The Morning Delivery

March Madness : Let the Games Begin

Let the games begin.

We're just hours from the opening tip off of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The top seeds consist of the usual suspects: Kentucky, Syracuse, and North Carolina.

Will this be the first year a number 1 seed gets knocked off in the opening round?

Will No. 2 seeds Kansas, Duke, Missouri or Ohio State have the last laugh by the time this thing is all over?

Only time will tell. So fasten your seatbelts, this might be a bumpy ride. The word on the street is that this year's road to the Final Four in New Orleans will be riddled with plenty of mines and traps.

In the meantime, as we prepare for March Madness, here are a few feats, facts, and historic firsts to mull over before the sound of the opening bell.

• According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first time the term ``March Madness'' (when referring to the NCAA basketball tournament) shows up in a print publication is in the San Francisco Chronicle on March 20, 1991:   The nation is now in the middle of ‘March madness’, that time of year when the NCAA basketball tournament takes place.
NOTE: The Illinois High School Association has long claimed it coined the term, ``March Madness’’ as early as 1939, well before it became synonymous with the NCAA basketball tournament. The Association also claims to have received trademark status for the phrase in 1989.

• Most appearances in the Elite 8 is held by Kentucky with 29 appearances from 1951 through 2011; followed by North Carolina with 23 appearances from 1957 through 2011.

• North Carolina holds the record for most consecutive Sweet 16 appearances with 13 from 1981 through 1993, followed by Duke with 9 from 1998 through 2006.

• The average attendance for the 1939 NCAA basketball tournament was 3,005, which included 8 teams. Total attendance for the tournament was 15,025.

• In 2011, the average attendance for the Men's Division I tournament was 19,186 over 36 games and involving 68 teams. The total attendance for the 2011 tournament was 690,679.

• The University of Dayton Arena (Dayton, Ohio) has held the most tournament games at 87 from 1970-2001.

• Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO has hosted 9 national championships, a NCAA record, from 1940 through 1964.

• The state with the most tournament games is held by North Carolina with 227 from 1951 through 2011; followed by Missouri, 1940 through 2010.

• The 2014 Final Four (April 5 and 7th) will be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas.

• Austin Carr of Notre Dame holds the tournament record for most points in a game with 61 on March 7, 1970 against Ohio State in the 1st round; followed by Bill Bradley of Princeton with 58 in the 3rd round against Wichita St. on March 20, 1965.

• Kentucky has the most tournament appearances at 51 from 1942 through 2011.

• North Carolina has had the most consecutive tournament appearances at 27 from 1975 through 2001.

• Kansas holds the record with most current tournament appearances at 22 from 1990 through 2011.

• Kentucky (1942-2011) and North Carolina (1941-2011) are tied with most tournament wins at 105.

• UCLA holds the record with consecutive tournament wins with 38 from 1964 through 1974.

• Duke holds the best winning percentage (minimum of 20 games) at .756 (96-31) from 1955 through 2011.

• Villanova seeded no. 8 in 1985 was the lowest seed to win the NCCA championship.

• # 15 seeds to advance to the second round have included: Coppin St. 1997, Hampton 2001, Richmond 1991, and Santa Clara in 1993.

• # 14 seeds to have advance to the Regional Semifinals were Chattanooga 1997 and Cleveland St. in 1986.

• # 1 seeds to have won the championship have included: Arkansas 1994, Connecticut 1999, Duke 1992, 2001 & 2010, Florida 2007, Georgetown 1984, Indiana 1987, Kansas 2008, Kentucky 1996, Maryland 2002, Michigan St. 2000, UNLV 1990, North Carolina 1982, 1993, 2005 2009, and UCLA 1995.

• Arizona was the only #4 seed to have won the championship in 1997.

• North Carolina has been the no. 1 seed a record 13 times from 1979-2009 followed by Duke with 12 from 1986 through 2011.

• Duke has beaten a no. 1 seed a record 8 times, followed by Arizona (1994-2011) and Kansas (1998-2008) with 7.

• #1 seeds are 104-0 in the first round, 95-13 in the second, 76-18 in the Regional Semifinals, 45-31 in the Regional Finals and 16-9 in the National Championship.

• #2 seeds are 100-4 in the first round; #3 seeds are 88-16 in the first round, #4 seeds are 82-22 in the first round; and #5 seeds are 69-35 in the first round

First Round Stunners

• No. 12 seed Penn knocked off no. 5 seed Washington St. 62-55 in 1980.

• No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee stunned no. 6 seed Kentucky, 50-44 in 1982.

• No. 13 seed Navy cruised past no. 4 seed LSU in 1985.

• No. 14 seed Cleveland State upset Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers, 83-79, in 1986.

• No. 13 seed Princeton slipped past no. 4 seed UCLA 43-41 in 1996.

• No. 15 seed Coppin St. caught no. 2 seed South Carolina napping in a 78-65 first round stunner in 1997.

• No.  15 seed Hampton stunned no. 2 seed Iowa St. 58-57 in 2001.

• No. 14 seed Ohio easily handled no. 3 Georgetown 97-83 in 2010.

• The only independent team to win the NCAA title was Marquette in 1977.

• In 2002, California could boast of 7 teams in the tournament: California, UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, San Diego St., Southern California, Stanford, and UCLA. The record was matched by the state of Texas in 2010 who had the following teams in the tournament: Baylor, Houston, North Texas, Sam Houston St., Texas, Texas A&M, UTEP.

• The highest rated televised college basketball game came on March 26, 1979 when a pair of no. 33's squared off: Larry Bird of Indiana St., losing to Magic Johnson and the Spartans of Michigan State, 75-64. NBC recorded a 24.1/38 ratings share, which reached an estimated 17,950,000 homes.

• The most watched telecast (by homes) was on April 6, 1992 when Duke and Michigan locked horns in the championship. The game was televised by CBS, receiving a 22.7/35 rating share, while reaching an estimated 20, 910,000 homes.

Tournament Milestones.

• 1939: In the curtain raiser of the tournament: Villanova defeated Brown, 42-30, on March 17, 1939, in Philadelphia. In the second game of the doubleheader, Ohio State defeated Wake Forest, 64-52.

• 1946: The championship game was televised locally for the first time in New York City by WCBS-TV as Oklahoma State defeated North Carolina, 43-40. The viewing audience was estimated to be 500,000.

• 1951: The field was expanded to 16 teams, with 10 conference champions qualifying automatically for the first time.

• 1952: Tournament games were televised regionally for the first time.

• 1975: The first reference to “Final Four” in an NCAA publication was in the 1975 Official Collegiate Basketball Guide. On page 5 in the National Preview-Review section written by Ed Chay of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Chay wrote: “Outspoken Al McGuire of Marquette, whose team was one of the final four in Greensboro, was among several coaches who said it was good for college basketball that UCLA was finally beaten.”

• 1979: The bracket was expanded to 40 teams and all teams were seeded for the first time.

• 1980: The bracket was expanded to 48 teams, which included 24 automatic qualifiers and 24 at-large teams. The top 16 seeds received byes to the second round.

• 1985: The tournament bracket was expanded to include 64 teams, which eliminated all first-round byes.

• 1994: President Bill Clinton became the first sitting president to attend the Final Four, where he watched his home state Arkansas team win the NCAA title.

• 2008: For the first time in tournament history, all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four.

• 2009: President Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to fill out the NCAA tournament bracket on television. No. 44 correctly picked the eventual champion North Carolina.

• 2011: the tournament field expanded to 68 teams

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
March 12, 2012

Source: National Collegiate Athletic Association Press Office

 

Super Bowl History: Feats, Facts, and Historic Footnotes

With the NFL Pro Bowl over, the countdown begins to Super Bowl Sunday, when Tom Brady and Eli Manning, two mighty warriors, lock horns in what is expected to be a true epic battle between the New England Patriots and New York Giants.

Since this is Super Bowl XLVI, you might be wondering if the number 46 holds any significance in the annals of Super Bowl History?

The answer is a resounding yes.

First, the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl XX (1986) to the Chicago Bears 46 to 10. The 1985 Bears, by the way, made the ``46’’ defense (four down linemen, three linebackers, and four defensive backs) famous, which featured imposing stars like Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, William ``The Refrigerator’’ Perry, and the late Dave Duerson. And in Super Bowl IV (1970), Len Dawson of the Kansas City Chiefs built on their 16-7 lead when connecting with Otis Taylor on 46-yard touchdown pass in the 3rd quarter as the Chiefs stunned the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7. Also, both Super Bowls XXX (1996) and XLV (2011) received a 46.0 television rating; while the game time temperature for Super Bowl IX (1975) in New Orleans was a chilly 46 degrees.

So as we anxiously await the opening kickoff on February 5, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on NBC from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, what follows are some facts, feats, and historic footnotes of past Super Bowls to consider.

• According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first time the term ``Super Bowl’’ appeared in print was in a Los Angeles Times article on October 22, 1966: ``The capacity of the Coliseum for the Super Bowl will be 90,000.''

• The NFC have won 14 consecutive coin tosses, with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI (1997) being the last AFC team to win the toss.

• Tickets for Super Bowl I (1967) could be had for as low as $6, $10, or $12. Last year, by contrast, in Super Bowl XLV, ticket prices were an exorbitant $600, $800, $900, and $1,200.

• During Super Bowl I (1967) a 30-second television advertisement spot cost $42,000. This year, NBC will be charging advertisers a whopping $3.5 million.

• Tickets to the Super Bowl are distributed as follows: AFC Champion (17.5 percent); NFC Champion (17.5 percent); Host city team(s) (5.0 percent);  other 29 teams: 34.8 percent (1.2 percent each); NFL Distribution for fan lottery, NFLPA,  media, and other NFL associates-(25.2 percent).

• Roman numerals to designate a Super Bowl first began with Super Bowl V (1971).

• According to a new survey by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association conducted by BIGinsight, 173 million people will watch the Super Bowl on February 5th.

• The National Retail Federation estimates that nearly 63.6 million (27.1 percent) are planning to attend a Super Bowl party, up from last year’s 61.2 million, and another 35.9 million (15.3 percent) plan to throw a party, also up from the 34.9 million who said they would host a party in 2011.

• Consumer spending for the Super Bowl is expected to reach an all-time high, with the average television viewer expected to spend $63.87 on related merchandise, apparel and snacks, up from $59.33 last year. Total Super Bowl spending, meanwhile, is expected to reach $11.0 billion.

• Research by the Calorie Control Council (the “Council”) and Snack Food Association finds that Americans will consume 30 million pounds of snacks on Super Bowl Sunday, including 11.2 million pounds of potato chips, 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 4.3 million pounds of pretzels, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn and 2.5 million pounds of nuts. 

• The Calorie Council’s research additionally reveals that potato chips, consumer’s number one snack, will account for 27 billion calories and 1.8 billion grams of fat.  These 1.8 billion fat grams nationwide translate to four million pounds of fat, which is equivalent to the weight of 13,000 National Football League (NFL) offensive linemen at 300 pounds each.

• The Super Bowl Trophy (the Lombardi Trophy), which is crafted by Tiffany & Co., is valued at $25,000.

• The most fourth quarter lead changes in a Super Bowl were in Super Bowl XLII (2008) between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. There were 3 lead changes during the final quarter.

• Super Bowl XLVI will be carried nationally by NBC on more than 200 television stations throughout the United States, plus Bermuda and Guam.

• Super Bowl XLVI will be televised live in more than 180 countries and territories.

• Westwood One Radio will carry the Super Bowl on more than 600 radio stations within the United States. Armed Forces Radio will provide the broadcast to 175 foreign countries and ships at sea; while Univision Radio will broadcast in Spanish to more than 30 radio stations in the U.S., reaching more than 500,000 Spanish-speaking NFL fans.

• In 2012, each player for the winning team will receive $88,000; each member of the losing team will receive $44,000.

• Don Shula holds the record for most Super Bowl appearances by a head coach at 6: Baltimore, III; Miami, VI-VIII, XVII, XIX.

• Jerry Rice holds the record with most career Super Bowl touchdowns with 8 over four games with San Francisco and Oakland.

• San Francisco 49'ers Joe Montana registered the highest career passer rating (127.8) in Super Bowl history over four games.

• After the New York Giants won Super Bowl XXI (1987), they ended up in last place in the NFC Eastern Division the following year with a 6-9 record.

• Joe Montana completed 11 touchdown passes over four games, the most in Super Bowl history.

• Tom Brady holds the Super Bowl record among quarterbacks with 100 completions; and 156 pass attempts.

• Most points racked up in a single Super Bowl game was 55 by the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV (1990) when they smothered the Denver Broncos by 45 points.

• The fewest points scored in a Super Bowl game came during Super Bowl VI (1972), when the Miami Dolphins only managed 3 points on a Garo Yepremian 31-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter to become the first team in Super Bowl history without a touchdown. The Dallas Cowboys limited the Dolphins to 185 yards in their 24-3 drubbing of the Dolphins.

• 47 NFL players have won Super Bowls with more than one team.

• 23 NFL head coaches have won Super Bowls with more than one team.

• 17 individuals have won Super Bowls both as a player and coach.

• 13 Fathers and Sons have reached the Super Bowl.

• 22 sets of brothers have reached the Super Bowl.

• 6 NFL coaches led their teams to the Super Bowl in their first year with the team, the last being Jim Caldwell of the Indianapolis Colts in 2010.

• The oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl was Dick Vermeil, who was 63 when the St Louis Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV (2000).

• The youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl was Mike Tomlin, who was 36 when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII (2009).

• Two teams in Super Bowl history overcame deficits of 10 points to go on to win the Super Bowl:  the Washington Redskins in 1988 and the New Orleans Saints in 2010.

• The last time there was only one week between the Championship Game(s) and the Super Bowl was in Super Bowl XXXVII (2003) between the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

• South Florida has been host city to the Super Bowl a record 10 times, followed by New Orleans with 9.

• The most viewers to watch a Super Bowl was on February 6, 2011 when a record 162,900,000 tuned in to watch the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers on FOX.

• 2012 will be NBC’s 17th time broadcasting the Super Bowl, tying them with CBS for the most ever.

-Bill Lucey
January 30, 2012
[email protected]

Source: NFL Press Office; Nielsen Media Research; National Retail Federation; Calorie Control Council; Snack Food Association

***

Web Sites to Keep in Mind:

Box Scores/Game Summaries of Previous Super Bowls (NFL.com)

Super Bowl Stats (NFL.com)

Super Bowl Central (ESPN.com)

The Official Super Bowl Twitter Account

Live Streaming of Super Bowl 46 (NBC Sports)

Live Streaming on Mobile Device (Verizon)

Super Bowl XLVI play-by-play will be posted at the end of each quarter at http://www.nflgsis.com/

A Departing Q & A with George Vecsey

                                                     The New York Times

I always hoped this day would never come.

Breaking into journalism as a sports reporter back in 1960 with Newsday on Long Island, then beginning in 1968, landing at The New York Times as a general assignment sports reporter, with subsequent  tours of duty as a national correspondent, Metro reporter, and religion writer before moving back to the sports department in 1980 and assuming stewardship of the ``Sports of The Times’’ column two years later (after the death of Red Smith), George Vecsey  has decided to hang up his spikes and close his notebook for good after recently accepting a company buyout.

Mr. Vecsey has been such a fixture on the sports pages of the Times for so many years and admired by so many colleagues, competitors, and loyal readers-it’s hard to imagine not seeing his byline hanging under the ``Sports of the Times’’  logo.  Although this marks a sad end of the George Vecsey era at the Times-readers can at least take heart, knowing the current Sports editor of the Times, Joe Sexton, will be splashing Vecsey’s opinions and signature analysis on its pages from time to time.

In addition to his prolific contributions as a sports columnist, Vecsey has authored over a dozen books, including ``Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game’’, ``A Year in the Sun’’, and most recently, ``Stan Musial: An American Life’’

For those interested in a ``Cliff Notes’’ version of Vecsey’s distinguished career at the Times, I refer you to his farewell column  which was published on December 16, 2011.

Before departing the Times’ building at 620 Eighth Avenue, turning to the rapturous crowd, and tipping his cap for the final time, Mr. Vecsey was gracious enough to answer some of my questions.

Q. Do you plan to work immediately on a book centering on your 43-year career with The New York Times; or do you have other projects in mind?

A: I just finished and promoted the Musial bio this past year and have avoided any thought of another book...I did a book in 1988 called A Year in the Sun, and think I may have told some of my best stories...but a "memoir" (heavy word, that) is possible...thanks for asking.

Q.  Did you ever miss a deadline as a Sports columnist?

A: I don't think I ever missed a first edition when they were waiting for a column. I'm sure there were a few times when I missed a subsequent edition because of events beyond control -- sudden early deadlines at the NYT or Mookie madness or Kenny Rogers walking everybody in the ball park on edition time. It is a terrible feeling to have a friend in the office say, 'we'll catch you on the next edition." although these days, with the 24-hour web, we are all in the wire service business.

 Q.) Who has been the most influential during your career in preparing you to be Sports columnist?

 A  Wow, it takes a village. My Dad, working at the AP and Daily News, was always on my side, even talking about a column. My wife has given me freedom to pursue my madness. An editor named Stew Kampel -- now retired, but around, -- asked me to write a regular Sunday column in the Long Island section, which sharpened my sense of telling a story.

Lots of editors. Lots of people were nice to me, starting with Jack Mann and Stan Isaacs at Newsday.

And as I mentioned in my farewell column (sort of), Abe Rosenthal land Arthur Gelb knew me as one of their Metro guys -- a huge thing in any business, to be one of the boss' people -- and remembered my interest in sports. I think I mentioned a column to Abe once or twice. He never forgot anything.

 Q. Any particular reason why you’ve done so few television interviews over the years?

 A  Being on TV implies sitting in front of a camera. That sounds contradictory to my work, which is being out somewhere, and writing, and traveling. It never meant much to me, and was intrusive, plus, I am a child of the radio generation; I still think TV is on a tryout.

For a while, The New York Times discouraged -- hard to believe -- giving it away for free on the tube. Then I looked up and saw other NYT people preening and pontificating. Not for me.

I would quickly add, that I have had a mild case of stage fright and shyness that seems to have vanished in the past decade, to the point where I can babble on live TV, and conducted live interview with Agassi for the NYT lecture series, and recently, when a guest did not show up for Tim McCarver's syndicated show, the director talked me (and Tim) into having me interview Tim, which really worked well, since I know and like him a lot. In my old age, I have become a bit of a ham -- particularly promoting my book, I should add.

Q. You've interviewed a number of compelling figures during your illustrious career, including the Dalai Lama, Tony Blair, Muhammad Ali, Martina Navratilova, Archbishop Oscar A. Romero of El Salvador, Joyce Carol Oates, Casey Stengel et al.  Which newsmaker had the most profound impact on you?

 A. Oh, gosh, that would be hard. For inner goodness, surely Romero (I asked him if the church and the Pope's pronouncements on activism had set him up to be assassinated. He said yes -- I speak some poor Spanish -- and a year later he was knocked off.) The other day I saw Charlize Theron -- not hard to pay attention to her -- talking about Mandela's sense of moving forward -- I truly believe in that. But if I keep going on this thought, I would say the person who guides me the most is Jesus Christ (I never ever say that in public, but the fact is, he is, at the very least, a role model and guide for behavior under pressure, for seeing the good in people.) 

Then again, I can hear Casey pounding his chest and proclaiming, "I can make a living telling the truth," circa 1962. I think of the Old Man every day.

Q.  Have you taught your younger brother, Peter Vecsey, sports columnist for the cross-time rival, The New York Post, everything he knows? Do you two ever share notebooks from time to time?

  A: It is pretty well known that Pete and I do not share much these days. Probably, back a few decades, he offered more to me than I could offer to him -- he introduced me to basketball people he knew -- Walton, Bird, Erving, and some rogues he knew. He is very generous that way. Pete's mentor was our father, George Vecsey, a career sports writer and copy editor, and Guild organizer. (Our mom, May Spencer Vecsey, was also a Guild organizer in 1938....) My father had a lot of contact with Pete, getting him some early jobs in the business, and constantly advising him and teaching him. My father broke in a lot of people. Pete is a tribute to himself, but also to our dad.

I should add, we have one sister who is a retired prep school headmaster, and another who was an official at that prep school in Georgia, and our youngest sibling, Christopher Vecsey, is a professor and author at Colgate - "the educated one," our mother called him.

Q. How has the culture of journalism changed since you first stepped into the Times’ newsroom over 40 years ago?

A. The 24-hour cycle means there is no natural rhythm of trolling for contacts, details, writing a first draft, wandering out to lunch, revising -- the cycle that still makes sense to me. Somebody always wants your copy for the Web. So you rush -- maybe not at the expense of basic accuracy, but surely at the cost of writing and structure and fullness. On the other hand, we live in a 24-hour cycle, so I guess journalism needs to reflect that.

  Q. Have the inflated salaries professional athletes earn, the shameless use of performance enhancing drugs, and the never-ending charges of spousal abuse and recreational drug abuse off the field-caused you to be turned off by professional sports? 

 A: I can't say it has. As the child of union people, I am glad to see athletes making money, lots of it. Why not? The money must be there. Better the athletes have some money, than all of it go to Steinbrenner or Dolan. The drugs are a scandal, but there were probably more blatant alcoholics back in the day - and uneducated louts, too.

The big change is that when I was breaking in, I had the same economic scale as people who became my friends -- Ruben Amaro, Ed Charlies, Bill Robinson, Steve Hamilton, Ron Swoboda, Larry Bearnarth. We socialized sometimes. Of course, we were the same age, 20s and 30s. I don't think ball players and writers have much in common anymore. I'm glad I can see Ruben or Charles and give them a big hug....

Q. Was there any sports figure in particular that took issue with your column, enough to verbally abuse you; or threaten to harm you physically?

 A: Really, only one. During the week of Watts in 1965, the Dodgers were pretty shook up, particularly African-American ones. A young pinch-runner named Willie Crawford missed 3B...costing a run, and, as I recall, a game. Afterward, in the clubhouse, we went to ask him about it. From the far end of the clubhouse, Willie Davis said (in the most gorgeous baritone), "Leave the kid alone." I said, rather nicely, we had a job to do. Davis did not agree, and pretty quickly charged down the aisle of the clubhouse, looking like a man about to take a swing. From his own locker, John Roseboro stepped in and took the charge, as he did at home plate, saying, "Ummm, gentlemen, this is not the time or place for this." (Or something like that, very calmly, in his own mellow voice.) Davis never got to me, for which I am grateful.

A day or two later, Roseboro got hit on the head by Marichal. Larry Fox of the Telly and I found Roseboro at the Dodger plane at the airport (we knew the clubhouse guy) and his bandages were covered by a Giant cap -- Willie Mays' cap. Willie was disgusted with what Marichal did. I tell this story often, to make the point of what a wonderful man Roseboro was. He should have been a manager.

Q. Outside of the Times, who have been some of your favorite Sports columnists, present and past?

A: Dick Young (in his Daily News days; plus, he was always very helpful to me when I was breaking in), Jimmy Cannon (I felt very close to him), Milton Gross (he could get inside the heads of players), Stan Isaacs, my mentor at Newsday, the most innovative columnist I ever read. Larry Merchant of the Philadelphia Daily News,  Len Shecter for the good old NY Post.  After that, Red Smith and Arthur Daley. I was pretty much a tabloid guy as a kid.

And Murray Kempton. I loved his work, and was extremely proud to know him when I became a sports columnist. I think of him every time I cover a trial or hearing or any public event.

Q. Do you have some important words of advice to any young person out there aspiring one day to become a widely read Sports columnist?

 A: Seriously? Minor in something else. This business is slipping. There may not be much future for the kind of sports column I did. The NYT’s has gone from five general sports columnists writing regularly.. 

 
Q. The New York Times is lucky enough to have been one of the few U.S. newspapers still thriving despite the mass migration to the Web. Do you think the Internet has taken a particularly hard toll on the Sports Pages of many U.S. newspapers, considering so much sports information is so easily available on the Web?

 A: Sure...papers do not have the money to send columnists places..or even to subsidize their heads...and people can get results on line, but a thoughtful column would seem to be a priority. My advice would be to aspire, but if you think you are not getting anywhere after a year or three, have a fallback position. Patience and talent and good clips may not matter much; actually do not matter than much now, if I read papers around the US.

Q. How optimistic are you for the future of the U.S. Newspaper Industry?

 A: Not. Newspapers are the engines that drive the Web. Without editors planning assignments and copy editors fixing mistakes, reporters quickly deteriorate into Underwear Guys writing blogs from their den. The sad thing is that everybody knows it -- even politicians and business people know they need some source of actual information, even if they get whacked once in a while. But the economics and timidity of the newspaper business are working against that future. And the bloggers brag about knowing how things work from the sanctity of their dens.

    -GV

****
Bill Lucey
[email protected]
December 28, 2011

Meet Me in St Louis: World Series Milestones and Historic Firsts

Game One of the 107th World Series kicks off on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium in St Louis, when the Cardinals take on the red hot Texas Rangers with Chris Carpenter taking to the hill against C.J. Wilson.

St. Louis, no stranger to the post-season, has won 10 Series titles, second to the New York Yankees who have 27 world championships tucked under their belt.

This will be the Rangers second straight World Series appearance; the outstanding pitching of the San Francisco Giants, especially from the likes of the lanky Tim Lincecum last year, frustrated the Texas bats as the Giants easily won the Series in 5 games.

This year, gargantuan hitting from both the Cardinals and Rangers is expected to be the order of the day, which will feature sluggers like Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and David Freese swinging for the fences.

So as we prepare for the first pitch, here are a few feats, facts, and historic firsts about the Fall Classic to chew over.

• The St Louis Cardinals, who defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games in 1967, were the first team to receive the original World Series trophy, the Commissioner’s Trophy.

• In 1908, Billy Murray introduced "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," a catchy melody that became baseball's anthem. It featured music by Albert Von Tilzer and lyrics by Jack Norworth.

• The championship has been won by the home team 51 of 106 times or 48. 1 percent of the time.

• The winner of Game One has won the championship 65 times or 61.3 percent of the time.

• Among the 35 seven-game World Series, the home club has won Game Seven 20 times.

• Only three teams — the 1985 Royals, 1986 Mets and 1996 Yankees — have lost the first two games at home and then have gone on to win the World Series.

• Only four teams in World Series history have won Game One and been swept in the next four. They are:  the 1915 Phillies, 1942 Yankees, 1969 Orioles and 1983 Phillies.

• Eleven teams have lost consecutive World Series.

• The first time lights were used during a World Series Game came on October 9, 1949 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, in the top of the ninth inning (4:50 p.m.EST) in the fifth and final game.

• The first night game in World Series history came on October 13, 1971 when the Baltimore Orioles played at Pittsburgh in Game Four at Three Rivers Stadium.

• The first time all-games were played at night for a World Series was in 1985 when the Kansas City Royals squared off against the St Louis Cardinals.

• There have been 55 extra-inning games in World Series history. All together, American League clubs have won 28; the National League 24, with three games ending in a tie. Home teams have been won in 34 of the 55 extra-inning games.

• The largest attendance for single game in World Series history was 92,706 on October 6, 1959 in Game Five played between the Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

• The shortest World Series game was 1:25  on October 14, 1908 when the Chicago Cubs blanked the Detroit Tigers, 2-0 in Detroit

• The longest 9 inning night game in World Series history was 4:19 when the Boston Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies, 10-5 in Colorado.

• The longest extra-inning World Series night game (14 innings) was on October 25, 2005 when the Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 7-5 in Houston.

• In 1960, Bobby Richardson of the New York Yankees became the only World Series MVP from a losing team.

• Only two players have won the World Series MVP as rookies: Larry Sherry in 1959 and Livan Hernandez in 1997.

• Jack Quinn of the Philadelphia Athletics, who was 47 years old when he played in the 1930 World Series, was the oldest player to have played in the Fall Classic, followed by Jamie Moyer of the Philadelphia Phillies who was 45 during the 2008 World Series.

• The youngest player on a World Series roster was Fred Lindstrom of the New York Giants who in 1924 was 18 years/10 months.

• In 1903, there was only 1 foreign born player on a World Series roster; 2 in 1912; 3 in 1916; 9 in 1972 and 1975; 15 in 1995; and 16 in 2003, 2007, and 2010.

• The first designated hitter to bat in World Series play was Lou Piniella of the New York Yankees in the second inning of Game One in 1976. He doubled to right field and later scored on a sacrifice by Graig Nettles.

• In 4 World Series appearances, Christy Mathewson tossed 10 complete games, and 4 shutouts, a major league record, while posting a 1.06 ERA in 101.2 innings pitched.

• In 11 World Series appearances Whitey Ford had a record 94 strikeouts.

• There have been a total of 840 home runs in World Series history (472 by American League clubs and 368 by National League clubs).

• There have been 10 inside-the-park home runs in World Series history. The first was slapped by Patsy Dougherty of the Boston Americans on October 2, 1903, when leading off in the bottom of the first against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The last was recorded by George “Mule” Haas of the Philadelphia Athletics during the seventh inning on October 12, 1929 of Game Four in the 1929 World Series against the Chicago Cubs.

• There have been 54 walk-off wins in World Series history. Overall, the American League has won 32; the National League, 22.

• Detroit’s Goose Goslin was the only player to have two game-ending hits in a World Series game with RBI singles in 1934 and 1935.

• The first radio broadcast of the World Series was in 1921.  Grantland Rice provided telephone play-by-play over a special three station hookup on KDKA (Pittsburgh), WJZ (Newark) and WBZ (East Spring field, MA).

• NBC provided the first telecast of a World Series in 1947. Commentators Bob Stanton, Bill Slater and Bob Edge called the action. NBC’s telecast was beamed to New York City, Washington, Philadelphia and Schenectady.

• In 1951 NBC presented the first coast-to-coast telecast. Jim Britt and Russ Hodges handled the commentary.

• FOX Sports with play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and analyst Tim McCarver enters its 16th season as the official network broadcaster of Major League Baseball.

• Major League Baseball game telecasts of the 2011 World Series will be re-transmitted in 20 different languages and broadcast in more than 220 countries and territories.  

Bill Lucey
[email protected]
October 18, 2011

Source: Major League Baseball Press Office

  

NL Hoping All-Star Game is just another Holiday

 
Every day's a holiday when ``Doc’’, the National League gun slinger, takes to the hill.

***

With the Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay (11-3 with a 2.45 ERA) scheduled to toe the rubber for the National League, while the Los Angeles Angels Jared Weaver (11-4 with a 1.86 ERA) starts for the junior circuit, the 82nd Annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game has the makings of another pitcher’s duel, which might not see as much scoring as fans would have hoped for.

 After all, sixteen players originally selected for the 2011 All-Star Game won’t be in the lineup Tuesday. Added to this,  is the startling statistic that the major league batting average of .253 hasn’t been this low at midseason in 26 years, when it dipped to .252 in 1985.

Worse still, for two consecutive Midsummer classics (2009, 2010), all these all-stars from both leagues- failed to produce a single home-run.

So as we get ready for the first pitch, here are a few feats, facts, and historic firsts to mull over while tipping back a cold one and slapping some mustard on that pretzel.

• Tuesday marks the 82nd annual All-Star Game since its inauguration in 1933.

• After 81 All-Star Games in the books, the National League leads the American League, 41-38-2.

• With the National League’s 3-1 victory at Angel Stadium in Anaheim last year, the American League saw its consecutive win streak over the senior circuit broken at 13 consecutive wins, dating back to 1997, the longest in history, surpassing the American League’s consecutive win streak from 1972-1982.

• For the first time in Major League history, the All-Star Game will feature a Designated Hitter in a National League Park. The New York Mets’ Carlos Beltran becomes the first DH representing the National League in All-Star history.  David Ortiz will DH for the junior circuit.

• From 1959-1962, there were two All-Star Games each year.

• The All-Star Game was cancelled in 1945 due to World War II travel restrictions.

• In 2011, Arizona becomes the 27th state to host an All-Star Game; while Chase Stadium becomes the 52nd different park to host the Midsummer Classic.

• 26 All-Star Games have been decided by one run; 46 by two runs or less.

• In the 78 years since the first All-Star Game, future Hall of Famers have accounted for 1,060 All-Star Game selections – 215 pitcher selections and 845 position player selections.

• Hank Aaron was elected a record 25 times at the All-Star Game, followed by Willie Mays and Stan Musial who each were selected to 24 Midsummer Classics.

• Among pitchers, Warren Spahn was selected a record 17 times to the All-Star Game, followed by Mariano Rivera and Tom Seaver who both represented their respective leagues 12 times.

• Of the 18 players selected to start the 1934 All-Star Game, only one, Wally Berger, never made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

• No home runs were hit during the 2010 All-Star Game, making it the second consecutive Midsummer Classic without a moon shot; and the first power outage during an All-Star Game since 1957 and 1958.

• Ron Washington, his first as an All-Star manager, becomes the first Texas Rangers ‘skipper to lead the AL All-Stars.

• Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants is leading the N.L. All-Star squad for the second time in his career; his first was during the 1999 Midsummer Classic while with the San Diego Padres.

• Jered Weaver makes his first start during an All-Star Game; and is the fifth Angels pitcher in club history to start for the American League, joining Mark Langston (1993), Nolan Ryan (1979), Dean Chance (1964) and Ken McBride (1963).

• Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies will start for the National League on Tuesday night, marking Halladay’s second career All-Star start (2009) and the first for the N.L.

• Halladay becomes the fourth pitcher in history to start the Midsummer Classic for both leagues, joining Vida Blue (A.L.: 1971 and 1975; N.L.: 1978), Roger Clemens (A.L.: 1986 and 2001; N.L.: 2004) and Randy Johnson (A.L.: 1995 and 1997; N.L.: 2000-01).

• The Philadelphia Phillies have three of their five starting pitchers on the 2011 N.L. All-Star team with right-hander Roy Halladay and left-handers Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee, making them the first trio on an All-Star roster since 1997 when Atlanta’s Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Denny Neagle represented the National League.

• The only club to have four starting pitchers make an All-Star Game was the 1942 Cincinnati Reds.

• Sixteen players originally selected for the 2011 All-Star Game won’t be in the lineup Tuesday night, nine for the American League and seven for the National League.

• In 2011, there will be 22 foreign-born All-Stars; 11 from the Dominican Republic, five from Venezuela, two from Canada, two from Puerto Rico, one from Curacao., and one from Panama .

• There will be a record 35 first-time All-Stars participating in  Tuesday night’s game, 19 in the American League and 16 in the National League.

• The A.L. and the N.L. each have one rookie on their roster.

• The New York Yankees have eight All-Stars (Cano, Granderson, Jeter, Martin, Rivera, Robertson, Rodriguez, Sabathia) for a second consecutive season, the most among any Major League Club.

• For the 2011 All-Star Game, over 2,000 writers, photographers and broadcasters will be credentialed to accommodate the worldwide coverage of the event.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
July 12, 2011

Source: Major League Baseball Press Office

Derek Jeter (``Captain Clutch'') Sets Sail in Pursuit of 3,000 Hits

 

If all goes according to plan, Derek Jeter will come off the disabled list on Monday in Cleveland, where he will continue his quest to become the first New York Yankee to reach 3,000 hits, joining 27 others in the elite 3,000 hit club. The All-Star shortstop went on the disabled list after straining his right calf on June 13th, just six hits shy of 3,000 hits.

Born Derek Sanderson Jeter on June 26, 1974, in Pequannock, N.J; Jeter’s family moved to Kalamazoo, Mich  when he was still a young child and began playing T-ball at the age of 5; in 1992 he graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School, where he hit .508 (30-for-59) with 4 home-runs, 23 RBI’s in 23 games during his senior year, while being named the 1992 High School “Player of the Year” by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

It was in 1992 that the Yankees made the New Jersey native their 1st round pick (sixth overall), becoming only the third shortstop in club history to be selected as the 1st round pick, joining Dennis Sherrill (1974) and Rex Hudler (1978).

While fine-tuning his skills in the minors, mostly in Greensboro NC and Columbus OH, Jeter got his first taste of the big leagues in 1995 when he filled in for injured Yankee shortstop Tony Fernandez on May 29, 1995 in a game against Seattle, playing between All-Stars Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs. On the following day, Jeter recorded two of his first hits as a major leaguer.

To start the 1996 season, the Yankees named Jeter their Opening Day shortstop, becoming their first Opening Day rookie shortstop, since Tom Tresh in 1962.

Like a Broadway show, Jeter lived up to his grand billing. Not only did he display his dazzling athletic agility with a leaping catch to deny Omar Vizquel of a run scoring single while his team was clinging to a 2-0 lead, but he became the first Yankee rookie to hit an opening day home-run since Jerry Kenney in 1969, when he belted a solo shot off of the Cleveland Indians’ Dennis Martinez at Jacobs Field in only his second at bat.

Ever since that memorable curtain-raiser, Jeter has been a house-hold name, not to mention a matinee idol with thousands of female admirers from coast-to-coast. He finished his rookie season with a .314 average, 10 home runs, 78 RBIs and 14 steals, capping off the season with the American League Rookie of the Year Award, along with a World Series ring, (the Yankees first since 1978) one of five World Series rings that would be added to his deep treasure chest.

On June 3, 2003, Jeter was named the Yankees 11th captain in franchise history, and the first since Don Mattingly retired after the 1995 season.

So as we prepare to refocus our attention on Captain Clutch’s  pursuit of 3,000 hits, here is a brief statistical snapshot of his career with the Bronx Bombers.

• Slapped his first major league hit (a single) against Tim Belcher  in Seattle on May 30, 1995.

• Hit his first major league home-run, a solo shot, off the Cleveland Indians’ Dennis Martinez on April 2, 1996 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland.

• Will be the first Yankee to record 3,000  career hits. Lou Gehrig had 2,721; Babe Ruth, 2,518; Mickey Mantle, 2, 415; Bernie Williams, 2,336;  Joe DiMaggio, 2, 214;  Don Mattingly, 2,153; Yogi Berra, 2, 148;  Bill Dickey, 1,969; and Earle Combs, 1, 866.

• No player has ever reached 3,000 hits at Yankee Stadium, either at the old or the new one.

• Of the 27 members of the 3,000-hit club, four have played for the Yankees: Dave Winfield (1,172 games, 1,300 hits), Wade Boggs (602 games, 702 hits), Rickey Henderson (596 games, 663 hits) and Paul Waner (10 games, 1 hit).

• On two occasions, a player has recorded his 3,000th career hit against the Yankees: Carl Yastrzremski on September 12, 1979,  a single off the Yankees’ Jim Beattie (at Fenway Park) and Nap Lajoie September 27, 1914 -Game 1, a double off the Yankees’ Marty McHale (at League Park in Cleveland).

• When he reaches the3,000 hit milestone, Jeter will join 10 others who have recorded all of their 3,000 hits with one club, including: Stan Musial (3,630 – STL) Tony Gwynn (3,141 – SD), Carl Yastrzemski (3,419 – BOS) Cap Anson (3,081 – CHC), Cal Ripken Jr. (3,184 – BAL) Craig Biggio (3,060 – HOU), George Brett (3,154 – KC) Al Kaline (3,007 – DET), Robin Yount (3,142 – MIL) Roberto Clemente (3,000).

• Jeter will be 37 when he reaches 3,000 hits, joining Pete Rose( 37 years, 21 days) and Tris Speaker (37 years, 44 days); the youngest to reach 3,000 hits was Ty Cobb (34 years, 244 days), followed by Hank Aaron (36 years, 101 days), and Robin Yount (36 years, 359 days). The oldest was Cap Anson, who was 45 when he reached 3,000 hits.

• Recorded 653 of his 2994 hits in the 1st inning; 439 hits came in 3rd inning; 361 in the 5th; 325 in the 6th; and 305 in the 7th innings.

• Has collected hits off of 807 different Major League pitchers; the pitcher he faced the most was Tim Wakefield. In 119 plate appearances, Jeter has 32 hits against the Boston knuckleballer, the most in his career against any one pitcher.

• Highest batting average percentage (based on a minimum of 20 plate appearances) was against Hideo Nomo .600 (12-20); he was batting .500 against current teammate CC Sabathia (13-for-26).

• Faced Jorge Julio 14 times in his career; without a hit.

• Recorded 200 or more hits seven times, one shy of Lou Gehrig’s club record.

• Finished with 1,274 career hits at the original Yankee Stadium, enough to surpass Lou Gehrig (1,269) for the most all-time hits at the Stadium.

• Recorded two 5-hit games in his career; 35 4-hit games; 217 3-hit games, while going hitless in 536 games.

• At the time of recording his first major league hit (5-30-1995), gas cost $1.09 a gallon, a postage stamp could be had for 32 cents; Alex Rodriguez hadn’t even hit his first home-run yet (his first didn’t come until June 12, 1995); Mario Rivera hadn’t saved a game yet; the top box office draw was the movie ``Dumb and Dumber’’, while ``Seinfeld’’ was the number one television show.

• Banged out a career 303 hits against the Baltimore Orioles; 286 against the Boston Red Sox; and 285 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

• Most hits at a visiting park over his career was at Camden Yards (160 hits).

• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jeter has collected at least one hit against all current 29 opposing franchises in Major League Baseball; he has at least 150 hits against 11 Major League teams (every American League opponent except the White Sox and Twins).

• Has recorded six walk-off hits in his career, three of which came against Boston.

• Recorded 1022 hits batting first; 1634 batting second; 171 batting third.

• Collected 1933 hits during night games; 1061 during the day.

• Compiled 2200 hits against right-handers; 794 against lefties.

• 1507 of hits have been at home; 1487 away.

• Has racked up 2, 219 singles; 477 doubles, 62 triples, and 236 home-runs.

• Recorded 564 hits in the month of August; 523 in July; and 505 in May.

• 762 of his hits have come with two outs.

• 27 of his hits came as a DH; one as pinch hitter.

• Jeter will join only three other shortstops in recording 3,000 hits – Honus Wagner, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Robin Yount.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
July 1, 2011

Source:  New York Yankees’ Media Relations; Elias Sports Bureau.

  

How Did Bernie Williams React to Batting 9th?

 

Watching Jorge Posada, now a full-time DH and commanding a handsome $13.1 million annual salary while batting a paltry .165- sulk about being pushed down to 9th in the New York Yankee lineup -must have seemed downright laughable to the 13 million Americans without jobs, wondering how they will pay their bills or keep their homes.

Can you imagine how long an average American worker would hold on to their job during these challenging economic times- if he or she was as productive as Posada is now:  batting .165, six hits in his last 29 plate appearances, pounding out only 18 hits over 33 games with 15 RBI’s and striking out 30 times?  Only two other designated hitters have struck out more than Posada 39 games into this young season: Jack Cust of the Seattle Mariners and Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox.

If Posada was living in the real world, he would have already been handed his pink slip, escorted to the exit by a security guard and told his services were no longer required; his job having been outsourced or downsized.

But as we all know, professional athletes don’t live in the real world; they’re paid generously whether they win batting titles, or carve nicks in weather (swing and miss) ; their hefty paychecks still end up in their bank accounts week after week, rain or shine.

Instead of being grateful he’s still being penciled in the lineup despite not even batting his weight, Posada sulks and pouts like someone stole his lunch, just for being asked to bat 9th.

The former Yankee catcher has already offered his apology to his skipper for his temper tantrum and taking himself out of the lineup on Saturday against their division rival foes, the Boston Red Sox.  Joe Girardi, hoping to keep this theatrical dust-up to a minimum, accepted his DH’s apology; and all in the Yankee dugout hope to put this media-frenzied disruption behind them for good.

And by all accounts, Posada won’t likely act as a disruptive force in the dugout for the remainder of the season. The pride that goes with being counted on for clutch hitting like Posada was counted on for so many years, and then seeing his name 9th in the lineup for the first time in his career, must have been a little jarring for Posada and he reacted uncharacteristically like a spoiled brat.

As many baseball fans tweeted all day Sunday, ``Posada has been placed on the 15-day DL with a bruised ego.’’

Bruised ego or not,  it’s instructive how another Yankee great, Bernie Williams, reacted when manager Joe Torre penciled him in 9th in the lineup on April 13, 2005. It was a game against the Boston Red Sox in Fenway and Williams hadn’t batted 9th since July 2, 1995.  Did Williams sulk or pout or take himself out of the lineup for being bumped down to 9th in the lineup? Hardly. When asked before the game how he thought about batting 9th, Williams responded, ``It doesn’t really matter to me.’’ Batting a mere .143 with only one run batted in,  Williams turned in one of the best games of the season, going 3- for-4, including a sixth inning solo shot off of Boston ace Curt Schilling to help the Yankees to a 5-2 win over their division rivals.

After the game, Torre told reporters, ``Bernie in unlike any player I have ever met. He never changes. I’ve been here 10 years now and he’s [Bernie Williams] the same person, personality-wise, and respect-wise.’’ ``It’s refreshing’’, the Yankee skipper said. `` You hurt for him because you know he’s struggling and he has his pride and is taking a beating. But he keeps coming back and that’s what makes him so special.’’

Special, indeed.

Maybe Posada should take a closer look at how his former teammate handled the second to last season of his career, knowing full well his offensive power wasn’t nearly what it was to be- asked to hit 9th. Unlike Posada, Williams didn’t take himself out of the lineup against a division rival, he didn’t say he needed to ``clear his head’’, or claim he had an ailing back. Williams just treated it like any other day, by being a Yankee, whether he was hitting 5th, 6th or 9th, it didn’t matter to Bernie; as long as he could look in the mirror at the end of the day, and tell himself he put his best foot forward, diminishing skills and all, in helping his team to win a ballgame.

For the record, Williams finished the 2005 season with a .249 batting average, 64 RBI’s and 12 home runs.  Nowhere near the numbers this slugger used to put up; but it was a yeoman’s effort befitting a true Yankee.

And Posada should remind himself despite all his hitting and defensive accomplishments, the one endearing memory to many Yankee fans, is not the hits that ricocheted off the bats from the heart of their mighty lineup , but from the hit off the bat of their No. 9 hitter in 1978, Bucky Dent, who batted just .243 with four home runs that year; but by far his biggest blast was his 3-run moon shot that just cleared the Green Monster  off of pitcher run Mike Torrez in propelling the Yankees to a dramatic 5-4 one-game playoff win against the Boston Red Sox.

During that memorable game, no one really remembers that the Yankee clean-up hitter Reggie Jackson belted a solo home run in the 8th inning; the only memory that will never fade is that ``Bucky Bleeping Dent’’, as disgruntled Boston fans referred to him, the number 9 hitter in the Yankee lineup, was hailed as the working class hero.

If Posada thinks it’s beneath him to hit 9th, I’m sure there are plenty of prospects in Scranton, Trenton, and Tampa, eagerly waiting the phone to ring.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
 May 16, 2011

Comparing U.S. Presidents' Love for Baseball

 

 

Ever since William Howard Taft became the first U.S. president to toss a ceremonial first pitch at a Major League baseball home opener on April 14, 1910 in Washington D.C., (the brainchild of owner Clark Griffith as a promotional idea) Presidents and baseball are about as inseparable as hot dogs and mustard or beer and pretzels; and as patriotic as apple pie, jazz music, and the American flag.

Of course, Taft was no casual fan. He reportedly attended several baseball games while in office and even coached his political friends and colleagues on the proper way to keep score. At Wrigley Field, a special box was installed especially designed for his wide girth.

Woodrow Wilson, much like his predecessor, displayed an abiding love for the game as well. Wilson attended four games during his first year in the White House, including a game between the Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox in which a boisterous fan prodded the 28th president of the United State to stand up during the seventh inning stretch. "Stand up, Woody!’’, the fan reportedly yelled.  Undisturbed over the boorish comment, Wilson was moved to laughter and rose to his feet, prompting a thunder of wild cheering from fans. In 1915, Wilson also became the first president to attend a World Series game, when he traveled to Philadelphia for a game between the Red Sox and Phillies,

Calvin Coolidge appears to have been somewhat of a fair weathered fan. ``Silent Cal’’ threw out the first pitch of Opening Day in 1927; but after attending again in 1928, the cold weather was too much for him and headed for the exits after the opening frame.

Sometimes, of course, politics and baseball just don’t mix.  Franklin Roosevelt, for example, found that out while attending Opening Day in 1937, when a plane flew overhead with a banner that read: ``Play the game, don't pack the court’’, an obvious reference to his ill-advised scheme to pack the U.S. Supreme Court. FDR didn’t take the message to heart and reportedly laughed it off while downing a few more peanuts. Despite the ominous rumblings of the war in Europe, FDR still managed to attend Opening Day ceremonies in 1940 and 1941.

Harry Truman attended 16 baseball games while in office, a presidential record that still stands. But Truman is best remembered for showing off is ambidextrous abilities by throwing out the first pitches with both his left and right hands at the Opening Day ceremonies in 1950.

After so many presidents took such a liking to baseball, Americans grew accustomed to seeing their president at Opening Day festivities; and if they weren’t, they grow suspicious.  President Eisenhower instead of attending Opening Day in 1953, opted instead to play golf at Augusta National. But after receiving such bad press for turning a cold shoulder to Opening Day (which as it turned was rained out) Ike raced back to the nation’s capital to attend the rescheduled opener.

President Kennedy had the distinction of throwing out the first pitch at the Senators’ new home, D.C. Stadium on a cold day in 1962 in which the president wasn’t shy about supplying plenty of autographs.

Lyndon Johnson didn’t to seem to share his predecessors’ fondness for the national pastime. He only attended two games while in the White House; and at the opener he attended in 1965, LBJ was so busy holding court with Vice President Hubert Humphrey and other members of his cabinet, that he completely missed a home run in the second inning.

Despite his passion for baseball, Richard Nixon got off to a rocky start at Opening Day in 1969, when he ordered a presidential seal to be displayed in front of his box; only to be embarrassed when the word ``presidential’’ was misspelled. And when it came time to heave the opening pitch, Tricky Dick fumbled the rock.

Still, Nixon continued to show his love for the game. Even when forced to stay put in the White House on Opening Day in 1970 to wait the vote of his Supreme Court nominee, G. Harold Carswell, Nixon still managed to dash off to the park later in the afternoon, showing up in the 5th inning. Nixon would often use baseball metaphors in his speeches, while praising the sport for "its integrity and its credibility that is beyond reproach.’’ Nixon additionally became the first president to attend an opener outside of Washington in 1973, when he was at hand to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day at Anaheim Stadium between the Angels and Kansas City Royals.

Both Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter exhibited little enthusiasm for baseball, but Ronald Reagan, a former baseball broadcaster, was quick to display his love for the game when he entered office. The Gipper threw out the first pitch at Opening Day in Baltimore in 1984 and then watched the rest of the game from the dugout. He would have attended the opener in 1981 had it not been for John Hinckley’s assassination attempt. Reagan also threw out the first pitch on Opening Day in Baltimore in 1986; and again in 1988 at Wrigley Field, where he would broadcast 1 ½ innings behind the radio mike.

George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton both made history on Opening Day; Bush being the first president to attend an Opening Day on foreign soil (Toronto) in 1990 and Clinton was the first president to fire a pitch from the pitcher’s mound into the catcher’s mitt at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1993. Bush’s son, George W. Bush, would make history by becoming the first president to attend an Opening Day in the nation’s capital (RFK Memorial Stadium) since Richard Nixon in 1969. And in 2008, George W. made history again by attending Opening Day in 2008 at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. where he helped the broadcasting crew on ESPN in which he called the first home-run ever to be hit in the new ballpark, a solo shot by the Atlanta Braves’ Chipper Jones.

In 2010, President Obama, despite some erratic throwing, was on hand for Opening Day at Nationals Park in Washington, DC between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals.

So you might be wondering which president holds the best record for the home team after attending the season’s curtain raiser? Well, according to press office at Major League Baseball, Woodrow Wilson was a perfect 3-0, LBJ was winless at 0-3, Herbert Hoover wasn’t much better at 1-3, FDR suffered 5 losses on Opening Day, winning 3, while Calvin Coolidge was a respectable 3-1; and both George W. Bush and William Howard Taft were 2-0.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
March 30, 2011

Opening Day Milestones

• In the American League’s first opener on April 25, 1901, the Detroit Tigers came up with 10 runs in the ninth inning and went on edge Milwaukee, 14-13.

• The Boston Red Sox christened Fenway Park on April 20, 1912 by beating their division rivals, the New York Yankees, 7-6.

• Babe Ruth opened Yankee Stadium in 1923 by slapping a two-run home run off of Boston’s Howard Ehmke to propel the Yankees' to a 4-1 victory.

• On April 18, 1925, Brooklyn Dodgers owner, Charles H. Ebbets, died from a heart attack at his Waldorf Astoria apartment as the New York Giants soundly defeated the heartbroken Dodger team, 7-1, at the home opener.

• On April 13, 1926, Walter Johnson, 41, whiffs a dozen batters, enough to outlast the Philadelphia Athletics knuckleballer Eddie Rommel, 1-0, in 15 innings.

• On April 16, 1940 at Comiskey Park in Chicago, The Cleveland Indians flame thrower Bob Lemon became the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day in a 1-0 win over the White Sox.

• On April 18, 1950, Billy Martin of the New York Yankees became the first rookie to slap two hits in the same inning during an opener in which the Boston Red Sox let a commanding 9-0 lead slip through their hands, losing to their hated division rivals, 14-10.

• April 10, 1959: Nellie Fox, who went 623 at-bats the previous season without a dinger, went 5-for 7 on Opening Day, which was punctuated with a 14th-inning home run off Detroit’s Don Mossi for a 9-7 Chicago White Sox victory.

• On April 8, 1975, Player-Manager Frank Robinson, the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball, smacks a first inning home run at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in helping the Tribe to a 5-3 win over the New York Yankees.

• White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver on April 8, 1985 surpassed Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators for the most Opening Day starts at 15.

• On April 4, 1988, Toronto's George Bell deposits three home runs in an Opening Day win over the Kansas City Royals.

• April 5, 1993: Late-inning defensive replacement Eric Fox of the Oakland Athletics belts a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th inning; his only home-run of the season, in a 9-4 win over the Detroit Tigers.

• On April 1, 1996, the New York Mets, faced with a 6-0 deficit, mount the biggest Opening Day comeback of the century by beating the St Louis Cardinals, 7-6.

• April 4, 1999: In the first Opening Day outside of the United States or Canada, The Colorado Rockies defeat the San Diego Padres, 8-2, at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.

• On March 30, 2004: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays defeat  the New York Yankees, 8-3, in the first game of Opening Series 2004 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan; a game  in which Japan native Hideki Matsui of the Yankees  recorded the first hit of the season with a first inning double.

• On April 6, 2004: New York Mets rookie infielder Kazuo Matsui crushes a home run on the first pitch of the game to become the first player to hit a leadoff Opening Day home run in his Major League debut since Emmet Mueller of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1938.

• The first Opening Day to be played at night at Fenway Park takes place on April 4, 2010, in a 9-7 win over the New York Yankees.

• April  5, 2010:  In his first Major League at-bat, Atlanta Braves rookie Jason Heyward smacks a three-run home run in a 16-5 thumping over the Chicago Cubs.

-Bill Lucey
Source: Major League Baseball

Obama Takes a Breather to Concentrate on College Hoops

 

When it comes to college hoops, neither a historic tsunami in Japan, nor a ballooning budget deficit, nor rising food and gasoline prices, not even with the Dow Jones plunging more than 200 points, and with regional upheaval in Libya and a war in Afghanistan still brewing- could keep President Obama from filling out his NCAA Tournament bracket with ESPN’s Andy Katz for the third year in a row.

But with gloom and doom all around him, how can anyone possibly blame the president for tearing away from his daily chores and pressing schedule to concentrate on his real passion:  college basketball. After all, didn’t President Nixon try to call in a play to the Miami Dolphins head coach, Don Shula a week before Super Bowl VI?

It case you haven’t heard by now, Mr. Obama, staying in character with his measured well thought out temperament, isn’t picking any Cinderella’s-in fact he has all four number one seeds advancing to the Final Four with Ohio State falling to Kansas in the Finals. ``Kansas has more firepower," Obama told Katz.

And for the record, the president is 1-1 when it comes to picking championship winners; he correctly picked North Carolina in 2009, but neglected to take Duke last year.

So as we put the final touches on our own brackets, here are some feats, facts, and historic firsts to chew over while waiting for the opening tipoff of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

• Kentucky has had the most tournament appearances with 50 from 1942-2010.

• North Carolina holds the record with most consecutive tournament appearances at 27, from 1974 through 2001.

• UCLA holds the most consecutive tournament wins at 38 from 1964-1974.

• Seattle’s Elgin Baylor holds the record with the most rebounds (91) over five games during the 1958 tournament, averaging 18.2 rebounds a game.

• Joakim Noah of Florida has the most tournament blocked shots with 29 in 2006; although Navy’s David Robinson batted down 26 over just four games in 1986.

• Villanova entering the tournament as the number 8 seed in 1985 was the lowest seed (since 1979) to have gone on to win the NCAA Championship.

• Only four no. 15-seeds have advanced to the second round: Coppin St in 1987, Richmond in 1991, Santa Clara in 1993, and Hampton in 2001.

• North Carolina has entered the tournament as the number one seed a record 13 times from 1979-2009, followed by Duke with 11 from 1986-2010.

• From 1985-2010, the number one seeds are a perfect 104-0 after the first round. The number one seeds are then 91-13 after the second round.

• Some early knockdown punches have included: no 10-seed St John’s (NY) upsetting no. 2 seed Duke in 1979, 80-78 during the 2nd round ; no 12-seed Princeton knocking off no. 5-seed Oklahoma St in the 1st round in 1983; no. 11 seed Boston College just getting by no. 3 seed Duke, 74-73 during the 2nd round in 1985; no 14 seed Cleveland State stunning Bobby’s Knight’s no. 3 seeded Indiana Hoosiers during the first round in 1986, 83-79; no. 14 seed East Tennessee State advancing over the no. 3 seed Arizona in the 1st round in 1992; and no. 10 seed Kent State blowing by no. 2 seed Alabama, 71-58 during the 2nd round in 2002.

• UNLV in 1992 was 26-2 during the season with a .929 winning percentage, but still didn’t make the tournament, an NCAA record for teams who didn’t qualify since 1985.

• The only Independent team to win the NCAA tournament was Marquette in 1977.

• The Pac 10 Conference has won the championship a record 15 times, followed by the Atlantic Coast with 12 championships.

• California in 2002 and Texas in 2010 are tied at 7 with having the most teams qualify for the tournament from the same state.

• The highest-rated college basketball game came back in 1979 when two no. 33’s, Larry Bird of Indiana St. and Magic Johnson of Michigan State went head to head on March 26, 1979, in which 38 percent of the country who owned television sets had their station set on NBC for the first prime time NCAA Championship on national television.

• The most watched NCAA championship was broadcast by CBS on April 6, 1992 between Duke and Michigan, which was seen by 20,910,000 viewers.

• In the very first tournament game, Villanova defeated Brown 42-30 on March 17, 1939 in Philadelphia, while in the second game of the doubleheader; Ohio State defeated Wake Forest 64-52

• Tournament games were televised regionally for the first time beginning in 1952.

• Net income for the entire tournament exceeded $500,000 for the first time in 1966.

• A 32 team bracket was adopted in 1975.

• The term ``Final Four’’ first shows up in the 1975 Official Collegiate Basketball Guide on page five of in the National Preview Section, written by Plain Dealer writer Ed Chay.  The term Final Four was officially capitalized in the NCAA Basketball Guide beginning in 1978.

• In 1979, the bracket was expanded to 40 teams and eligible teams were seeded for the first time.

• Beginning in 1985, the tournament was expanded to 64 teams, eliminating first-round byes.

• In 1994, Bill Clinton became the first sitting U.S President to attend a tournament game when he attended the Midwest Regional Championship game in Dallas

• In 2008, for the first time in tournament history, all four no. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four.

• Beginning in 2011, the tournament has been expanded to 68 teams.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
March 17, 2011

 Source: National Collegiate Athletic Association

Cool Tools For Super Bowl Sunday; Background Notes and Footnotes

 

As we get ready to turn our attention to Super Bowl XLV this Sunday, when the Pittsburgh Steelers battle the Green Bay Packers, no one can accuse the National Football League of not keeping pace with all the new technologies and social networking tools available to a growing Internet generation.

Just this week, for instance, the NFL announced they are rolling out an interactive event guide containing detailed information and 3D maps of North Texas, including a game day guide with a 3D map of Cowboy Stadium available at the iTunes App Store and Android Marketplace .

The official Super Bowl XLV Game Program will also be available at the Apple Store  which in addition to chronicling the Packers and Steelers road to the Super Bowl, recaps and highlights past epic Super Bowl clashes.

In addition to the new apps, the NFL has teamed with Twitter and Visa as a way for fans keep on top of all the up to the minute chatter being generated by rabid fans from coast-to-coast. 

And, of course, the latest Super Bowl news, injury updates, along with Super Bowl history and videos is available at the NFL’s official Super Bowl site.

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So as we finalize our Super Bowl Party plans, this might be a good time to catch up on some odds and ends, and feats and facts about Super Bowl Sunday.

• Super Bowl XLV will be carried nationally by FOX on more than 200 television stations throughout the United States, plus Bermuda and Guam.

• Super Bowl XLV will be distributed internationally by the NFL and NFL International to more than 185 countries with broadcasts in 30 different languages.

• $83,000  will go to each member of the winning team;  $42,000 to each member of the losing team

• The Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophy stands 20.75 inches tall, weighs 107.3 ounces, and is valued in excess of $25,000.

• To date, 3,421,667 have attended Super Bowl games. The largest crowd was 103,985 at Super Bowl XIV (1980), played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California

• The halftime entertainment for Super Bowl I  (1967) was the Universities of Arizona and Michigan marching bands. Not until Super Bowl IV (1970) was an entertainer featured at halftime, when Carol Channing was booked.

• The use of Roman numerals to designate Super Bowls began with game V, won by the Baltimore Colts over the Dallas Cowboy,  16-13.

• Ticket prices for Super Bowl XLV range from $200 to $1200.

• According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the cheapest ticket to get inside the Cowboy Stadium costs about $2,000. Face value seat prices start at $600 and top out at $1,200.

• The Dallas Morning News is reporting that there are no tickets available to the general public for Super Bowl XLV.  Some can still be purchased on the secondary market through local brokers or national sites like Stub Hub or Ticket Exchange. But those tickets can only be had at steep price. A recent check of Stub Hub, for example, showed tickets ranging from $2,200 to $39,000.

• As of Sunday, there were about 27 seats in the sections closest to the Steelers’ 50 yard line at Cowboy Stadium with prices ranging from $10,786 to $23,729. On the Packers’ side, there were about 12 seats going for $10,026 to $11,869.

• An estimated 92.1 percent of viewers tune into the Super Bowl for the game; 5.6 percent for the commercials, and 0.9 percent for the halftime show.

• Fox Sports is likely to pull in more than $200 million in television advertising for this year’s Super Bowl, with Pepsi forking over $3 million for a 30 second ad for its Pepsi Max line.

• A record number of nearly 5,000 press credentials have been issued to media from across the country and around the world.

• Approximately 600 crew members will help move the stage on and off the field for The Black Eyed Peas halftime performance.

• The average number to attend a Super Bowl party is 17.

• Of the 171 million people who will watch the game, nearly 34.9 million (15 percent) are planning to throw their own party, up about 10 percent from last year’s 31.6 million, and another 61.2 million (26 percent) plan to attend a party, up roughly 4 percent from the 58.8 million who said they would go to a party.

• The average US consumer is expected to spend $59.33 on game-related Super Bowl merchandise, apparel and snacks in 2011, up almost 13 percent from $52.63 last year, according to a survey by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association.

• Three in 10 Americans who follow at least one sport (31 percent) say professional football is their favorite sport, while 17 percent say baseball, according a new Harris Poll.

• Due to the heightened interest in this year’s Super Bowl featuring two storied franchises, Super Bowl wagers at Las Vegas sports books may top $90 million for the first time in three years, according to Bloomberg News.

• On Super Bowl Sunday, it is estimated that American consumers will devour 30 million pounds of snacks, including 11.2 million pounds of potato chips and 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips.

• Pizza will be served at an estimated 68 percent of Super Bowl parties.

• According to National Restaurant Association, approximately one in seven Americans (15 percent) order takeout or delivery from a restaurant on Super Bowl Sunday for gatherings at their house or someone else's house. Among younger adults (ages 18-34), that figure rises to nearly one-quarter (22 percent).

• Nearly 6 out of 10 people who order from restaurants for the Super Bowl prefer pizza; half order chicken wings, while one-fifth order subs or sandwiches.

• One in 20 Americans watches the game at a restaurant or bar, according to the National Restaurant Association.

• According to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, combined with an estimated 5,000 people in an outdoor plaza, attendance at the Super Bowl could reach 105, 000.

• Super Bowl XLV is expected to pump more than $600 million into the North Texas economy.

• With 700,000 visitors and almost 5,000 credentialed members of the media coming to Dallas for the Super Bowl, the economic activity is expected to generate $10 million in local tax revenue and an additional $36 million in state taxes.

• Some of the hot items on the menu at Cowboy Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday will be Bent Buckle” Texas chili served in a toasted sourdough bread bowl and topped with shredded cheese,; roasted jalapenos and cilantro sour cream; Cowboys Stadium house-smoked barbecue — hand-sliced brisket on a potato roll; a hot bloody Mary made from beef and tomato broth mixed with premium vodka; Cowboyrita — a large margarita served in a souvenir glass; Mexican hot chocolate — hot cocoa made with Mexican vanilla, cinnamon and Patron XO; and Lobel’s dry-aged strip steak sandwich topped with olive tapenade and horseradish sauce.

• According to the NFL, concessions prices on Super Bowl Sunday will be a little higher than during the regular season.  It will cost fans $10 for a 16-ounce Miller Lite beer, compared to $8.50 at a regular season Cowboy game; $7 for a 32-ounce soda in a souvenir cup compared with $6 during the season; and $10 for a Southwest barbecue chicken sandwich, compared with $8.50 during the season.

• Only two players, Gene Upshaw and Jerry Rice, have played in Super Bowls in three different decades.

• In 2005, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers (23 years, 340 days) became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl.

• The most points scored during a Super Bowl was 55 by the San Francisco 49ers over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV (1990). The fewest were by the Miami Dolphins, who managed only three points in Super Bowl VI (1972) against the Dallas Cowboys.

• 47 players have won Super Bowls with more than one team.

• 22 coaches have won Super Bowls with more than one team.

• 16 have won Super Bowls both as a player and coach.

• South Florida has hosted the most Super Bowls at 10 followed by New Orleans with nine.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
February 1, 2011

Source: The National Football League; Retail Advertising and Marketing Association’s 2011 Super Bowl Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey