April 10, 2020
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO ONE AND ALL AS WE TRY TO MAKE OUR WAY SAFELY THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
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I ask you to strongly consider supporting local businesses as much as you can. Stay safe. Be careful. Follow all of the precautions that have been mentioned. But, there are a lot of businesses that are the backbone of our communities that could really use you as a customer in these challenging times. Purchasing gift cards at these restaurants would also be a wonderful idea. Here is the status of our restaurant sponsors in the Denham Springs Community:
Buddy’s Bar B Q
Drive-Thru
Duke’s Seafood & Steakhouse
To Go… Curbside
Maria’s Mexican Restaurant
To Go
Curbside
WAITR
Please try to patronize these outstanding businesses and shop locally when you can. THANK YOU
LSU, SAINTS AND MUCH MORE
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Last week I gave my all-time starting five for LSU basketball. This week I will give my starting five of overachievers.
The first player is Dennis Tracey. He was a guard in the late 80s who wasn’t very athletic, but got everything out of his ability. Tracey is possibly best known for being Shaq’s personal assistant after Shaq left LSU.
The next player is possibly the best known, Ricky Blanton. Ricky was the face of LSU basketball in the late 80s. He made the layup to put LSU ahead for good in the Elite Eight against Kentucky as LSU made the Final Four as the 11th seed.
That season LSU was hit with tons of adversity and Blanton had to play center at 6’7”. On the run to the Final Four, LSU had to beat Purdue, Memphis, Georgia Tech, and Kentucky who all had big, talented centers.
Ricky also had a habit of hitting game winning shots. He made the layup to beat Georgetown in the Superdome in front of the largest crowd to watch a college basketball game at the time. He made a three from the corner to upset UNLV in the PMAC when LSU was a heavy underdog.
Next on the list is Vernel Singleton. Vernel’s career overlapped Blanton and Tracey. He was the most athletic player of my five. He is on the list, though, because of the effort he played with and for most of his career he had to play inside against much taller, stronger players. The tradeoff, though, was that he had a great 15-17 foot shot, and when big men had to step out on him, he could beat them with one dribble.
Collis Temple III is my favorite on the list because he was on the team when I was at LSU. Collis had numerous injuries in his career from an abdominal injury to many ankle injuries. He fought through all of them, and usually returned before he was supposed to return. Athleticism wasn’t his strength and these multiple injuries didn’t help.
Still, he was an extremely hard worker, and an excellent shooter. In his redshirt freshman year his shooting down the stretch really helped the Tigers make the Sweet Sixteen. Despite all the injuries, he still finished scoring over 1,000 points in his career.
The last player on my list is another Temple, and that is Garrett Temple. I am cheating a bit on this one because Garrett was more highly recruited than the other players on this list. Yet, he is on this list because of what he has done after playing at LSU.
After his playing career at LSU, Garrett went undrafted. For three years, he played in Europe and the developmental league. Then, he got a chance with the Wizards and made it count. He has played professionally for a decade now, and has gotten better every year. I don’t know how many former Tigers have been able to sustain that long of a career, but I am confident that if LSU fans were asked to make a list, most would leave Garrett off that list.
That is what makes overachievers so great. Those who observe don’t think that much of their ability for one reason or another, but they put in the work, believe in themselves and achieve much more than is expected.
HEY REF
I was asked today exactly what it is that I’d be doing if this was just another normal year. I was about to answer the question without giving it much thought but then I realized everything about this year has been turned upside down. Our “normal” has been replaced with confusion and uncertainty. We’re fighting an invisible killer. A killer that doesn’t care what color your skin is, whether or not you’re male or female. Political views count for nothing, religion won’t keep you alive or keep you safe for another day, etc.
Well, here at “Hey Ref” we’re gonna live life as we would normally do in the sportsman’s paradise just a few days before Easter Sunday. Let me dust off my crystal ball to see if I can figure out what it is that most of us would be doing if this was a normal year. MMMMMM, Hocus-Pocus, red beans ‘n rice, crawfish pie with a six pack of cold Dixie beer!!!!!!!!!!
Pads are at the ready. Spider webs have been wiped off. Lockers have been cleaned one more time. Films are being studied. Plays are being refined. Equipment has been taken out of storage. Yes, that time of year is once again upon us.
Players are starting to get “the itch”. Doctors are bracing for the influx of young men needing physicals. The smell of fresh cut grass hangs over all practice fields. It is the time of year when every player, coach and fan begins to dream of a championship season.
It’s the supposed time of year when a young man’s whatever turns, etc., etc. In other words: SPRING HAS SPRUNG! Can it actually be that time of year again? Not really but so much attention is given the NFL Draft and all the moves by teams trying to improve from last year campaign that it feels as though we’re just a commercial away from a full 12 month football season in the U. S.
This is football season beginning anew. Here in Louisiana every high school program has a trip to New Orleans “penciled in” come the first part of December. Many future college and professional players will return in the next few years continuing their own professional careers.
Seems everyone that’ll be fighting for a championship ring has a routine to follow to insure a successful campaign. Fans should also be clearing their heads of “what went wrong” and replace it with “what can be done”. Coaches and teams work all year long on ironing out the kinks and so should the fans.
Now rather than later should be the true fan’s cheer. “Now” as in learning the rules should be all consuming. Just as voters need to be well informed so should all fans no matter the sport. There are slight differences in rule interoperations and enforcement of penalties. If you are a true fan then you should challenge yourself to learn the proper rulings of the game/games you are a fan.
Visit any university and most of them will be hosting intra-squad games and full contact scrimmages which then of course lead to the grand final; Spring Game. This is the best it gets, starting with a clean slate, all teams back to 0 – 0 and we’re all in first place!! But this year I’d like to pay attention to two rules all football fans need to be aware of. They are pass interference and spearing. In its simplest definition the rulebook tries to explain what is and what isn’t pass interference. The rule is the same for high school, college and sometimes in the NFL*. (*See Saints’ playoff loss for example) I can’t explain pass interference any simpler “If any player HINDERS another player’s right to secure a loose ball (forward pass) then it is a penalty”! The key words are “hinders”, “right” and “LOOSE”.
Whenever a forward pass crosses the line of scrimmage ALL defensive players and all offensive players that EITHER line up in an eligible position and/or have the proper numbering are eligible to go downfield and secure the loose ball.
No matter which side a player lined up on; all opposing players cannot intentionally interfere with another player’s right to catch a FORWARD loose ball. There will be times when two opposing players will go after the pass and one will bump the other. It’s solely the official’s responsibility to rule (interpret) a player’s intention.
Many times fans will see players trip over one another while attempting to catch a pass. Many times this action is not intentional. I’ve had times when a player will be “burnt” by another and all the defensive player can do is trip the receiver. And as we all know the defensive coach will argue it was accidental but when you hear “I ain’t lettin’ you get one tonight” it’s pretty concrete what the defensive player is saying. And yes we hear that and more on basically every down.
The action I find very alarming and one that doesn’t get called enough is “spearing”. Spearing is defined as “leading with the crown of the helmet, to intentionally drive into an opposing player; to punish an opponent”. I cannot begin to explain how officials, players and coaches differ in their definition/comprehension of this most horrendous of fouls.
In its simplest interpretation (High School and College), spearing is ANYTIME one player, leading with the helmet, contacts an opposing player. I teach each and every time a player is seen lowering his head, THROW THE FLAG! “If ever you might be wrong on calling a foul, this is the time you’re never going to be wrong”.
There can’t be and there is no room for debate on calling this foul. We as officials must not sway one way or the other when we see a player lead with the helmet to make contact on an opposing player. I NEVER DEBATE THIS FOUL! Call it every time you see it. I’ve thrown more players out of a game for this infraction than all other fouls combined.
Many times I’ve seen a player attempt to hurt an opposing player with a hard shot in the back and then not be able to get off the ground. That loud “click” is one you never forget once you hear it. It’s always followed by a load, high shriek sound that signals someone won’t be able to walk off the field without the help of someone from the sidelines.
Football is a severe contact game that has no room for anyone wanting to intentionally hurt an opponent. One night a linebacker kept taunting the other team with “come my way, I’ll F**K you up”! Well, after repeated warnings, there was a massive pileup on the far sidelines. I had to mark the ball and stayed on the field. The ambulance was called upon to load an injured player. As we were getting the teams back into their respective huddles one of the offensive players stood next to me and said “Hey, ref, you won’t have to worry about that guy anymore tonight, I F**KED him up”!
I got the tape of the game and looked to see what had happened. This one player had made two late hits and one was severe enough for fifteen yards. Five or six plays later, I could see him just standing next to the pile, out of bounds when a flash goes by and hits him on the side of his legs, bending one into an “L” shape. He suffered a dislocated knee and a broken leg.
Images such as that one haunt officials FOR THE REST OF THEIR CAREERS. There’s no room for such behavior. Officials should never allow “cheap” play. Coaches should never teach this type of action. It’s sad but it’s taught day in and day out in today’s game. I tell the young guys “Let them boo you! Our prime mission is for the safety of all players. If you can keep just one injury from happening that night; you did your job”.
Till next week
FINE IDEAS 4/9/20 By Jon Fine
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OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO ONE AND ALL AS WE TRY TO MAKE OUR WAY SAFELY THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
Mr. Tiger passed away earlier this week. I don’t know if there will be too many, if any more, Al Kalines, in pro sports. He is a true Detroit sports hero… no, take out the word sports… make it just hero. His prowess and elegance on the field was surpassed only by the class, grace and humility he displayed off of it. Detroit has had to overcome many problems this century… GM downsizing, race riots, poverty, bankruptcy, drugs, crime, politicians (including former Pistons great Dave Bing--a not so great Mayor) and now the coronavirus we all face. I perceive that Al Kaline represents memories of a much happier and peaceful existence for Detroit sports fans who saw him play or were told about his exploits. Rest in Peace Mr. Tiger.
My favorite story about Kaline is the negotiating posture he took with Tigers management in 1971. Kaline actually turned down an offer of $100,000 and countered with $90,000. Because he thought he had a bad season in 1970, Kaline felt he did not deserve that (at the time) princely $100,000 sum. (100 K is still princely for some of us. No, make that Kingly!) Kaline played for 90 K in 1971. Apparently feeling better about his performance the prior year, Kaline accepted $100,000 in 1972. If being a Good Guy is a quantifiable sabermetrics category, Al Kaline is at or near the top of every all-time modern analytic list of Baseball/Sports/People greats.
Kaline spent his entire 22 year career (1953—1974) with the Detroit Tigers. There are very few superstars spending their playing days with one team in professional sports. As I will try to establish, I suspect this has always been the case. Yet, in modern times, because of free agency and sports economics, you just don’t see players stay with one team their entire career. There is always another team out there that is willing to pay (many times overpay) players who are on the open market. Plus, at the end of their careers, players often hang on too long, often with a different team.
Having said all of that, if the Detroit Tigers are an accurate barometer of Baseball or sports at large, the theory that star players of yesteryear were more likely to have one team on their playing resume is just a myth. There are 23 players who played with the Tigers who are enshrined in Baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Only 3 of them played their entire careers in Motown. (As this is part of ArrestedDevelopmentSportsMediaGuides Trivia—see below—you’ll have to wait until next week to find out who they are.) 20 of the 23 played before the advent of free agency. Kaline was one of them. (Oops. Gave away part of the answer to our first trivia question. Although as Joe Theismann might say, I don’t think it would take Norman Einstein to figure this out.) Only one other Tigers player of the 20 who played in the pre-free agency period (1974 and before) played his entire Hall of Fame career with Detroit.
A look at some of Kaline’s contemporaries provides another basis of comparison. Baseball Hall of Famers who I consider superstar sluggers, whose playing dates roughly equate to the time frame of Kaline’s career, include the Say Hey Kid, the Mick, Hammering Hank, Frank Robinson and Yaz. Others who come to mind who were the best of the best were Let’s Play 2 and Roberto Clemente. Mickey Mantle, Carl Yastrzemski, Ernie Banks and Roberto Clemente are a large part of Yankees, BoSox, Cubs and Pirates lore and played their entire careers with these teams. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson (perhaps the 3 best players of the ones named---now if Mantle didn’t have knee (and imbibing?) issues he might be #1--) all played with more than one team.
But, let’s expand this analysis to additional Baseball Hall of Famers who were contemporaries of Kaline, many superstars in their own right. The players I’ve included either played their entire careers before 1975 or a vast majority of it before free agency came into being in 75. Bob Gibson (Cardinals… no the Globetrotters don’t count!), Brooks Robinson (Orioles), Jim Palmer (O’s) and Bill Mazeroski (Pirates) all played with one team. Luis Aparicio, Harmon Killebrew, Lou Brock (of Southern University in Baton Rouge), Willie McCovey, Billy Williams, Joe Morgan, Ron Santo, Orlando Cepeda, Rod Carew and Jim Bunning each played for more than one major league team. (I had to double check that Maury Wills is not in the Hall of Fame. But, that is a topic for another day).
So, for those scoring at home—congratulations! (as I steal an ESPN line of yesteryear)— that leaves us with 8 players who are from Kaline’s era (including Al) who saw one hometown clubhouse in their Hall of Fame careers. Thirteen played for more than one team. This is not as contrasting a set of stats as the Tigers Hall of Fame numbers. But, it does further nullify the point of view that the onset of free agency eliminated one city Baseball Hall of Fame players.
The definitive answer? I’ll try to have one for you. An attempt will be made to contact the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown to see if they can furnish this info for all of its players. I’ll also reach out to the folks in Springfield (Basketball), Canton (Pro Football) and Toronto (Hockey) for their members status in this regard. Any results will be reported in a subsequent column
Basketball’s Hall of Fame just named its 2020 class. It includes lifetime Laker Kobe Bryant and San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan… The class also has WNBAer Tamika Catchings. Grab yourself a cheesesteak if you knew that Bryant’s dad, Joe Bryant, and Catchings’ father, Harvey Catchings, were teammates on the Philadelphia 76ers for 4 seasons (1975-76 through 1978-79). Bryant was best known for his nickname “Jellybean”. Catchings, if my memory serves me correctly, read comic books in the Sixers locker room. Neither is in contention of getting into the Basketball Hall of Fame, but will be likely first class inductees if the Hall should add a DNA contributors section
Still waiting for some cosmic sign from the late Darryl Dawkins (teammate of Catchings and Bryant with the Sixers) affirming the caronavirus free status of his planet. Once Chocolate Thunder sends me the signal, the byline from this column will change from Baton Rouge to my new residence—Lovetron
Foolishness aside---For a long time, Jellybean was estranged from Kobe. It’s a great thing they reconciled a few years back in light of Kobe’s tragic death in January
There was one positive effect of Hurricane Hugo back in 1979. It destroyed the swimming pool that youth champion swimmer Tim Duncan used as a teenager in the Virgin Islands. That prompted Duncan to give up swimming and take up basketball for the first time. Without Hugo, Duncan might be in the Swimming HOF—if there is one, but it’s unlikely he’d be inducted into Springfield.
Arrested Development Sports Trivia Questions: Research tells me that the Detroit Tigers have had 27 people (players or managers) in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Three of these Detroit Tigers Baseball Hall of Famers spent their entire careers exclusively with the Tigers. Name them.… Major Bonus Points if you can answer this one: What player had a lot of success in Detroit, finished his baseball career as a pitcher with a Won-Loss record under 500, and is a Hall of Famer?… Answers in next week’s column.
ASK JON:
ASK JON: PLEASE SEND YOUR COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, IDEAS, QUESTIONS, FEEDBACK and/or ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides TRIVIA QUESTION ANSWERS TO Jon@JonFineProductions.com. Please include your first name and city of residence. All death threats will be turned over to Joe Mannix.
ASK JON Responding to 4/2/20 COLUMN
(Jon asserted last week that the governors in Texas and Florida might be detaining Louisiana residents entering their state because they’re sore losers for the beating LSU put on UT and UF in football in 2019.)
Great stuff Jon love the history. Although I do (think) the Longhorns will even the score this year whenever we can play. We do lead the series 9 - 7 - 1 you know ha..
CHRIS
AUSTIN
JON’S RESPONSE: Chris, thanks. And, it is good to know that if things get real rough for me here in BR I have a place to stay in Austin at the Chris Estates. As a prominent ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides customer, I know you’d exert your influence for me with Governor Abbott (and Lieutenant Governor Costello).
Hook Em Horns!
Great research and interesting writing. Thanks for adding me to your list.
GARY
SCOTTSDALE
JON’S RESPONSE: Thanks Gary. Now don’t get complacent. Our mailing list for this column is subject to weekly revisions. Having said that, you’ve made an auspicious ASK JON debut with your kind (and accurate) remarks. And, you’ve made the cut for receiving this week’s column
Thanks for your recent purchase of a 1968 Don Wert Baseball Card and a 1979 Sports Illustrated. Wert was the starting 3B on the 68 Detroit Tigers World Championship team. The starting 8 featured Wert, Mickey Stanley (SS and some outfield)/Ray Oyler, 2B Dick McAuliffe, 1B Norm Cash, LF Willie Horton and CF Jim Northrup/Stanley. But, I’m forgetting Gary. Who was the Tigers Right Fielder?
Sports publications that are on sale at ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides on EBay, many germane to this column include numerous Detroit Tigers Media Guides from the Al Kaline era, a number before and a few after… Several Lakers media guides during the Kobe Bryant era
Some Old Man Riverwalk San Antonio Spurs publications… and a 1971 Toronto Argonauts Media Guide from the CFL, including rookie Joe Theismann (a physics major at Notre Dame?)
Don’t spill any of that Cheesesteak on media guides from three of the 4 seasons that Jellybean, Harvey and Double D played together with the 76ers, including the 78-79 publication with Dr J on the front cover
Rudy Tomjanovich, another 2020 Basketball Hall of Famer, coached the Rockets to 2 NBA championships. These teams are featured in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 Houston Rockets Media Guides we have on sale. A number of media guides are also in the store from Rudy T’s playing days in Houston. In a related note, we have a 1972-73 American University Basketball Media Guide, with Kermit Washington on the front cover. Ouch! … The 1965-66 (Glory Road) Texas Western Miners Basketball Media Guide, that we promoted in last week’s column, sold at auction
For those that still have the March Madness mindset, we have some classic publications from the mid-80’s, including 1984-85 Villanova Basketball, 1984-85 Big East Basketball and 1985-86 Villanova Basketball, plus many other media guides from Final Four and national championship teams from yesteryear. We also still have a few 2019-20 college (and NBA) media guides… Coach Bob Devaney’s and 1972 Heismen Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers’ last game was the 1973 Orange Bowl, a 40-6 Nebraska victory over Notre Dame. On sale at ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides is a 1973 Nebraska Orange Bowl Media Guide, featuring Rodgers’ autograph
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