Catching Up With Mark Champion

Mark Champion, the current radio play-by-play announcer for the Detroit Pistons, is fondly-remembered locally as the radio voice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1979-1988. Since leaving Tampa in 1989, Champion has served in the same capacity for the Detroit Lions from 1989-2004, the Detroit Pistons from 1992-1996, then rejoined the Pistons in 2001. He recently took some time prior to a Pistons-Magic game in Orlando to reflect on his time in Tampa and the special relationship he formed with Buccaneer head coach John McKay.

Q. How did you end up getting the job with the Bucs?
A. For the first two years, they had the former announcer for the Green Bay Packers, a guy named Ray Scott, who was legendary. In 1978, Dick Crippen did it for half the season, and I don't know exactly what happened. The guy who owned the broadcast rights -- Jim Gallogly -- did the other half of the season. The next year, CBS got the rights and they hired me.
I had actually auditioned for the job in 1978, but did not get it. For my audition tape, I went up to a spare booth in Tampa Stadium during a pre-season game. A buddy of mine helped me out because I didn't have any football tapes at that point. So that's what I used to get the job. By 1979, they knew who I was and had a good relationship Bob Best and Rick Odioso in the media relations department. That's kind of how I got it.
Q. So you got the job just in time for the most exciting season in team history to that point.
A. Yeah, unbelievable. First season out I thought, "Wow. This is pretty good." Of course, Doug Williams was our quarterback. We knocked off Philadelphia to get to the NFC championship game. It was exciting and a lot of fun.
Q. Did you know early on that the Bucs were going to have a season like that?
A. No, I don't think going into the season anyone really knew. Doug came to us in 1978, and we knew he was a good athlete, but we didn't know if he could lead the team. If you look at his stats, he only completed about 47% of his passes, but he made big plays, huge plays to win games. And the defense, we had the number one defense in the league that year. I don't think anybody realized how good our defense was, and that's really how we got to the championship. That particular team was pretty awesome.
Q. What is your fondest memory from that season?
A. Well that Kansas City game was the one that was just a monsoon. I remember the rain cascading down the steps of the old Sombrero. We could have played eight quarters and nobody would have scored a touchdown in that game. I just remember big plays that Doug made that season.
There was one he made a few years later, though, that really stands out. We were playing the Chicago Bears at home during the last week of the '82 season. We had the ball around the Chicago 10-yard line. Doug got sacked and fumbled the ball. Steve McMichael, a defensive lineman for the Bears, picked it up and he had such a head start -- I swear it must have been a 50-yard head start -- and Doug Williams caught up with him and tackled him before he could score. They did not get a touchdown, had to settle for a field goal, and we ended up winning that game by three points. That kind of play stands out when I think about Doug's athleticism.
Q. What kind of relationship did you have with John McKay?
A. We got to be really close. In fact, my best buddy all the years I lived there was his son-in-law, a guy named Bob Florio. I did a TV show in 1979 with McKay, got to know the family, and it got to a point where my family would go over to his house there on Bayshore around Christmas time or for the Gasparilla parade. I loved John. I know he had a rough edge to him with the media, but if you really knew him he was one of the funniest guys. If you were loyal to him, he was loyal to you. We got along great. Now he's gone, his wife Corky is gone, and she was such a great person, and I remember when Richie was just a snotty-nosed high school quarterback at Jesuit. It's amazing how time flies.
Q. Is there a personal or professional story you'd like to relate about John McKay?
A. Off the top of my head, there was a period of time where he really got into it with Tom McEwen. I don't remember what the issue was, but I was over at his house one night after a game. He was talking about the whole thing with McEwen, and he came to me and said, "Marky, I need your help. Are you with me?"
I said, "Coach, I'm always with you, but you can't win that battle. He's always got the last word on you." That was the kind of open and honest relationship we had.
Q. Going back to Doug Williams for a minute, when you look back on how the team's fortunes changed after he left, do you think it all goes back to that move or where there other factors that contributed to the slide?
A. Well, I think it had a lot to do with it. He was our guy, and when he left, it was like cutting the heart out of the team. You know, back then the league was a little bit different. Today, teams spend their money and are all fairly competitive. Back then it was kind of different, plus you had the USFL coming along. Whatever the issue, I know Coach McKay definitely didn't want Doug to go, but it was a thing between Doug and Mr. Culverhouse that didn't work out. That just ruined the team.
Then after McKay left, Leeman Bennett came in and we had back-to-back 2-14 seasons that were just horrific. No question when Doug left it cut the heart out of the team, and Dougie was such a great guy, too.
Q. How was your relationship with McKay's successors, Bennett and Ray Perkins?
A. Good, good. Leeman was a terrific, really nice guy. He had been out of football running an RV dealership in Atlanta or something, and Mr. C. just kind of talked him back into coaching. You could just see it -- and I hate to say it -- but he had a terrible coaching staff. The team had no identity. It was just a bad situation, but it's kind of interesting because at quarterback we had Steve Young.
I felt bad for Steve. We went up and played Green Bay in 1985 and it was just awful. The worst weather I'd ever seen. In fact, it was that game where they ended up using footage for that Alka-Seltzer commercial. We had like 60 yards of offense that day, Steve got drilled play after play, and Lynn Dickey threw for over 300 yards in a blizzard for Green Bay.
I was only with Ray for two years. He could be ... his personality was a little different than Leeman's, let's put it that way. I got along with him fine for what I had to do though.
Q. What led to you leave Tampa in 1989 for a job with the Detroit Lions?
A. The Lions had been on WJR, which at the time was the top station in Detroit. They lost the rights to CBS, and the guy who had been doing the games did not want to leave WJR. He had a very good financial situation that they could not match at WWJ. So they were looking for somebody. I had moved over to Q105 for the 1987 and 1988 seasons, and prior to that I had been at WSUN, a CBS station. The general manager put in a good word for me up there.

They had just hired Wayne Fontes as the head coach, and we were close friends from the time he spent on John's staff. I'd gotten to know their media relations staff over the years as well, so it was a combination of all those things that led to a better job opportunity. Not just financially, but within a year or two I was also doing Pistons basketball.
Q. It so happened that 1989 was the rookie year for Barry Sanders.
A. Yeah, we came to Detroit at the same time. I was fortunate enough to call every run he ever made, which was just amazing. It's neat to know that you've done that with someone like Barry, a Hall-of-Famer, and I really feel the same way about Lee Roy Selmon. I didn't call all of his games, but I called a majority of them. It's kind of special to know you broadcast games for Hall of Fame players, and Lee Roy was such a great guy. Just a prince of a guy.
Q. You're also well-known for being the voice-over in the post-Super Bowl Disney World commercials. How did that role come about for you?
A. Phil Lengyel, who was the head of marketing for Disney in the mid-1980s, went to school with me at Ball State University. He called me up, said we have this marketing idea, and would I be interested in voicing it. I said, "Absolutely." That's how it started. The first one we did was with Phil Simms after Super Bowl XXI. In fact, I just talked to my guy at Disney because we have the 25th anniversary coming up, so they're going to be doing something special for it.

Catching Up With Larry Hirsch

Larry Hirsch, whose voice is familiar to anyone who followed the Lightning in the 1990s, handled radio broadcast duties for the team from 1993-1999. His signature "Yes, sir!" calls for goals captured the imagination of Lightning fans during the team's playoff run during the 1995-96 season. Hirsch recently took some time to reflect on his years with the club and set the record straight on the circumstances of his dismissal from the Lightning.

Q. One of the reasons Lighting fans connected with you was because of your enthusiasm, particularly in your description of fights. Can you talk about why those calls became so memorable?
A. The fighting element has always been part of the game of hockey. Where some people frown upon that, I've never looked at fighting in the game as something that was bad. I thought it was something that was part of the game because of the way it is played.
I'll give you a great example with the Lightning. The Lightning had a player by the name of Rudy Poeschek. Rudy was their first folk hero. He was a tough guy, but he was a great guy, too. Rudy took it upon himself to stand up for his teammates. He would take on all comers, and he won most, if not all of his fights.
Well, his fights became -- and I guess my calls of his fights became so popular -- that his agent called me up one day and asked if I could send him a montage of his fights. No problem. The great ending to that story is the three of us met after an exhibition game after I had sent him the tapes. I looked at Rudy and said, "Well Rudy, I guess I made you popular, huh?" He looked at me and said, "No, Larry, I think it worked the other way!"
I think what really turned it here was a fight one night in 1993 against the Florida Panthers. Rudy was involved in that against a guy named Paul Laus. I did my best Howard Cosell, "And down goes Laus!" People loved it.
The calls of the fights were always part of a promise that I made to the fans before every game that I'm going to put you in Row A, Seat 1, just like you were there. The wonderful thing about radio is that you can't see what's going on, but you can visualize it if it is laid out that way for you. I tried to let you know everything that was going on, so that when two guys squared off, I'd say, "The gloves are off, Poeschek is on your left, Laus is on your right," and everything that happened, I would just tell you like you were there.
Q. The 1996 playoffs were really when your calls started to take on a life of their own. Talk about what made that series so memorable.
A. What made that series so intense was that the Philadelphia Flyers were one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, or to at least come out of the East. The Lightning turned things around after getting clobbered in Game 1, 7-3. In Game 2, the Lightning beat the Flyers 2-1 in sudden death. They scored a goal late in the game, and actually, that was the game Darren Puppa hurt his back. The Flyers had a power play early in overtime, and Puppa just stood on his ear. There were scrambles, you know the way the Flyers would go to the net to upset the goaltender, pound him and so forth. I think that's where Darren suffered his eventual debilitating back injury. Well, the Lightning were able to survive the power play, and then Brian Bellows went up the ice and scored the winner. That shocked everybody. The Flyers were more or less expected to sweep the Lightning.
Q. Talk about the role your wife played in making predictions during that series. That started in Game 2, right?
A. Well, my wife would call me to ask if I was doing alright. She'd say, "Larry, you're just going crazy tonight, are you okay?" This was before overtime started, and she said "Don't worry about it, I have a really strong feeling the Lightning are going to win this game." So, sure enough they win the game. We go back to the ThunderDome for the next one. If you remember that game, the Lightning were down a couple of goals in the 3rd period. Rob Zamuner got one, and then with a few minutes left the Lightning were pressing, and Brian Bellows got one in off a rebound to tie things up with under two minutes left. The crowd's going bananas, I'm going bananas, the "Chief" Bobby Taylor is going bananas. I mean, I'm really huffing and puffing. There's like 200 pounds of adrenaline going through my body.

During the overtime break, "Chief" is doing an interview and I go to sit down. I'm sweating, I'm breathing hard, drinking some water, and my wife sees me and asks if I'm alright. I say, "Yeah, I'm just trying to calm down here." She says, "Larry, just between you and me I've got that strange feeling again." I looked at her and said, "No, Susan, let's just quit while we're ahead here."
She said, "No, Larry I'm telling you right now the Lightning are winning this game. Not only that, but Selivanov is scoring the goal."
I get back on the air, and I related the story to "Chief." I said that she told me the other night when I spoke to her before overtime that the Lightning were going to win the game. So I said to him, "Chief, she's part Gypsy, so I have to listen to her. Not only did she say the Lightning are going to win, she even gave me the goal scorer: Alex Selivanov."
Well the "Chief" says, "Larry, if that comes true you ought to take her to Vegas."
Sure enough, overtime begins, and Bill Houlder -- I'll never forget it -- he held the puck above the right circle, he let a shot go, there was a save, and there's Alexander Selivanov. He just ripped the rebound in and I went nuts. "Yes sir, yes sir, yes sir! Selivanov, Selivanov!" Then I ended the call by saying, "I'm taking my wife to Vegas!" We replayed the scenario after the game, after everything had calmed down, and the press here picked up on it. News stations literally came down to our house, but they didn't want to interview me, they wanted to interview my wife! The wanted lottery numbers, whatever. I'll tell you, here is the great ending to that story.
Everyone wanted to know what was going to happen in the next game. So I said, "Susan, we've played this out. Let's not do this anymore, let's quit while we're ahead. No predictions, no nothing, we'll just keep it amongst ourselves."
She said that she had a feeling, and what she would do is write a player's name on a piece of paper, put it in a bag, and place it inside my jacket pocket for that game. Anyway, the next game was a bummer, the Lightning lost, it was terrible. The Lightning scored only one goal in that game, a 4-1 loss. The next morning at home, I'm cleaning out the jacket I had worn the night before and I took out the bag. I opened up the piece of paper, and I like I said the Lightning only scored one goal that night. The goal scorer was Petr Klima. The name on the paper? Peter Klima. I've sort of been marching two steps behind my wife ever since.
Q. So did you eventually take your wife to Las Vegas?
A. Yes, and we won!
Q. How far do you think that Lightning team could have gone if Puppa hadn't gotten hurt?
A. I agree with Phil Esposito, who said that it would have gone to seven games. In a seventh game, you never know. The way Puppa was playing, when you have a hot goaltender, you can go a long way. Even though he got whacked in that first game, the way he played in Game 2 was just incredible. Absolutely incredible. I think if he would have remained in net, the series would have gone to seven games. I think the Lightning had a great chance of advancing with a healthy Darren Puppa.
Q. To what do you attribute the drop-off that followed in the next few seasons?
A. What you can say in general is that the team entered a period of instability and unrest. Number one, the Japanese owners wanted to sell the team and were actively pursuing a buyer. Number two, Terry Crisp was fired. Instability. When Crisp left, here comes Jacques Demers and a whole new scenario. It took time for Demers to do what he wanted to do, and that's when they got Vinny Lecavalier, and then Art Williams came along and called him the "Michael Jordan of hockey."

Art didn't know anything about hockey, the guy who was the team president (Billy McGehee) didn't know anything about hockey, it became a very, very tough situation. There was such instability. There were new players coming in and out, and when Art came in, that first year was horrendous. Absolutely, positively horrendous. It was a combination of those perfect storms unfortunately that led to the downfall of those years.
Q. The stories about Art Williams are legendary, but could you have ever imagined that his season as owner would be so disruptive?
A. The problem with Art was that he wanted to be part of the process, sort of hands-on, but he had a guy at president whose experience running clubs basically came down to his experience in Arena Football and didn't know anything about hockey. We sort of had to sit on the side here, and that was the time when they fired me. McGee said he wanted to renew my contract, and the next thing I know, he calls me up after speaking to my lawyer and says they're not re-hiring me. This was before the 1998-99 season started, and literally, the town of Tampa saved my job. It was four days of hell. I never went to sleep, I was left out in the cold. I had a family to support, everything like that. Fortunately,after talking to a number of people in the community during that time, Art listened and we had a meeting. Not only did he bring me back, he gave me a big raise, and knew that I would be an integral part of the organization in terms of what I had to do. But really, when Art came in and bought the club from the Japanese, that's when the real trouble there started for me.

Q. What was the turning point during Art Williams' tenure as owner of the Lightning where you began to wonder about your place in the organization?
A. During that year, there was a thing that happened with me. The Lightning were on a losing-streak, had lost 11 of 14 games. It was depressing. There were rumors about Art becoming disenchanted and so forth. We went to play a game up in Washington. Billy McGehee was with us for that trip and he ended up in my broadcast booth that night. The Lightning scored the first goal in that game. The Capitals scored eight goals in the second period and won 10-1. If it wasn't the low, it was one of the lowest times of that year. I went back to my hotel room and I said to myself, "We've got to do something here." I went to bed, and then I woke up very early in the morning with a great idea.
We would be playing Philadelphia in a couple of weeks. I went to Billy McGehee and told him I had an idea. The season was really bad, I said, we're not getting any better, we have a lot of injuries, it was just horrible, and morale around the office was terrible. Why don't we take the next two weeks, I told him, and use the next several games as a lead up to the game against Philadelphia at the Ice Palace. Let's recreate that playoff feeling, and have one game where we can sell out the place. Really build up the Flyer game, and for once, show Art what this thing can be.
Billy said, "Terrific, Larry. That's a great idea. We're having a staff meeting when we get back. Why don't you present this?"
I told him, "Wait a minute. Hold on, Billy. I'm giving you the idea. You're the public relations guy. You come up with all these great ideas. You do it. You're the team president, you delegate it. I'll help you in any way I possibly can radio-wise, promotion-wise and everything like that."
He said, "No, Larry. You do it. I can't do it with the enthusiasm you do."
I said, "Billy, I'd rather not do it because I'm just the radio guy."
The last thing he said was "don't worry about it." Reluctantly, I agreed. I walked into that meeting. Billy sees me in the back of the room and introduces me. I go up and I made a terrible mistake. I said, "Look. Times are tough here, the team is struggling, and we're having a hard time selling tickets. It's kind of like having four flat tires stuck in the mud. We're not going anywhere."
Then I started to talk about the Flyer game. Jacques Demers became very distressed, very upset. The entire coaching staff was there and then they walked out. From there, the whole meeting blew up. It was then that I realized maybe Billy was making me the scapegoat here. I went up to Billy later that day and handed him my resignation. I told him, "This is the last time you're going to **** with me. You're not going to do this to me. I'm insulted, I feel bad, and I really tried to do something here to bring light to a very bad season here. I hear Art may be selling the club, and what did you do? You made a fool out of me."
The players, the coaches would not talk to me because the coaches were so-called "insulted." I could not do any interviews with players. All of a sudden I went from being a really nice guy that you'd go up to and laugh with to being the Devil. I felt really bad. I went on the air to apologize. Not that anybody told me to, but I did it because it came out in the papers. It was horrible.
To make a long story short, they sold out that Flyer game because they did what I told them. They sold it out and the Lightning won that night. It was an unbelievable night, as if the 1996 playoffs were being recreated. The Lightning had a horrible team. The Flyers should have killed them. I went nuts that night on the radio, and after the game, the players heard some of it. I went down to the locker room, the goalkeeper for the Lightning, Corey Schwab, calls me over. He says to me, "Larry, I heard what happened. There was nothing between the players and you. We were told by management, blah, blah blah. I know you went through a tough time." What do you think he did?
Q. He gave you the puck?
A. He gave me the game puck. That's exactly right. He couldn't have done anything better. It's one of the greatest stories of my times here and I'll never forget it. I still have the puck, which he signed. Schwaby played a great game that night. It became worth it all. It was their way of saying thank you for trying to create a night where they could shine during a terrible season.
Q. What was Jacques' objection to it?
A. I never really knew, but Jacques was a very emotional guy. This hurt me because I knew Jacques when he was coaching the Indianapolis Racers of the old World Hockey Association. When he came to Tampa, I was telling everybody what kind of a person he was: very enthusiastic, a great guy to talk to, a motivator.

When that happened, I kind of believe -- I want to believe -- that when Art Williams brought me back after Billy McGehee tried to fire me, that it embarrassed him. I told Art during our meeting that I'm not trying to embarrass Billy. But Billy said some unkind things about me, and I always believed that the meeting was a set up for me. I think it was Billy's chance to get back at me for that particular embarrassment. Now, I can't prove that. But if you look at Jacques, he felt that the four flat tires comment was an insult to his hockey team. It wasn't. It was my analysis of the situation. We're stuck in the mud here and we gotta get out. Jacques took that as an insult. Rick Paterson was one of the coaches, and I'd know him for a long time, and he wouldn't talk to me. I couldn't understand it. It went from being one of the worst times to one of the best things that ever happened to me here because of that puck and what Schwaby and the players did that night. The players liked me. How could they not like me? I had their back all the time. But, if you think that episode was bad, what happened with Palace Sports and Entertainment made that look like a day in the country.
Q. What happened when they took over?
A. This is exactly what happened. You're hearing it from the horse's mouth. Palace Sports and Entertainment buys the team from Art Williams in 1999. I only had a one-year contract at the time. I signed my first multi-year contract when the Lightning brought me down here because I wanted it for my family. I talked to Art about doing another multi-year contract. He said to me, "Larry, let's wait until this thing settles down. I'm going to have this team for at least three years. Let me settle things down and we'll do a multi-year next year." I always take a man for his word, and after coming off of those terrible four days at the beginning, I was just happy to have my job. Well, p.s., he sells the team! At the time of the Flyer game, the rumors had come out that he was selling the Lightning. I wanted him to see for one night how great this thing can be, because he really did like having the team.
So he sells the team to Palace Sports & Entertainment. They come in here and have a press conference announcing their intention to buy the club. Bill Davidson and Tom Wilson. The one thing I noticed in Tom Wilson's bio when I read it was that he had a career as a B-actor. There's nothing more lethal than having the president of a sports organization who is a B-actor, because on one-hand he could talk very gracefully, and on the other hand he could B.S. you to death.
So they have the press conference, but it took quite a few months to finalize that deal. Now I had a new owner to deal with. All that Art told me went down the drain. There were three clubs in the NHL that were interested in my services. I told them I was under contract with the Lightning until August. Legally I couldn't do anything, but we had new management so I was going to find out very quickly their intentions.
I called up Ron Campbell and we set up a meeting. He said we're putting the finishing touches on everything and when we're done we'll get back in touch. Two weeks go by and I hadn't heard anything. I'm getting nervous. This is in June, and I've got three teams after me.
On Sunday June 20, I get a call from the Vice President of Sales & Marketing, a man who is now the president of the Florida Panthers: Michael Yormark. This was on Father's Day. Yormark says to me, "Congratulations Larry, I'm sorry it took this long. We're going to bring you in for orientation. Everything is fine. Ron told me to give you a call." So great. With that, on Monday I called the other teams to tell them I'd be staying with the Lightning.
Two weeks later, I hear about a season-ticket holders meeting at the Ice Palace with the new management. I did not know about this. That's when I said, "Uh-oh." Rick Peckham knew about it, Bobby Taylor knew about, but I didn't know about it. Are you kidding me? So I went that night with my wife. There's about 7,000 people there. After Tom Wilson gives his b.s. speech, there's a question-and-answer session. The second question was, "Is Larry Hirsch coming back?" In front of thousands of people, Tom Wilson said, "You want him back, of course we're bringing him back." Then everybody cheered.
A few days later they introduced Steve Ludzik as head coach, and after that they told that I was not being retained, that they'd be bringing in their own broadcaster from Detroit. That turned into a very contentious 10-days between me and PS&E. I wanted to hold my own press conference to explain why I wasn't coming back. They used Steve Duemig as a poison dart on me. It was terrible.
I couldn't sue them, because my contract was up. But the one thing that this very ruthless organization didn't want was bad publicity. What they ended up doing was giving me compensation, but I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The compensation wasn't what I wanted, but I had to have it for my family. Then that was it.
It hurts, but I still live here in Tampa. I still have my home here. A lot of that is due to the testimonial of the people here and the way they've treated me. People still come up to me and say "we miss you." I just want to say that I genuinely and humbly thank all the fans here for how they have treated me and my family, and continue to do so. That's why we are proud members of this community, and why we'll never forget them.

Tampa Sports History

“I’ve wined and dined with king and queens, and I’ve slept in alleys eating pork and beans.” – Dusty Rhodes

Billed throughout his career as a common man and a working-class hero, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes is one of the most dynamic personalities in the history of professional wrestling. From his charisma inside the ring to his ability to cut memorable promos outside of it, Rhodes was one of the top performers of his generation.
Rhodes thrived in arenas throughout the country, but he established a particularly strong foot-hold locally while working for Florida Championship Wrestling, a territory belonging to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He held the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship belt a record 10 times from 1974-1980, and won his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship on August 21, 1979, here in Tampa. He held the belt for less than a week, however, dropping the title to Harley Race just five days later in Orlando.
This set in motion a series of matches between Rhodes and Race that would come to a conclusion nearly a year later in an event billed as “The Last Tangle in Tampa.” With close to a dozen matches scheduled for the card at Tampa Stadium on August 3, 1980, the showdown between Rhodes and Race would serve as the main event. In a best two-of-three falls match, as the challenger Rhodes would need to pin Race twice within an hour to capture the championship belt.

As a booker for the promotion, Rhodes had a tremendous amount of influence on the storylines and direction of the company. “The Last Tangle” represented the beginning of a new era for both Rhodes and the NWA.
Howard T. Brody, Rhodes’ biographer and the author of the wrestling tome “Swimming with Piranhas,” remembers the card at Tampa Stadium as the start of a very creative period in the career of Dusty Rhodes. He envisioned the event as an experience, not just a series of matches.
“This was the first time he ever booked a show like that,” Brody says. “He not only wanted a wrestling match, but he wanted to create a spectacle: an outdoor show with all the bells and whistles.”
On a steamy August night, the then-largest crowd to ever see a wrestling match in Florida made “The Last Tangle in Tampa” an unqualified success. A little over 17,000 fans, in fact, came from all corners of the state to see the 4 ½ hour show.
Fans were delighted early on by a $10,000 ladies’ battle royal match won by Wendy Richter, as well as preliminary matches featuring Jim Garvin, Jerry Brisco, Jack Brisco, Lord Alfred Hayes, Dick Slater, and Barry Windham. Dick Murdoch teamed with Bugsy McGraw to defeat the dreaded “Russian” tag-team of Nikolai Volkoff and Ivan Koloff, and Andre The Giant defeated The Super Destroyer, who had wrestled earlier in the card against Mr. Florida in a mask vs. mask match.
In the first title match of the evening, former Robinson High School football star Mike Graham was disqualified in his match against Les Thornton for the NWA Junior Heavyweight title, and Don Muraco also earned a disqualification in his bout against World Wide Wrestling Federation champion Bob Backlund.
By 10:45, the fans were finally ready for Rhodes and Race. “The air hangs hot and heavy,” ring announcer Gordon Solie reported as the stadium, with barely a breeze to cool things down, rocked with anticipation as the two stars made their way to the ring.
The no-disqualification match featured special guest referee Fritz Von Erich, the former NWA President who was selected due to his no-nonsense demeanor and ability to be fair to both wrestlers.
The match started out fast and with a lot of energy, as the wrestlers traded some drops, suplexes, and some of their signature moves. Rhodes got the best of Race, however, nearly nine minutes into the match with a bionic elbow drop and pinned the champ to take the early lead.
The weather really did seem to impact all of the participants, as Von Erich needed a short rest ringside after the first fall, and for the bulk of the match going forward, both wrestlers conserved energy by settling into a pattern of “rest spots” featuring chin-locks, sleeper holds, and reverse sleepers.
The bulk of the action resumed as the match neared its conclusion with near-pins by each wrestler. With a staggered Race literally on the ropes, the bell sounded at the 60-minute mark and the match came to an end. A mixture of cheers and boos greeted the announcement that Rhodes won, but because he only captured one fall, would not become the new heavyweight champion.
In an emotional post-match locker room promo, Rhodes called the event “a milestone for the city of Tampa … and for the sport that gets pushed around, shoved around, and put on the back pages!”
He then added, “Baby, there were 20,000 people who gave a damn about what was going on! As long as I’m able to walk, as long as I’m able to strut my stuff, I’ll do it right.”
While Rhodes slightly overestimated the crowd, the event proved hugely successful, taking in a gross gate of $160,000 (roughly $411,196 in today’s dollars). According to author Howard T. Brody, Rhodes later described the success of “Last Tangle” one of the proudest moments of his long and illustrious career.

Ricky Ponting Still Hopefull

Ricky Ponting might have played his last Test in England, but he still hasn’t ruled out one final attempt to win the Ashes on enemy soil. Ponting flew out of London last September freshly hurt by the loss of the urn and keen to return in 2013, but a year later he has become more philosophical about his chances of being part of the next Ashes battle in England.
The country has been troublesome for Ponting. It has reduced him to mortal status as a batsman – he averages 41.79 in 20 Tests in England – and Australia have won only three of their 12 Tests in the British Isles under Ponting’s captaincy.

Getty Images

 Pakistan’s victory at Headingley levelled the series 1-1, so he has still not won a Test series in England as leader.
By the time Australia return for an Ashes tour Ponting will be 38, and he knows that his chances of still being in the Test side depend not only on his desire but also on whether he retains his reflexes and ability.
On that front, the signs for Ponting are slightly worrying. In the past 12 months he has averaged 39.81 in Tests and the powerful pulls and hooks that have been his trademark have at times brought his downfall.
His 209 in Hobart in January was made possible only because Mohammad Aamer dropped a sitter at fine leg when Ponting had not yet scored. At Headingley this week he made 66, but he could easily have been sent on his way first ball when he padded up to an Aamer delivery that would have clipped the top of off stump.
“I honestly don’t know [if I'll play in England again],” Ponting said after the Leeds loss. “It’s all going to be down to how well I play. I love playing for Australia. I cherish every moment that I have to captain the side and represent my country. If I get back here in a couple of years time then so be it, but if I’m not good enough then there’s nothing I can do about that.”
If there was a hint of self-doubt in that statement, it would be a rarity for Ponting. He is not keen to concede vulnerability by giving up the pull shot, or by shifting himself down the order. Even when Australia were trying to claw their way back into the game at Headingley, Ponting tried to be attacking against an excellent group of swing bowlers.
“I don’t think I played any more defensively than normal,” he said. “Over the years I’ve always had that fairly aggressive intent to go out there and put it back on the bowlers. I still felt I had that in the second innings but they bowled pretty well.”
Combating the moving ball will be even more difficult at 38. For now, Ponting will focus on the Ashes at home and a World Cup defence on the subcontinent early next year. Whether Australia’s captain will push on beyond that is anyone’s guess.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting

Sydney, Feb 3 (PTI) Australia captain Ricky Ponting hasstarted his preparations for the upcoming World Cup afterbeing on the sidelines for nearly a month due to a brokenfinger.

Ponting is still feeling pain but insisted yesterday thathe was on track to lead Australia''s defence of the World Cuplater this month.The captain batted in the nets for the first time in fourweeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured littlefinger but did not face the fast bowlers.

Ponting faced a series of throw-downs from batting coachJustin Langer and emerged drenched in sweat after the session."I''m not too bad, probably better than expected to tellyou the truth. It''s the first time I''ve hit any balls forclose to a month," he said."I started off with soft balls and plastic balls to getthe feel of the bat back in my hand again, and the only onesthat hurt a lot were where the bat was twisting in my hand abit. But I''m pretty happy with how the day went," Ponting wasquoted as saying by ''Sydney Morning Herald''.Ponting doesn''t see himself playing in the last twomatches of the ongoing ODI series against England but harbourshopes of being fit to play in one of Australia''s two practicegames on the subcontinent ahead of the side''s opening WorldCup match, against Zimbabwe on February 21."I think Perth is unlikely. Today was my first hit, and Idon''t think Don Bradman could go into a game having a monthoff with only one or two training sessions under his belt,"Ponting said."I think I''m going to have that (pain) for a while totell you the truth," Ponting said."I don''t think it''s going to be one of those things thatgoes away altogether."Injury has been a cause for worry for the Australianswith Shaun Marsh being the latest casualty.Considered the likely replacement for Ponting, Marsh wasyesterday ruled out of the final two matches of the one-dayseries against England.Scans yesterday revealed that Marsh, who has played thelast four matches against England after replacing MichaelHussey, received a " low grade" right hamstring injury whilebatting at the Gabba on Sunday.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Welcome to Cricketworldcup2011.co.in – a complete website on the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. This website would update you about ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule, Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams.
Cricket is considered as a religion in India and people are crazy about Cricket, especially in this part of the world. With ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 coming in the year 2011, the game would rise to new levels. If you are a Cricket fan searching for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule, Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams, then you need not to go elsewhere as you will get information on Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule and every other info about ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be the 10th World Cup. Prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, 9 Cricket World Cups have been organized by ICC. Australia have emerged winner on the most occasions – 4. Closely following is West Indies, who won the inaugural and the very next World Cup. All the Indian Subcontinent teams – India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have won 1 World Cup each. Australia won in 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007. West Indies won on 1975 (the first World Cup) and 1979. India won the World Cup in 1983, Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992 and Sri Lanka won in 1996.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule and Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures: ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule and Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures are given below on our website.

Once you bookmark this page you can view ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule and Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures anytime you like.
Cricket World Cup 2011 venue: With India as the main host of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue includes stadiums of cities like Dhaka, Mumbai, Kolkata, Mohali, Colombo, Chennai, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, chittagong and Bangalore. Cricket World Cup 2011 venue also includes new venues like Pallekelle and Hambantota – both being in Sri Lanka.
Cricket World Cup 2011 teams: Cricket World Cup 2011 teams include 4 times winner Australia, 2 times winners West Indies, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada, Ireland, England and Kenya. Groups in which Cricket World Cup 2011 teams are divided:
Group A – Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya.
Group B – India, South Africa, England, Bangladesh, West Indies, Netherlands and Ireland.

Sports, Ink

Saturday's Evening Attire Stakes sends five horses onto the winterized inner track at Aqueduct for a purse of $65,000.  The five starters will run 1 1/8 miles in a race named after the old warrior, Evening Attire.  The race was renamed the Evening Attire from the Aqueduct Handicap in 2009, upon the retirement of the gray gelding.
Evening Attire (above) was a fixture on the NYRA circuit and son of 1991 Horse of the Year Black Tie Affair.  His biggest win was the 2002 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and he won seven stakes over a career in which he earned more than $2.9 million.  He won a graded stakes race at each of the three NYRA circuit tracks (Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga).
Evening Attire holds the track record at 1 1/2 miles at Philadelphia Park, when as a 10-year-old he bested his foes by 8“ lengths, while breaking a 16-year-old record.  He was the epitome of a closer, often behind the pace, and charging late.
The race has been won by some great horses including former Kentucky Derby winner Cannonade, in addition to Evening Attire, Kelso and Damascus. Let's take a look at this year's challengers and try to figure out who's going to grab the winning laurels (trainer, jockey, morning line odds):
1 -- More Than a Reason (Persaud, Castro, 10-1): Winner of the Grade III Queens County two back at 19-1, the More Than Ready 6-year-old won't sneak up on anyone in this race.  He ran 19 times in 2010 and he's right back at it in 2011.  A closer who can handle the distance, he could be running late to grab a piece.
2 -- Heart Butte (Pletcher, Cohen, 5-2): This 4-year-old son of Empire Maker is perfect in two races at the distance and steps up in class for his first listed stake race. He's lightly raced compared to his elder competition with only eight career starts.  I think his morning line odds are generous and won't bet him at that price facing tougher competition for the first time.  Will wait and see on this one even with the seven pound weight break.
3 -- Alma D'Oro (Pletcher, Jara, 3-1): The Medaglia D'Oro 5-year-old ran a super race in his last, winning a non-graded stake by four lengths and pulling away going a mile.  The pedigree says the distance is just right and he's won 3 of 7 at the 1 1/8 distance.  Jockey Fernando Jara is having a disappointing meet, but Pletcher wins these races at such solid percentages he's tough to ignore.  Second off the layoff, we'll be pushing the win button on this one.
4 -- Goombada Guska (Volk, Valdivia, 5-1): With a dam with the name Goombada Byda Sea, how can you not like this horse?  He ran most of his races this summer by the sea, at Monmouth Park, and picks up a new rider for the Evening Attire in Jose Valdivia.  He ran a decent race in his debut on the inner track in the $60K Cosmic Bob Stakes in December in a four-horse field.  Interesting.
5 -- Arson Squad (Dutrow, Dominguez, 8-5): The 8-year old veteran raced eight times in 2010 at six tracks.  A road warrior makes his second career start at the Big A after being upset as the favorite in the Queen's County by the rail horse, More Than a Reason.  The morning line favorite is the class of the field based on experience, and will enjoy the red-hot Eclipse finalist Ramon Dominguez in the irons.  His workouts say he's fit and is hard to dismiss with Dominguez aboard.

Dodgers/Giants

Most of the moves on this list affected just two cities--the one being left and the one welcoming a new team. When the Dodgers and Giants moved, they changed the course of sports, and the business of sport, in the U.S. for good.
After failing in his attempt to get the city of New York to replace decaying Ebbets Field with a new stadium in Brooklyn, Dodger’s owner Walter O’Malley entered negations with Los Angeles to move his team to California in 1957. LA decided it could only take the Dodgers if a second baseball team would also move to the West Coast. Luckily for O’Malley, the Dodgers’ crosstown rivals were having stadium problems of their own.
Like the Dodgers, the NY Giants were contemplating a move from New York after they were denied their request for a new stadium. As the franchise’s investors deliberated on what action to take, O’Malley interjected and convinced majority owner Horace Stoneham to move the Giants to San Francisco.
With the Giants and Dodgers relocations, the East Coast’s dominance of sports came to an end. The Dodgers flourished in LA behind the likes of Koufax and Drysdale, shifting the media’s focus west of the Mississippi. For the first time, New York, St. Louis and Boston had to share the spotlight.
Fifty years after the Dodgers’ and Giants’ historic moves, America’s sports landscape is spread from coast-to-coast and everywhere in-between. What began as two team’s desire for better accommodations paved the way for cities like San Antonio and Denver, forever reshaping major sports in America.
Written by Ben Leffler, all-star intramural athlete, and Dustin Coates, who still owns Houston Oilers season tickets.

Mark Champion,

Catching Up With Mark Champion

Mark Champion, the current radio play-by-play announcer for the Detroit Pistons, is fondly-remembered locally as the radio voice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1979-1988. Since leaving Tampa in 1989, Champion has served in the same capacity for the Detroit Lions from 1989-2004, the Detroit Pistons from 1992-1996, then rejoined the Pistons in 2001. He recently took some time prior to a Pistons-Magic game in Orlando to reflect on his time in Tampa and the special relationship he formed with Buccaneer head coach John McKay.

Q. How did you end up getting the job with the Bucs?
A. For the first two years, they had the former announcer for the Green Bay Packers, a guy named Ray Scott, who was legendary. In 1978, Dick Crippen did it for half the season, and I don't know exactly what happened. The guy who owned the broadcast rights -- Jim Gollogly -- did the other half of the season. The next year, CBS got the rights and they hired me.
I had actually auditioned for the job in 1978, but did not get it. For my audition tape, I went up to a spare booth in Tampa Stadium during a pre-season game. A buddy of mine helped me out because I didn't have any football tapes at that point. So that's what I used to get the job. By 1979, they knew who I was and had a good relationship Bob Best and Rick Odioso in the media relations department. That's kind of how I got it.
Q. So you got the job just in time for the most exciting season in team history to that point.
A. Yeah, unbelievable. First season out I thought, "Wow. This is pretty good." Of course, Doug Williams was our quarterback. We knocked off Philadelphia to get to the NFC championship game. It was exciting and a lot of fun.
Q. Did you know early on that the Bucs were going to have a season like that?
A. No, I don't think going into the season anyone really knew. Doug came to us in 1978, and we knew he was a good athlete, but we didn't know if he could lead the team. If you look at his stats, he only completed about 47% of his passes, but he made big plays, huge plays to win games. And the defense, we had the number one defense in the league that year. I don't think anybody realized how good our defense was, and that's really how we got to the championship. That particular team was pretty awesome.
Q. What is your fondest memory from that season?
A. Well that Kansas City game was the one that was just a monsoon. I remember the rain cascading down the steps of the old Sombrero. We could have played eight quarters and nobody would have scored a touchdown in that game. I just remember big plays that Doug made that season.
There was one he made a few years later, though, that really stands out. We were playing the Chicago Bears at home during the last week of the '82 season. We had the ball around the Chicago 10-yard line. Doug got sacked and fumbled the ball. Steve McMichael, a defensive lineman for the Bears, picked it up and he had such a head start -- I swear it must have been a 50-yard head start -- and Doug Williams caught up with him and tackled him before he could score. They did not get a touchdown, had to settle for a field goal, and we ended up winning that game by three points. That kind of play stands out when I think about Doug's athleticism.
Q. What kind of relationship did you have with John McKay?
A. We got to be really close. In fact, my best buddy all the years I lived there was his son-in-law, a guy named Bob Florio. I did a TV show in 1979 with McKay, got to know the family, and it got to a point where my family would go over to his house there on Bayshore around Christmas time or for the Gasparilla parade. I loved John. I know he had a rough edge to him with the media, but if you really knew him he was one of the funniest guys. If you were loyal to him, he was loyal to you. We got along great. Now he's gone, his wife Corky is gone, and she was such a great person, and I remember when Richie was just a snotty-nosed high school quarterback at Jesuit. It's amazing how time flies.
Q. Is there a personal or professional story you'd like to relate about John McKay?
A. Off the top of my head, there was a period of time where he really got into it with Tom McEwen. I don't remember what the issue was, but I was over at his house one night after a game. He was talking about the whole thing with McEwen, and he came to me and said, "Marky, I need your help. Are you with me?"
I said, "Coach, I'm always with you, but you can't win that battle. He's always got the last word on you." That was the kind of open and honest relationship we had.
Q. Going back to Doug Williams for a minute, when you look back on how the team's fortunes changed after he left, do you think it all goes back to that move or where there other factors that contributed to the slide?
A. Well, I think it had a lot to do with it. He was our guy, and when he left, it was like cutting the heart out of the team. You know, back then the league was a little bit different. Today, teams spend their money and are all fairly competitive. Back then it was kind of different, plus you had the USFL coming along. Whatever the issue, I know Coach McKay definitely didn't want Doug to go, but it was a thing between Doug and Mr. Culverhouse that didn't work out. That just ruined the team.
Then after McKay left, Leeman Bennett came in and we had back-to-back 2-14 seasons that were just horrific. No question when Doug left it cut the heart out of the team, and Dougie was such a great guy, too.
Q. How was your relationship with McKay's successors, Bennett and Ray Perkins?
A. Good, good. Leeman was a terrific, really nice guy. He had been out of football running an RV dealership in Atlanta or something, and Mr. C. just kind of talked him back into coaching. You could just see it -- and I hate to say it -- but he had a terrible coaching staff. The team had no identity. It was just a bad situation, but it's kind of interesting because at quarterback we had Steve Young.
I felt bad for Steve. We went up and played Green Bay in 1985 and it was just awful. The worst weather I'd ever seen. In fact, it was that game where they ended up using footage for that Alka-Seltzer commercial. We had like 60 yards of offense that day, Steve got drilled play after play, and Lynn Dickey threw for over 300 yards in a blizzard for Green Bay.
I was only with Ray for two years. He could be ... his personality was a little different than Leeman's, let's put it that way. I got along with him fine for what I had to do though.
Q. What led to you leave Tampa in 1989 for a job with the Detroit Lions?
A. The Lions had been on WJR, which at the time was the top station in Detroit. They lost the rights to CBS, and the guy who had been doing the games did not want to leave WJR. He had a very good financial situation that they could not match at WWJ. So they were looking for somebody. I had moved over to Q105 for the 1987 and 1988 seasons, and prior to that I had been at WSUN, a CBS station. The general manager put in a good word for me up there.

They had just hired Wayne Fontes as the head coach, and we were close friends from the time he spent on John's staff. I'd gotten to know their media relations staff over the years as well, so it was a combination of all those things that led to a better job opportunity. Not just financially, but within a year or two I was also doing Pistons basketball.
Q. It so happened that 1989 was the rookie year for Barry Sanders.
A. Yeah, we came to Detroit at the same time. I was fortunate enough to call every run he ever made, which was just amazing. It's neat to know that you've done that with someone like Barry, a Hall-of-Famer, and I really feel the same way about Lee Roy Selmon. I didn't call all of his games, but I called a majority of them. It's kind of special to know you broadcast games for Hall of Fame players, and Lee Roy was such a great guy. Just a prince of a guy.
Q. You're also well-known for being the voice-over in the post-Super Bowl Disney World commercials. How did that role come about for you?
A. Phil Lengyel, who was the head of marketing for Disney in the mid-1980s, went to school with me at Ball State University. He called me up, said we have this marketing idea, and would I be interested in voicing it. I said, "Absolutely." That's how it started. The first one we did was with Phil Simms after Super Bowl XXI. In fact, I just talked to my guy at Disney because we have the 25th anniversary coming up, so they're going to be doing something special for it

Tuesday, Decembe

In 1985, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seemed condemned to failure right from the very beginning. Few teams ever rebound from a 0-9 start, and the Bucs proved to be no exception.
Even their first victory – a 16-0 triumph at home over the St. Louis Cardinals, and only the second-ever shutout in team history – could not be enjoyed for more than a few days. The next week on the road in the Meadowlands, the Jets handed the Buccaneers one of the worst defeats in franchise history, a 62-28 spanking in which, remarkably, Tampa Bay at one point actually held a 14-0 lead.
Quarterback Steve Young provided a glimmer of hope by winning his first start the following week against the Detroit Lions, a 19-16 overtime victory. Unfortunately, the good times would not last and the Buccaneers dropped their next three games to fall to 2-12 on the season.
On December 15, the smallest crowd to ever see a Buccaneer home game – 25,577 – watched Tampa Bay fall to the almost equally dreadful Indianapolis Colts, 31-23. This set the stage for the season-finale at Tampa Stadium against the Green Bay Packers, in a game that had a considerable amount of importance for the future of the franchise.
By virtue of a league-worst 2-13 record, Tampa Bay had been guaranteed at least the second-overall pick in the 1986 draft. Their Buffalo Bills, with an identical 2-13 record, were out of the running because they had traded their first round pick in 1986 to Cleveland. Win or lose, the Buccaneers needed only a victory by the Atlanta Falcons to ensure the top pick. This meant having first-crack at the Heisman Trophy-winner from Auburn University, running back Bo Jackson.
Despite the big-picture prize that the team could earn with a loss, none of the players wearing orange and white looked at losing as an accomplishment. Jobs were at stake, after all, since few players on the team could consider their job safe going into the following season.
“You either play or you don’t have a job,” Tampa Bay head coach Leeman Bennett said prior to the game. “We want to look presentable. We are all professionals and certainly we want to play our best. It is a matter of pride to finish with a little sweeter taste than on a losing note. One win isn’t going to make everything right, but at least there will be a sweeter taste.”
More like a familiar taste. For the fourteenth time in 1986, the Buccaneers would go home a loser. As always, however, they made it interesting to the very end.
On December 22, a Tampa Stadium crowd of 33,992 came out to see the last chapter of the 1985 season. It started out well enough, with Donald Igwebuike kicking a 33-yard field goal in the first quarter to give Tampa Bay an early 3-0 lead.
The Packers went ahead later in the quarter on a 30-yard touchdown run by wide receiver Phillip Epps that came on a reverse. James Wilder got Tampa Bay back on top in the second quarter, however, scoring on a one-yard touchdown run to give the Bucs a 10-7 lead.
An Al Del Greco 24-yard field goal with just 16 seconds left in the second quarter tied the game 10-10 going into the half.
To their credit, however, the Buccaneers played hard on a day when many could understand if they’d rather be across the street doing their Christmas shopping at the Tampa Bay Center.

Trailing 13-10 going into the third quarter following another Del Greco field goal, the Buccaneers put together their best drive of the day. Quarterback Steve Young engineered a 10-play, 74-yard drive that culminated with a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jimmie Giles. Tampa Bay took 17-13 lead, but their defense would once again let them down when it mattered most.
Randy Wright, Green Bay’s third-string quarterback, answered Tampa Bay’s best offensive drive with their best of the day as well. Wright put together a 13-play, 73-yard drive that took 6:13 off the clock. The immortal Jessie Clark scored on a 6-yard run to regain the lead for Green Bay, 20-17.
Igwebuike, who on his second extra point of the game set Tampa Bay’s single-season scoring mark with 96 points, had a chance in the fourth quarter to even up the game. Instead, he pushed a 48-yard attempt wide right late in the fourth quarter – his second miss from 40+ yards on the day -- and the game would end with Tampa Bay three points short of taking the game to overtime.
On the bright side, Steve Young had his best statistical game of the season, completing 21 of 37 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown. Despite their record, Young felt optimistic about the team’s future.
“I want to be here,” Young said. “I want to have a career here. I want to help this team fill up this stadium again. James Wilder came up to me after the game and I talked to Jimmie Giles, too, and we are convinced we can do it.”
With Young at quarterback, Wilder at his familiar spot in the backfield, and Giles making big catches for Tampa Bay, Buccaneer fans could only wonder how much better the team might be with the addition of Bo Jackson through the upcoming draft. Yes, the future never looked so bright in Tampa Bay.

Monday, December 20,

On November 2, 1980, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sported a record of 4-4-1 with seven games remaining. A season which had seen the Bucs sandwich a five-game winless streak between two separate two-game winning streaks could still be salvaged with a strong finish.

At the same point the previous season, the Buccaneers were 7-2 and on their way to winning the NFC Central Division. Although that team would endure a mini-slump en route to clinching the division, the 1980 edition of the Buccaneers shared few similarities with their previous edition.
The defense, which had been such a strength in 1979, failed to dominate opponents or even hold leads. Many wondered if these in fact were the real Buccaneers who had simply over-achieved in 1979.
It began to look that way when Tampa Bay lost five of their next six games to drop to 5-9-1 and completely out of the playoff picture. All that remained was a final home contest against the Chicago Bears to close out the disappointing campaign.
Although they had little left to play for, the Buccaneers had a bit of unfinished business with the Bears. On October 6, the Buccaneers made their first-ever appearance on Monday Night Football at Soldier Field in Chicago. The experience turned out to be less than memorable for the Buccaneers and their national audience.
Despite only trailing 3-0 at the half, the Bucs ultimately fell to the Bears 23-0. Walter Payton rushed for 122 of his 183 total yards in the second half and the Bears sacked Doug Williams four times. Head coach John McKay famously quipped after the game that his team had "set Monday Night Football back 2,000 years."
Then there was the additional matter of a borderline shot levied on tight end Jimmie Giles by hard-hitting Chicago safety Doug Plank. Plank achieved a place in NFL lore when his jersey number -- 46 -- became the root of the so-named "46 defense" developed by Chicago defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. It was his hit on Giles, however, that enraged Tampa Bay quarterback Doug Williams.
Although no penalty was called on the play, Williams believed that Plank had speared Giles with his helmet. For the hit, Plank earned a $750 fine from the league (roughly $1900 in today's dollars). Giles remained in the game, although some speculated that there may have been a long-term impact on his performance.
Prior to the Bears game, Giles had 12 receptions for 222 yards and three touchdowns in four games. Following the Chicago game, Giles had only 19 receptions and one touchdown in 10 games, this after leading the team in receiving with 40 catches and seven touchdowns in 1979. Still, Giles earned ultimate vindication by being named to the NFC's Pro Bowl squad.
While McKay attributed the decline to Giles drawing more attention from opposing defenders, Giles bluntly stated that the hit had nothing to do with his decrease in production.
"If I let one hit stop me or get me scared, I shouldn't be in football," Giles said. "I think I've had a great year compared to last season because I'm getting double-teamed and triple-teamed in certain situations."
While most of the Buccaneers expected that there would be no retaliation in mind towards Plank, defensive lineman David Logan knew the importance of evening the score with the Bears.
"They beat us 23-0," Logan said. "They embarrassed us. We're not just going to go out there and go through the motions and then just get out of town."
On December 20, with John Madden in the house for the nationally-televised Saturday afternoon game on CBS and a sell-out crowd of over 72,000 expected at Tampa Stadium, both the Bears (6-9) and Buccaneers (5-9-1) had plenty of reasons to not just go through the motions.
Although the actual crowd numbered closer to 55,000 fans – resulting in the greatest number of unused tickets in team history at the time -- those in attendance saw a game that epitomized the struggles of Tampa Bay's 1980 campaign. Not that they didn't have their chances, but the Bucs held true to form and self-destructed at the most important time.
Tampa Bay started off strong enough, racing to a 10-0 first quarter lead behind a 33-yard pass from Williams to Gordon Jones and a 27-yard field goal by Garo Yepremian. For the eighth time in 1980, however, the Buccaneers could not hold on to a 10-point lead.
Chicago signal-caller Vince Evans began the Bears comeback with a six-yard touchdown run at the 10:14 mark of the second quarter. He added his second of the game in the third quarter from one yard out just three plays after Tampa Bay's Jerry Eckwood fumbled at his own three-yard line.
Although the Bears held a 14-10 lead, the Buccaneers had time to mount a comeback. A Yepremian field goal from 26 yards out cut the lead to 14-13 with 10:38 left in the fourth quarter. The fun, however, was just about to begin.
On their next drive, Williams connected with rookie wide receiver Kevin House on a 61-yard completion to the Bears 16, but House got careless with the ball and cornerback Terry Schmidt forced a fumble. The ball then bounced down to the 4-yard line where it was recovered by Doug Plank to kill the drive.
After forcing a Chicago punt, the Bucs had another golden opportunity when Williams connected with Giles across the middle inside the Bears 20. Turning to run towards the end zone, however, Giles fumbled after a big hit by rookie linebacker Otis Wilson. Again, the Bears recovered inside their own 5 to end a potential Buccaneer scoring drive.
Tampa Bay forced another Bears punt and had one final chance to win the game, driving down to the Chicago 15. From there, Yepremian would attempt a 32-yard field goal, surely an automatic kick for one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL.
Instead, the kick never had a chance due to a high snap by George Yarno. Holder Tom Blanchard got the ball down, but Chicago's Al Harris - a 6'5" Monster of the Midway -- got his hands up and blocked the potential game-winning kick to preserve the 14-13 lead for the Bears.
The Buccaneers battled and put up a better fight than during their Monday night meltdown in Chicago, but the missed opportunities and turnovers epitomized their wasted season.
McKay, for one, could not understand how his team could be completely undone by the late fumbles.
"It is absolutely ridiculous," he said. "In professional football, when you are paid the money they are paid here, you should not drop the football. It's disgusting, ridiculous, and has no part in the game."
In short, a fitting end to the one of the most disappointing seasons in team history.

Today in Sports History: December 31st

12/31/1967 - Packers win in Ice Bowl

In one of the greatest, and coldest, NFL games in history, the Green Bay Packers narrowly beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Championship Game. The Packers' win came on a last-second dive by quarterback Bart Starr, who just barely got into the end zone for the score.

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12/31/1967 - Knievel attempts Caesar's Palace

Evel Knievel, the American daredevil who became a household name in the 1970's, makes the first major jump of his career. Riding a motorbike, Knievel attempted to jump the fountains outside the newly-opened Caesar's Palace hotel. Knievel accelerated at the ramp and cleared the 50 yards worth of fountains. But as he connected with the downward ramp, something went wrong and he botched the landing. Badly.

Knievel landed with a wobble and was thrown from the bike, which continued to speed forward. The large crowd that had gathered to see him watched in horror as Knievel bounced violently down the ramp, each roll seeming to be more painful than the last. Knievel broke his back, femur, and pelvis, fractured his hip and wrists, and wound up in a month-long coma.

Today in Sports History: December 28th

12/28/1958 - The Greatest Game Ever Played
In the first overtime game in league history, the Baltimore Colts defeat the New York Giants, 23-17, in the 1958 NFL Championship Game. The game was played at Yankee Stadium and famously ended on a touchdown run from Colts running back Alan Ameche, who scored from just a yard out. The tightness of the game, mixed with the significance of the teams playing and the 45 million viewers watching on NBC, helped dramatically increase the popularity of the NFL. It is this game, more than any other, that is credited with making the NFL the most popular sports league in the United States.
Jack Hand of the Associated Press wrote, "If they play football for 100 years, they never can top the Baltimore's first championship snatched in a sudden death playoff 23-17 after New York refused to gamble."
With two-and-a-half minutes to play in regulation, the Giants were holding a 17-14 lead and were on fourth-and-inches from their own 43. Had they decided to go for it, and had they converted on the first down, the Giants likely would have run out the clock. Instead, coach Lee Jim Howell took the cautionary route and ordered his team to punt. The ball was placed at the 14 yard-line with 1:56 to go, setting up Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas, who led the team on an 80-yard drive to put them within field goal distance. Many regard this as the first instance of the "two-minute drill," which had been unheard of 1958.
The Colts' drive led to a 20-yard field goal from Steve Myhra, who had missed a short-range kick earlier in the game. Myhra's boot was good this time around and tied the game at 17 with six seconds remaining in the game. Time expired shortly there after with the outcome still undecided. "When the game ended in a tie, we were standing on the sidelines waiting to see what came next," Unitas later recalled. "All of a sudden, the officials came over and said, ‘Send the captain out. We’re going to flip a coin to see who will receive.’ That was the first we heard of the overtime period."
The Giants won a coin flip from the officials and started the extra period with the ball. After failing to get farther than their own 29, the Giants once again punted the ball on fourth-and-1. The Colts then finished the game with the drive that set up Ameche's run, leaving the 64,185 fans at Yankee Stadium in shock.
Sports Illustrated writer Tex Maule was the first to dub the game "The Best Football Game Ever Played." Because the word "best" doesn't carry the same gravitas as "greatest," the 1958 NFL Championship is generally referred to as "The Greatest Game Ever Played." Although few historian will argue against the deservedness of the game's moniker, many of the players from the game later contended that it didn't deserve the title. In fact in an ESPN.com article written by Eddie Epstein, three Colts players stated that a regular season game against the 49ers from less than a month earlier was a better contest.
"I've always felt that it (the '58 championship game) wasn't a real good football game until the last two minutes, and then the overtime," Unitas said. "Just the fact that it was the first overtime in championship play and it happened in Madison Avenue's backyard, that was enough to make people feel they had seen something fantastic. ... They always forget that the month before, in the game we clinched the division and put us into the playoff, San Francisco had us down 27-7 at the half and we came back to beat 'em 35-27. That was a much better game."
In 1959, the Colts and Giants once again met in the championship game; the rematch wasn't nearly as competitive and ended in a decisive 31-16 Colts win. Just a year after the 1958 championship, businessman Lamar Hunt launched the American Football League to directly challenge the NFL. The AFL and the NFL would later merge, creating the dynamic event we now know as the Super Bowl.
''You can't overemphasize the dramatic impact of that 1958 NFL Championship Game," Hunt later told the New York Times. "Pro football was just starting to grow. It suddenly had its first overtime game in a championship game with the nation watching on television. I can vividly remember seeing it in a hotel room in Houston. ... In February 1959, the idea formed that there was more than enough pro football interest around the country for another league. The Colts-Giants game had been the turning point in my thinking and awareness."

Today in Sports History: December 30th

The Mills Commission, a panel appointed by Albert Goodwill Spalding, announces that the game of baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday, a respected Civil War general. Spalding, a former big league player, manager, owner, and the creator of a sporting goods company that bears his name, launched the committee to investigate baseball's origins. His intention was to prove that baseball had been devised in America, and not through the evolution of British activities such as townball, rounders, and cricket.

There was no evidence to back up his claim. Then, a couple years later, a 73 year-old man named Abner Graves wrote the commission a letter. In it, he claimed to have been a companion of Doubleday, who allegedly drew out the rules of baseball in the dirt, on a small farm owned by Elihu Phinney in Cooperstown, on a June day in 1839. Without checking for proof, Spalding used the old man's letter to confirm his assertions. And thus, Abner Doubleday was thereby recognized as the inventor of baseball.

But years of dedicated research by historians would disprove Spalding's efforts as a massive hoax. Doubleday never wrote a single letter about or mentioned to be in involved with the game of baseball, and the day that he supposedly created it, he was stationed in West Point, not Cooperstown. The man who wrote the letter turned out to be crazy, and was later sent to an asylum for killing his wife -- the Doubleday story was a complete fabrication.

Favre's storied career ends in irrelevancy

When Brett Favre chose to retire in March of 2008, he had made a rare choice for professional athletes: he had decided to walk away with a few years of athleticism and skill still in his body, leaving behind the game, and the money, and all the adulation that came with it. But Favre decided to come back, demanding he return to his old position in Green Bay and was subsequently traded to the New York Jets. He then wound up in Minnesota, and had maybe the greatest season of his career at age 40 -- an unprecedented feat in the NFL. And even though his first year in Minnesota ended with an interception, had he walked away then, he still would left the game on one of the highest high-notes in league history.
But unfortunately for Favre, he made the same mistake all too many competitors make. He kept dipping into the well, kept asking his body to hold up, hoping that he could make it through another season. Instead, Favre -- who may have been the most durable quarterback the league has ever seen -- suffered a plethora of injuries: a lacerated chin that required 10 stitches, broken bones in his feet, elbow tendinitis, a concussion, and a sprain to his throwing arm that swelled up his hand like a grapefruit. His consecutive games streak ended at 297, and on Sunday, the 41-year-old was forced to stand on the sideline and watch as a healthy quarterback took his place.
It's a quiet, miserable end to one of the loudest, most exciting players in sports. He ends his career in the same vein as Jerry Rice, Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Joe Montana, and Roger Clemens -- other athletes who could have left on top but instead stuck around too long, switching teams and playing their last games in relative obscurity. It's the path most Hall of Fame athletes wind up taking, and Favre, having hopped from New York to Minnesota in the past two years, is no different. Athletes who take the opposite approach (John Elway, Kurt Warner, David Robinson) are few and far between.
The problem with ending on a high note is that being a professional athlete is a job first and a game second. Million-dollar professions are once-in-a-lifetime, and few players are willing to walk away when there's still teams interested in them. Legacy is always trumped by revenue. Favre probably didn't need the $16 million contract he earned this year, but then again, most millionaires and billionaires don't need a dozen summer houses and a garage full of Rolls-Royces. That doesn't mean they won't happily take them if offered.
For his part, Favre said he didn't regret coming back in 2010. "It’s been a wonderful experience for me," he told reporters yesterday. "This year did not work out the way we would have hoped, but that’s football. I don’t regret coming back. I enjoyed my experience here."
Maybe so. But it certainly didn't add anything to his career. In time, people will forget Favre's time in Minnesota and remember him more as a Green Bay Packer, the same way people will forget that Roger Clemens was an Astro, or that Jerry Rice was a Raider, or that Patrick Ewing was a Magic, or that Michael Jordan was a Wizard. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a mistake coming back. For everything that Brett Favre did, he should have retired sooner. He spurned the Packers because he didn't want to wallow on the sideline while some upstart youngster got a go at it, and he certainly didn't want to go out quietly.
In 2010, he did both

Criticize baseball's Hall, but at least theirs matters

There are four things you can count on at the start of a new calendar year: a never-ending stream of ridiculously-named bowl games -- like the "San Diego County Credit Union Poinsetta Bowl," a regular season hockey game that's actually worth watching, the absolute worst movies Hollywood can produce, and the announcement of the Baseball Hall of Fame's newest inductees. Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven are expected to get in this year, since both fell by less than a dozen votes in 2010, and Rafael Palmeiro will make his first appearance on the ballot and may or may not finish with fewer votes than Mark McGwire.
The MLB Hall of Fame is by no means perfect. Lee Smith, who retired with the most saves in history, will never even sniff Cooperstown, nor will players like Harold Baines, Tim Raines or Fred McGriff, whose stats are at least comparable to other Hall of Famers. And that's not even including the Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosas of the world, whose implication in steroid use could put them on a perennial waiting list with Joe Jackson and Pete Rose.
The announcement of baseball's immortals has often been met with controversy, especially now, when the people getting in are debatable, borderline inductees such as Gary Carter, Jim Rice and Andre Dawson. But in a way, it's the controversy associated with baseball's Hall that makes their selection process all the more compelling. People will  wonder if this is the year that so-and-so will get in, and argue that he should have been in years ago, and that that other player isn't nearly as good because his WHIP was too low or his batting average stunk. Add to all that the 15-year limit players are allowed to be on the ballot, and you have a system where attention is paid to the balloting both before and after the voting, so that no one slips through the cracks. This is why even though the NFL is twice as popular as Major League Baseball, getting into Cooperstown is still a bigger deal than getting into Canton.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, where the NBA sends its greatest players, has much to learn from Major League Baseball's.

Forgiveness ain't worth a damn to MLB baseball writers

One of the biggest lies in sports is that if you come clean to something you did, you'll eventually be embraced. They said it about Pete Rose, who lied about betting on baseball for a decade and a half. They said it about  after they were implicated in steroid use. And they said it about Mark McGwire after his image-ruining appearance on Capitol Hill, in which it became all too clear that he had used performance-enhancing drugs.
It turns out, though, that simply repenting isn't good enough for the voters of baseball's Hall of Fame. It wasn't for Pete Rose, who received even less write-in votes the year he came clean, and it wasn't the case for Mark McGwire, who tearily admitted last year that his 70-home-run season in 1998 wasn't on the up-and-up. McGwire was eviscerated when he came clean; one statement he made, in which he denied that the drugs made him a better hitter, was particularly savaged. And now the proof is in the pudding. McGwire received only 115 votes this time around -- 13 less than he got in 2010.
The reality is that all coming clean does is vindicate the opinions of the baseball writers, who all along wanted the heads of cheaters and liars on pikes. Let's not pretend that a simple thing like telling the truth means anything to them. They've kept Joe Jackson out of the Hall of Fame for almost a century, and will gladly do the same to any other cheaters, because they feel the need to play executioner. McGwire's turn in the box was supposed to have ended the minute he confessed, but by not doing it in the precise way the Hall of Fame voters would have liked, he'll probably never get more than 40% of the vote, if even that.
It's a rather hypocritical way to go about your business. The writers stand on a pedestal, demanding that the cheaters and liars come clean for all their years of disservice, promising them that they will all be forgiven if they show just the slightest bit of contrition. And McGwire, while giving somewhat of a flawed, defiant apology, nonetheless came forth on national television last year, bawling his eyes out, and showing the courage to be vulnerable to an audience waiting to pounce him. It would have been a crime if McGwire had only earned a few extra votes than he did in 2010, but to earn 13 less is nothing short of pathetic.
It gives absolutely no incentive for Bonds or Clemens or Palmeiro or any of the other steroids-users to admit to anything. Why would they? All that would happen is that a bunch of people would get on TV and scream, "Ahah! You see! I knew it all along!" And if we're going to preach that this is really a case of bad ethics, that these players are sending the wrong message to impressionable kids, then we should be just as harsh to the self-righteous baseball writers who won't even reward the very act they've been demanding for years and years and years. If anyone needs to read up on redemption, it's them.