#24

Well, I’m back. I must apologize to anyone who has been checking in to see if I had actually written anything. As I sit here in my recliner typing dutifully, I look out across the living room at 5 children (my two plus three extra), none over the age of 4, and realize how family has always been my top priority. So between my crazy work schedule, family parties and emergencies, and life generally getting in the way, I apologize for cutting back on my blog production. Since I’m never really sure what number I’ll type about until I have an introduction in mind, sometimes until I’m halfway done typing out an introduction, I wasn’t quite sure where I was going to go with this one. But then I realized just how long it had been since I had typed a post-- days, weeks even. Twenty-four days to be exact.

#24

a.) Hopefully by now, everyone has heard of Felix Baumgartner. It took millions of dollars and 7 years of planning and research, but on October 14 Felix stepped out of his specially designed capsule and into all kinds of record books. Though technically a research mission to assist in the development of new space suits and other technologies, this was still a sky-dive and that qualifies it for a sports blog in my opinion. Either way, I decide what goes on here and I must say that watching this event live online was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. I dare say it must have felt like watching man on the moon for the 1^st time. Possibly a little over dramatic, but consider this: Felix set the record for the highest manned balloon flight (128,100 ft.), the highest point of free fall (same height), the fastest speed ever achieved by a surviving human without mechanical means (834 mph, or Mach 1.2), and the 2^nd longest free fall ever (4:19). It’s still hard to believe that a human being fell fast enough to break the sound barrier and survived, plus it happened 65 years to the day after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in an airplane. And how does this fit here today? Well, when you convert 128,100 feet, Felix fell for just over 24 miles.

 

 

 

b.) Hall-of-Famer Carl Hubbell was an outstanding pitcher for the New York Giants teams of the 1930s. He won a World Series in 1933, was a two-time NL MVP, a 9-time All-Star, and once pitched 46 1/3 scoreless innings including 4 shutouts. (Incredibly, 18 of those innings were in a 1-0 extra inning shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1933.) Carl also holds the amazing distinction of once striking out 5 batters in a row during an All-Star game. But it wasn’t so much the number of batters that he struck out, it was the names of the batters he struck out: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin. All five of these men would become Hall-of-Famers, if not synonymous with baseball. Hubbell notched another amazing streak between 1936 and 1937, when he earned 24 wins in a row without a loss. Hubbell later became the 1^st NL player to have his number retired, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.

Greg Koldziejzyk and his bullet bike.

c.) In July of 2006, triathlete Greg Kolodziejzyk set out to break the 24-hour land distance record. Riding a specially made 70-pound bike equipped with bags for food, water, and, um, his waste, Greg covered 647 miles in 24 hours at a course in Eureka, CA. During the ride, Greg averaged just less than 26 MPH. There really isn’t much to add to this one as the numbers speak for themselves but just for perspective, it is also 647 miles from Albuquerque, NM, to Dallas, TX.

d.) Martin Brodeur is the only NHL goaltender to win over 600 regular season games. Martin Brodeur has played in 1,191 games, more than any other NHL goaltender, and he has done it while playing with only 1 team. Martin Brodeur is the only goaltender to ever score a game-winning goal. Brodeur has won every major award for NHL players except for the Hart Trophy (regular season MVP) and the Conn Smythe Trophy (outstanding player in the playoffs.)  In 2005, a new rule restricting goaltenders opportunities to handle the puck was nicknamed “the Brodeur Rule” because it was believed to be targeting Marty and his excellent puck handling skills. And in April of 2012, Brodeur broke Patrick Roy’s record for playoff shutouts when he logged his 24^th against the Florida Panthers. At age 40, and with the NHL currently in lockout, no one knows if Brodeur will ever have the opportunity to add to his total. But until then, here's a nice tribute to Martin’s Hall of Fame career.

#31

    There’s no doubt that after my last post, with all of its local flavor and sentimentality, I now have a few extra readers of my humble blog. So now, burdened with all of the extra pressure that comes with added exposure, I am forced to present my follow-up piece. Lacking any divine providential inspiration, I decided to just keep doing what I’ve always done: present random numbers and the random statistics that go along with them. So without any further ado, I present to you our guest number of the day.
 
#31

Kenyon swimmers take a break from practice
at the $70 million Kenyon Athletic Center.

a.) When it comes to repeat championships and dynasties, you may think you’ve heard of them all. The Yankees won 5 straight World Series from 1949-1953. The Montreal Canadiens lifted 5 straight Stanley Cups beginning in 1956. Jimmie Johnson chased down 5 consecutive Sprint Cups with his last coming in 2010. John Wooden’s UCLA teams won 7 NCAA championships in a row from 1967-1973, and Red’s Celtics won 8 straight NBA titles from 1959-1966. But perhaps the most amazing dynasty of all is tiny little Kenyon College of Ohio and their swimming team. From 1980-2010, the Lords of Kenyon won 31 consecutive Division III National Championships. Individually, the swimming Lords have combined to claim 169 national event championships in addition to 114 relay event championships. Of the 18 NCAA Division III record times, 7 are currently held by Kenyon College swimmers. After claiming the 2011 title over Kenyon by 1 point, Denison University pulled off a repeat of their own in 2012. Good job, Denison, only 29 more to go!

b.) One of the knocks against professional soccer is that the games are generally very low scoring. But in a World Cup qualifier match in 2001, the Australian national team put that notion to rest. Facing an America Samoan team who lost all but one of its regulars due to passport troubles, the Australians put 31 shots in the back of the net. Since many of its Under-20 players were taking high school final exams, the American Samoan team called up players from its youth leagues which included 3 15-year olds. The average age of the American Samoan team was only 18 years, and almost none of the players had ever played a full 90-minute match. Amazingly, the American Samoans held the Australians scoreless for the 1^st 10 minutes of the match before the wheels fell off. Australia’s Archie Thompson finished with a record 13 goals to go along with David Zdrilic’s 8. Five other players tallied at least 1 goal in the victory. The 31-0 victory was enough to force FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, to change the rules by which qualifying tournaments were set up. They have since added qualification matches to qualify teams for the qualifying tournaments. Incredibly, after finishing their 4 group play matches by scoring 66 goals and allowing none, the Australians did not even qualify for the 2002 World Cup tournament.

c.) On September 14, 1968, Denny McLain became the 13^th and final pitcher of the 20^th century to win 30 games in a season. McLain then won game number 31 on September 19^th against the New York Yankees. In the 8^th inning of that game, McLain faced his idol, Mickey Mantle, who was tied for 3^rd with Jimmie Foxx on the all-time home runs list. McLain served a soft pitch over the plate which Mantle promptly deposited over the outfield wall, putting him all alone in 3^rd place with 535 home runs. As Mantle rounded the bases, McLain stood on the pitcher’s mound and applauded him. By the end of the regular season, McLain had logged 336 innings and an incredible 28 complete games. He only lost 6 games that year to go along with his 31 wins and 1.96 ERA, which was enough to earn him the AL Cy Young Award. McLain was also named the AL MVP, becoming the 1^st AL pitcher in history to win both the Cy Young and MVP awards in the same season. Because of McLain’s feat, as well as Bob Gibson’s miniscule 1.12 ERA and Don Drysdale’s 58 2/3 scoreless innings streak, 1968 became known as “The Year of the Pitcher.” In 1969, Major League Baseball would lower the pitcher’s mound by 5 inches as well as reduce the size of the strike zone to lessen pitchers’ dominance and encourage offensive production.




Secretariat in the final stretch at the
1973 Belmont Stakes.



d.) The 1973 Belmont Stakes was the 105^th running of the Belmont and was one of the most memorable races ever run. It just so happened that this race was also the final race of Secretariat’s Triple Crown run and he did not disappoint. With 31 year old jockey Ron Turcotte on mount, Secretariat would beat out 4 other horses to finish the 1 ½ mile race in 2 minutes and 24 seconds, a record which still stands today, and win horse racing’s 1^st Triple Crown in 25 years. Secretariat’s only “competition” during the Belmont was Sham who had finished 2^nd to Secretariat in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness that year. Secretariat and Sham would jump out to an early 10 length lead over the rest of the field. However, at the halfway point Sham began to tire and would ultimately finish last. Secretariat never slowed, even appearing to pick up his pace as the race went on, and finished with an average speed of 37.5 mph for the entire race. His performance prompted CBS announcer to make one of the most memorable sports calls of all time, right up there with “The Giants win the pennant!” and “Do you believe in miracles?” As Secretariat put the race clearly out of reach, Chic Anderson proclaimed, “Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a tremendous machine!” Secretariat set another record that day, one that may never be matched. He won the 1973 Belmont Stakes by an unbelievable 31 lengths.

#3

      Last weekend, the 2012 Neville Tigers played their final non-district game of the season. The Tigers are sitting atop 4A with a 5-0 record and the #1 ranking. And with the Chicago Cubs putting baseball season to rest, the Saints continuing their slide back into the early ‘80s, and LSU slipping down the polls with unimpressive win after unimpressive win, I’m thankful to have at least one team I support making me proud. With state titles in 1955, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1972, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2009, AND 2011, the Tigers are geared up to add number 11 to the list. And this season marks the 40^th anniversary of one of the most insane playoff runs in sports history, or at least that’s how the story’s told around here. But as the current crop of Tigers walked off the field in Bossier City last Friday night after trouncing Airline 48-14, I can almost guarantee that none of them realized how important today’s number is to Neville history.

#3

a.) There were at least 2 teams that went undefeated in 1972: Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins and Charlie Brown’s Neville Tigers. But the Tigers accomplished something that, I dare say, no other team anywhere has ever had to achieve in order to win a title. And they did it in amazing fashion. You see the Tigers had won their prerequisite Friday night game to set up a semi-final matchup against Brother Martin High. During the defensive slugfest that ensued, neither Neville nor Brother Martin could carry the ball across the goal line. A desperation pass by Brother Martin was intercepted by James LeBlanc at the Neville 24 yard line to force one of the most interesting tiebreakers in football history. Per Louisiana high school rules of the day, the game was to be decided by comparing…wait for it…statistics! First up was first downs, and both teams had finished with 9. Next up was penetrations, or possessions which crossed into opposing territory, and both teams were tied at 1. Had they gone to total yards for a final tiebreaker Neville would have advanced by outgaining Brother Martin by only about 20 yards, but unfortunately this was not an official tiebreaking statistic. Officials at the game offered to flip a coin to determine a winner but Coach Brown responded with something like, “We’d rather suit up and play again right now.” (Edited to maintain a G-rating.) It was finally decided that the 2 teams would meet up in Alexandria the next Tuesday and play again at a neutral site. The 2^nd time around, Neville was able to score after a blocked punt. A late drive by Brother Martin ended when James LeBlanc intercepted a pass in his own end zone, and Neville hung on to win 8-0 and advance to the State Championship game that Friday against Airline of Bossier City. Once again the Tigers’ defense ruled the day as they won 6-0 and secured the 1^st of Coach Brown’s 3 state titles. (Coach Brown would also finish with 3 state runner-ups.) But the fact that the Tigers played 3 playoff games in 3 cities in 8 days, and shutout both opponents over 12 quarters of football, is beyond incredible. Add to that, their first 8 quarters of shutout football were against the defending state champions and it becomes almost unbelievable. And who was voted Most Valuable Player after Neville’s remarkable playoff run ended with a title? Well, my kids like to call him “Paw.”

'72 Neville Defensive Back/Punter James LeBlanc
To go along with his timely INTs, he also averaged over 38 yds/punt.

***Stay tuned for an upcoming November issue of the New York Times which will feature the ’72 Tigers Championship team.

b.) From 1980-2001, only 3 players won the NHL’s Art Ross Trophy: Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Jaromir Jagr. The Art Ross is awarded each year to the player who scores the most points (goals + assists). During his unbelievable 20-year career, the “Great One” won 10 Art Ross trophies, while Lemieux collected 6, and Jagr 5. During the ’81-’82 season, Gretzky tallied an NHL record 92 goals en route to his 2^nd Ross Trophy. The ’85-’86 season saw him dish out a record 163 assists to bring his point total to 215, yet another NHL single season record. Gretzky also tied Gordie Howe in total scoring titles with #6 that year, going on to break the record by winning his 7^th consecutive scoring title the next season. After winning 7 straight scoring titles, Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. He took his 1st 2 years in LA “off” and allowed Lemieux to win his 1^st 2 Ross Trophies, before coming back and winning back-to-back titles in ’89-’90 and ’90-’91. Then, after Lemieux once again won back-to-back Rosses, Gretzky would win his 10^th and final Art Ross Trophy following the ’93-’94 season.

c.) During the 2012 Summer Olympics, Om Yun-Chol of North Korea became only the fifth lifter ever to clear 3 times his own body weight. Standing 5’0” and weighing in at only 123 pounds, Om lifted 369.6 pounds over his head to claim the gold medal and a new Olympic record in the 56kg category. Nothing much more to report here, I just had to include this video because I find it almost unimaginable.



The Cubs' dugout empties after
a win against the Astros on the
final day of the 2012 season.

d.) On Monday, this year’s incarnation of the “Maybe Next Year” squad fell to the Houston Astros to become only the 3^rd Chicago Cubs team to lose 100 games in a season. There aren’t a lot of positives to look back on this season, but there were a few. Their grossly overpaid, 36-year old left fielder showed off by hitting his most HRs since 2007 while his 108 RBI set a new career high and placed him 3^rd in the NL. The Cubs lineup featured 3 young guns who have the potential to develop quickly. Brett Jackson debuted on August 5^th, played in 44 games, and finished with 22 hits and 9 RBI with a .644 OPS. In his 1^st season to play in more than 45 games, Bryan Lahair finished with 88 hits, including 16 HR, and plated 40 RBI over 130 games. Lahair was rewarded with an appearance at the All-Star game in Kansas City along with young Cub Starlin Castro. But by far the most impressive debut this season was that of Anthony Rizzo. He finished the year with 15 HRs to go along with 15 doubles and a .285 BA. Rizzo won Rookie of the Month honors in July, and then had 21 RBIs in his final 32 games to finish with 48 for the season. Oh, and the final score of that game Monday that pushed the Cubs to 100 losses?  Astros 3-Cubs 0.

e.) Not wanting to disrespect the momentousness of the occasion by skipping over it, I must also mention Miguel Cabrera and baseball’s 1^st Triple Crown in 45 years. Cabrera finished with a .330 BA, 44 HRs, and 139 RBI to fend off Curtis Granderson and Josh Hamilton in the HR category on the final day of the season. Granderson homered twice for the Yankees in their final game to finish tied with Hamilton at 43. Cabrera became the 1^st Major Leaguer to lead in the 3 major offensive categories since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.