Throwback Thursday x Bobby Thomson

The News Heard 'Round the World - Last week we learned the unfortunate news of the passing of one of baseball's most unexpected heroes -- Bobby Thomson who passed at the age of 86. Serving 14-years in the Major Leagues with five different ball clubs, Thomson was better known for his days spent with the New York Giants (1946-1953, 1957) where we was a 3-time All-Star. Though his service wouldn't interrupt his career on the baseball diamond, Thomson enlisted in the United States armed forces like most players during his time.

However, his greatest achievement would come in one of the most memorable moments in baseball history. After trailing the Brooklyn Dodgers by many as 13 1/2 games as late in the season as mid-August, the Giants finished the season by going on a tear winning 37 of their final 44 games, overcoming what many believed was a deficit well out of reach. Finding themselves in a tie with their arch rivals on the final day of the regular season, the Giants and Dodgers met for a three-game playoff to determine who would move onto the World Series.

After splitting the first two games and falling behind 4-1 heading into the ninth inning of game three, the Giants were in need of a miracle. With one out and two men on base, Thomson stepped up to the plate to face pitcher Ralph Branca who Thomson had a successful career against. With the count even at 1-1, Thomson sent the next pitch he seen deep into left-field in what would seal the deal for the Giants and win the game, 5-4. The pennant winning 3-run homer would be known as the Shot Heard 'Round the World.

The Giants would eventually lose in the World Series to New York Yankees in 6-games. With one swing of the bat, Thomson's legacy will live on in baseball immortality. To this day some 50+ years later, Thomson's Shot remains one of if not the most popular home run in the sports 100+ year history. Not only was it a huge hit considering it won both the game and the pennant, but the stage it was on in one the sports greatest and longest standing rivalry solidifies it as the granddaddy of them all.

Once a Giant, Always a Giant.

R.I.P Bobby Thomson
October 25, 1923 - August 16, 2010

Cowboys Endruing Early Problems

With the 24th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select -- Dez Bryant out of Oklahoma State University. Less than a month after signing with the Cowboys, rookie wide-out Dez Bryant is already causing problems within the clubhouse by refusing to continue a long standing team tradition that has lived on longer than Dez has been born. That tradition just so happens to be carrying the pads of veteran players. And in his case, it was fellow wide receiver Roy Williams' pads who Bryant was assigned to carry. "I was drafted to play football, not carry pads." Said Bryant. The story eventually hit tabloids and was talked about on SportsCenter along with every other major sports media outlet before Bryant criticized the press for blowing the incident out of proportion.

You can't argue the passion and commitment he has for the game of football, but considering it's common rookie hazing and those before him have done it including the games best, he might as well continue the ritual. Or who knows, maybe a player will take it the wrong way and purposely hurt the kid. It's unknown if the acts were on purpose or not, but that's exactly what happened. During practice at the teams training facility, Bryant was injured on a routine passing drill. Backup QB Jon Kitna threw a ball intended for his rookie WR, when cornerback Orlando Scandrick broke up the pass before landing on Bryant's leg. After being helped off the field, an MRI revealed a high ankle sprain in Bryant's right foot. The injury will sideline Bryant for up to 4-6 weeks and will cause him to miss the rest of camp, including valuable practice that won't be made up in time and could prove to be costly for a rookie WR that will be under the microscope due to playing in Dallas. The good news is he should be back in time for the season opener.

Back to the controversy surrounding the injury, could there be a possible conspiracy that follows? Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes so and thinks the players were going too hard too late in the practice and the injury could have been avoided. Whether or not it all links back to Bryant's refusal to carry another players pads, Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips made it clear that he doesn't approve of any sort of rookie hazing. The defender in the midst of it all, however, downplayed the incident like anyone else fighting for a job. Karma or not, the injury couldn't have came at a more crucial time as the Cowboys finish up the final half of preseason and prep for the upcoming 2010 regular season that sees 'America's Team' as a potential favorite with home field advantage if they can make it to the Super Bowl, given the game will be played in their very own Cowboys Stadium. Granted they haven't played in the big game since 1995, could this be the year they reach the promise land?

Four's Company

Today's Special: 4 Home runs served on a platter with french fried potatoes - One of Baseball's rarities took place this week and believe it or not, it wasn't a no-hitter. Given there's been five of those this season alone, this feat might have been a bit more interesting. With 1-out in the 4th inning and the heart of the order due up to bat, the Arizona Diamondbacks hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back jacks against the hosting Milwaukee Brewers. Starting pitcher Dave Bush fell victim to the barrage of homers which came off the bats of Arizona's 4-7 hitters. First baseman Adam LaRoche started the trend of long balls, followed by catcher Miguel Montero, third baseman Mark Reynolds, and finished with shortstop Stephen Drew.

The quadruple home runs in consecutive at-bats was a franchise first for the D-Backs and is only the 7th time in Major League history four batters have belted long balls consecutively. Making this an even more rare occurrence, is the fact that they all came off the same pitcher in the same inning, which has happened even less times in the sports 100+ year history (3). Also worth mentioning is that the Brewers had some back-to-back fun of their own earlier in the game when Prince Fielder and Casey McGehee both went deep in the 2nd inning. However, that was the only scoring on Milwaukee's behalf as Arizona eventually won the game, 8-2. Ironically, the last time the feat occurred in the National League in September of 2006, Stephen Drew's older brother J.D. Drew who at the time was a Los Angeles Dodger, was part of a back-to-back-to-back-to-back homer fest in the 9th inning against the San Diego Padres.

As a free-agent the following offseason, older brother J.D. inked a 5-year deal with the Boston Red Sox where he would once again participate in back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs, this time against the rival Yankees in 2007. Oddly enough, Drew served as the second player to homer in each instance. As J.D. remains the lone player to take place in the feat more than once, the Drew brothers are the only brothers to have participated in a string of four straight home runs. The last time Arizona hit as many as three homers in a row, was May of 2002 when the Washington Nationals called Montreal their home and donned the name the Expos. Given the D-Backs last place struggles this year, the feat just might be the most exciting thing the ball club has done all season long. Even more exciting than Edwin Jackson's no-hitter if you ask me.

The Decision Part II

Coming soon to a stadium near you, is the Decision Part II starring the ever aging Quarterback Brett Favre. With most sports fans still recovering from the hangover LeBron's televised decision has led to, we've been given almost no time to prepare for the sequel. Making its fourth appearance in as many consecutive offseasons is the talk of Brett Favre retiring. Rumors had it the 40 year old QB was calling it quits after reports were in that text messages were sent from Favre's phone to a number of his Vikings teammates regarding his decision to hang it up after 19-seasons in the NFL. But after what many are considering to be his best season ever, compiling 4,202 passing yards, 33 touchdown passes and a career best 7 interceptions and a 68.4 completion percentage, it would be hard to believe. And it doesn't help that he's faked a retirement before either.

The only thing slowing him down? His ailing ankle which underwent surgery this past offseason after being hit below the waist and getting tortured in the NFC Championship game by the eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. Vikings head coach Brad Childress and kicker Ryan Longwell who has been a friend & teammate of Favre's for 10 years dating back to the time the two spent together in Green Bay, both said they didn't receive any text messages or heard from Favre himself regarding his rumored retirement. Whether or not those rumors were true, the Vikings showed their true desperation and began taking precautionary measures by increasing their offer to Favre for a $16 Million guaranteed salary with another $4 Million in incentives. The new offer is an increase of the previous $13 Million he was offered. However, Favre said he would play if healthy and state his decision had nothing to do with money as usual. How many times have we heard that before?

After giving the Vikings a specific time frame to announce his decision, a rare visit to the teams training facility with friends and teammates took place after Steve Hutchinson, Jared Allen, and Ryan Longwell all took a private jet to Favre's Mississippi home to help make his decision to return for a 20th season a little bit easier. The signing comes several weeks after Favre's last sighting that saw him throwing passes to a group of High School players. With the newly announced grandfather on their on their squad again, the Vikings along with those who bet on sports share a sigh of relief. The effect Favre has on the team was seen not only in training camp with the media or the lack there of, but also in sports books around the globe as their chances of winning the Super Bowl next season dropped drastically when curiosity was in the air regarding Favre's return. But now that he's officially back, the only question still lingering is, if his surgically repaired ankle will hold up for another season?

Keep Your Friends Close & Your Enemies Closer

After losing such players as PG Jordan Farmar (New Jersey Nets) and C Josh Powell (Atlanta Hawks) to free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired a few names they hope will help contribute to a third straight NBA tittle. Filling the void of the 6 foot 9 inch Josh Powell, is veteran power forward/center Theo Ratliff. Although Ratliff is 10-years older than his predecessor Powell, he adds a shot-blocking ability that hasn't been seen in L.A. since Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. Throughout his 15-year NBA career, Ratliff has led the league in blocks per game three times and is fifth among active players in total blocks. Not as well known for his offense as he is his defense, Ratliff was an All-Star in 2001, a year he split time with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks. Among other career highlights, Ratliff has made the All-Defensive Second Team twice in his career (1999 and 2004).

The other notable signing the Lakers have made this offseason, is one that may raise a few eyebrows. Having been a thorn in the side of Kobe Bryant this past season was Matt Barnes. While with the Orlando Magic last year, Barnes and Bryant had numerous incidents and often had to be separated. One moment that sticks out more than the rest, is when Barnes faked a toss to Kobe's head trying to get him to flinch. Bryant however, didn't budge and words were exchanged. That will no longer have to be the case as Barnes and the Lakers agreed to a 2-year deal worth $3.6 Million dollars. While opting out of his final year of 2-year deal he had signed with Orlando last offseason, the 30 year old Barnes was in search of a new place to play. That was until none other than Kobe Bryant reached out to him. And believe it or not, according to Barnes, Kobe played a big part in the recruiting effort via text, phone, and face to face within management.

Kobe said about the signing, "Anyone crazy enough to mess with me is crazy enough to play with me." Upon inking his new deal, Barnes thanked Kobe via Twitter -- "Good lookin out Kobe!" The signing of Barnes comes nine days after Kobe tried recruiting another one of his on-court rivals -- Raja Bell, who instead signed a 3-year contract with the Utah Jazz. Just a year ago the Lakers did the unthinkable by signing free-agent Ron Artest to a 5-year deal. Months prior to the agreement, Kobe and Artest had a beef in the Western Conference Semifinals, similar to that of Kobe and Barnes. And if it wasn't for Kobe and Artest who proved me wrong this past season, I'd say there's no way Kobe and Barnes can coexist and play alongside one another. The lesson learned here -- keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Barnes, a UCLA product and Southern California native who was drafted in the 2nd Round, 46th overall in 2002 by the Memphis Grizzlies, grew up rooting for the then Magic Johnson led Lakers which was dubbed the moniker 'Show Time'. Barnes has averaged 7 PPG throughout his career and will serve off the bench as a threat behind the 3-point arch. For what it's worth, Barnes becomes the first player in NBA history to play for all four California based NBA teams. The Los Angeles Clippers (2004), Sacramento Kings (2004-2005), Golden State Warriors (2006-2008), and now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Temper Temper

With the Cincinnati Reds fighting to stay atop of the NL Central (no pun attended) and in the midst of a pennant race against their division foe -- St. Louis Cardinals, a rivalry has been born. Adding fuel to the fire was Reds All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips who had some strong words to say about the Red Birds and didn't shy away from expressing how he truly felt after his team fell, 7-3. "I'd play against these guys on one leg. We have to beat these guys. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them. They're little bitches, all of them. I really hate the Cardinals." Phillips added, "Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Cubs. Let me make this clear, I hate the Cardinals!"

One day after his comments made headlines, both teams met on the field for the second match of a three-game series at Cincy's Great American Ballpark. For someone who's been in the league long enough and has never had a similar situation like this occur, I can't say I didn't expect Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa to have his boys retaliate with a bean ball or two. Instead, they didn't have to. As Phillips approached the plate to lead off the bottom of the first inning, he stepped into the batters box and did his usual pre-at-bat routine by tapping the heels of both the opposing catcher and the home plate umpire. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina however, wasn't buying it. When Phillips tried tapping Molina's heels, Molina kicked the bat away and the two began exchanging words and got into each others face.

The benches and bullpens soon cleared as both teams began pushing and shoving. In the middle of it all were both teams skippers, Dusty Baker and Tony LaRussa who have had a history of incidents between one another in the past. Both managers were ejected from the game. The fracas seemed to be just about over with until Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter and Reds hurler Johnny Cueto were pushed to the net behind home plate. Cueto began kicking the back of Carpenter with his cleats, but Cardinals back-up catcher Jason LaRue who played eight seasons with the Reds from '99-'06 encountered the brunt of it, receiving multiple kicks to the head causing lacerations above his lip and resulting in several stitches and a concussion. Despite the dust up, Cueto would eventually pitch 5.1 innings and receive the loss, 8-4.

With another win on Wednesday, the Cardinals completed the first 3-game sweep of the Reds in Cincy since 2005 and now lead the division by a game after entering the series trailing the Reds by two games. As punishments begin to be handed out, one player who's been singled out in the fracas is Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto after doing his best Chun Li impersonation. Cueto kicked his way to a 7-game suspension, as both his manager and Cardinals skipper Tony LaRussa were only issued a 2-game suspension. As for the man of the hour who started the whole thing, Phillips didn't receive any sort of suspension for his derogatory comments (which is a good thing for my fantasy team). Instead he's left looking like a fool as his team lost what may be a pivotal series down the stretch.

Bronx Dud

On July 22nd, in New York hosting the visiting Kansas City Royals, A-Rod launched the 599th home run of his career, sending the baseball world on the edge of their seats anxiously waiting for him to reach the 600 HR milestone. However, a slump would soon follow as the Yankees prepared for a road trip. 12-Games and 47 at-bats later, Rodriguez would finally connect for no. 600 in front of the Yankee faithful, ending an 0-for-17 skid and getting the monkey off the back of both he and his Yankee teammates. Toronto Blue Jays' Shaun Marcum fell victim to the long ball, during the first inning and would eventually suffer the loss, 5-1. Coincidentally, the feat came 3-years to the day of A-Rod's 500th career homer. And ironically, teammate Derek Jeter was on base during both milestones.

At age 35, Rodriguez becomes the youngest player to reach 600 home runs, surpassing the great Babe Ruth who hit number 600 at the age of 36. He also becomes only the 7th member in Major League history to make it into the 600 Home Run Club, joining the elite class of Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., and Sammy Sosa. Although A-Rod is the youngest player to join the club by a year and some change, his legacy is entirely different due to his admitted use of steroids from his hay day with the Texas Rangers organization which spanned from 2001-2003. Prior to his admitted usage of performance enhancing drugs, Rodriguez was the one guy everyone was rooting for in hopes of breaking the all-time home run record which was set 3-years ago by Barry Bonds, due to his links to PED's. Instead those fans' hopes were shattered once A-Rod made public of his banned substance usage just a year ago.

With A-Rod's two week homer drought finally reaching its climax, there's no telling how much pressure would be on him to hit no. 700 and beyond if he were to remain healthy. With that being said, hopefully he'll spare both his team and the rest of us baseball fans by not reaching the 700 HR mark. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say, I don't know how many more constant in-game look-ins I can take.

Throwback Thursday x Rice & Emmitt

HOF - This Saturday August 7th, the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio will introduce seven new names to be enshrined like it does annually. The difference this year? Collectively, the class of 2010 just might be the best class the Hall has ever seen. With names such as Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Russ Grim, Rickey Jackson, John Randle, Dick LeBeau, and Floyd Little, it's hard to name a better class off the top of your head. One name that sticks out in particular to 49er fans and football fans alike, is Jerry Rice. Highly regarded as the best to ever play the game, Rice was dubbed the nickname the GOAT aka the greatest of all-time. As a child growing up during his prime, I was fortunate enough to witness Rice at his very best. And with numerous records and achievements under his belt, it's hard to debate we'll ever see a player quite like Mr. Rice again.

Just to get an idea of what Jerry Rice's resume looks like, here's a few records and stats he compiled during his 20-year career in the NFL. Rice is the all-time leader in the following: Receptions (1,549), Reception yards (22,895), 100-yard Receiving games (76), Receiving Touchdowns (197), Total touchdowns (208), Yards from scrimmage (23, 540), 50+ Reception seasons (17), 1,000+ Receiving yard seasons (14), Single-season Receiving yards (1,848), and Consecutive games with a touchdown Reception (13).

No three words sounded better together than "Montana to Rice", when the two 49er greats connected with one another on the field and most likely ending in the end-zone. The tandem created what many consider to be the deadliest QB-WR duo the game has ever seen. And just like Rice is regarded as the greatest WR to ever play his position, Joe Montana is regarded as the best QB to ever play the game. But that story lives to be told another day. Or another blog rather. Steve Young and Jerry Rice were also a great one-two punch. Other than Jerry's on the field success that shares the likes of 3-Super Bowl rings, a Super Bowl MVP, 13-Pro Bowl selections, 1-Pro Bowl MVP and 2-NFL Offensive Player of the Year Awards, the 1985 Rookie of the Year is also respected and known for his work ethic and dedication to the game of football. And when Jerry wasn't on the field catching balls and taking licks, he was training in the most extreme conditions, torching himself like that of none other. Just look up his infamous conditioning routine when he ran what's been called, "The Hill." Believe me, you'll get tired and worn out just reading about it.

And not to be forgotten is another one of the games greats -- Emmitt Smith. Throughout his 14-year career, most notably with the Dallas Cowboys (1990-2002) before serving two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2003-2004) and calling it quits, Smith ran for 18,355 yards, thus making him the NFL's all-time leading rusher. Although his list of records isn't as lengthy as Rice's, they're equally remarkable. Smith tops the charts in all-time Rushing yards (18,355), Rushing attempts (4,409), Rushing touchdowns (164), and 100-yard Rushing games (78).

Emmitt's 175 total touchdowns ranks him second all-time only behind the aforementioned Jerry Rice. To add to his feats, Smith is an 8-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl MVP, an NFL MVP (1993), and recipient of the 1990 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Similar to his counterpart Rice, Smith is also a 3-time Super Bowl Champion and a proud owner of a Super Bowl MVP Award. Smith and Rice are the only two non-kickers to score 1,000 points in a career. And what do ya know, both starred on the hit reality series 'Dancing with the Stars'. However, Emmitt has Jerry beat as far as dancing goes as Smith was the winner of his season in the Fall of '06. Rice on the other hand was the runner-up in his try one season earlier.

How fitting is it that the greatest players at their respective positions (WR & RB) are in the same Hall of Fame class and were once upon a time on opposite ends of the greatest rivalry in the game, 49ers-Cowboys. Both of whom are also being inducted in their first year of eligibility. It's a shame when players like T.O. are dropping perfect passes or fail to show up to practice on time and rather hold out, leaving their team to suffer, while Jerry Rice practiced on his spare time at home catching bricks...BRICKS! So let this be a lesson learned to all you football players out there. Don't let not having an official pigskin around spoil your fun and just remember that the games greatest used bricks of all things. And perhaps you too could one day achieve Football immortality.

Congratulations Jerry & Emmitt!

Batman & Robin united

Just days into this NFL offseason, reports were in that the Buffalo Bills were not interested in bringing back Terrell Owens who only served one season up north as the teams wide receiver. Thus created the brilliant idea of conjoining Owens with Pro Bowl WR Chad Ochocinco in Cincinnati who were in desperate need of a receiver at the time. Both Owens and Ocho made their desire to play with one another public and even joked around as being the Batman & Robin of the NFL with Carson Palmer playing the role of Alfred. However, those talks eventually died off once the Bengals took a much younger approach and signed the much younger Antonio Bryant.

Four months later, Owens was still on the market and left without a place to play. With little interest in the future Hall of Fame wide-out and training camp underway, Owens' asking price began to drop which made for an even better reason for Cincy to sign him. Once it was all said and done, Owens signed a 1-year, $2Million dollar deal with an additional $2M possible for bonuses, all thanks to good friends Palmer and Ochocinco who both lobbied for the team to sign him. Just weeks ago, Ocho's dating show, "The Ultimate Catch" aired on VH1 with T.O. starring as his wing man, hoping to help Ocho find true love. But now the two can be teammates much rather on the playing field, than in the dating game as their dreams become a reality. A new question comes into play as many are wondering how the relationship between Ocho and T.O. will hold.

With quite possibly the two largest egos in the entire league on the same field for 16 games, critics already have their doubts. As for the dynamic duo themselves, they're more curious to see how teams will defend against them. Either way, it'll be a test of friendships for sure. Prior to Owens signing with Cincy, the rebuilding St. Louis Rams were also linked to Owens as a potential suitor in landing the 6-time Pro Bowler. For their sake, Owens signs elsewhere with a better team and a better chance at a ring. Something that remains on the bucket list of Owens. He also signs with a team that owns a better storyline. Surrounding their young QB with a drama queen and someone who's been known for being a virus in the locker room is the last thing they want. Sure Owens would've helped the Rams go from a 1-win team to a 3-win team, but he also would've helped Sam Bradford go mentally insane.

If he can stay healthy, expect some big numbers out of Carson Palmer this year who now has three weapons to throw to in the wide receiver department. I think I speak for every football fan when I say this, the one thing I'm looking forward to, is what kind of touchdown celebrations the duo will have for us.