Future Hall of Fame 1st Baseman

He was tall, lanky, first baseman that played college ball for legendary collegiate Hall of Fame coach Rod Dedeaux at the University of Southern California. He was drafted by a Bay Area team where he would play for 15 seasons hitting tape measure home runs. He would later be traded to a National League team in the current Central Division . He hit tape measure home runs that drove the home team fans to the ball park just to see the big guy knock'em out of the park. He had a very catchy nickname that endeared himself to the fans. He hit either home runs or struck out while not hitting for a high average. He didn't endear himself to the media either. He played with fellow slugger Jose Canseco and the Oakland Athletics in 1986. The final year of his career he hit 35 home runs, knocked in 94 runs with 126 strike outs.

Do you think you know who this big time home run hitting first baseman is? It might not be as easy as you think; who is this slugging first baseman?

Here are some more hints. He was never accused of doing steroids. He was a favorite of Harry Carey with the Chicago Cubs knocking 4 balls out of the ball park one summer day against the NL west leading Dodgers. He was forced out of baseball by the Oakland A's in 1986 despite putting up productive numbers after sending a female reporter for the Sacramento Bee a live rat during the first inning of a game against the Royals with the tag on the rat saying, "Hi, my name is Susan" the identical name of the reporter. Guess, it is safe to say we are not talking about Mark McGwire.





The paths and numbers of Dave "King Kong" Kingman and Mark "Big Mac" McGwire are almost uncanny. Both played 15 seasons. During their careers Kingman hit 448 home runs to "Big Mac's" 583*. Kong knocked in 1210 runs compared to Big Mac's 1414*. Kong struck out 1816 times while batting .236 while Big Mac bested Kong with a .263* career batting average while whiffing 1596* times. Big Mac holds slight advantages over Kong in most categories including getting together with Jose Canseco in the locker room for private meetings. Kong did hold the edge in the speed categories though with 85 career thefts and 25 triples compared to Big Mac's career 12* stolen bases and 6* triples. The two were almost identical with hits and two baggers as they had 252* and 240 respectively and 1626* to 1575.

It was apparent though that the steroids were wearing down Big Mac towards the end of his career and if not for the rat incident Kong would probably be getting more votes for the Hall of Fame as his numbers were still strong in his final season knocking 35 balls out of the park with 94 runs batted in, 19 doubles while hitting .210 in his final season. The .210 batting average sounds rather paltry except the guy who was supposed to be getting Hall of Fame consideration only hit .187* with 29* home runs and 64* runs batted in and 4* doubles in 97* games. Kong's natural health kept him in 144 games.



It's easy to figure out what Big Mac's numbers might have been if he had not juiced up all you have to do is look at Kong's numbers. What I would love to think about is how great would Kong's numbers have been had he trained with Jose Canseco?

* steroid era

Favre completes Minnie

One good game by Brett Favre and the writing is on the wall for Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels. The old man is the starter. Rightfully so also. Favre a future Hall of Famer against he NFC champions last year threw for six touchdowns. Against the Texans first unit he still managed to make plays, moving around in the pocket with ease.

Fact is the Vikings don't need a Pro Bowl quarterback they need a game manager. The Vikings have great depth at running back with the best back in the league in Adrian Peterson and the best back-up in the league since Michael Turner backed up LT in San Diego in Chester Taylor. Taylor is a great pass catcher out of the backfield much like Dorsey Levens was for Favre during the Packers two Super Bowl runs in the late 90's and a superb runner with fresh legs never having rushed the ball more than 160 times in a season except of the year before AP in 2006. When the Vikings get tired of running behind their all-pro left side of the offensive line with Steve Hutchinson and Bryant McKinnie they can let Favre throw to speedsters Bertrand Berrian, rookie Percy Harvin and the future stud of the receivers Sidney Rice who has all pro written all over him with a quarterback the caliber of Favre with great speed, hands, and route running discipline.

The Vikes have the best running game in the league, one of the best offensive lines, and great speed at receiver with a world of young talent in the rookie Harvin and 3rd year former top draft choice Rice.

If defense wins championships than the Vikings are just as tough as anyone in the NFC with a running defense that gives up nothing on the ground. The pass defense will be the big question mark on this team.

The biggest question about the Vikings is can they win their division, probably the toughest in the NFL with the Packers, Bears, and Vikings all capable of making a run in January to the Lombardi trophy. While the three black and blue division teams all boast top defenses, the Vikings have the edge when it comes to the running game and when it comes down to the quarterback position Favre certainly knows how to win something his former protege in Green Bay Aaron Rogers has yet to prove along with new Bear and former Bronco all-pro Jay Cutler who is best known for the collapse of the defenseless Broncos in "08.

Sad Day for Michigan Football

I never have liked the University of Michigan football team. Not because of the brand of football they play or for the colors of the school. You needn't look any further than my own higher education. As an Ohio State Buckeye alum you have to look long and far to find a Buckeye that likes UofM. I have always respected Michigan though because they have a traditionally tough football team and has given The Ohio State University fits in the past, although not in this century with the Buckeyes holding a 7-2 advantage dominating the last five with a 42-7 victory this past year in Columbus and a departing gift to former coach Lloyd Carr holding his Wolverines to a mere 61 total yards in the last confrontation in Ann Arbor. Despite those lopsided victories I still have respect for Michigan until today.

The once proud football tradition appears to be keeping pace with non-conference rival Notre Dame down the shameful losing path. The downfall started with the decision by Athletic Director Bill Martin to hire the wrong person to lead the team. Rich Rodriquez in his one season in Ann Arbor is already trying the patience of the University. The team lost a record 9 games last season including a woeful home loss to the MAC's Toledo Mudhens, err Rockets. On the football field Rodriquez has lost the fans, now off the field he is losing his own players. This past week players have complained to the press that the coaches are working them too hard. In a slightly enforced NCAA rule the coaches have been accused of forcing players to commit excessive time over and above the off-season NCAA limits. So not only is their decension among the players with the coaching staff but it appears the players do not want to be successful on the field.

Usually players are committed to team and will work extra to be successful on the field especially the teams that are competing to win conference or national championships. It appears though the goal in Ann Arbor this year amongst some of the players is to ease through the season and go through the emotions with "no goal involved". To make matters worse instead of Coach Rodriquez bringing his team together to explain, "why you do not talk to the press, why you do not share information with reporters or on your own on the internet", he goes to the press and cries. That's right a head coach from the University of Michigan crying. I never thought I would see the day. What recruit is going to want to play for this guy, or this University?

This is appalling for any football program but for Michigan? I wouldn't be surprised if the very quiet press conference held by RichRod jump started the breathing patterns and heart pumping of the late Bo Schembechler, who is probably yelling at the top of his lungs for anyone that can hear him to start digging because he might be the only one that can save the Wolverines from an apparent decline in Michigan football.

Salude to Tedy Bruschi

Today was a another interesting day in my life. Tedy Bruschi retired. Its another sign I am getting older. I recall as a student returning to college in 1994 I was on the University of Arizona campus. Tedy Bruschi was one of about five Wildcats to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the team was the pre-season #1 ranked team by Sports Illustrated coming off of a 29-0 whitewash of Ray Lewis and the bad boys at Miami University.

My class schedule was in sync with Tedy Bruschi's schedule as I would see him every day around the library. He was a stocky guy, certainly not tall and not your prototypical pass rushing defensive end. I certainly never would have guessed that this guy would go on to win three super bowls, an appearance in the Pro Bowl and spend 13 years with one of the best teams in the NFL the New England Patriots. It was 1994 and New England Patriots and best team were two words that simply were not heard in the same sentence.

Based on what I saw today Tedy Bruschi the smallish defensive end that transformed himself into a impact player as a special teams guy under Bill Parcells and eventually a great team player and linebacker was as responsible for the Patriots success as anyone outside of Tom Brady. It was nice to see Bruschi so content in his retirement speech talking about how it is so important in your career to have one great moment and he was so fortunate to have many great moments. Bruschi's moments seemed to parallel the Patriots success as a team. It was Brushi against the Jaguars in the 1996 AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was Bruschi in the "tuck rule" game against the Raiders. It was Bruschi in the Super Bowl against the Rams, Panthers, and Eagles.

Simply put Bruschi was exactly what you wanted in a football player, the ultimate team player, and the perfect player according to future Hall of Fame Head Coach Bill Belichek. Bruschi was and has been the New England Patriots for the past 13 plus years. His numbers were not huge, but he made the right plays at the right time. He was always in the right place at the right time. He had the respect of his peers, his teammates and certainly the respect of this former Arizona Wildcat.

He was also perfect in his goodbye speech. Tedy will certainly be missed. Tedy belongs on the football field and someday I expect he will be back as a coach, possibly a head coach.

Must Win Season for Michigan Football

The pressure is mounting in Ann Arbor. A once very proud University with a strong football tradition has fallen on very hard times.

It seems forever since the #1 vs. #2 match-up where a veteran Michigan team was playing for a bid to the BCS Championship game against 2006 Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Wolverines supposedly had the best defense in the country led by current Steeler and Super Bowl Champion Lamar Woodley. The Wolverines had a Heisman hopeful in their own veteran quarterback, current Miami Dolphin Chad Henne. That night in Columbus the Wolverines played valiantly but came up on the short end of a 42-39 score. Since that night the hangover in Ann Arbor has lingered over Michigan Stadium as fans called for the head of Lloyd Carr after losing to division I-A Appalachian State and Oregon to open the 2007 season after pollsters ranked the Wolverines as high as #5 in the pre-season polls and many predicted Michigan would make the Championship game with returning All-Americans Henne, Mike Hart, 2008 top NFL selection Jake Long, and Mario Manningham. Not only would the Wolerines falter against two non-conference opponents in their own stadium to open the season but would also get spanked in Lloyd Carr's home finale where the high powered Michigan offense could only muster 61 yards of total offense against Ohio State in a freezing rain. The loss to Ohio State was their 4th straight loss and 6 losses in the last seven seasons for Carr against the hated Buckeyes leaving many alumni and boosters desperately looking for another leader to answer their prayers of beating their rival from the south.

Coach Carr under the heavy pressure resigned after the Ohio State game but remained true to his players committing himself to stand with his players in the season ending bowl game, The Capital One Bowl in Orlando against the defending National Champion Florida Gators and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. As an unheard of two touchdown underdog against the Gators the Wolverines showed the potential that had been expected of them all season long when despite turnovers manhandled the Gators in a game that was much closer on the scoreboard as Michigan dominated the line of scrimmage pushing around the Gators in front of a home crowd less than two hours from Gainesville. This was the last sign of life at Michigan. That last sign that Michigan the winningest program in NCAA football was an elite football program.

Today Michigan is heading into its second season under the leadership of their football messiah, Rich Rodriquez the architect of the Buckeye killing spread offense. This year before the ball has even been kicked off Rodriquez who was the center of controversy following his departure from his alma mater West Virginia for failing to hold up to his end of the buy out clause in his contract is again in the press for all the wrong reasons. Turns out his own players are crying to the Detroit Free Press that coaches are subjecting players to double and even triple the allotted time for off-season mandatory workouts. The players in the program certainly need the workouts after a 3 win season but with players complaining to the media this could cause a rift in team chemistry. The coach will have to answer to investigators, the coach will also have to be very careful about what he asks of his players not knowing who to trust. This is not the best condition for winning when the same alumni and boosters who called for his predecessors job are rumbling again in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines have lost two straight home openers something that had no happened in decades prior to the Appalachian State loss. Last year they lost to non-BCS conference opponent Utah, although Utah proved to be a great team with an undefeated season and bowl win over SEC powerhouse Alabama. This year the Wolverines open with Western Michigan from the MAC conference. The last MAC team to go into the big house, Toledo walked out last year with a huge win over the Wolverines and Western Michigan will be out to duplicate their conference's success against Michigan. Should Western Michigan win Rich Rod might not make it to the week two game against Notre Dame.

College Football Kickoff

The season kicks off this coming Thursday with a match-up of two BCS contenders; The Oregon Ducks of the Pac-10 ranked as high as #7 in the pre-season polls travel to the smurf turf just east of their Pacific Northwest home to Idaho to avenge their 2008 home loss to power of the WAC, Boise State Broncos.

The Oregon Ducks under new head coach Chip Kelley have loads of top talent led by stud senior running back LaGarette Blount and a big physical offensive line that on paper should overpower most opponents but this is where the good news ends.

The Broncos return sophomore sophomore to be Kellen Moore who completed nearly 70% of his passes albeit with lightweight competition and a very physical running back in Jeremy Avery. On top of that the smurf turf home field that has caused numerous guests to lose their composure before the game even kicks off. The Broncos will also be looking to get the bowl game loss to TCU out of their mouths with an opening day battle with the powerful Pac 10 Ducks.

The game should be a battle of talent versus home field over-achieving players wiht a major chip on their shoulders. The game should favor the Ducks from the perspective of talented, experienced players. The Ducks want revenge for last year's loss at Autzen Stadium in Eugene by the score of 37-32. In the loss due to injuries the Ducks were down to their 4th string quarterback and still nearly rallied late to beat the Broncos. In games like this a team the caliber of Oregon learns from their mistakes and than lets the talent take over but execution is easier said than done as the Broncos are not a pushover, especially at home. The coaching change for the Ducks doesn't help the Oregon cause as any time there is change mistakes are prone to happen and magnified in a what should be a tight game.

As for the Broncos they have a tough, experienced team. They will not ambush the Ducks and will get Oregon's best shot from kick off. This game will be a great indicator for Boise State as to how good they really can be this year. Beat Oregon and the table is set for making a run at a BCS bowl game, lose and their immediate focus will be winning the WAC. Boise State also needs to improve their image. Since their epic win using the statue of liberty play against Oklahoma in their only BCS appearance at the 2007 Fiesta Bowl in one of the great games of the century they have fallen short in bowl games against tough competition losing last in the waning moments against TCU by the score of 17-16 and the previous year in Hawaii getting ran over by current Tennessee Titan Chris Johnson and the East Carolina Pirates.

The battle in Boise is about as even as two teams can get. Talent favors the Ducks, experience is even, and the home field favors Boise State. Don't ever estimate the Broncos but at the very least we should expect a high scoring battle. Both running games will be physical and it should come down to quarterback play. Both Moore and Duck signal caller Jeremiah Masoli can put the ball up but the very physical Masoli gives the Ducks an extra runner in the backfield, edge on offense to the Ducks. On defense the Ducks are bigger, faster, more talented and have the taste of losing last year to the Broncos.



This should be a close one but final score prediction Ducks will score 32 again this year, control the ball from the start and will have to weather a late Broncos rally but be able to hold the home team to under 30 points. If you are a betting person take the over with any total less than 50 and give up to 3 points with the Ducks.

Roids vs. Party Favors

Who would win a MLB all-star game between the modern day steroid users and the "High Time" players? Who would win if the players were straight. It's performance enhancing drugs vs. performance diminishing drugs. Please help me out with players that you feel have not been given their due credit. Realize only one person can make a position and there are a lot of guys that just missed due to lack of needle play or just not being able to out-drink their fellow competitors.

All Performance Enhanced Team:

1B: Rafael Palmeiro, not only did he need the steroids but after games was popping viagra for exceptional male pleasure. Raffy gets the nod over some stiff competition because of exceptional overall numbers that easily outdistanced "Big Mac" and he absolutely denied in front of congress that he never used steroids only to get popped the following season.

2B: Brett Boone, I know there was never any official evidence of Brett doing steroids but at 5'9" in height and probably a rock solid muscular 225lbs Boone normally a light hitting second sacker put up huge numbers in the early part of the 21st century and was all done when testing became part of MLB. He was also part of a Jose Canseco accusation and so far Jose is being proven by many players to be telling a lot of truth.

SS: Tough competition here between two major roid-heads. The nod goes to Miguel Tejada. He probably got the roids through from Alex Rodriquez's cousin though. Tejada unlike A-Rod has seen his numbers decline since the testing began.


3B: Ken Caminiti; the former Padre 1998 NL MVP was convinced 85% of the other players were using roids and credited his on-field performance to steroid use. Can't get much more clear cut than Cami at the hot corner.


LF: Jose Canseco the poster boy for steroid abuse. David Wells noted in his book during his days in the minors Canseco went from about a buck and a half to two and a quarter over the course of one off season. Jose could have hula hooped a lady's braclet he was so skinny. Since then Jose has proven steroids not only make you big but make you a bad decision maker. Jose has tried his luck in one on one combat sports getting knocked out by 185lb former Philadelphia Eagle Vai Sikahema and then deciding to go after Korean Giant in MMA Hong Man Choi the 7'2" 340 behemoth. You're not that big, tough, or skilled Jose. You could hit a baseball though and also take on off the knoggin'.

CF: Brady Anderson, he hit 50 homers in 1996 almost double his next best season in the majors. According to former teammate Cal Ripken, "Brady always had a much more advanced concept of cross-training and plyometrics and his diet. He was just ahead of the curve... he showed Alex Rodriquez's cousin where to buy over the counter steroids.

RF: Sammy Sosa, the ever happy Chicago Cub who made it a habit of hitting 60 plus home runs per season doing it three times making a mockery of Roger Maris, Babe Ruth and forcing Barry Bonds to keep up with the Sosas. Sammy always had a kind word for the media but when congress questioned him on steroid, all of a sudden "no habla anglais". Furthermore when a Chicago sports writer questioned him and asked if he would take a test Sosa was compliant until the sports writer told him he had a doctor waiting when Sosa turned up his roid rage!

C: Pudge, not Fisk but Ivan Rodriquez. The Puerto Rican catcher went from 5'7" 225lbs down to a realistic 180 lbs after drug testing became en vogue in MLB. Pudge still has a great mind for the game when the roid free backstop went on his South Beach diet after leaving the Marlins for the Tigers and leading a young pitching staff to the 1996 World Series.

SP: Plenty to choose from here but Kevin Brown gets the nod over The Rocket. Brown an Human Growth Hormone abuser put up some gawdy numbers in the late 90's and eventually would succumb to injuries.

RP: Eric Gagne, the Canadian hockey player was a mountain of a man coming out of the pen at 240lbs but in recent years since testing has trimmed down to 195lbs and has seen his average of 50 saves from 2002-2004 come back to earth at an alarming rate to averaging 14 saves per season during the past three years without serious injury.

All-Performance Diminishing drug Team

1B: Joe Charboneau the 1980 rookie of the year award winner from the Cleveland Indians actually played in the outfield but we need to find a place for this guy. This guy the "Wild Thing" before Charlie Sheen's Rickie Vaughn came into the spotlight in the hit sports movie "Major League". Charboneau was a favorite at the nightspots in Cleveland where he would eventually end up after popping open beer bottles with his eye socket and drinking the brew from a straw through his nose. Joe even pulled on of his sore teeth with a pair of pliers after drinking a shot of whiskey. Chuggin' Joe would eventually end up at the flats working the door checking ID's and tending bar after a short lived career with the Indians. Probably the fasted decline of any ball player in MLB history.


2B: Billy Martin, despite being part of World Champion Yankee teams in the 50's the Bronx Bombers were forced to trade Martin away because he was corrupting superstar Mickey Mantle. The writing was on the wall for Martin when he drove off the road killing himself in a drunken stupor at the age of 58.

SS: Pretty clean position here any suggestions, better yet any personal stories?

3B: Ken Caminiti wins this position hands down after killing himself with a cocaine overdose in Mexico but since he cannot play on both side of the ball the nod goes to Hall of Famer, Wade Boggs. What performance diminishing drug was Boggs addicted to? The worse kind.....women. Boggs an admitted sexual addict was pumping bowsers when there was nothing else available. The power of pussy can be very detrimental and Boggs's habitual back problems were probably the result of late night inverted sit-ups.

LF: Daryl Strawberry the guy was in and out of re-hab his entire career and it's amazing he lasted so long in the Majors. Many more colorful players including the Babe who had an addiction to booze, women, hot dogs, and lack of interest in the game he dominated but not quite the wigged out sad case of the former NY Met and Yankee.

CF: Mickey Mantle, how good would he have been had he not had such an affection for the booze. Mantle missed a team train in Cincinnati after partying all night in that live wire town of Covington, Kentucky where anything goes only to catch a cab with Whitey Ford and Billy Martin the next day to Pittsburgh where they had an exhibition game. After knocking a 500 foot blurry eyed home run Casey Stengel gave him the rest of the day off while teammate Martin cursed him as he had to sweat out his hangover in the field playing all nine innings of an exhibition game for missing the team train.



RF: Dave Parker, affectionately known as the Cobra for his uncoiling action when blasting line drives off the right field wall in Three Rivers Stadium Parker had problems with smoking cigarettes in the dugout, cocaine, a rift with racism in Cincinnati as Marge Schott's n-boy, had to deal with Ron Peter's Pete Rose's bookie in the Cincinnati club house, Canseco and McGwire doing roids in the Oakland Clubhouse and than rounding out his career in Milwaukee where Bernie the Brewer was being dunked in beer before finding peace at the age of 40 north of the border in Toronto for one season. Imagine if the Cobra was able to play in Baltimore for Earl Weaver or in Los Angeles for Tommy Lasorda for 17 seasons he might have been able to put up eye popping numbers.

C: Darrel Porter the former all-star from Kansas City and St. Louis. Porter had a tough time with booze that shortened his career and eventually pulled a Caminiti killing himself with a nose candy overdose.

SP: A lot to choose from here and its tough to ignore Don Larsen's perfect game with a hangover but what Doc Ellis did for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early 70's pitching a perfect game on LSD takes the cake. Acid is a powerful 10 hour trip and how he stayed focused might be the most amazing feat of concentration in sports. He must have been addicted to the streamers that were following the ball that day.

RP: Save the best for last, Steve Howe. The former Los Angeles Dodger Rookie of the year and all-star fireman. Howe was suspended 7x from MLB for his cocaine abuse. Later in his career he was spotted in Costa Rica where the price for the "white" comes much cheaper. He hooked fellow Dodger teammate Dave Stewart on the "blow" and Stew got the Lord quick and was able to rectify his career winning a World Series and Cy Young Award in Oakland. Howe was not so fortunate, his battle with cocaine ended at the age of 48 killing himself in an auto accident just east of Palm Springs in Coachella, California.

Who is deserving that isn't on this list? Who would win a match-up between the two teams? First game all-looped up, second game straight, and the rubber match if necessary the players would have to switch drugs and play? If nothing else it would be very interesting.