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Andy Pollin Contact Andy |
In the end, the game comes down to one thing: man against man. May the best man win. ~ Sam Huff |
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The Best Coaches Game?
Jan 23, 2012 -- 10:51am
Having Gary Williams in the studio for two hours with Czabe and me last Friday was as good an experience as I've had in my nearly 20 years at this station. For a coach headed for the Basketball Hall of Fame, he's incredibly down to earth and very easy to work with. The feedback I've gotten from emailers and friends has been excellent. Czabe and I are really looking forward to talking to Gary through the Final Four.
In case you missed it on the air, we talked about the matchups with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski over the years. We figured during Gary's 22-years at Maryland, they met at least 50 times including the ACC tournament and the Final Four in 2001. There was also a meeting between the two of them as players, which I'd heard Gary mention a couple of times over the years. I thought it would be fun to research it and threw out the recap on the air Friday.
Their meeting took place December 29, 1966 in the championship game of the Charlotte Invitational tournament. Gary's Maryland team beat Krzyzewski's Army team 57-54. Both players were point guards and team captains (shocker). Here was the Associated Press recap of the game:
In the Charlotte Invitational, Maryland came from behind to defeat Army. The Terrapins trailed with only 4:12 remaning when Gary Williams drove for a basket to put them ahead 48-46. Army tied the score 48-all on two free throws by Mike Krzyzewski. Maryland took the lead for good with 3:48 to go on a three-point play (by the way, the three-point line wouldn't come to college basketball for another 20 years). Gary Williams made the first of two free throws, missed the second (he claimed on the air he did it on purpose) and Joe Harrington tipped it in.
Other than the familiar names, there's not too much that's notable about the game - except this. There may never have been a group of five men involved in one game who would go on to accumulate as many victories as the men involved in that game. Realize that Army was coached by 26-year-old Bobby Knight, who would go on to become the first coach in NCAA history to get to 900 wins. Add that to the win totals of Gary and Coach K, you've got nearly 2,500 career wins and counting with Kryzewski still at it. Throw in Marylland's coach in that game, Bud Milikin, and Harrington, who enjoyed a successful 17-year coaching career at Hofstra, George Mason, Long Beach State and Colorado, that's nearly 3,000 career wins. Not bad for a sport that gives you only about 30 games a season. Here's the math:
Kryzewski - 915 (and still counting)
Knight 902
Williams 668
Harrington 251
Milikin 242 (17 years, all at Maryland)
Total 2,978 wins, including 8 national titles
It may not have been the best coached game of all time, but it may have been the best coaches game of all time.
Joe Paterno
As you may know, I scan the obituaries daily. But no scanning was needed to read about the death of Joe Paterno. The Washington Post put it right on page A-1 (a term that will soon become a thing of the past, especially since the printed paper is now selling for a buck). However, where the Paterno obit was placed is not as relevant as what it says in the first paragraph.
Only three months ago, it would have been inconceivable to read what my friend Leonard Shapiro wrote today:
Joe Paterno, the former Penn State football coach who was among the most admired figures in the annals of collegiate sports but whose reputation was shattered in the wake of a child abuse scandal involving one of his long-time assistants, died Jan. 22.
With the avalanche of coverage of the scandal, it's hard to remember that Paterno stood for all that was right in college sports. Heck, early in the fall, ESPN did a special showering Paterno and Krzyzewski with love and affection for all that they had done in becomming the winningest coaches of all time in their respective sports. Had cancer taken Paterno only four months earlier, his entire life would have been seen in a completely different life. Certainly the allegations against Jerry Sandusky would have caused some to question parts of his legacy, but "shattered reputation" would not have been used to describe his life.
In no way do I defend the actions, or inaction, which led to his firing, but his last act should not define his life's work. Joe Paterno built a football program that won 409 games over 46 seasons. He was clearly not a man without faults, but the good that he did far outweighs the bad. And the bad - as bad as it is - shouldn't define his life's work.
Rome is Burning - Me Up
As ridiculous as it was to see James Brown interviewing the E-Trade talking baby on the CBS pregame show yesterday, it paled in comparison to the foolishness of the Jim Rome interview by the panel. Rome, who's take-reading act I've never gotten, is going to do his television show on the cable channel, CBS Sports Network. That might have been a good idea in 1995, but in my mind Rome's relevancy passed at the turn of the century. CBS shoved him on the pregame show to promote this new venture.
Rome, who always sounds like he's reading - poorly by the way - and I'm told usually is, was read one question apiece by Dan Marino, Bill Cowher, Shannon Sharpe and Boomer Esiason. Marino, who has forgotten more about football than Rome will ever know, asked him why the 49ers could beat the Giants. Cowher, who must have been regretting his decision not to get back in coaching while participating in this dog and pony show, also asked a football question - even more ridiculous, he's a coach! And Boomer, who does a daily radio show that's far more listenable than Rome's, asked him about Tim Tebow (wow, that's newsworthy). That one gave Rome his chance to say (actually it sounded like he was reading), that he, "still sees an H-back under center." Michael Hiestand of USA Today called it his "most provocative point."
Unfortunately, it was the only pregame show on at the time. Otherwise I would have tuned in to the one I usually watch, the one on Fox. Frank Caliendo does a much better Jim Rome.
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Before They Were Stars
Jan 17, 2012 -- 10:58am
Back when the Capital Classic was one of the premier high school basketball all star games, it gave you a chance to get a first look at the future greats of the game just as they were launching their careers. The first one took place at the old Capital Centre in 1974 and featured Moses Malone. Never mind Moses didn't have much of an impact in the game, those who were there could always say they saw the future Hall of Famer at his launch party. In the years that followed, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Lebron James and hundreds of others all gave us our first tastes of their greatness at the Capital Classic. Unfortunately the game has struggled to survive in recent years without major corporate sponsorship, but it still brings some future stars to town. In 2010 we broadcast the game and it featured future Maryland starters Terrell Stoglin and Pe'shon Howard along with Georgetown's Nate Lubick and DeMatha star Victor Olidipo, who's now a starter at Indiana.
But as cool as it is to see these high school stars play for the first time, it's in an all star game format - which is not the best way to watch stars play. If you're lucky, you get to see them play in real games. When I was in high school, I remember watching guys like future Georgetown coach Craig Esherick play at Springbrook and Craig Davis, who played at North Carolina State light it up from the outside at Peary. Nobody was a better high school shooter than Brian Magid at Blair. And I'm talking about seeing these guys in person. Lebron was probably on ESPN a half-dozen times before he hit the NBA. That doesn't count.
In the last six years, I've been fortunate enough to see two games at Coolidge High School which were not only thrillers, but first looks at some real talent. As I wrote in "The Great Book of Washington, D.C. Sports Lists", my son Jeremy and I attended Montrose Christian's 74-72 win over Oak Hill to break a 56-game win streak in March of 2006. Future Maryland starter Adrian Bowie knocked down the game-winner at the buzzer. Bowie was one of many future college and pro players to participate in that classic game headlined by Kevin Durant, who as good as advertised, 6-foot-10 with the skills of a guard. The starting point guards were Grevis Vasquez for Montrose and Tywon Lawson for Oak Hill. Jeremy and I still love to talk about being there that night.
Last night, we were back at Coolidge for another first-look. Along with my friend John Oshinsky, who suggested we go, the three of us went to see Gonzaga face Baltimore's Patterson High School, led by Aquille Carr. Last week, Dave Sheinin had written a lengthy front page piece in the Washington Post on Carr, who's nickname is "Crimestopper" - crime stops in Baltimore when Carr plays. We were there for the a first hand look at the young legend.
Despite being the smallest player on the court at 5-foot-7, as you can see on Youtube, Carr is as quick as anybody who has dribbled a basketball. About three minutes in to the game, I turned to John and Jeremy and said, "I know he's supposed to be good, but so far I haven't seen anything that wows me."
Almost on cue, Carr drove the lane, hung in the air for what seemed like two minutes, doubled pumped and scored. I immediately high-fived my son and friend. From that point on, we got a show. Carr's Patterson team went up by 15 in the first quarter and seemed to have control of the game. Eventually though, Gonzaga's size came in to play and they grabbed the lead late. However, Carr knocked down two pressure free throws with 24 seconds left to put Patterson up 73-72. And similiar to the finish we saw six years ago at Coolidge, the home team had one last possession.
With the final seconds ticking away, Gonzaga put up three-pointer that was off target. Gonzaga's 6-foot-8 center Will Rassman had a shot at the rebound, but for some reason slapped it up to the top of the key to Kris Jenkins. Although, 6-foot-6 and built like a power forward, Jenkins has some shooting touch. He caught the ball, squared up and shot for the game-winning three-pointer as time expired. Another great game. Another great finish.
However, that was the icing on the cake. We came to see a star in the making and got what we paid for. Carr, who is ticketed for Seton Hall, could wind up being the Big East's next Allen Iverson (he wears the same number 3). And we can say we had a first look.
Whatever Happened to Cool?
When it happened is hard to say, but it seems that there is a feeling among the latest generation of athletes that it's their job to be both player and cheerleader. Isn't a big play or big score enough to ignite the crowd? Whatever happened to just playing the game and leaving the cheering to the crowd and the cheerleaders? Where have you gone Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Johnny Unitas who's statement was the understatement. Unitas once threw up what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown pass at the final gun and turned his back to the field and walked calmly to the bench. He reasoned that he didn't need to see it since his work for the day was done. There was nothing more he could do.
Generations later, that kind of behavior is long gone. The latest example of that is the stunt pulled by JaVale McGee in the Wizards loss to Houston, dropping his team to 1-12. On a breakaway trip up the floor, McGee tossed an alley-oop pass off the glass to himself, dunked it and then saluted the crowd. After the game, following a scolding from coach Flip Saunders, McGee was baffled.
He told the media, "Apparently, if you get a fast break and throw it off the backboard in the third quarter, and you're 1-11, you're not supposed to do stuff like that." He went on to explain he was trying to fire up his team and the crowd. Never mind that the Rockets went on a 19-4 run following his circus act.
As Scott Linn pointed out, McGee sounded like the E-trade baby in the commercial when he says from his crib, "Apparently riding the dog like a small horse is FROWNED UPON IN THIS ESTABLISHMENT!"
If and when McGee ever gets it, we'll look back on his postgame comments and talk about how far he's come. But likely young JaVale never will get it. And likely we'll never get cool back in sports.
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Carrying the Torch
Jan 11, 2012 -- 11:03am
As we get set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sportsradio 570/Sportstalk 980/ESPN 980 in a few months, I've been thinking about the stories that stand out from the past two decades. Locally the return of baseball in 2005, Maryland's 2002 basketball championship, George Mason's run to the Final Four in 2006 and the continuing struggles of the Redskins certainly stand out. Nationally the OJ Simpson trial, the Penn State scandel and the role that sports played in the 9/11 recovery will be discussed. But if you asked me if there's one story that touched you My more than any other over the last 20 years - what would it be? I'd have to say the moment that Jim and Derek Redmond shared at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
It's the semifinals of the 400 meters - a moment that British runner Derek Redmond had prepared for most of his life. Four years earlier, he'd been forced to withdraw from the Games in Seoul only 10 minutes before the race because of an Achillies tendon injury. Now only 175 meters from finishing the heat and almost certain to qualify for the finals, Derek Redmond's dream is shattered - his hamstring shreds. He falls to the track quivering in pain.
A medical crew runs out on the track with a stretcher, but he tells them there's no way he's getting on it. Incredbily, the young athlete gets himself to his feet and begins hobbling down the track, determined to finish the race. Painful step by step, he's cheered by the crowd. One way or another, Derek Redmond would finish the race, but how he finished still sends chills up my spine.
In those pre-9/11 days, his father Jim Redmond, without a credential, managed to elbow his way through the crowd and on to the track. He'd yelled at security guards who tried to stop him, "That's my son out there and I'm going to help him." And sure enough, as Derek reached the final curve, Jim wrapped his arm around his son's waist. Together, arm in arm, with 65,000 people cheering, clapping and crying they made their way to the finish line. Steps before the finish line, Jim released his grip so Derek could finish on his own.
Said Jim Redmond after the race, "I'm prouder of him that I would have been if he had won the gold medal."
My kids were only four and one at the time. It was difficult for me to fully grasp the moment, but with one act that took only a few minutes to complete, Jim Redmond had provided a blueprint for me and every other dad. That is the essense of what we're supposed to do. Help your kids follow their dreams, but be there when more often than not, those dreams don't come true.
This week the British Olympic Association announced that Jim Redmond will be one of 250 torchbearers for the 8,000-mile nationwide relay that starts in May and ends with the lighting of the cauldron during the opening ceremony July 27th at Olympic Stadium in London. What a great choice.
Over the last 20 years, my kids have given me more joyus moments than I possibly could have hoped for. But like everyone else, they've had their stumbles along the way. I can only hope that the shoulder I provided for them has been as strong as the one Jim Redmond offered Derek Redmond 20 years ago.
Bill Trumbull
Steve Czaban and I have had what anyone would consider a great run on our afternoon show. In the world of broadcasting, where show life is marked by months, not years, we've survived together for nearly a dozen years. If we triple that run, we'll match what Bill Trumbull did at WMAL.
Bill Trumbull passed away this week at the age of 77. He'd been off the air for more than 15 years. But for more than three decades, he'd ridden home from work with hundreds of thousands of us. First working with Ed Meyer, and for his last 20 years on the air, with Chris Core, he set the standard for what a "drive time" program should be.
In the days when only luxury cars came with radios that had an FM band, WMAL ruled the airwaves. You drove to work with Harden and Weaver and home with Trumbull and Core. That would be Chris Core, who tried to make the magic continue after Trumbull retired in 1996, but times and radio listening habits had changed. Chris has moved on to other things but cherishes the days when he and Trumbull mixed guests, commedy bits and even some music to lighten your mood as you battled the beltway.
Interesting thing about the heart of their run in the 1980's - it coincided with the great success of the Redskins. While the Skins were going to four Super Bowls between 1982 and 1992, there was no such thing as Sportsradio in Washington, D.C. WMAL was the long-time home of the Redskins and not only broadcast the games, but provided more coverage of the team than anyone else in town. Ken Beatrice started his sports show at 7 pm, but if you wanted to hear about the Redskins on your way home, it was Trumbull and Core who gave you more than anyone else. Must have been fun talking about a team that won all the time. Oh well.
I only met Bill Trumbull a couple of times, but he seemed just like he was on the air - smooth, professional and unshakable. A couple of years ago, he wrote a script for a skit that was part of an 80th birthday celebration for Andy Ockershausen, WMAL's general manager during their glory years. I was asked to voice the part of Mo Siegel, the longtime sports writer who was one of Andy's good friends. Bill's work was just as it had been over his many years on the air - sharp and witty.
He leaves behind both his own family and the family of people he worked with over his 36 years years on the air. And the footprints he left behind that those of us who have tried to follow in the afternoon drive time spot are mighty big indeed. Thanks for the ride Bill.
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Redskins Quarterback Draft History
Jan 04, 2012 -- 10:54am
The last time the Redskins were in this quarterback situation was 1994. Joe Gibbs was two years in to his first retirement and it was time to turn over the roster he'd left behind. In his one season as head coach in 1993, Richie Petitbon had gone 4-12 trying to keep the aging veterans on top. Norv Turner was the new coach and had no interest in buidling his new team with Mark Rypien, even though the former Super Bowl MVP was only 30. With the third pick in the draft, there was little doubt that the Redskins would use it on a quarterback. And there was little doubt that quarterback would be Tennesee's Heisman Trophy runner-up, Heath Shuler.
As we all remember, the decision to draft Shuler turned out to be a disaster. After holding out the first two weeks of training camp, he finally signed a $19 million dollar contract. Three years later after only 13 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions, Shuler was unloaded to Mike Ditka's Saints. The Skins made do with seventh-round pick Gus Frerrote - a journeyman at best. Turner, who figured Shuler would become his Troy Aikman, likely killed any chance he had for long-term success. The one playoff team Norv produced in his seven years in D.C. was quarterbacked by Brad Johnson, who came here via trade.
Funny thing is, the Redskins were launched in Washington thanks to a great decision to draft a quarterback. They used the sixth pick of the 1937 draft to take Sammy Baugh from TCU. He led the Skins to a pair of titles and was regarded as the greatest to ever play pro football when he finally retired in 1951. However, since drafting Baugh, the Redskins draft record with quarterbacks (especially those drafted high) is terrible.
In 1945, figuring Baugh was getting long in the tooth, the Redskins used the eighth pick of the draft to take quarterback Jim Hardy from USC. He never played a game here. Baugh's successor turned out to be little Eddie LeBaron, who was taken in the 10th round from Pacific in 1950. However, that was followed by a series of quarterback draft whifs. No fewer than four quarterbacks were taken in the first round during the next decade. Here is the ugly record:
1953 - Jack Scarbath #2 overall from Maryland
1954 - Ralph Guglemli #3 overall from Notre Dame
1959 - Don Allard #4 overall from Boston College
1960 - Richie Lucas #4 overall from Penn State
Scarbath and Guglemli combined to throw for 33 touchdowns and 65 interceptions in Washington. Allard and Lucas never played a game in the NFL. You would think that would make the Skins gun shy about taking another quarterback. It didn't.
In 1961, the Redskins used the second pick of the draft to take Norm Snead from Wake Forest. The team was terrible, finishing 9-20-3 during Snead's three years as a starter, but he was good enough for Eagles to trade for him. The player sent here by Philadelphia was nothing less than a God send - Sonny Jurgensen. Can I hear an amen?
With Sonny calling the signals, the Skins were still sub-500, but the team was exciting and "Jurgy" was terrific. But by 1968, he was 34-years old and coach and general manager Otto Grahm wondered how long Sonny could keep it up. Soooo...once again the Redskins waded in to the dangerous waters of drafting a quarterback high. They sent the following year's (1969) first-round pick to the Rams for the rights to Heisman-winner Gary Beban from UCLA. Beban never played a down at quarterback and was out of the NFL in two years.
Sonny's successor actually wound up being a quarterback discard. In 1971, the Saints didn't have any use for Billy Kilmer after taking Archie Manning with the second pick of the draft. Kilmer was no Sonny, but was good enough to take the Redskins to their first playoff appearance in 25 years and the Super Bowl the following year after Jurgensen was injured both seasons.
Finally in 1974, a quarterback solution through a high draft pick. George Allen sent his 1976 first rounder to Miami for the rights to Joe Theismann. It took almost five years for that fruit to ripen. Joey T didn't permanently wrestle the starting job away from Kilmer until the 1978 season, but finally a first round pick paid off on a quarterback. Theismann of course had the great success in the early 80's with back-to-back Super Bowls, but by 1984 was hitting his mid 30's. Enter Jay Schroeder as a third rounder from UCLA. Schroeder was an interesting pick. He'd started only a few games at UCLA before signing a baseball deal with the Blue Jays. When he realized the majors weren't in his future, he made himself available for the draft.
It turned out to be a smart pick. A year after Theismann broke his leg, Schroeder took the Redskins to the NFC title game and looked like the quarterback of the future. He certainly thought so, opening a restaurant in Virginia with his name on it. So when Rypien was taken in the sixth round out of Washington State in 1986, nobody thought too much of it. But following a Schroeder flameout and a Doug Williams Super Bowl championship, Rypien won one himself. Which, of course, brings us back to Shuler.
Trading down in the first round brought Patrick Ramsey here in 2002. Trading back in to the first round brought Jason Campbell here in 2005. Neither one proved to be the long term answer.
So as the Redskins enter 2012, the 80th anniversary of the franchise - the 75th anniversary in Washington, there is no question they must get a quarterback. At the moment, they hold the sixth pick. How they use it, through pick or trade, will have a major impact on the next decade of the franchise. Hopefully they'll get it right, but history doesn't seem to be on their side.
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How the John Thompson Show Got Off the Ground
Dec 21, 2011 -- 10:36am
This wasn't the kind of postseason basketball tournament game that Georgetown was used to playing under coach John Thompson. After 14-straight trips to the NCAA tournament, including three Final Fours, the Hoyas were in the National Invitational Tournament. A sub-par regular season coupled with a blowout loss to Seton Hall in the second round of the Big East Tournament left Georgetown out of the big show for the first time since Patrick Ewing was a freshman in high school.
On top of that, on this rainy night in March of 1993, the Hoyas couldn't even play the tournament game on their regular home court. A Capital Centre conflict pushed this second-round NIT game against UTEP to the on-campus McDonough Arena. That's where they used to play before Thompson and Ewing turned them in to a national powerhouse in the early 1980's. Mostly out of curiosity, I decided to cover this game.
As I recall, much of the pregame discussion about this game centered on the question of whether or not the Thompson magic was fading. The national title had happened almost a decade earlier and younger coaches were grabbing the spotlight. Mike Krzyzewski was coaching two-time defending champion Duke and young Gary Williams was well on his way to rebuilding Maryland. Never mind that Allen Iverson would arrive on campus a year and a half later and have the Hoyas in the elite eight in three years.
What should have been discussed was the historical significance of this matchup of coaches. UTEP was still coached by Don Haskins, who had engineered one of the most important victories in the history of sports. At Cole Field House, just a few miles from McDonough, in 1966, his all-black starting five had beaten all-white Kentucky for the national championship. The victory by Texas Western, as UTEP was known in those days, has been refered to as, "the Brown versus Board of Education game." The movie "Glory Road" would give later generations a view of the importance of that game. It certainly wasn't lost on Thompson, who was playing for the Celtics in 1966, and became the first black coach to win a national title 18 years later. Having the two legends on the same court was a moment to savor, even though it was an early-round game of a secondary postseason tournament.
I was in my mid-30's at the time of this game - old enough to understand what a Haskins-Thompson meeting meant - but not experienced enough to understand there was more to the two coaches than met the eye. In 1982, while broadcasting SMU basketball games, I had interviewed Haskins for a pregame show. I was pleasantly surprised by the demeanor of the gruff-looking man, who wound up being quite gracious and appreciative that I had brought up the 1966 national title game. My view of Thompson at the time, was still a surface view. And an incorrect view.
I had covered the 1985 Final Four for UPI Radio and attended all of Thompson's news conferences. It was Ewing's senior year and the Hoyas were prohibitive favorites to repeat as champions. Thompson had taken his team far away from the hoopla in Lexington, Kentucky, where the Final Four was played that year at Rupp Arena (that would be Adolph Rupp, who lost to Haskins in '66). I thought he was too controlling and had turned his players into robots (hey I was young). That view was about to change.
After the game, won easily by Georgetown 71-44, there was the usual postgame news conference. Although the venue for this one was a bit different. Thompson held it in his office. Sitting behind his desk, he showed a side that I had never seen before. Relaxed and funny, he seemed completely at ease with cameras and microphones in front of him. He even joked that when he was hired at Georgetown in 1972, the school president said it would be nice if he made the NIT every so often. After 14-straight years of going to the NCAA's, he was back in and felt like he fullfilled his mission. I filed this view away.
About six years later, on a snowy day in January of 1999, I anchored live coverage of Thompson's final news conference as head coach at Georgetown. After 27 years, he was leaving at midseason because of personal issues and turning the team over to longtime assistant Craig Esherick. Thompson made it a point to say he was "resigning", not retiring.
A few days later, I was in a management meeting (I was still exercising my "sports director" title in those days) where we discussed ideas of how to add spark to our show lineup. Recalling that Thompson said he was, "resigning, not retiring," I suggested talking to him about appearing as a paid guest a couple of times a week during the upcoming NCAA tournament. To be honest, though I thought he would be good as a show host, I never figured he want to become one. Media people hardly seemed to be his best friends. "Hoya Paranoia" was coined somewhat early in his coaching career.
Well, one thing led to another and within a few months, the "John Thompson Show" was launched on what was called Sportstalk 980. The Washington Post, which had felt his wrath for so many years, actually transcribed parts of his show in the next day's paper. They were as stunned as everybody else that John Thompson was actually hosting a radio show. Who'd have thunk it?
Over the years, the show appeared in various time slots with various co-hosts. It had a variety of big-name guests, including Michael Jordan. Bill Russell - the Bill Russell - used to come in and hang out with his old friend and former Celtic teammate. There were explosvie moments like when Jordan was told he wouldn't return as president of the Wizards and Thompson said that owner Abe Pollin had treated Jordan, "like a whore." And most important of all, in a business where longevity is measured in months, not years, the John Thompson Show lasted 13 years.
Now the man we still call "Coach", even though he hasn't sat on a bench since the last century, has announced the end of the show. He's ready for something else in his life come the end of February. I'm grateful to the opportunity to get to know him a bit over the years. And I'm especially grateful that I was able to expose my son Jeremy to him. I know he will benefit from it.
Just like 13 years ago, Coach says he's resigning, not retiring. While I may have played some role in his last career, I doubt I'll have any involvement in the next one. This time all I can offer is a wish of good luck, though I doubt he'll need it. Good thing I went to that NIT game so many years ago.
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A Tear Jerker
Dec 13, 2011 -- 11:05am
I am man enough to admit I cry at the movies. I cry not just at tragedies, I cry when something is so good it brings me to tears. The buses rolling the roads of rural Indiana in "Hoosiers" makes me cry. Kevin Costner playing catch with his Dad in "Field of Dreams" makes me cry. But rarely does something in print bring me to tears. What Terry McDonell wrote last month in "Sports Illustrated" uncorked Niagra Falls in my eyeballs.
The story is headlined "In My Tribe." The subheader is "Our Sports have become more and more about money and marketing. But to most of us they're still about the stories we tell one another, the transcendent moments that lift us - the very way we define ourselves." What follows is 13 pages of the great prose and photos that have made "Sports Illustrated" the greatest magazine documentor of the games we love. I've been a subscriber for more than 40 of the nearly 60 years that SI has been in print. Just the sight of some of their iconic photos help me mark some of the great moments of my life. And some of the greatest writing in history - not just sportswriting - has come in the glossy pages from legends like Frank Deford and Gary Smith.
I read "In My Tribe" several hours before watching Indiana upset number one Kentucky at Alumni Hall in Bloomington Saturday evening. It was a moment for me in front of the television set - a moment that I will be able to share with my tribe (my son) for the rest of my life. Jeremy, who is now a junior at Indiana, stormed the floor with his fraternity brothers - a moment he'll remember for the rest of his life - a moment he will someday share with his children. That is the essense of McDonell's story.
The Indiana upset will belong more to Jeremy that it will to the two of us. In other words, his memories of the moment will always center on the thrill of the buzzer-beater and the wild court-storming celebration that followed. Still, he thought enough to share the moment by calling home a couple of hours later. That meant a great deal.
My wife and I sat through hundreds of Jeremy's basketball, baseball and soccer games, never realizing how much we would miss those games when they came to an end. Jeremy made fewer teams than he tried out for, but learned one of the great lessons of life by never giving up. The joy of making the team always made the pain of getting cut more than worth it. What a ride he gave us.
And the shared spectator experience was just as good. Thanks to this station's partnership with the Orioles, we sat close enough for him to touch Cal Ripken at third base. And we had a great view of Darryl Strawberry hitting the longest home run in the history of Camden Yards. We watched Maryland upset Duke at Comcast Center. We saw the first Caps game at the MCI Center - an overtime win. And in front of the television set, a rare night that I stayed up as late as he did. We watched Vince Young and Texas beat Reggie Bush and USC for the National Championship in 2006. We both knew that if Texas got the ball back at the end of the game, Young would score the winning touchdown - and he did! And those are just a few of the hundreds of shared experiences that I will carry for the rest of my life. But what I couldn't give him, was what my Dad gave me. Unfortunately the Redskins 20 years of medicority has coincided with span of my son's life.
My father, who's now 83, grew in Washington, D.C. as the son of a hard-working immigrant who didn't understand how anyone would waste time watching grown men play silly kids games. Albert Pollin's love of sports was something he had to pick up on his own and not only couldn't share with his dad - he had to hide it. So going to a game with MY dad was the first time that bonding experience had ever occurred in our family.
Our first game together was a Senators game at D.C. Stadium in 1966. That was an easy thing to do in those days. Just walk up to the box office on game day and buy a pair. The Redskins were another story. By that time, all the home games were sold out to season ticket holders. The team wasn't very good, but going to watch Sonny Jurgensen pitch it all over the park was great fun. We went to a few games in the late 60's and early 70's, but they were always at the end of the season. He'd either be able to get a pair at work or we'd buy from a scalper. But mainly our Redskin-watching experience took place in the basement at 8809 Walnut Hill Road.
The 1972 season will forever stay with me as the experience of what it means to be a real fan. My dad managed to score a pair of tickets to the final home game, a loss to OJ Simpson and the Buffalo Bills. It didn't matter much, the Redskins had already clinched the NFC East and star running back Larry Brown was being rested for the playoffs. We happened to be in Pennsylvania for the opening playoff game against Green Bay. Good thing. That game was blacked out in the D.C. area, thanks to the final year of the NFL's policy of blacking out ALL home games. We watched the win over the Packers in Holliday Inn. That put the Skins in the NFC title game against Dallas at RFK. Championship games didn't get the blackout treatment, so we got to watch that one in the basement. Oh what a night! The Redskins won 26-3. It was great. Two weeks later we went up the street to watch the Super Bowl at our neihbor's house. It was terrible. The Redskins lost 14-7 to cap Miami's undefeated season. It took me weeks to get over it.
Fast forward 10 years to January, 1983 and another Redskins' Super Bowl meeting with Miami. I was an adult by then and made it to the Rose Bowl with friends in time to buy face-value tickets from a scalper (40 bucks apiece, believe it or not). I sat in the end zone and watched the great event unfold, capped by the John Riggins touchdown run and the first Super Bowl championship in Redskins history. It was just about perfect. Except for one thing. I didn't get to experience it with my dad. So I did what my son would do nearly 30 years later. I called.
As Terry McDonell writes, "And if we break it down, what we are left with is the game or the team or the athlete as a bridge between generations, the adhesive that binds relationships, the spit that holds families together." I hope you can understand why I cried.
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