from a 27-point victory over the Utah Jazz when Ricky Davis committed basketball sacrilege. Davis, with 26 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds, was well aware that he was a board away from his first career triple-double. Jumaine Jones inbounded the ball to Davis near the Jazz basket, where he was supposed to run out the clock. Ricky instead lobbed a gentle flip off the backboard, which was his attempt at a shot, and collected the ball, his attempt at a rebound. Seeing what he was doing, Utah's DeShawn Stevenson fouled Davis hard in retaliation.
"I have nothing against Ricky," Stevenson said. "But for someone to go out there and do that is not right. I'm not going to let that happen."
"[Ricky] was trying to embarrass us, and that's not how the game should be played," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "This is not schoolyard basketball. Let him try to get it when the game means something. I was proud of DeShawn and I would have knocked him down harder. They can put me in jail for saying that, but that's the way it is."
Most agreed with Sloan's sentiments. Shooting at the other team's basket to pad his rebounding stats drew cries for a suspension (Davis was later fined an undisclosed amount). Fortunately, NBA rules safeguarded such a maneuver. Davis was not credited with a 10th rebound and triple-double because a rebound can only come from a legitimate shot at the hoop, which Davis' certainly wasn't.
An interesting side note is that the Associated Press actually got the story wrong. The ESPN recap of the game says that, "After Utah's Scott Padgett scored with six seconds left, Davis took an inbounds pass and was ready to attempt a shot at the wrong basket to get his 10th rebound. DeShawn Stevenson wrapped his arms around Davis before the attempt and was whistled for a foul. Davis made two free throws to complete the scoring."
However, anyone who watched the game could tell you that that's not what happened. Davis got his shot off before Stevenson fouled him. The AP made it sound like Stevenson prevented the triple double, when in reality it was the NBA rulebook that prevented it.
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Today in Sports History: March 14th
by ZombieMonta on Mar 14, 2010 9:48 PM EDT
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3/14/2007 - Suns and Mavs play 2OT thriller
There was a lot of hype when the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks met in March of 2007. No two teams as good (record-wise) had played each other 60 games into the season in 37 years. Plus, the Suns and Mavs had faced each other in the postseason the previous two years, and it was a face-off between Steve Nash and ex-teammate Dirk Nowitzki -- the reigning MVP and player who would win it from him.
What followed was easily one of the greatest regular season games of all time. It shouldn't have come as a surprise; the two teams had combined for five separate ten-game winning streaks, and were two of the most exciting teams in the league to watch. Dallas was coming off a blowout in Golden State, where their 17-game winning streak was snapped (a prelude of things to come), while the Suns looked to gain ground in the conference standings.
In a game that the Suns led by 16 and the Mavericks led by 17, the game managed to equal itself out in regulation. The game went to two overtimes before the Suns finally clinched it, with a phenomenal 129-127 win. The Mavericks had a seven point lead and the ball with 1:14 left in the 4th quarter, but Steve Nash rose to the occasion, scoring ten points in less than sixty seconds, including the game-tying three-pointer, to knot it up at 111. Nash entered the final period with a mediocre 14 points and 9 assists, but the like great player he was, he finished with 32 points, 16 assists and 8 rebounds. Nowitzki had a great game as well, but he left the door open by missing two enormous free throws during that minute.
Amare Stoudemire was sensational, scoring a game-high 41 points while being more or less unstoppable down low (16-19 shooting). Of Dallas' 127 points, 109 of them came from Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, and Jason Terry -- who hit a game-tying three to send the game to double overtime. Dallas' Erick Dampier became just the third player to ever record double-digit rebounds without a single one coming on the defensive end. The Suns were essentially a two-man show down the stretch, with Nash and Stoudemire scoring 28 straight points at one point.
In the end, Dallas still finished with the best record in the NBA while Nowitzki, and not Nash, would win the MVP.
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Today in Sports History: March 13th
by ZombieMonta on Mar 14, 2010 9:44 PM EDT
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3/13/1930 - Robbie ball switched for fruit
At spring training, Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson attempts to best a cult accomplishment. In 1908, Gabby Street caught a baseball that was thrown to him from the top of the Washington Monument -- more than 500 feet from the ground. Robinson insisted that it was no big deal, and when his players asked him to back up his words, he ordered an airplane to deliver him a pitch from about the same height.
As the 51 year-old waited for the ball to arrive, Ruth Law, the plane's pilot, dropped a grapefruit instead of a baseball. She later said she had forgotten to bring a baseball, though it was always suspected that Brooklyn teammate Casey Stengel had made the switch. As the orb reached the Brookyln skipper, the fruit's red pulp splattered all over the former catcher, who believed that he had been drenched in blood. "Jesus, I'm killed!" he screamed. "I'm dead! My chest's split open! I'm covered with blood!"
He was fine, though his teammates were doubled over in laughter.
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Merlin Olsen, a former football star who made the crossover into acting, died yesterday at the age of 69. Along with playing football, Olsen was also the lead color commentator for NBC for more than a decade and called such games as "The Drive Game."
New York Times Obit: Merlin Olsen, Football Star, Commentator and Actor, Dies at 69
4 days ago
ZombieMonta
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Today in Sports History: March 12th
by ZombieMonta on Mar 12, 2010 2:52 PM EST
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(Abdul-Rauf in front of the US flag. Photo courtesy of the AP)
3/12/1996 - Mahmoud suspended for anthem absences
America is a nation that prides itself on having freedom of speech, but it often recoils when that freedom is used in an alien or unfamiliar way (i.e, the Dixie Chicks). Former NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf found that out in 1996. Born as Chris Jackson, Mahmoud embraced Islam shortly after being drafted by the Denver Nuggets. He quickly earned a reputation as one of the league's best shooters and finished his career as a 90% foul shooter, even though suffered from Tourette's Syndrome.
But there were some things the fans didn't appreciate that he did on the court, mainly his decision to stay in the locker room during the Star-Spangled Banner. Fans started to take notice and with the help of Denver talk shows the issue turned into a nation-wide commotion. The NBA, who had allowed Mahmoud to do as he pleased, caved under the pressure and asked him to appear during the anthem.
Abdul-Rauf refused, citing that it conflicted with his Muslim beliefs to worship the American flag. "It's also a symbol of oppression, of tyranny," Mahmoud said, "so it depends on how you look at it. I think this country has a long history of that. If you look at history, I don't think you can argue the facts." Various Muslims disputed Mahmoud's claims that it violated the Qur'an, including Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon. Player reaction was mixed, although polls even conducted in Denver showed that fans were fervently against his stance. Nevertheless, Mahmoud remained adamant in his decision.
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Today in Sports History: March 11th
by ZombieMonta on Mar 11, 2010 12:14 PM EST
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3/11/2002 - Robbed by Rivera
It was on this day in 2002 that the New York Yankees released Ruben Rivera from his contract. Ruben, the younger cousin of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, was a major prospect who never quite panned out. After eight years in the big leagues, he finished his career with a lifetime batting average of just .216.
You may be wondering what's so interesting about a so-so baseball player getting the axe. As it turned out, Rivera was released because he had stolen the glove and bat of Yankees star Derek Jeter and sold them to a memorabilia store for $2,500. The Yankees confronted him when they found out, and Rivera was able to give Jeter back his equipment. It mattered not and the Yankees bought out his $1 million contract, leaving him with just a $200,000 settlement.
"Everyone makes mistakes. I haven't killed anybody," River said. "It was just a moment when I wasn't thinking right. I've repented. I gave it all back to him the next day. It wasn't correct what I was doing."
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Jones isn't the first sprinter to dabble in basketball
by ZombieMonta on Mar 10, 2010 1:49 PM EST
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(Tulsa Shock President Steve Swetoha, new player Marion Jones, and Head Coach Nolan Richardson as the Tulsa Shock announce the signing of former Olympian Marion Jones. Photo by Rich Crimi, Getty Images)
In an unlikely side-story in the career of Marion Jones, the woman who was once the most recognized female sprinter in the nation has signed on with the Tulsa Shock of the WNBA. Jones, 34, was the starting point guard on the North Carolina basketball team that a won a national championship in 1994. Jones won five medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, including three gold. She was later stripped of all her medals after admitting that she had taken performance-enhancing drugs and also spent a half-year in prison for lying in a court of law.
Although Marion hasn't played basketball in about 15 years, she is easily the highest-profiled woman to join the WNBA over the last ten years.
Jones is not the first sprinter to make a crossover into other sports. Back in the day, when the NFL and NBA drafts went more than 15 rounds, it wasn't unheard of for teams to draft Olympics sprinters in the quixotic hope of them joining the team. In 1984, for instance, Carl Lewis was drafted by both the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL and the Chicago Bulls of the NBA (Lewis, of course, wasn't interested in playing with either, and signed with neither of them). Even now, people talk about what it would be like if Usain Bolt -- the world's fastest man -- were to play in the NFL.
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