Fred Cox, former kicker for the Minnesota Vikings.
More significant (at least to me): Mr. Cox and another guy, John Mattox, invented the NERF football.
Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category
Obit watch: November 22, 2019.
Friday, November 22nd, 2019Step 1: go big.
Wednesday, November 20th, 2019I’ve noted before that I don’t like linking to ESPN. But this is too good a story, and I haven’t seen coverage of it elsewhere.
Jeff David was the former “chief revenue officer” for the Sacramento Kings from 2011 to 2018. During that time, he managed to line his pockets. And not just with his regular salary.
He embezzled over $13 million dollars.
While he’s a crook, I’ve got to give the guy some props for complying with my rule number one: if you’re going to steal, steal big. $13 million is hardly penny-ante: that is the kind of money that I believe could set you up in a country without an extradition treaty for the rest of your life.
However, it seems like his downfall was an unwillingness to uproot his family and move permanently to one of those places. Or, rule number two:
Obit watch: November 19, 2019.
Tuesday, November 19th, 2019Vera Clemente, Roberto Clemente’s widow and keeper of the flame.
When he died, Roberto Clemente had been planning to create a sports center for children in Puerto Rico, and Ms. Clemente had planned to teach there.
In short order, she established the Ciudad Deportiva Roberto Clemente (Roberto Clemente Sports City), which he had envisioned as a place where young people could play sports, but where they could also learn other skills, like reading, and attend programs, like drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinics. Since then, hundreds of thousands of youths have taken part in its activities.
“When he died, I felt the responsibility to at least make a reality of a sports city, to give children the opportunity not just to become stars but good citizens,” Ms. Clemente told The New York Times in 1994. “My main purpose was to do what he was planning to do.”
She said she was compelled to carry out her husband’s wishes not only because of the way he died but also because of the way he had lived.
“If he had died in a common way, people would still remember him,” she said. “But Dec. 31, it was a special day, and his was a special mission. I admire him for that, as a person, as a human being. So his image I keep alive. I feel happy doing what I am doing.”
…
After Hurricane Harvey, she flew to Houston during the 2017 World Series to present the award to Anthony Rizzo, the Chicago Cubs’ first baseman, who was a cancer survivor and who had established a foundation to help children with the disease.
While in Houston, she took time out to volunteer at a food bank to help families recovering from the hurricane.
Your loser update: week 11, 2019.
Monday, November 18th, 2019NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:
Cincinnati
At this point in the year, we’re averaging 0.3 winless teams. I’m still cautiously optimistic about the Bengals chances.
The final six games are:
- Pittsburgh at home (ESPN gives the Steelers a 66% chance of winning).
- The Jets at home (this one worries me: ESPN gives the Jets a 53& chance).
- on the road in Cleveland (the Browns are given an 81% chance of winning).
- New England at home (91% chance of winning for the Patriots).
- on the road against Miami (another worrisome game: ESPN is calling it 53% for the Dolphins).
- and Cleveland again at home (69% chance of winning for the Browns).
So if they get past the Jets, things look good until week 16.
Obit watch: November 13, 2019.
Wednesday, November 13th, 2019Zeke Bratkowski, Green Bay Packers quarterback. He didn’t quite get the level of fame he probably deserved as he spent most of his time backing up some guy named Starr.
By way of Lawrence: Charles Rogers, first round NFL draft choice (and second overall pick) in 2003.
Also by way of Lawrence: Virginia Leith. Possibly an obscure figure, but some folks may remember her as “Jan” (or “Jan In the Pan”) from “The Head Brain That Wouldn’t Die”, which was (of course) a MST3K.
Interestingly, she also did guest shots on some of the better cop shows of the 1970s: “Baretta”, “Starsky and Hutch”, “Barnaby Jones”. “Police Woman”.
Frank Giles, former editor of The Sunday Times of London. He may be best remembered as the man who published the Hitler diaries, though he claimed he knew they were fake and Rupert Murdoch ordered them published anyway.
Your loser update: week 10, 2019.
Monday, November 11th, 2019NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:
Cincinnati
Not much more to say than that, really.
Your loser update; week 9, 2019 (with bonus firings).
Sunday, November 3rd, 2019NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:
Cincinnati (bye week)
NBA teams that still have a chance to go 0-82:
None.
As I expected, the hapless Dolphins apparently acquired at least one hap on the open market during the week, and managed to beat the Jets in Miami. This may screw up their shot at the top draft pick: currently, we have
- The Bengals at 0-8
- Miami at 1-7
- The Jets at 1-7
- Washington at 1-8
- and Atlanta at 1-7
As I said last week, I think Miami has a good chance of at least one more win against the Bengals at home, and maybe wins against the Jets and Giants on the road.
Stat:
“Since Marino’s exit, 21 quarterbacks have started for Miami.”
In firings news, Willie Taggart out as head coach of Florida State after about two seasons. To be exact, 21 games, in which he was 9-12.
According to ESPN:
FSU raised about $20 million in private donations to buy out what was left of Taggart’s contract, sources told ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. However, an FSU official denied that the money was raised for Taggart’s buyout.
Under the terms of Taggart’s six-year, $30 million contract, FSU’s athletic department will owe him 85% of his remaining compensation through Jan. 31, 2024, which is between $17 million and $18 million. The Seminoles also paid Oregon a $3 million buyout when it hired him away from the Ducks in December 2017, as well as the remaining $1.3 million buyout Oregon owed South Florida when it hired him in December 2016.
Also by way of the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network:
If you feel like you’re having a stroke, you’re probably not: this is just German soccer news. (But do remember the FAST mnemonic for strokes: Face, Arms, Speech, Time.)
And now here’s something we hope you really like…
Wednesday, October 30th, 2019A little late on this one, but: Ken Whisenhunt out as offensive coordinator of the worthless Los Angeles Chargers.
The Arena Football League (also apparently known as Arena Football One) has “shut down all local business operations and services for all six of its teams“. I think I speak for everyone here when I say: they were still in business?
The paper of record asks the musical question:
Summary: pretty bad.
And something non-sports related for my people: the Squibb Park Bridge, a pedestrian bridge in Brooklyn, is being demolished and replaced.
Why? Well, the old bridge was designed to be bouncy. Turns out, it was a little too bouncy.
It also was moving in unintended directions. Hilarity (and lawsuits) ensued. And then it turned out the wood was rotting…
Your loser update: week 8, 2019.
Tuesday, October 29th, 2019NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:
Miami
Cincinnati
NBA teams that still have a chance to go 0-82:
Indiana
New Orleans
Sacramento
Since Miami lost, there will be a loser update next week, though it may not go up until Monday morning. As previously discussed, the Bengals have a bye in week 9. Miami plays at home against the 1-6 Jets Sunday afternoon: I’m thinking they have a good chance of winning that one.
Looking over the schedule, Miami plays the Jets again (on the road) in week 14, the Giants (also on the road) in week 15, and the Bengals at home in week 16.
Historically. at this point in the season, we’re averaging 1.0 winless teams, so we’re statistically a little bit ahead. But I’m skeptical that we will end up with a winless team this year: I think Miami has a good chance of beating the Jets, the Giants, and the Bengals, and I’m skeptical that the Bengals will be able to run the table the rest of the season.
Quick firings watch.
Monday, October 28th, 2019Neal Huntington out as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Huntington has been the Pirates’ GM since Sept. 25, 2007. He was responsible for rebuilding the club into a playoff contender over three years before struggling the past four seasons.
Many of the recent trades Huntington made were flops. Players went elsewhere and thrived. The magic touch that played a part in producing those three consecutive playoff seasons disappeared.
(In case anyone was wondering: loser update tomorrow, since 0-6 Miami plays 2-4 Pittsburgh in prime time tonight. ESPN is giving Pittsburgh a 90.5% chance of winning.)
Firings watch.
Friday, October 25th, 2019I didn’t get a chance to blog this last night (I was busy down at the cop shop) and it’s been well covered elsewhere, but:
Since this is sportsfirings.com, I do have to make note of Brandon Taubman’s firing as assistant general manager for the Houston Astros. ESPN. Chron.
As Sports Illustrated first reported on Monday night and the Chronicle later confirmed, Taubman yelled toward a group of three female reporters following the team’s American League pennant-clinching victory against the Yankees.
The 34-year-old Taubman yelled “Thank God we got (Roberto) Osuna! I’m so (expletive) glad we got Osuna!”
Osuna, the Astros’ closer, was acquired last July while serving a 75-game suspension for a violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy.
One of the women at whom Taubman shouted was wearing a purple domestic violence awareness bracelet. The Chronicle reported on Wednesday that Taubman’s ire was directed specifically at one woman, about whom Taubman had complained in prior conversations.
Your loser update: week 7, 2019.
Sunday, October 20th, 2019Even though this isn’t quite loser update material, and even though my feelings about baseball are well known, I think I need to say something about the Houston Astros beating Satan’s minions on Earth, the New York Yankees, and going to the World Series again.
With that said, NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:
Miami
Cincinnati
My historical data is mostly at work, but I think we’re a little ahead of the average for NFL week 7.
The Bungles Bengals bye comes in week 9, for those keeping score at home.
Clippings.
Friday, October 18th, 2019I went back and forth on linking this one: as I’ve said before, I don’t really like ESPN. But this morning’s Linkswarm (with the Deshaun Watson article) pushed me into it.
Profile of Sabrina Greenlee, mother of Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Every time the Houston Texans play at home, DeAndre Hopkins’ mother, Sabrina Greenlee, sits in the same spot in the end zone, close enough to the field to hear the ball smack against the turf. It’s Week 2, and Houston is playing the Jacksonville Jaguars; she’s flanked by her two daughters, sitting perfectly still as the countdown clock ticks down to zero. When it’s time for the home team to run through the gate, a massive flamethrower erupts nearby. Greenlee recoils, and her eyes, which are the same cloudy shade of white as an overcast sky, glisten from the heat. A few minutes later, Hopkins emerges from the tunnel — he’s always the last player on offense to come out, Greenlee explains — and she smiles.
She can’t see her son, but she knows he’s there.
This is old, but still interesting, and it just came across the Hacker News Twitter: I survived the “Destroying Angel”.
Amazingly, the author lived. Without a liver transplant.
I think part of the reason I like this is that it reminds me of one of my favorite Berton Roueché “Annals of Medicine” essays: a first-hand account by a professional snake handler of being bitten by a red diamond rattlesnake. If you’re a subscriber, you can read that on the New Yorker web site here.
The lazy man’s obit watch: October 17, 2019.
Thursday, October 17th, 2019I thought about covering this myself, but Lawrence did a much better job on the death of Patrick Day.
For the historical record: Rep. Elijah E. Cummings.
Your loser update: week 6, 2019.
Monday, October 14th, 2019I knew that at least one team was going to come off the list (because of Washington – Miami). But I don’t think anyone was expecting Dallas to lose to the hapless Jets.
NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:
Miami
Cincinnati
I went back over my historical records, and it looks like we’re pretty much on track: the average number of teams with 0 wins at week 6 of the season is 1.6.