Who Tackled Terrell Owens On The Dallas Cowboy Star?
Someone found our site through a google search for the following question. Well, ask and you shall receive. The answer is:
George Teague
If you have any other questions or curiosities about sports, email us at sportsmatters@gmail.com and we'll do our best to answer them.
Back with a diary of the Pats-Colts game later tonight/tomorrow. Now, I'm off to put the beer in the fridge and get my Tom Brady jersey out.
posted by Alex @ 1:39 PM
7 long time listeners, first time callers
7 Comments:
What did Red Auerbach do to deserve losing Len Bias and Reggie Lewis?
Who was a better player, Eric Davis or Bobby Bonilla?
In reverse order:
Bobby Bonilla, because he was able to sucker the Mets into signing him to a huge free agent contract on the heels of successfully riding Barry Bonds' coattails in Pittsburgh through the late '80s and early '90s.
As for the first question, there is no clear answer. but it appears that the basketball gods turned on the Celtics in 1986, which might rival Andre The Giant's backstabbing of Hulk Hogan for the title of most shocking turn of 1986. Whether it was because of the Celtics unrivaled string of success (as Simmons has postulated) or for some other reason, the stars have not aligned for the Celtics since. How else do you explain Rick Pitino, or the fact that they missed out on Tim Duncan in the '97 lottery (when they had the worst record overall and an additional lottery pick)? Since I'm already depressed just considering this topic, I'll just throw out the theory that it's punishment for trading the underrated Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell after the 1985 season. Sure the Celtics had their most successful season the following year (and Bill Walton, the player they acquired for Maxwell, won the 6th Man Award), but it's all been downhill since.
What I don't understand is how the Celtics got Bias in the first place. How did the Celtics have the second pick, considering they and the Lakers were the dominant team of that era. For that matter, how did the Lakers get their hands on two #1 picks in 78 and 82?
I did a bit of digging, and found the answer to your question Grabia. It seems to be a combination of astute trading and plain luck that helped the Lakers and Celtics land the top picks. I also think it's trades like this and the series of moves that helped the Montreal Canadiens secure a number of top 5 picks while they were winning the Stanley Cup every year in the 1970s that have contributed to the decrease in most team's willingness to trade first round picks. Also, with increased free agency, mid-level players (like some of the guys involved in these trades) are readily available, while 25 years ago you could only get them through trades. Also, with the salary cap in the NBA it makes it harder for good teams to hang on to the Gerald Hendersons of the world.
Anyway, here's how the Lakers got Worthy:
During the 1979-80 season the Lakers sent Don Ford and a 1980 first-round pick (which became Chad Kinch) to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Butch Lee and the Cavs' first-round pick in 1982.
And how they got Magic in 1979
Then they come into the 1979 draft possessing the No. 1 overall pick courtesy of the New Orleans Jazz, who had signed Lakers free agent Gail Goodrich three years earlier.
And Lenny Bias:
The Sonics missed out on the 1986 playoffs, finishing with a 31-51 record, but did not have their first-round pick after trading it to Boston for guard Gerald Henderson. The Celtics ended up with the second pick in that star-crossed draft – which included flameouts like Chris Washburn, William Bedford and Roy Tarpley – and used it to select Maryland superstar Len Bias, who died of a cocaine overdose hours later.
The Canadians got top players because they had a system worked out with the league wherein they always got the top French prospects. Basically, the "draft" was rigged to benefit the Leafs and the Canadians for about thirty years.
Damn Toe Blake.
You're right, but that ended in 1969. After that, they took advantage of the expansion teams by trading them established players (normally on the downside of their career) for draft picks, which these teams were willing to do since they were desperate to sell tickets. That's how Montreal ended up with guys like Guy LaFleur, Larry Robinson, Steve Shutt, etc.
Post a Comment
<< Home