Journey of the Modern Superstar

When did athletes stop being known as athletes and start being known as stars? And then as superstars? We had the 27 Yankees, also known as Murderer’s Row, with plenty of legends, but it’s hard to imagine any current superstars traveling by trains. We have had many, many athletes over the years who have had phenomenal careers. When you list names like Willie Mickey and the Duke, Gordie Howe, Joe Louis, Ali, Jim Brown, Reggie Jackson, and many others, they are more accurately described as legends, not superstars. The journey of the modern superstar began 25 years ago, April 20, 1986 to be exact.

Michael Jordan had just come back from injury at the end of the ‘85-‘86 season, his 2^nd campaign in the NBA. He had just pushed the Chicago Bulls into the last playoff spot in the east with a poor 30-52 record. Their award was the Boston Celtics, the team that finished the regular season with a 40-1 mark at home, a record still unmatched and unbeaten. Jordan exploded for 49 points in game 1 of the best of 5 series, in a losing effort. His start to game 2, very ordinary, a goal tend from Robert Parish to give Michael his first 2 points. But then he went on a run with 2 running jumpers, going through his legs before shooting over Bird for 2 more, and then a baseline move past McHale for an “And 1.”  Three more jumpers, one of which was over defensive specialist Dennis Johnson, and Jordan was on his way. Next, a rebound over Danny Ainge that turned into a three point play, and suddenly he had 26. Another “And 1” to follow with help from Bill Walton. You see where this is going by now. In all, he finished shooting 22-41 from the field. Add in 19 free throws, for a total of 63 points. You don’t even see scores like that in video games. However, the Bulls went on to lose game 2 in double OT. Michael gets a pass with that one though. In case you need a little more proof, read on.

Let’s look back at those names listed earlier: Bird, McHale, Parish, Dennis Johnson, Ainge, and Bill Walton. Walton won the 6^th man award that year for the Celtics. The others were the starting 5 for the eventual champions that season. In fact, Bird called that ‘86 team the best he ever played on. Bird, McHale, Parish, DJ and Walton are all Hall of Famers. Despite this, the young Jordan dropped 63 on them and with his effort bested Elgin Baylor for most points in a playoff game in NBA history, a record that still stands and probably will not be broken. Even if it is broken, say by LeBron or Kobe or Dwight Howard, I find it incomprehensible that they could do it in an environment like the old Boston Garden, or against one of the all-time great teams like the ‘86 Celtics.

It would be 5 more years before Jordan would win his 1^st championship. But it was his journey to that moment that made him so popular. We know about the dunk contests and his personal highlight reels. But think about how tough it was for him and his Bulls to get past the “Bad Boys,” the Detroit Pistons, in the East. They were the one team who reminded him that he wasn’t that great. They pounded him, created the Jordan Rules and made him pay for every trip down the lane. They did that for 3 straight years until 1991, when the Bulls swept the Pistons in 4 straight. Michael’s next challenge was Magic Johnson and the Lakers in the finals. And instead of the passing of the torch, Michael turned it into the grabbing of the torch and his championship dream was finally realized.

It wasn’t just his work on the court, Jordan also became the face of television. Sure, athletes had shown their faces in commercials, even Bird and Magic. But no one had their finger on the pulse of the American consumer like Michael Jordan. You didn’t buy Nike shoes in 1990, you bought Air Jordans. You drank Gatorade, not because it tasted good, but because you wanted to Be Like Mike. Everyone in their 30’s can still hum or sing that jingle. Even the younger crowd liked Michael, not because of his smooth jumper, but because he played with Bugs Bunny. He started the trends of shaved heads and baggy shorts. Everything he seemed to say or do became popular. He showed that an athlete can be a business man. And in the process, he became the 1^st superstar in American sports, and in many eyes, the best.

He won 6 rings, 2 three-peats to be exact. He has a string of scoring titles, a 72-win season after taking time off to play professional baseball, and 2 gold medals. His journey to the top was one that we may never see again. He went from being Michael Jordan to “Air Jordan” to just plain Michael. Think about how common that name is, Michael. And yet whenever you say the name Michael when referencing the sports world, only one comes to mind.

Did you see Jackie Robinson Hit that Ball?

The lead off batter, #42, Tony Gwynn Jr. Batting 2^nd, #42, Jamey Carroll. Hitting 3^rd, #42, Andre Ethier. It’s about this time when a 7 year old boy sitting with his dad at Dodger Stadium points out that Ethier doesn’t wear number 42. Any kid who loves the Dodgers knows that Ethier wears number 16. As we all know and hopefully the boy’s father will point out to him, on this day, everyone will wear number 42. Now if the kid is a real baseball fanatic, he may say something like, “are they doing it for Mariano Rivera?” The father may laugh and say, “Good guess but everyone in MLB is wearing number 42 for Jackie Robinson.” And the kid may ask, “Dad, who is Jackie Robinson?” The father could respond with many things. He was the first African American to play in the Major Leagues in the modern era. He was a Hall of Fame 2^nd baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers. (Pause for the kid to ask, “the Dodgers played in Brooklyn?”) He was a 4 star athlete at UCLA. But the best answer the father can give is, “Jackie Robinson was the most important figure in baseball history and maybe in all of American team sports.”

Before Martin Luther King Jr. had his dream and before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, there was Jackie Robinson, overcoming and overlooking a tremendous amount of racism and persecution throughout his Hall of Fame career. It was he, not Satchel Paige or Josh Gibson, who got the call from Brooklyn Dodgers President and GM Branch Rickey, mainly because, according to Rickey, “Jackie was the right man for the job.” It was Rickey’s vision that the first man to break the color barrier not only be talented but be courageous enough to turn the other cheek. Robinson signed with the Dodgers in the fall of 1945 and reported to Montreal, the Dodgers farm club, to play in 1946. After a year in which he led the minor leagues in batting, he made his debut with the big club on opening day 1947, much to the dismay of the rest of the league as well as members of his own team. Yes, racism was everywhere. Slurs made from opposing teams, pitchers trying to hit him, and getting spiked any chance the other players had. Death threats from fans and other chaos led to a moment in Cincinnati, where the crowd was so intense with hatred towards Robinson, that Dodgers shortstop Pee Wee Reese went over to Jackie and simply put his arm around him. That was a gesture that goes unmentioned by most, yet a white man comforting a black man back in the late 1940’s should be remembered forever. Jackie would go on to win MLB’s first Rookie of the Year Award, an award now named after him.

It was 1949 when Jackie was finally allowed to fight back. Given the green light from Branch Rickey to no longer turn the other cheek, he exploded to the tune of batting .342 with 124 RBIs and swiping 37 bases on his way to winning the league’s MVP award. Jackie was not just baseball’s most noticeable player; he was the game’s most exciting player and one of the best. In all, Jackie helped the Dodgers to 6 World Series appearances and one championship before retiring after the 1956 season, never getting to play for the crowd in Los Angeles. Robinson was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1967 after a prolific 10-year baseball career. He continued to fight the good fight for the rest of his life. During the 1972 World Series, Jackie threw out the first pitch, but not before he professed his dream to see African Americans as managers and GMs in the Major Leagues. He died less than 2 weeks after due to diabetes. His dream was realized in 1975 when Frank Robinson, no relation, became the first African American to manage in the Major Leagues.

Since his passing, Jackie has been recognized in many ways. In 1997, on the 50^th anniversary of his debut, commissioner Bud Selig announced that the #42 jersey would be retired throughout baseball, never to be given to any player again. It is still worn by Mariano Rivera, who had worn #42 at the time of this announcement. Robinson was named to MLB’s All Century team as the 2^nd baseman, and was honored in Time magazine’s list of the “100 most influential people of the 20^th century.” It is because of him that we celebrate Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr. Perhaps Jackie Robinson contributed to the fact that men like Jesse Jackson and Colin Powell are also recognized.

Baseball is a numbers game. No other sport has numbers that are as remembered, revered and celebrated. We all know what .406 means. We all know what 56 means. Despite Barry Bonds’ homeruns, we still recognize in many ways what 755 originally meant. Now we know what 42 means. Some may even know 4/15/47. We know this because Jackie Roosevelt Robinson had the courage to take on racism and play the game that he loved. “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” ~JRR

Kings get Royal treatment courtesy of L.A.

The Sacramento Kings will be playing their season finale this Wednesday in what should also be the final game in Arco Arena and the city of Sacramento. And it couldn’t be more appropriate that the Kings will be hosting the hated Los Angeles Lakers in that finale, although the Lakers are no longer hated, at least not hated the way they were from 2000-2006. Yes, the rosters have changed in so many ways. No more Doug Christie/Rick Fox scrums. No more Shaquille O’Neal to accuse Vlade Divac of flopping on every possession. This will not be your older brother’s Lakers/Kings matchup. But it will be the final one they play in Sacramento and it could be the last time the Lakers and Kings will matchup. The future could unfold with the Lakers and Royals going head to head, with the Royals playing host and the Lakers heading south instead of north on Interstate 5. The Anaheim Royals is not a name that strikes fear in anyone, but neither have the Kings in the last 5 years. And who’s to blame for the Kings leaving Sacramento? Well, lots of people. But perhaps the biggest responsibility falls with the Kings themselves.

Let’s think back to the years prior to 2002. Owners Joe and Gavin Maloof along with GM Geoff Petrie had assembled a quality roster fit to dethrone the Lakers. Peja Stojakovic had been drafted in 1996 and would prove to be one of the best shooters in the game. Then there were trades for Vlade Divac, Chris Webber and Doug Christie to give the roster reliable veterans along with tough, physical play. Webber would go on to have a 5 year stretch where his numbers and play rivaled Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Divac was regarded as the best passing big man in the league and had a solid 15-18 ft jumper range. And Christie had consecutive years of being named to the NBA all defensive team. They earned a playoff berth in the strike shortened 1999 season and were one play away from upsetting the defending Western Conference Champion Utah Jazz. The Kings were the talk of the league and Sacramento finally had something to root for. Unfortunately the buzz was killed with back to back playoff exits at the hands of those hated Lakers. Something needed to change. Luckily it was not Chris Webber, who almost left via free agency. He decided to stay in a Kings uniform. Instead the Kings traded fan favorite Jason Williams to Vancouver for Mike Bibby. Along with a quality bench, Bibby and the Kings had the roster needed to contend for a championship, and an NBA best 61 wins in 2002.

The Kings had home court advantage throughout the playoffs that season and as fate would have it, hosted the 2 time defending champion Lakers in the conference finals. Everyone in Sacramento was looking forward to this. However, the Kings failed to win games 1 and 7 on their own floor. It was complete heartbreak and the city of Sacramento was so quiet and somber, you could hear Jack Nicholson laughing all the way from L.A. This is where I pause to let Kings fans voice their opinions and excuses to why the Kings lost or better yet, why the Lakers escaped…..

Ok that’s long enough. Now let me tell you why the Kings deserved to lose. First, you work hard all year long to have the best record and earn the home court advantage throughout the playoffs, accumulate a regular season home record of 36-5 yet can’t win games 1 or 7 at home. This means that you had 4 home games vs. the Lakers in the playoffs and could only win half of them. Who could forget game 4, Robert Horry’s 3 point buzzer beater to tie the series at 2 games each, only after the Kings blew a 24 point lead in the 1^st half? And what about game 7 when the Kings, again at home, shot a pathetic 16-30 or 53% from the free throw line? Who would have thought Shaq would shoot a better free throw percentage, 73%, than the Kings. Doug Christie and Peja Stojakovic each had 3-point attempts to win the game in the final seconds of regulation. Doug hit nothing but backboard, Peja hit nothing but air. The Lakers advanced and went on to sweep the Nets and 3 peat, as Phil Jackson’s teams seem to do.

What if…  What if either Christie’s or Stojakovic’s shot went in? What if the Kings shot 60% percent from the free throw line, at home, instead of 53%? What if the Kings held on to an almost insurmountable 24 point lead in game 4? What if the Kings did what almost all teams with home court advantage in a 7-game series do? It could have been them defeating the Nets in the Finals and earning Sacramento’s 1^st championship. Possible headlines in the days that follow, Bibby’s MVP performance puts the Kings on top of the NBA. Cow Town wears the NBA Crown. Shaq, tired of Kobe, traded to Dallas for Steve Nash. Yes, that all could have been very possible. Shaq and Kobe’s bickering were easy to look past when winning, but with a loss to the rival Kings, it would have been easy to see a break-up of the team at the end of the 2002 season instead of at the end of the 2004 season. Mark Cuban always had an eye for Shaq’s dominant presence in the middle and as we found out, was willing to let Nash go. Shaq for Nash and another player could easily have happened. And the Kings in 2003, with the Lakers and Mavericks regrouping, would have had only the San Antonio Spurs in their way. A Spurs/Kings matchup in the playoffs would have been a coin toss. And if the Kings were the defending champs, they would have had the confidence and poise needed for a grueling series. Throw in the addition of Keon Clark off the bench and the Kings could have had the formula to end up back in the finals, again vs. the Nets. The result probably would have been back-to-back Championships, putting them on the verge of becoming a dynasty, solidifying Sacramento’s future in the NBA.

So what really happened? The Kings front office panicked and grew impatient. Gone were Keon Clark, Hedo Turkoglu and Scot Pollard, much needed size and balance to match up with the other big men in the West. That resulted in back-to-back exits in the conference semis to the Mavs and Timberwolves. Suddenly, the championship window had closed. Webber and Vlade were shipped out and inside of 4 years, the Kings went from knocking on the penthouse to planting the outhouse, not to mention repeated lottery selections. And now whenever the used-to-be hated Lakers do come to town, Arco Arena is filled by a lot more Lakers fans than Kings fans. The Kings are on their way to another lottery pick and on their way to southern California. The Maloofs will have a quicker trip to their private suite at their Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, and the Kings will go down with the Trail Blazers, the Timberwolves, the Suns and others in the last decade to top out in the conference finals, only to free fall to the cellar of the standings. However, Portland, Minneapolis and Phoenix still have their franchise while Sacramento will count down the days to their franchise relocating to southern California, becoming friendly neighbors of the team that contributed to the process of their move. And who benefits the most? Blake Griffin, because his club will finally have a team to pick on in the area. Long live the Anaheim Royals and their anticipated rivalry with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Best Seat in the House

Tonight men’s college basketball championship between UConn and America’s darlings, Butler University, should be the perfect ending to another exciting March Madness. It will be tough to top last year’s championship, unless the half court shot to win the game goes in this time. There is something special about a championship game, an elimination and/or decisive winner take all matchup. Thousands of fans, millions of viewers watching to see who will be the new hero and who will crumble under the pressure. What will be the next story, the team that builds on its dynasty or the Cinderella story that defies the odds and pulls off a minor miracle? Naturally most people will have the knee-jerk reaction of saying that nothing can top the Super Bowl and in most cases, that person could be right, since it’s one game for all the marbles and other sports play as many as 7 games to decide the championship. So, let’s establish some criteria to have a level playing field in choosing the best of the best.

a.       It must be a decisive game or day, meaning that by the end of the day, a winner or champion will be crowned

b.      No overtime, extra innings, etc. Naturally if Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals goes to triple overtime, it’s probably going to be one for the ages and thus not on the same level of others

c.       US soil, ice, etc. Sorry in advance to Wimbledon, British Open and other amazing events around the world, but we are going to keep this in our country

d.      This may be tough to achieve but you have to imagine these events as if your favorite team is not in the final game. That is the true test to a classic game or event, not having an emotional attachment to any combatant and still loving the competition

e.      Money is no object. You will have the best seat in the stadium/arena. Nothing will be blocking your view and your seat is absolutely better than your living room sofa

f.        Clear skies, the weather for outdoor sporting events is exactly what you prefer, day or night

Now that the lines are drawn, here are the top 10 sporting events to watch in person

10. Little League World Series Championship game – Most of us played baseball as a child and most of us had our ups and downs on the field. Now, put yourself in their shoes, a big hit or a big error and the world is watching you at age 12. I give a lot of credit to the boys and girls who have had the poise of mature and talented adults. My heart goes out to the ones who have won and to those who have shed tears in defeat. And while money is no object, you really can’t beat the prices of admission and food.

9. Sunday at the Ryder Cup – Picture Tiger Woods draining a 20 foot putt for birdie on the 18^th green to win the Masters by a single stroke. Now, picture him doing it to give his teammates the last point needed to clinch victory for his team. To me, that’s the reason golf is on this list. You have a bunch of competitors who normally rely on no one except themselves and maybe their caddies. Plus, how many professional athletes lay it all on the line for pride and pride alone? The winners receive no money.

8. Summer Olympics men’s 100 meter final – Another group of people who are laying it all on the line for pride, going for the gold and fulfilling a life-long dream. And while this sport and event has had a black eye at times with illegal performance enhancing drugs, there is still something to be said in watching, albeit for less than 10 seconds, the world’s fastest man in the oldest sports setting on earth.

7. NCAA Men’s basketball championship, Division 1 – I went back and forth with this one and then I remembered the day after Duke narrowly defeated the Butler Bulldogs. There was so much talk about, “can you imagine if that shot went in?” Everyone loves to see David beat Goliath and if you’re lucky enough to see it in a last second shot, this event has to be on the list.

6. NCAA Football Championship Bowl Game, Division 1 – Notice how I didn’t say BCS Bowl Game. However, if you can see the last game of the season and have the clear cut #1 vs the clear cut #2 (example, USC vs Texas in a setting like the Rose Bowl in 2006) it has to be magical. But the BCS is the reason that this event isn’t higher, we don’t always get the clear cut #1 vs #2.

5. Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals – Say what you want but have you ever really thought about the physical and emotional pain hockey players go through every game? Now throw in playing in the longest post season format on every other night and the last one standing gets the oldest trophy in American professional team sports. I still get chills watching the tradition after the end of a series when the 2 teams line up and shake hands. I always look for the ones who spend the most time with a player on the opposing team, because it’s usually that player who had a great impact on the series. I can’t even begin to put into words what that would be like watching from center ice.

4. Men’s World Cup final – Talk about tradition, what was it like back in the day when Pele exchanged jerseys with someone like Franz Beckenbauer? I hate it when people have nothing but negative things to say about the World’s most popular sport. I think back to the 94 cup finals between Brazil and Italy in the Rose Bowl. Can you imagine if Ronaldo or Roberto Baggio had a moment like Landon Donovan’s goal in stoppage time? This is a no brainer.

3. Game 7 NBA Finals – Even if you weren’t a fan of the Lakers or Celtics, you had to love the 2 biggest names in the sport, West vs East, blue collar Boston vs Hollywood entertain us and go down to the wire. That game could only be topped by a game and series winning shot by Kobe Bryant or Paul Pierce.

2. Super Bowl – Who wishes they were there when Joe Montana found John Taylor in the end zone, capping a 92 yard drive for the winning score? What about seeing Scott Norwood missing a game winning field goal at the end of the closest Super Bowl in history? How about Adam Vinatieri splitting the uprights just months after 9/11? It is currently America’s top sport and now it is the most watched TV show in history. Having a ticket in the front row on the 50 yard line and watching these hulking and superior athletes celebrate like little kids makes this event a close second.

1. Game 7 World Series – In my opinion, there are no two more intense words in sports than game seven. And with baseball, part of the suspense is the second before the pitch is thrown, the time between the ball leaving the bat and the ball maybe going fair or foul, maybe staying in the park or reaching the fans in the stands. And what gives this moment the slight edge over #2 is that growing up, most red blooded American kids dream of winning the World Series with a homerun on a full count, 2 outs in the bottom of the 9^th with the bases loaded. There is no bigger or better moment that we dream about and to be there to watch behind home plate has to be the ultimate. Couple that with the fact that there is not always a game seven in the world series, and that is why it is the top sporting event to watch live.

Let the debating begin…