Chipper's Last Chop

Chipper Jones as a rookie in 1995.

The baseball stars of the 1990s are heading towards the sunset. Boston's Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek have hung up their cleats, as is New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada. On Thursday Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones will call it a career after the 2012 season.

Jones's Major League journey began in 1993, but he didn't make any significant impact until the 1995 season, during which he led all rookies in RBIs, games played and started, plate appearances, at bats, and runs. Moreover, he led the Atlanta Braves to the World Series title that year over the Cleveland Indians in six games. At the time, Atlanta's success was credited to the pitching prowess of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, but who would've thought that Chipper would become their biggest beneficiary that season and in the years to come.

Jones continued to play a significant role in the Braves' success, even as they fall short of the World Series title twice to the Yankees in 1996 and 1999. Jones won the NL MVP award in the latter year and won the first of two consecutive Silver Sluggers for third baseman. However, the Braves fell out of contention as the new millennium began. They would win a playoff series only once from 2000-05, and then made the playoffs only once between 2006 and 2011, as Jones led a team in transition. During this period made the All-Star team from 1996-98, and 2000-01.

Injuries would then rob Jones of his once prodigious offensive talent, though he continued to rack milestones later in his career. In 2008, he averaged .364 to win his first batting title, the oldest switch-hitter to do so, while participating in his sixth All-Star Game and earned his 14th straight 20-homer season. In the 2011 season he hit his 450th homer, and also participated in his seventh All-Star Game. At season's end he had amassed over 200 doubles, 1,500 RBI and 2,500 hits. 

Chipper Jones in 2011

Those numbers will undoubtedly earn him a place in Cooperstown, and his jersey number 10 will be likely retired and will never be worn by another Braves player for good. Chipper Jones will go down as one of the greatest Braves players of all time, if not the greatest. If this was the last tomahawk chop for Chipper, this may be the sweetest of it all. 

Tebowing All the Way to New York

It's official: Tebowing leaves the Rockies and into the Meadowlands of New Jersey. With the Denver Broncos officially signing former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, they had no choice but to surrender the player responsible for their rebirth last season. Tim Tebow, who led the Broncos to an improbable run to the AFC Divisional playoffs, was traded to the New York Jets. Well, the Jets need a 'miracle', and they got one in Tebow.

The Jets fell short of coach Rex Ryan's promise of a Super Bowl berth last season. Despite signing Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress, they finished with an 8-8 record, second in the AFC East. Mark Sanchez, the Jets' incumbent starting QB, was criticized for his poor play that led to their demise. With Tebow added to the mix, it'll be a toss-up between him and Sanchez on who will be the incumbent starting quarterback for the Jets next season. 

Anyway, the addition of Tebow should help raise television ratings around New York City. Tebow's games were a ratings hit last season, and this should help raise the confidence level and attention on New York's other NFL team, after the Giants' surprising Super Bowl win last season. Good luck on Mr. Tebow in a green Jets uniform.

The Jack Edwards Experience

No announcer in the National Hockey League has ever been this exciting, colorful and outright energetic than Boston Bruins play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards. His screaming antics whenever a Bruins player scores, makes a big hit, involves in a fighting major, and robs an opponent of a goal has become a highlight staple of every NHL weekly program, even ESPN's SportsCenter can attest to that. His insightful and humorous commentary in relation to NHL and Bruins history has also been embraced by Bruins fans and viewers of NESN, where the Bruins games are currently aired locally. 

Here are some of Edwards' most memorable calls.

Another particular Edwards moment came at the end of Game 7 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Bruins and their hated rivals Montreal Canadiens, in which he compared the Bruins' come-from-behind series win to the Boston Tea Party.

After watching some of Edwards' calls I came to the point that I somehow liked the guy because of his energy, wit and Johnny Most-like antics. Not that I didn't like Mike Emrick of NBC, Sam Rosen of the New York Rangers and Mike Lange of the Pittsburgh Penguins, annnouncers with the same, distinctive delivery as Edwards, but I prefer announcers whose distinctive brand of humor, bravado and high power would wake up the fans and viewers alike in games. Edwards is just that. 

More announcer features in the coming weeks.

The Curse of the Trail Blazers Center

The most famous curses have been the Boston Red Sox's 'Curse of the Bambino', the Chicago Cubs' 'Curse of the Billy Goat', and Philadelphia's 'Curse of Billy Penn'. But in Portland, Oregon, the Trail Blazers professional basketball team have a curse of their own, and that involves the center position, a rich tradition made famous by George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal. But the 'five' spot has been anything but great in Portland.

The Blazers' first No. 1 overall pick was LaRue Martin in 1972. Martin got a first impression by the Blazers front office after outplaying future Blazer Bill Walton in an NCAA regular season game between UCLA and Loyola. However, Martin was anything but spectacular, averaging just 5.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg. After just four seasons Martin decided to retire, having been supplanted by Walton as the team's starting center.

Bill Walton, from UCLA, was drafted first overall by the Blazers in 1974. However his 13-year career was hampered by foot injuries that ultimately forced his retirement. Nevertheless he became one of the first 'point centers' in the league, as his ability to pass the ball became one of his strengths. His best seasons came during the years 1976-78, where he led the Blazers to the 1977 NBA title and was then named an All-Star and the league's MVP the next year. His Blazers tenure ended in a rather conspicuous manner, sitting out the 1978-79 season for unethical and incompetent treatment by the Blazers training staff. After six fruitless seasons with the Clippers, he finished his career as the Boston Celtics' sixth man, winning the 1986 NBA championship. 

More well-known as the backup center on the Los Angeles Lakers' 1987 and 1988 championship teams, Mychal Thompson was the Blazers' top pick in the 1978 draft. He may have never fulfilled the expectations needed for a No. 1 pick, but Thompson played decently well on the Blazers teams that won a playoff series only twice in Thompson's eight seasons. Thompson averaged 16.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg and 3.4 apg in his Blazers tenure. 

On a draft class that included future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, John Stockton and Charles Barkley, Sam Bowie was an exception. Drafted second overall in the 1984 draft, Bowie never got a chance to fulfill his potential. While he averaged 10.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 2.6 apg, he played in only 139 games in five seasons with Portland, limited by various leg injuries that eventually forced his retirement in 1995. To this day, Bowie was tagged as one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history.

Steve Johnson arrived in Portland in the Mychal Thompson deal with the San Antonio Spurs in 1986. Johnson and Bowie were expected to form a 'Twin Towers' combination similar to Houston's Ralph Sampson and Olajuwon, but when Bowie injured his leg, Johnson stepped up at center and averaged nearly 17 ppg on 55% field goal shooting. He was named an NBA All-Star in 1988, but an injury denied him a trip to Chicago. Kevin Duckworth's emergence made Johnson expendable, and was eventually let go in 1989. 

Kevin Duckworth played seven seasons in Portland from 1987-93, but his best years came during the years 1990-92, when the Blazers made the NBA Finals twice under Clyde Drexler. Duckworth was named an All-Star twice in 1989 and 1991, but questions about his conditioning eventually forced a trade with the Washington Bullets for Harvey Grant after the 1992-93 season. Duckworth would retire in 1997 and died 11 years later to a heart attack.

A case of 'too little, too late', Arvydas Sabonis arrived in Portland in 1995 at 31 and a few pounds heavier. He was drafted in the second round of the 1986 draft by the Blazers, but an Achilles injury and the ongoing Cold War delayed his entry to the NBA. In between the draft and his Blazers debut, Sabonis played in Europe, where he had his best professional seasons. During his seven seasons with the Trail Blazers, he was a shadow of his former self, but still averaged 12 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 2.1 apg and led the Blazers to the conference finals in 1999 and 2000. He was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 primarily for his international play. 

Finally there was Greg Oden. Drafted first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, Oden's career was marred by various knee injuries, and played only 82 games from 2008-10. He averaged 9.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg in those two seasons, but after a freak knee injury in a game against the Rockets in late 2009, Oden would miss the next two-plus seasons due to endless surgeries and rehab procedures. Finally on March 15, the Blazers decided to waive Oden as they rebuild for the future. 

Now, when will the center position in Portland be free from all misfortunes? Who knows, maybe in another few or several years more we'll have the answer, as the Blazers rebuild, again.

The Self-Destruction of the New York Knicks?

The afternoon of March 14, 2012 was anything but normal. Mike D'Antoni held a team practice for the embattled New York Knicks, who have lost six in a row and have been on the playoff bubble at that point. A few hours after practice ended, he informed the Knicks front office that he had enough. And so it did. Mike D'Antoni left the Knicks training room for the last time. 

Mike D'Antoni's Knicks record was 121-167
(.420), a far cry from his tenure with the
Phoenix Suns.

The Knicks under D'Antoni failed to buy into his 'seven seconds or less' philosophy he was known for. Even as D'Antoni added his old pal Amar'e Stoudemire away from Phoenix and traded for Carmelo Anthony, the lack of a point guard in the mold of Steve Nash doomed the Knicks. Sadly, they gave up Chauncey Billups, who had his Nash-like glimpses during his time in New York, and gambled upon Tyson Chandler to anchor the defense, which again didn't work out. 

The only time the Knicks thrived well under D'Antoni was when an unknown Taiwanese-American named Jeremy Lin took off like a rocket and brought hope to a fanbase that is hungry to recapture past glory. But when Amar'e and 'Melo returned, the Knicks were shot back down to earth, capped off by six straight losses, the final straw being a 104-99 loss at Chicago on Monday night.

D'Antoni's resignation added more frustration to the Knicks fan base, whose high expectations have deserted them despite the addition of two perennial All-Stars, and the emergence of another. As far as New York City is concerned, it hasn't been good times lately for their teams wearing the traditional blue and orange (Mets, Knicks, Islanders), teams with a history of winning. On the contrary their red and blue counterparts (Giants, Rangers) have performed well, with the Giants winning the Super Bowl this year and the Rangers currently in contention for the Stanley Cup. Which really doesn't help if you're wearing a blue and orange jersey.

The Knicks had a lot of problems in addition to D'Antoni's system being a bad fit. Anthony is not a good defender. Toney Douglas and Iman Shumpert are not pure point guards. J.R. Smith and Baron Davis arrived way too late. Mike Bibby is on the doghouse. Landry Fields is slumping. Stoudemire has struggled after a back injury hampered him in the 2011 playoffs. Josh Harrellson and Jerome Jordan are unproven commodities. And Jared Jeffries is oft-injured. Aside from Lin, Steve Novak has been lights out, but other than that, the Knicks were a dysfunctional bunch, a far cry from Red Holzman's team oriented 70s squads and Pat Riley's scrappy and gritty 90s teams. 

If the Knicks were to salvage at least the eighth playoff seed, they need to perform well under interim coach Mike Woodson, otherwise another painful year is on the horizon. 

The Heart of It All in Hoops

I got to watch the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary 'Guru of Go', the story of Paul Westhead and his run-and-gun system, which has been partially successful in a majority of his coaching stops. In the middle of the film, the emphasis was placed on the Loyola Marymount Tigers and star forward Hank Gathers, whose untimely death in the middle of a 1990 WCC tournament game sent shockwaves in the hoops world and galvanized the LMU community.

Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis both died of heart-
related problems while still active players.

On March 4, 1990, during LMU's home game against the University of Portland Pilots, Gathers scored on an alley-oop pass off Terrell Lowery midway through the first half. A few seconds later, Gathers collapsed, and despite pleading not to lie down, he eventually followed the trainer's advice. Unfortunately, Gathers died on the way to the hospital of a heart attack at the age of 23. The entire WCC tournament was later cancelled and LMU earned an NCAA Tournament berth, eventually reaching the Elite 8.

Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox were both sidelined
indefinitely for heart issues.

Three years later, during an NBA playoff game between the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets at the Boston Garden, star forward Reggie Lewis collapsed while running on the court. It was later determined that he had a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which later caused his death on July 27, 1993 while on a practice session. Nearly two decades later, the Celtics learned from the Lewis debacle when forward Jeff Green was not cleared to play for the 2011-12 season because of an aortic aneurysm, and underwent surgery as a result. And just yesterday, forward Chris Wilcox was sent indefinitely to the inactive list for a potential heart defect. 

Both Eddy Curry and Cuttino Mobley experienced
heart-related ailments during their playing careers.

Also learning from the Lewis and Gathers experience, guard Cuttino Mobley, then of the New York Knicks, announced his retirement in 2008 after a physical revealed a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, thus not clearing him for physical contact. Three years earlier, then-Chicago Bulls forward Eddy Curry was also diagnosed of a similar heart ailment that caused him to miss the Bulls' 2005 playoff run. After refusing a DNA test as suggested by some doctors, then-Bulls GM John Paxson sent Curry to the New York Knicks, which unfortunately didn't work out on Curry's part. After a near three-year sabbatical from hoops, Curry returned to action with the Miami Heat in 2012, having shed over 100 lbs during that span. 

Indeed, basketball involves some running, banging and hustling. Then again, physical fitness is a must for every player aspiring to be the best, especially when the heart is involved in all the action. 

Seeing Green

A week from today will be St. Patrick's Day, and in every place full of Irish people, whether full or half-blooded, green is everywhere. From leprechauns to dyed bodies of water, March 17 is where people enjoy seeing green. And professional sports is no exception.

The NBA introduced the St. Patrick's Day uniform program during the 2005-06 season, and ran throughout the second to third week of March. The initial participants were the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks, cities with high Irish populations. The Toronto Raptors became the fourth participant in 2008, but three years later, they decided to replace their green uniforms with a camouflaged green version in honor of Veterans Day. 

The Knicks' green uniforms were also used during Christmas Day games. They received much publicity during the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend, where 5'9'' Nate Robinson, playing the role of Kryptonite (or 'Krypto-Nate'), wore the Knicks green jerseys and neon green sneakers to beat Dwight Howard (dressed in his Superman cape) in the Slam Dunk Contest. 

The NHL's New Jersey Devils have been honoring the holiday by rocking their retro 1980s uniforms during St. Patrick's Week. The uniform prominently features green on the logo and the pants, in contrast to the current black and red scheme they use today. Their retro uniforms were used regularly from 1982-92, before trading green for black. Currently the Minnesota Wild are the only team with a green sweater; they use them as alternates, while the Vancouver Canucks use green as trim color to their uniforms. 

Major League Baseball also had some instances of teams sporting green caps and jerseys during St. Patrick's week, even if it's still Spring Training. The Chicago White Sox took it a step further by wearing green caps and white pinstriped jerseys with green trim on September 17, as part of their 'Halfway to St. Patty's' promotion. The most prominent example came from the Boston Red Sox, who wore green caps and uniforms in April 2007 to pay tribute to the late Celtics president Red Auerbach, and in June 2008, when the Celtics won the NBA championship. 

Unfortunately, the NFL has no such practice, considering that they are in an offseason during spring and summer. But at least the Green Bay Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Jets wear green. 

Now, is anyone ready to rock green next week?  I'm sure you are.