In one of his final segments on 60 Minutes last year, Andy Rooney commented on the rising popularity of e-readers. Like Andy I prefer to read printed books, though I acknowledge the positive impact created by these electronic devices. Especially since they promote reading among a broader segment of the population. Nonetheless, I find myself sympathetic to Andy's viewpoint in this segment--especially his first statement and his last statement.
By the way, The All-American King and Men Among Giants are available for your Kindle.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Tim Tebow and the All-American King
Last Sunday quarterback Tim Tebow threw an 80-yard touchdown pass in overtime to propel the Denver Broncos past the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Thus continues a phenomenon that began in the 2011 regular season when the young QB led his team to a series of dramatic 4th quarter victories. Adding to the significance of his latest feat, Tebow threw for 316 yards against the Steelers. In college, Tebow, who is not shy about sharing his Christian faith, often wore "John 3:16" in his eyeblack. For many of his growing number of fans, the 316 yards last Sunday was no coincidence. Some believe that Tebow and his team have benefitted from divine intervention on the football field. This thinking even inspired a Saturday Night Live sketch in which Jesus shows up in the Denver locker room to reveal that he has in fact been helping the Broncos win games. Tebow, of course, is not without his detractors. Many football commentators and experts maintain that Tebow is a mediocre passer who will not last in the NFL. And a lot of critics aren't too keen on the outward expressions of faith, including Tebowing.
The rise of Tim Tebow reminds me of Dave King, the main character in my novel The All-American King. Like Tebow, Dave King is a Christian quarterback who led his college team to the Sugar Bowl, before going on to star in the NFL. Both QBs could also run the ball effectively, even in the pros. At the time of his retirement in 1990, King led all quarterbacks in career rushing yards (see the table below for a comparison of King's stats with several other Hall of Fame QBs).
On Saturday Denver faces the powerful New England Patriots. Is Tebow Time running out or
just getting started?
Friday, November 4, 2011
Book Giveaway
Win a free copy of Men Among Giants at Goodreads. The deadline for entering this book giveaway is November 30, 2011. See below for more details.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Reflections from a Cardinals Fan
“It’s hard to explain how this happened.” – Tony LaRussa.
I agree. I’m a Cardinal fan, but I admit I did not see this coming. Certainly not in August when St. Louis dropped two of three to the Cubs and then got swept at home by the Dodgers. Milwaukee’s lead had reached double digits and there was no way my beloved birds were going to catch them. But they did catch Atlanta for the Wild Card after the Braves dropped their last five games of the season. The Cards then vanquished the Phillies, Brewers, and Rangers to win their 11th world championship. It was an improbable conclusion to one of baseball’s most memorable seasons. Below are some reflections and random thoughts about what happened:
David Freese truly deserved his World Series MVP. In 2007, the Cardinals traded Jim Edmonds to get him from San Diego. Four years later, that move is paying big dividends. Edmonds was one of the all-time Cardinal greats, and in retirement he is the gift that keeps on giving.
Tony LaRussa (and baseball managers in general) usually receive too much credit for victories and too much blame for defeats. It’s the players who decide the outcome of the games. That said, TLR made some nice moves to help his team win this postseason. Most notably, the relief pitchers he deployed in the NLCS did an outstanding job of neutralizing the Brewers big bats. On the other hand, Game 5 against the Rangers was one of the worst managed games in WS history. Had St. Louis not eventually prevailed in the Series, the dark cloud of those poor decisions could have lingered over Busch Stadium all winter. As it is, Phonegate is now little more than a footnote.
I never liked Lance Berkman much when he was with the Astros all those years. Now that he is wearing the Birds on the Bat, he’s one of my favorite players. Funny how that goes.
That was really nice of Prince Fielder to give the Cardinals home field advantage in the World Series. Thank you, Mr. Fielder.
Wonder how many analysts picked the Cards to win the World Series after they lost their best pitcher Adam Wainwright for the entire season.
Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson reminds me of Garret Dillahunt from Raising Hope.
I’m glad the World Series ended in October. That’s the way it should be. Baseball in November is just not right. Abner Doubleday would agree with me. I know he did not invent baseball, but still, he and most other Civil War generals would not want to see World Series games played in the same month as Thanksgiving. I don’t like the Super Bowl in February either.
Football may be more popular and basketball has a faster pace, but baseball is the best sport. The drama, the tension, the moves and countermoves, the duels, the plots and the subplots—there’s just nothing like baseball. It’s true today, just as it was true a hundred years ago. The only time it’s not true is when teams I don’t like win the World Series.
I’ve seen it a hundred times, but that Taco Bell chalupa commercial with Brian Wilson still cracks me up. “Because I’m Black Ops!”
I feel bad for the Rangers, even more so after seeing the images of a forlorn Nolan Ryan late in Game 7. Hopefully Ron Washington and his team will someday win a title for this organization. The Rangers lineup is loaded, so it could happen next year.
With the Cardinals overcoming such insurmountable odds to win the championship, I may have to abandon the usual pessimism I harbor when watching baseball. This pessimism, I should point out, was cultivated by Cardinal postseason failures in 1985, 1987, 1996, 2000-2002, 2004-2005, and 2009. Does this season make up for all those disappointments? Yeah, it kinda does. Especially when factoring in their other improbable world championship in 2006.
Pujols belongs in a Cardinals uniform.
Wow, it was a lot of fun watching baseball this October.
Spring Training is less than four months away!
I agree. I’m a Cardinal fan, but I admit I did not see this coming. Certainly not in August when St. Louis dropped two of three to the Cubs and then got swept at home by the Dodgers. Milwaukee’s lead had reached double digits and there was no way my beloved birds were going to catch them. But they did catch Atlanta for the Wild Card after the Braves dropped their last five games of the season. The Cards then vanquished the Phillies, Brewers, and Rangers to win their 11th world championship. It was an improbable conclusion to one of baseball’s most memorable seasons. Below are some reflections and random thoughts about what happened:
David Freese truly deserved his World Series MVP. In 2007, the Cardinals traded Jim Edmonds to get him from San Diego. Four years later, that move is paying big dividends. Edmonds was one of the all-time Cardinal greats, and in retirement he is the gift that keeps on giving.
Tony LaRussa (and baseball managers in general) usually receive too much credit for victories and too much blame for defeats. It’s the players who decide the outcome of the games. That said, TLR made some nice moves to help his team win this postseason. Most notably, the relief pitchers he deployed in the NLCS did an outstanding job of neutralizing the Brewers big bats. On the other hand, Game 5 against the Rangers was one of the worst managed games in WS history. Had St. Louis not eventually prevailed in the Series, the dark cloud of those poor decisions could have lingered over Busch Stadium all winter. As it is, Phonegate is now little more than a footnote.
I never liked Lance Berkman much when he was with the Astros all those years. Now that he is wearing the Birds on the Bat, he’s one of my favorite players. Funny how that goes.
That was really nice of Prince Fielder to give the Cardinals home field advantage in the World Series. Thank you, Mr. Fielder.
Wonder how many analysts picked the Cards to win the World Series after they lost their best pitcher Adam Wainwright for the entire season.
Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson reminds me of Garret Dillahunt from Raising Hope.
I’m glad the World Series ended in October. That’s the way it should be. Baseball in November is just not right. Abner Doubleday would agree with me. I know he did not invent baseball, but still, he and most other Civil War generals would not want to see World Series games played in the same month as Thanksgiving. I don’t like the Super Bowl in February either.
Football may be more popular and basketball has a faster pace, but baseball is the best sport. The drama, the tension, the moves and countermoves, the duels, the plots and the subplots—there’s just nothing like baseball. It’s true today, just as it was true a hundred years ago. The only time it’s not true is when teams I don’t like win the World Series.
I’ve seen it a hundred times, but that Taco Bell chalupa commercial with Brian Wilson still cracks me up. “Because I’m Black Ops!”
I feel bad for the Rangers, even more so after seeing the images of a forlorn Nolan Ryan late in Game 7. Hopefully Ron Washington and his team will someday win a title for this organization. The Rangers lineup is loaded, so it could happen next year.
With the Cardinals overcoming such insurmountable odds to win the championship, I may have to abandon the usual pessimism I harbor when watching baseball. This pessimism, I should point out, was cultivated by Cardinal postseason failures in 1985, 1987, 1996, 2000-2002, 2004-2005, and 2009. Does this season make up for all those disappointments? Yeah, it kinda does. Especially when factoring in their other improbable world championship in 2006.
Pujols belongs in a Cardinals uniform.
Wow, it was a lot of fun watching baseball this October.
Spring Training is less than four months away!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Men Among Giants Book Tour
Hope to see you there!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
All-Time Greatest Baseball Players
Have you ever thought about your favorite team’s all-time greatest players? Of course you have. Me too. In fact, I have selected the best ballplayers, by position, for all 30 of the major league franchises. Click on the links below to view the teams.
Atlanta/Milwaukee/Boston Braves Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies Detroit Tigers
Florida Marlins Kansas City Royals
Houston Astros Los Angeles/Anaheim/California Angels
Los Angeles/Brooklyn Dodgers Minnesota Twins/Washington Senators
Milwaukee Brewers/Seattle Pilots New York Yankees
New York Mets Oakland/KC/Philadelphia Athletics
Philadelphia Phillies Seattle Mariners
Pittsburgh Pirates Tampa Bay Rays
St. Louis Cardinals Texas Rangers/Washington Senators
San Diego Padres Toronto Blue Jays
San Francisco/New York Giants
Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos
When selecting players, I followed the following rules:
NATIONAL LEAGUE AMERICAN LEAGUE
Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis BrownsAtlanta/Milwaukee/Boston Braves Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies Detroit Tigers
Florida Marlins Kansas City Royals
Houston Astros Los Angeles/Anaheim/California Angels
Los Angeles/Brooklyn Dodgers Minnesota Twins/Washington Senators
Milwaukee Brewers/Seattle Pilots New York Yankees
New York Mets Oakland/KC/Philadelphia Athletics
Philadelphia Phillies Seattle Mariners
Pittsburgh Pirates Tampa Bay Rays
St. Louis Cardinals Texas Rangers/Washington Senators
San Diego Padres Toronto Blue Jays
San Francisco/New York Giants
Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos
- To be eligible for inclusion on a team, a player had to play at least FIVE seasons for that team.
- Player statistics from before 1900 were not considered. Baseball was a different game in the 19th century (e.g. no foul strike rule until 1901). My apologies to fans of Cap Anson and Wee Willie Keeler.
- A team may include no more than one pitcher who played more than half his career before 1920.
- To be eligible for the DH spot, a player had to have been a DH for at least 20 games for that team.
- The Bench spot is not for players who spent much time on the bench. It’s actually more like a "best-of-the-rest" position that allowed me to include one more great player on a team’s roster.
- Only one team per franchise. So, for example, the Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Browns are the same team.
- For expansion teams that joined the league in 1977 or later, I dropped the requirement to 4 years; for the most recent arrivals to MLB, the Rays and Diamondbacks, I had to drop the requirement to 3 years.
- For closers the requirement is only 4 years; it’s a relatively new position and closers tend to move around a lot.
Arizona Diamondbacks
1B Chad Tracy – Batted over .280 three consecutive seasons; hit 27 HRs in ’05; drove in 80 in ’06.
2B Jay Bell – Decent power; drew 70+ walks three times for AZ; batted .289 with 38 HRs and 112 RBI in 1999.
SS Tony Womack – Batted over .270 three times for AZ; led NL with 72 steals in ’99; led league with 14 triples in 2000.
3B Matt Williams – Still had some pop in his bat when he joined the Snakes; batted .303 with 35 HR and 142 RBI in ’99; beats out Mark Reynolds and his mighty strikeouts.
OF Luis Gonzalez – Hit 24+ HRs six times for AZ (57 in 2001); five straight 100-RBI seasons; knocked home the winning run in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.
OF Steve Finley – Batted .280 or better three times for AZ; hit HRs, stole bases, and drove in 89+ runs three times; Gold Glove winner in CF.
OF Danny Bautista – Hit .296 over five seasons with AZ; batted .583 in 2001 World Series.
C Damian Miller – Batted .270 or better four consecutive seasons for the Diamondbacks; hit 10+ HRs four times.
Bench Stephen Drew – Batting over .270 for his career with four 12+ HR seasons (21 in ’08).
Pitcher Randy Johnson – Won FOUR straight Cy Young Awards; led the NL in ERA three times; led NL in Ks five times; won three games in the 2001 World Series.
Pitcher Curt Schilling – Led NL with 22 wins in ’01; won 23 a year later; went 4-0 in the 2001 postseason.
Pitcher Brandon Webb – NL Cy Young winner in ’06; twice led the NL in wins; ERA never topped 3.60 in any of his six full seasons with AZ.
Closer Jose Valverde – Led NL with 47 saves in ’07; three seasons with an ERA below 2.70.
Players from the 2001 World Series champs comprise the core of this team.
2B Jay Bell – Decent power; drew 70+ walks three times for AZ; batted .289 with 38 HRs and 112 RBI in 1999.
SS Tony Womack – Batted over .270 three times for AZ; led NL with 72 steals in ’99; led league with 14 triples in 2000.
3B Matt Williams – Still had some pop in his bat when he joined the Snakes; batted .303 with 35 HR and 142 RBI in ’99; beats out Mark Reynolds and his mighty strikeouts.
OF Luis Gonzalez – Hit 24+ HRs six times for AZ (57 in 2001); five straight 100-RBI seasons; knocked home the winning run in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.
OF Steve Finley – Batted .280 or better three times for AZ; hit HRs, stole bases, and drove in 89+ runs three times; Gold Glove winner in CF.
OF Danny Bautista – Hit .296 over five seasons with AZ; batted .583 in 2001 World Series.
C Damian Miller – Batted .270 or better four consecutive seasons for the Diamondbacks; hit 10+ HRs four times.
Bench Stephen Drew – Batting over .270 for his career with four 12+ HR seasons (21 in ’08).
Pitcher Randy Johnson – Won FOUR straight Cy Young Awards; led the NL in ERA three times; led NL in Ks five times; won three games in the 2001 World Series.
Pitcher Curt Schilling – Led NL with 22 wins in ’01; won 23 a year later; went 4-0 in the 2001 postseason.
Pitcher Brandon Webb – NL Cy Young winner in ’06; twice led the NL in wins; ERA never topped 3.60 in any of his six full seasons with AZ.
Closer Jose Valverde – Led NL with 47 saves in ’07; three seasons with an ERA below 2.70.
Players from the 2001 World Series champs comprise the core of this team.
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