Two Holes in One for Steve Blass: The Most Ironic Story of Redemption in the History of Sports

In 1968, Steve Blass won 18 games, had a 2.12 ERA, and pitched 7 shutouts.

By 1973, Blass had an ERA of 9.81 while walking 84 batters in 88 innings.

By 1975, Blass was essentially incapable of throwing the ball over the plate and was out of baseball.

Since 1975, every Major League Baseball player who has inexplicably lost the ability to accurately throw a baseball has been dubiously compared to Blass and described as having contracted “Steve Blass Disease”. Mark Wohlers, Chuck Knobluach, and Rick Ankiel are a few who come to mind.

Now, nearly 35 years later, the man who lost the ability to throw a ball that is 2 7/8″ in diameter a distance of 60 feet and 6 inches into an area that is roughly the size of a human torso has apparently found the ability to do something much more difficult (and do it twice!): use a club to hit a ball that is 1.68 inches in diameter over a distance of between 150-175 yards into a cup that measures 4 1/4″ wide.

That’s right ladies gentleman. Steve Blass, the man synonymous with baseball inaccuracy, has recorded two feats of athletic achievement that require complete and almost unfathomable accuracy: the hole in one.

And, as mentioned, the 67-year old Blass did it twice.

The Biggest Games. The Best Tickets. StubHub.com

The irony of this story is so delicious that it feels as if I’m typing from a table at Fogo de Chao. But even more than the irony, this is a just a terrific story of delayed redemption that only the sports world can provide.

According to Golf.com’s account of Steve Blass getting two holes-in-one during one 18-hole round:

Blass’s first hole-in-one Thursday at Greensburg County Club came with an 8-iron at the 154-yard, par-3 15th hole – because of the format, his fivesome started on the back nine.

His second ace came with a 7-iron on the 175-yard, par-3 seventh hole.

Golf Digest estimates the odds against a golfer having two holes-in-one in the same round at 67 million to 1.

The two holes-in-one by Steve Blass came at the Pittsburgh Pirates’ annual team golf outing today.

Congratulations to Steve Blass on his incredible feat. Perhaps now he can be remembered for both his famous and infamous athletic achievements.

And I guess if Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson or any other golfer ever holes out two aces in one round, we can give a new, positive meaning to saying they have “Steve Blass Disease”.

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* – Steve Blass photo credit: SI via Podium Sports Journal

Ranking the Big Ten College Football Stadiums From #1 to #11

Instead of showering today, I would rather talk about the football stadiums in the Big Ten and rank them top to bottom for various reasons while pointing out their typical fan bases. The one thing that draws me into being a huge college football fan (even before College Gameday started traveling) is the atmosphere that stadiums and teams generate.

On a side note, that is why I was a huge opponent of the Miami Hurricanes leaving the Orange Bowl and moving 20 miles north of their campus to Landshark Stadium. It is also home to the lackluster fan bases of the Dolphins and Marlins.

But let’s talk Big Ten since this is by and for Midwest sports fans.

I was excited to see Indiana’s newly renovated stadium on the Big Ten network and I am equally excited to see Minnesota leave the horrible Metrodome. Maybe their awesome new outdoor field will give them a home field advantage and some college atmosphere that they have been lacking. At least, they have since I have been alive.

That said, having a unique and imposing home field gives football teams the advantages they need to compete in the Big Ten, hosting visiting fans to a good experience, and sometimes an edge in recruiting.

(And, by the way, if you’re interested in attending any Big Ten games this year and don’t yet have tickets, click here to get great deals on Big Ten tickets from StubHub, or click on the name of each stadium to find tickets by team.)

1. Ohio Stadium (Ohio State) – 102,329 capacity

Nicknamed “The Horse Shoe,” but not a horse shoe anymore since the 2001 renovation. The top spot is really a toss-up between Penn State and Ohio State. Penn State just joined the Big Ten in 1993 though, so the tie-breaker goes to the Buckeyes (and include in that tie-breaker my years growing up in Columbus). 

Ohio State has a raucous crowd that usually makes it deafening for the opposing squads.  Plus “The Best Damn Band In All The Land” marches across Woody Hayes Drive and onto the field before every game to form the famous Script Ohio, as seen below.

Fans run with the marching band and into the stadium as if they were scrambling to see an approach shot by Tiger Woods after a drive on the 18th hole. Other teams’ fans are annoyed at the obnoxious Buckeye fans as much as the British golf commentator is at the “GET IN THE HOLE!” guy at Augusta.

I just got goose bumps thinking of the craziness that occurs once the senior tuba player high steps his way to dot the “I” and the band belts out the oft played fight song. Everybody sings the words and yells O-H-I-O, each side owning one of the letters in order.

The Olentangy River runs right next to the stadium and serves as a great sight when walking through the miles of tailgates on fall Saturdays. The capacity expands to 105,000+ during big games, especially the Michigan game. You will have a hard time finding a sizeable road crowd during Big Ten games as the home fans just won’t give up their tickets so road fans can watch their team lose.

There is a reason there is a recruiting “fence” around the Ohio border and that reason is the memories conjured, the tradition, the size, and the atmosphere inside and out of Thee Ohio Stadium. I wanna go back to Ohio State, to old Columbus Town!

[Editor's Note: And those of us who don't bleed scarlet and gray like you are now ready to vomit.]

2. Beaver Stadium (Penn State) – 107,292 capacity

The capacity is 107,282 and they have stuffed 110,000+ during big match-ups. Kirk Herbstreit deemed Happy Valley with the best student section in college football with the senior student section forming a block “S” in blue and white shirts or body paint.

I absolutely agree with Kirk. And so do my dead brain cells after partying with some of the craziest party people I ever met when I lived on South Beach. “They Were! Penn State!” (graduates).

The “White Outs” and the noise make this the hardest place for a road team to get any sort of rhythm in the Big Ten. If the crowd wasn’t loud enough, they have a huge Jumbotron and booming sound system that plays a cat-like roar, making the crowd’s roar just as intimidating.

Unlike Ohio Stadium, it is nice to see they have the crew smart enough to keep lush natural grass every year. This Saturday afternoon football church in Happy Valley reeks of Preparation H for old alumni, liquored up party people with flasks, and sexy college co-eds. In a good way.

3. Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin) – 80,321 capacity

Though not as large as Beaver Stadium, Wisconsin’s student section rivals that of Penn State. To reference dead brain cells again, some of the craziest party people I know in Indianapolis and Chicago are Wisconsin graduates.

The UW band sets off the crowd playing drinking songs, pop songs, and dance songs. And, of course, the sound man gets everyone jumping before the fourth quarter during “Jump Around” by House of Pain, a tradition that started against Purdue in 1998. The video below takes place during an Indiana game…which I am sure Wisconsin won.  By a lot.

Video: Fans Jump Around at Camp Randall Stadium

Come to think of it, that would be a great nickname and slogan for the stadium: “Welcome to the House of Pain.”

The marching band was also suspended in 2006 and 2008 because of some off-the-field antics including hazing and sexual misconduct on road trips (sounds like a good time to me).

[Editor's Note: Midwest Sports Fans does not explicitly endorse KVB's idea of a good time.]

Established in 1917, Camp Randall is the oldest stadium in the Big Ten and the atmosphere (literally) is host to horrible weather conditions that stifles many road teams. The visiting locker room has been painted pale pink in the past and now a pale blue supposedly to distract the road teams.Wisconsin is currently 30-3 at home since painting it the distracting “prison blue” color.

If you travel there for a night game, expect the bad weather and bad play by your team. Even the Green Bay Packers play one preseason game a year at Camp Randall Stadium. In turn the Wisconsin marching band attends at least one Packers game at Lambeau Field a year.

4. Michigan Stadium aka “The Big House” (Michigan) – 106,201 capacity

They are adding more seats to reach 108,000 plus by 2010. Insert “The Big House” and the fans that sit on their hands in silence here.

M. (for Michigan) Night Shymalan, Super Wolverine, and the Wrist Band Warrior

 

One of two things is happening here. A) Michigan just lost to Appalachian State; or B) The guy in the bottom right hand corner of the picture just farted. Or perhaps both? (photo credit: LON HORWEDEL, THE ANN ARBOR NEWS)

 

And by the way, if you don’t remember what inspired the despondent looks on the faces of the Michigan turds fans above, watch the first few minutes of the video below:

Video: Appalachian State Upsets Michigan

Interesting to me is that Ann Arbor only has an 114,000 person population so you know the town basically shuts down until football is over. That is how college football Saturdays should be.

You have no idea the size of the stadium on the outside since it is built with the stands and the field going down and underground from where you walk up to the ticket gates. One thing I will say about Michigan fans (like Buckeye fans) is that a road fan will be hard pressed to find extra tickets because the fan base is so loyal. Even if they are not that loud or intimidating, or that idiotic or drunk.

Michigan Stadium has hosted Wolverine football since 1927 and the famous Fielding Yost. As an Ohio State fan, I find it funny that they played on “Ferry Field” before Michigan Stadium. I couldn’t make that up. Never.

5. Kinnick Stadium (Iowa) – 70,585

Another stadium holding a pink-painted visitors locker room, but this wasn’t done by mistake like perhaps the drunk and stoned Wisconsin students in Madison. Former coach Hayden Fry majored in psychology at Baylor University and believed the pink color had a calming effect that could make visitors have less mental toughness and be less aggressive after pissing in a pink urinal.

Some women and those in the gay/lesbian community have protested for it to be changed saying it is a slap in the face to their lifestyle. (This furthers my believability that grassroots campaigns did in fact legalize gay marriage in the state earlier this year.)

Back to the stadium, it is about as boring as the dunkards who live in Iowa. But I will give Iowa’s only Heisman Trophy winner (Nile Kinnick) and Hayden Fry credit for instilling some excitement on Saturdays and creating a real loyal fan base. Iowa, which stands for Idiots Out Walking Around, takes a break from doing that every Saturday and they travel well as I noticed at the 2003 Orange Bowl.

6. Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue) – 62,500 capacity

And here we have the first major drop off in atmosphere on this list.  I have a hard time giving a lot of Purdue football fans any credit. Unfortunately I’ve probably been to 30 or so games at Ross-Ade, so I can say that.

Every top-10 matchup in Ross-Ade is invaded by the road team’s fans. Most Purdue fans were born and bred on Hoosier basketball, thanks to the movie and Coaches Knight and Keady. Hence, they know nothing about football, how it is played, and of all people the likes of Jim Everett and Joe Tiller taught the fans what winning takes. No, not loyal support, hard work, and consistency; but rather gimmicks and repetitive passing systems that have a hard time lining up when smash mouth, goal line situations are needed.

Tiller first took the Big Ten by storm with the spread and now every time there is a run up the middle the crowd groans and boos. That takes stupidity like calling an offense “Basketball On Grass” as some do. I’ve never seen a more boring ragtime marching band entertainment at halftime than Purdue’s, the “World’s Biggest Drum” and a dance team of fatties dancing the charleston included.

Purdue fans hate it when I say this stuff, but that is because it is true.

A good thing is they did a great renovation enclosing the stadium, have an incredibily large video board, and there is not really a bad seat in the house. So you might as well go see your favorite team in West Lafayette and piss in one of the troughs installed in the restrooms (it’s a Northern Indiana thing, you wouldn’t understand).

Now back to crappiness.

About 15,000 University of Oregon fans took over Ross-Ade last year! The natural Bermuda grass is supposedly a credit to Purdue’s agricultural department finding prescription athletic turf. Good for them. I personally love natural turf. (This paragraph is brought to you by, “Obnoxious Ohio State Fan” mentioned earlier in the article. He’s righteous!)

7. Memorial Stadium (Illinois) – 70,000 capacity

Sorry I’ll be much more positive the rest of the way. Just make sure you send #6 to an IU fan. They need some cheering up come football season.

And speaking of Memorial Stadium, also the name of IU’s stadium, the older of the two is in Champaign and opened in 1924 with Red Grange scoring six touchdowns against Michigan on its official dedication game in October. This Memorial Stadium is a dedication to the men and women who died in the World Wars and has sported artificial turf since 1974.

I love that the original drawing for this stadium was to support more than 80,000 people and have a tall phallic monument in the North end zone.  They eventually settled on the smaller capacity and no monument.

In 2002 the stadium hosted the Chicago Bears while Soldier Field was getting renovated.

Oh, and Ron Zook coaches there now. When he’s not water skiing or bitching at Urban Meyer.

8. Spartan Stadium (Michigan State) – 75,505 capacity

Spartan Stadium fell a lot on my list because I have seen too many big games blown on their own field. Most people blame the coach for this, but I just drop their home field advantage down a notch. Heck, their best win in the 90s was against #1 Ohio State in Ohio Stadium. How do this not hurt Ohio Stadium instead of Spartan Stadium? Simple. The ineptitude since then.

The most exciting things Spartan fans see on TV or at the stadium lately have been an introduction to the basketball team or a sideline reporter interviewing Tom Izzo in the middle of the second quarter while the team was losing. I can hear Mark Dantonio now…”I get no respect, no respect.”

Well, you’re right considering the high school talent that floods your stadium’s gates.

9. TCF Bank Stadium (Minnesota) – 50,300 capacity.

Gopher fans finally have a stadium on their campus and outdoors. This really makes me happy. There probably wasn’t a worse college football atmosphere than the Metrodome. This new stadium, on the other hand, could move up in the rankings once it opens this year.

TCF Bank Stadium includes an apparent easy-to-80,000 person capacity renovation that could take place if the team shows success on the field and makes some extra money in bowl games. It will also include the third largest outdoor HD video board in the nation.

The con here is it is outdoor and cannot bat down opposing team’s punts during games. Though I cannot imagine anyone in the Minnesota administration would have the arrogance of Jerry Jones, refusing to move such a video board if it did get in the way. HD really has us by the nuts doesn’t it?

10. Memorial Stadium (Indiana) - 53,500 capacity.

I love how this Memorial Stadium in Bloomington is dedicated to a rock while Illinois’ is dedicated to war heroes. That’s solid, solid as a rock. Very Charlie Brown in the Halloween episode. I did see the renovations to the stadium on TV and it is finally a Big Ten-worthy stadium. Too bad it wasn’t built for a better program, but I suppose IU does have its moments. While most people complain the top Big Ten teams don’t have a tough conference, IU fans complain their conference schedule is way too tough to compete.

[Editor's Note: As an IU fan and alum, I can categorically say that I've never complained about the conference schedule being too tough. Except when we play Minnesota and Northwestern at home.  Those games are haaarrrrrddd!]

11. Ryan Field (Northwestern) - 49,256 capacity.

I know I said I would get shorter with my writing as the list fell lower on the list. So in lieu of saying anything about Ryan Field, just watch the video below. It makes me happy, and unless you’re a douche it will make you happy too.

 

Really though, Evanston is a great section of Chicago because of this campus.

Well, now you’ve seen my rankings.  What do you think?

What is the best college football stadium (atmosphere + advantage) in the Big Ten?

• Beaver Stadium (Penn State)
• Ryan Field (Northwestern)
• Kinnick Stadium (Iowa)
• TCF Bank Stadium (Minnesota)
• Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin)
• Ohio Stadium (Ohio State)
• Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue)
• Spartan Stadium (Michigan State)
• Memorial Stadium (Illinois)
• Memorial Stadium (Indiana)
• Michigan Stadium aka "The Big House" (Muck Fichigan)

View Results

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* – Ohio Stadium Script Ohio photo credit: Ames Photos

* – Beaver Stadium S-Zone photo credit: Ames Photos

* – Super Wolverine and the Wrist Band Warrior photo credit: DawgSports.com

* – Michigan fans reacting during App State loss photo credit: Lon Horwedel, The Ann Arbor News via MLive.com

* – Kinnick Stadium pink locker room: Sondrak.com

* – Ross-Ade Stadium penis photo credit: Deadspin.com

* – TCF Bank Stadium photo credit: GopherSports.com

What Amazing Feat Do Mark Buehrle, Cy Young, and Sandy Koufax Have in Common?

Mark Buehrle completed the 18th perfect game in Major League History today, further cementing his place in the record books among the all-time greats who have ever toed the rubber. And before you start thinking that I’m simply ripe with excitement and hyperbole because my favorite pitcher of all-time just threw a perfect game, consider this:

There are now six pitchers in Major League history who have thrown a perfect game and a no-hitter: Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Addie Joss, Cy Young, and Jim Bunning.  Four are in the Hall of Fame, and Randy Johnson will be. Mark Buehrle may not ever get the credit I believe he deserves while he is playing, but if he keeps pitching another 5, 6, 7 years he very well could find himself in Cooperstown as well.

And if Buehrle decides not to hang up his cleats early, as he has suggested he will do, Buehrle very well could make a legit run at 300 wins, assuming he stays as healthy as he has always been.

But even as amazing as the group above is that he has joined, it can be narrowed down even further to include only three names: Buehrle, Cy Young, and Koufax.  What do these three pitching greats have in common? They share the most amazing combined 2-game pitching lines in the history of Major League Baseball.

We know that no pitcher has ever thrown two perfect games, but these three have come the closest. Check out the combined stat line from Mark Buehrle’s perfect game and no-no, and then the combined stat lines from Koufax’s best no-hitter and perfect game and Young’s perfect game and best no-hitter:

• Mark Buehrle: 18 innings, 0 hits, 1 BB
• Sandy Koufax: 18 innings, 0 hits, 1BB
• Cy Young: 18 innings, 0 hits, 1 BB

The only difference is that Koufax had 26 combined Ks over his 18 innings, while Buehrle had 14.  I’m not sure about Young, as I couldn’t find the box scores for his no-hitters and perfect games.

Regardless, any time you are in a group of players that includes only you, Sandy Koufax, and Cy Young…you’ve done something pretty special. And it’s about time that baseball fans across the country wake up and realize what White Sox fans have known for a long time: that Mark Buehrle is the most underrated ace in Major League Baseball and truly something special. 

Sox fans didn’t need today’s perfect game to confirm this, as we see Buehrle’s consistent excellence on a year in, year out basis.  Hopefully though, today’s performance helps to bring others around to our enlightened point of view. 

What a career: clutch ace of a consistent playoff contender; World Series champion; no-hitter; perfect game. Perhaps one of these days Mark will also add a Cy Young Award to the mantle.  

Congratulations on a hell of a career to this point Mark, and on authoring one of the 18 greatest single-game pitching stories in the long and storied history of Major League Baseball. “Perfect game” is going to look great on your Cooperstown plaque one of these days.

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* – Mark Buehrle photo credit: Jim Prisching / AP Photo via ABCNews.com

LOTD: Obama’s First Pitch Tonight a Reminder of the Greatest Presidential First Pitch in History — George Bush’s at the 2001 World Series

Tonight, President Barack Obama will be throwing out the first pitch at the 2009 MLB All Star Game.  Last night, ESPN ran an entertaining package in which this year’s All Stars provided tips and pointers for President Obama, with the consensus being the most obvious point of all: don’t bounce it (like this guy did).

It made me think about just how much pressure is on people of President Obama’s stature when they step onto the mound to throw the first pitch.  I know, I know…what he deals with in the White House and as The Most Powerful Man in the World is far more important and pressure-packed over the long haul.  Still, this ‘aint reading off a teleprompter.  This is a physical action, one that is relatively difficult, which is being done in front of millions.  And as the President, you have an image of greatness to uphold.

Bouncing a ceremonial pitch certainly does not project an image of greatness.

I expect President Obama to do well tonight, mainly because this isn’t his first rodeo (as “we” say down here in Texas). Obama threw out a first pitch during the 2005 playoffs, and seems to have the right mindset about the whole process:

Obama is no stranger to the pitching mound.  In 2005, his first year as a senator from Illinois, Obama threw out a first pitch at a White Sox playoff.  The devout Sox fan admitted afterwards that he was feeling the pressure.

“Had I thrown a one-hop, I think, whatever aspirations I had, they would have shown that clip over and over again,” he said in an interview with the Springfield State Journal-Register that year.

“I was more nervous than I was before the Democratic National Convention” the year before, he said.

So he understands the importance of not bouncing the ball, which is his first step to success.  Now he just needs to warm himself up properly and do his best Mark Buehrle impression and exhibit pinpoint control.  (Actually, he doesn’t even need to be pinpoint…just somewhere in the area of Albert Pujols’ mit. He could settle for John Danks’ control.)

Update: Well, he didn’t bounce it…but he came close. It was a nice save by Albert Pujols. Follow the link to watch the video of Barack Obama throwing out the first pitch at the 2009 MLB All Star Game.

But any president throwing out a first pitch will always, for me, harken back to the greatest single presidential first pitch of all time.  And I’d imagine that nearly everyone reading this knows exactly which first pitch I’m talking about, even if the headline and pitcture didn’t give it away at a glance.

Back in 2001, not long after the horrors of 9/11, George Bush threw a perfect strike in Yankee Stadium before Gam3 of the World Series.  This was, almost undoubtedly, one of the high points of his 8-year term in office.  

I’m not trying to get political here, just stating facts: as a nation, we all were behind President Bush then, and his steely resolve in the face of the terrorist attacks inspired a nation. His ability to throw a perfect strike before Game 3, with the world watching and with admitted nerves, was a symbol of his ability to be a steadying and rallying force in the months after 9/11.

What happened in the ensuing years is for everyone to have their own opinions on, but what happened that night proved that George Bush was capable of Rivera-like clutchness at a time when our nation needed it, even if only symbolically.  And it’s fitting that such a moment would come for Bush on the baseball field.  He used his tenure with the Texas Rangers to propel himself into the Texas Governer’s mansion, and we have never had a more unabashed baseball fanatic in the White House.  

So forget politics for a moment and just watch the video below.  It’s a great behind-the-scenes look at the build-up to Bush’s first pitch at the 2001 World Series, and the strike he fired with the lights shining bright.  

Now hopefully President Obama can do White Sox fans and America proud tonight by piping one similarly…right down the middle.

And now some other links from around the web to carry you through the rest of this beautiful Tuesday afternoon. Then it’s back to work for me, then to the airport to pick up KVB, who will be spending a week down here in Dallas.  Get ready for a podcast…

Who Will Shoot the Three? — (by The Zoner at Pippen Ain’t Easy)

Senator Hatch Wants BCS Investigated — (The World According to MoonDog)

15 Horrible Places to Be High — (Hail Mary Jane)

Top Ten Reasons Tony Romo Split from Jessica Simpson — (Gunaxin)

Tribute to Cinema’s Best Slugging — (Screen Junkies)

MLB All Star Game: Making Memories — (Josh Q. Public)

Browns, Maiava Agree to Deal — (Orange & Brown Report)

Former UT Kicker James Wilhoit is now Coach Wilhoit — (SEC Rivals)

A.I.: Memphis or Miami? — (My Sports Rumors)

How moods trigger the panties your GF wears — (Regretful Morning)

The Future for Ric Bucher — (Zoner Sports)

Really Interesting Bob Gibson Take — (Sharapova’s Thigh)

Why the AL West is better than people think — (Dallas Sports Fans)

ESPN’s New Ombudsman: Don Ohlmeyer – (Real Clear Sports)

Bob Costas Didn’t Think Judge Sotomayor Was an All Star — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

‘Cause it’s root, root, root for that guy’s girlfriend — (Great Moments in Christory)

Thoughts and Observations on Cubs’ 1st Half — (The Friendly Blogfines)

* – George Bush photo credit: ESPN.com

MLB All Star Game History: Year-by-Year Results and Interesting Individual Records

My sports-obsessed nostalgia and curiosity has kicked in again with this year’s MLB All Star Game.  If you remember, I used to do a lot of “history” posts in which I’d break down the all-time results of a big game or tournament, or research different records and things of that sort.  With football and basketball over, and baseball in the dog days of its summer season, there haven’t been too many events to delve into with such detail.

That is, until this week, when the sports world stops to celebrate the biggest and brightest stars of our national pastime.

Certainly, the All Star Game has lost some of the luster that it had when my dad was younger.  Back in those days (at least according to the legends I’ve been told) you typically saw one or maybe a couple of games per week, and most of these nationally televised games involved the Yankees.  This was before the Internet, before the MLB Network, before Baseball Tonight, before fantasy baseball, before cable, etc.  Thus, baseball fans like my then-Yankees-obsessed dad (we’ve slowly but surely split his allegiances between the Yankees and White Sox…or so he makes us think) had far, far fewer opportunities to watch and build fan relationships with the stars of their day than we do.  Sure, he was able to watch #7 on the weekends, and probably got to see a fair amount of Willie Mays and other stars in the big markets, but the All Star Game was really the only the time when you could see all of the best players in baseball in one place on one night.  That is a major part of what made the All Star game such an incredible event.

Today, all we have to do is watch the MLB Network for a half hour at night and there’s a good chance we’ll see nearly every superstar in the game take an AB.  Seriously.  (That’s why the MLB Network is awesome!)  And while this is great, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, there is no chance that the All Star Game could maintain it’s old school magic in the new school era.

CHICAGO - JULY 6, 1933: Babe Ruth crosses home plate as teammate Lou Gehrig waits to congratulate him during the first inaugural All-Star game at Comiskey Park. (Photo by National Baseball Hall of Fame Library/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

But with all that said, I still love watching it.  And I love looking back on the history of what is unequivocally the greatest All Star game of them all.  So for today’s post, that’s what I am doing.  At the bottom of the post, you’ll see a table that lists the results of every All Star Game since its inception in 1933. (It’s a big table, so I didn’t want to break up the text of this post by listing it here.)

The first cool bit of information I learned this morning (at least for a good guy who wears black like me) that I did not know previously: glorious Comiskey Park is actually the cradle of the Midsummer Classic, as it held the first MLB All Star Game in 1933 as part of the World’s Fair in Chicago. Notice how they didn’t have the first All Star Game in decrepit, puke-worthy Wrigley Field.  (Suck it bleacher bums.)

One of the common refrains we will hear tonight during the telecast, and that we’ve heard all week, is how the AL dominates the NL in the All Star Game.  The American League has not lost an All Star Game since the 1996 game in Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, going 11-0-1 in the last 12 contests.  But the AL’s reign goes back even further than that, as the Junior Circuit also won six in a row from 1988 to 1993 after a short three-game streak by the NL.  So the AL is 17-3-1 in the last 21 All Star Games.

But here’s the rub: the National League still holds the all-time advantage at 41-36-2, meaning the NL went 38-19-1 from 1933 to 1987 with the following dominant streaks of their own:

• 11 in a row (1972-1982)
• 8 in a row (1963-1970)
• 19 out of 20 (1963-1982)

For whatever reason, the last four decades of All Star Games have seen one league dominate for long periods of time. Prior to 1963, the longest winning streak by either league was four and it happened only twice: NL 1950-1953; AL 1946-1949.  Something else I did not know: from 1959-1962 there were two All Star Games played each year, a format that was attempted but obviously was quickly changed.

In summation, it will be important for self-righteous AL fans (like myself) to remember that the AL’s decade of dominance still has not erased the gargantuan lead that the NL developed during the 60s and 70s.  But if the AL can hold on and keep winning until 2013, they’ll be able to even out the all-time series.

Now that we’ve discussed the all-time records and win streaks by league in the All Star Game’s history, let’s take a look at some of the more interesting individual records and achievements in the history of the Midsummer Classic. (All stats courtesy of Baseball Almanac.)

All Star Game Individual Records: Career Hitting

• Most Career All Star Game At-Bats: Willie Mays — 75 (in 24 games)
• Highest Career All Star Game Batting Average: Derek Jeter — .474 (in 9 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Extra Base Hits: Willie Mays and Stan Musial — 8 (in 24 games for both)
• Most Career All Star Game Grand Slams: Fred Lynn — 1 (it’s the only Grand Slam in All Star Game history)
• Most Career All Star Game Hits: Willie Mays — 23 (in 24 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Home Runs: Stan Musial — 6 (in 24 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Runs: Willie Mays — 20 (in 24 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Runs Batted In: Ted Williams — 12 (in 18 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Stolen Bases: Willie Mays — 6 (in 24 games)

Sluggers Stan Musial and Ted Williams pose together before a 1950's All Star game.

All Star Game Individual Records: Single Game Hitting

• Most At Bats in a Single All Star Game: Willie Jones (NL) — 7 in 1950 (14 inning game)
• Most Doubles in a Single All Star Game: 8 players (including Paul Konerko!) tied with two
• Most Hits in a Single All Star Game: Joe Medwick (NL), Ted Williams (AL), Carl Yastrzemski (AL) tied with 4
• Most Home Runs in a Single All Star Game: 5 players (including Ted Williams) tied with two
• Most RBIs in a Single All Star Game: Al Rosen (AL) and Ted Williams (AL) tied with five
• Most Runs in a Single All Star Game: Ted Williams — 4
• Most Strikeouts in a Single All Star Game: 12 players tied with three
• Most Stolen Bases in a Single All Star Game: Four players tied with 2

So, if you’re scoring at home, Ted Williams pretty much had the greatest All Star Game ever for a hitter in 1946.  He had 4 hits, 2 home runs, scored 4 runs, drove in 5, and also set the single-game record with 10 total bases.

Another interesting note: five players have led off an All Star with a home run: Lou Boudreau, Frankie Frisch, Willie Mays, Joe Morgan, and, of course, Bo Jackson.

Now let’s turn our attention towards the hurlers.

All Star Game Individual Records: Career Pitching

• Most Career All Star Appearances: Roger Clemens — 10 (in 10 games)
• Most Career All Star Games Started: Don Drysdale, Lefty Gomez, Robin Roberts — 5
• Most Career All Star Game Hits Allowed: Whitey Ford — 19 (in 6 games)
• Most Career All Star Games Pitched in Consecutively: Ewell Blackwell and Early Wynn — 6
• Most Career All Star Game Home Runs Allowed: Vida Blue and Catfish Hunter — 4
• Most Career All Star Game Innings Pitched: Don Drysdale — 19.1 (in 8 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Strikeouts: Don Drysdale — 19 (in 8 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Wins: Lefty Gomez — 3 (in 5 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Saves: Dennis Eckersley and Mariano Rivera — 3

All Star Game Individual Records: Single Game Pitching

• Most Earned Runs Allowed in a Single All Star Game: Atlee Hammacker — 7 (1983)
• Most Earned Runs Allowed in a Single All Star Game Inning: Atlee Hammacker — 7 (3rd inning in 1983)
• Most Hits Allowed in a Single All Star Game: Tom Glavine — 9 (1992)
• Most Home Runs Allowed in a Single All Star Game: Jim Palmer — 3 (1977)
• Most Innings Pitched in a Single All Star Game: Lefty Gomez — 6 (1935)
• Most Strikeouts in a Single All Star Game: Four players tied with 6

Other Interesting All Star Game Records

• Largest All Star Game Attendance: Municipal Stadium in Cleveland — 72,086 (1981…Cleveland actually won something!)
• Smallest All Star Game Attendance: Braves Field — 25,556 (1936)
• Earliest All Star Game Date: July 6th (four times)
• Longest All Star Game: 15 innings, twice (1967 in Anaheim and 2008 in Yankee Stadium)
• Most All Star Games Managed: Casey Stengel — 10


Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron stand together for a victory portrait after the 1961 All-Star Game in San Francisco. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)

• Most All Star Game Losses by a Manager: Casey Stengel — 6
• Most All Star Game Wins by a Manager: Walt Alston — 7
• Most All Star Games Played: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial — 24
• Most All Star Games Played on Losing Team: Brooks Robinson — 15
• Most All Star Games Played on Winning Team: Hank Aaron and Willie Mays — 17
• Oldest All Star: Satchel Paige — 47 years and 7 days old
• Youngest All Star: Dwight Gooden — 19 years, 7 months, and 24 days old

So that should be pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about individual performances for a career and in a single game in All Star history.  If you want to get more granular and look at the stats for individual All Star games, follow the link to the All Star Game index at Baseball-Reference.com.  There, you can view the box score for any game.

And finally, as promised, below is the table with the all-time list of All Star Game results and year-by-year winners.

Enjoy the game tonight everyone.  (And go AL!  The White Sox are going to need home field advantage when they shock the world and make it to the World Series…)

MLB All Star Game History: All-Time List of All Star Game Winners by Year

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* – Babe Ruth / Lou Gehrig photo found at: Legacy.com

* – Stan Musial / Ted Williams photo credit: ioffer.com

* – Roberto Clemente / Willie Mays / Hank Aaron photo credit: Achievement.org

A Historical Perspective on the Unsuccessful History of Drafting Junior QBs in the First Round

For the next week or so, the counsel of purportedly wise and learned men will be sought by NFL fans far and wide as we all search for ways to understand and predict what might happen this Saturday in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Mel Kiper Jr. Todd McShay. Mike Mayock. Don Banks. Peter King. Matt Mil– wait, never mind on that one.

(The hilarious McShay-Kiper hair swap picture to the left is courtesy of The Sports Hernia, by the way.)

Everywhere you turn there is another draft junkie who has the 40 times memorized for the top 150 players, is constantly shuffling his own personal draft board, and who is creating endless amounts of mock drafts that are, for all intents and purposes, meaningless (not all that unlike pre-draft blog posts…).

So in this uncertain time of guesswork and projection, as we are forced to sift through consistent streams of disinformation, perhaps we should look outside the typical network of draft “experts” to gain some perspective on what will — or, to be more apt, what should — happen this Saturday and Sunday at the 2009 NFL Draft.

Ladies and gentleman of the sports world, I present to you the official NFL draft guru of Midwest Sports Fans: George Santayana.

Who is George Santayana? No, he is not the new late night anchor on ESPNNews. Nor is he one of the endless stream of columnists that seem to pop up out of nowhere on SI.com or ESPN.com.

George Santayana is actually not even alive. In fact, the Spanish-born philospher, essayist, poet, and novelist died in 1952. Coincidentally, the 1952 season brought one of the four NFL championships ever won by the Detroit Lions, all of which came in 1957 or earlier, the team that holds the #1 draft pick in this weekend’s draft. And if the Lions are wise (perhaps the biggest if in all of sports) they will listen to the sage words of George Santayana, a man whose many aphorisms provide a road map to NFL draft success.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

~ George Santayana

Apparently, according to Tom Kowalski at MLive.com, the Detroit Lions have settled on Georgia QB Matthew Stafford, who declared for the draft after his junior season, as their choice at #1 overall in the 2009 NFL draft. Kowalski believes this based on comments made by Lions team president Tom Lewand, while also offering the unconvincing caveat that Lewand’s comments could possibly be some kind of smoke screen. For a while now the conventional wisdom has been that the Lions will take Stafford at #1, and nothing has really led anyone “in the know” to believe that a name other than Stafford’s will be called first on Saturday afternoon.

But the Detroit Lions, and all of the other NFL teams thinking about drafting one of the underclassmen QBs projected to go in the first round (Stafford, plus USC junior Mark Sanchez and Kansas State junior Josh Freeman) would be wise to heed the advice of George Santayana. Past drafts offer a wealth of wisdom that could mitigate the chances of NFL teams wasting their first round pick on a QB that history says will not turn into a franchise — or even solid — player.

And is there any reason to draft a QB in the first round other than if you think he will become your franchise QB?

A recent article by Vic Carucci, a senior columnist at NFL.com who is not a wise as George Santayana but is adept at offering useful wisdom specific to matters of professional football, lays out the historical perspective that should be required reading for any NFL team considering the underclassmen QBs as potential first round picks. (And Browns’ brass, if you really are considering Mark Sanchez at #5, then I’m talking to you here.)

Carucci’s article highlights the importance of maturity in the development of young NFL quarterbacks. And while he does not specifically state that NFL teams would be foolish to draft Stafford, Sanchez, or Freeman in the first round this year, the table accompanying his post (screen grabbed and included below to the right) speaks volumes about the underlying point.

Let’s break the table down into three general categories: successes, failures, and incompletes.

Successes

• Ben Roethlisberger
• Drew Bledsoe

Failures

• Alex Smith
• Rex Grossman (yes, he made a Super Bowl, but does anyone really consider him anything other than a failure in Chicago?)
• Michael Vick (if maturity is what keeps underclassmen QBs from succeeding, then I think Vick has to be considered a failure despite his flashes of success.)
• Tim Couch
• Ryan Leaf
• Heath Shuler
• Tommy Maddox
• Todd Marinovich
• Jeff George
• Andre Ware

Incompletes

• JaMarcus Russell
• Vince Young
• Trent Dilfer (gets bonus points for winning a Super Bowl, but didn’t win it for the team that drafted him.)

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that the breakdown is heavily weighted towards the middle of the table, almost like there is a failure vacuum sucking the potential out of underclassmen QBs, each of whom set back the franchises that drafted them in the first round. Obviously, the successes of Ben Roethlisberger and, to a lesser degree, Drew Bledsoe give teams hope that they can unearth the unlikely junior QB who succeeds. But if I’m studying this piece of history from a war room, I’m looking at the negatives and having a hard time believing that playing 2/15 odds is in the best interests of my organization.

Thus, thee words of George Santayana ring exceedingly true. Whether any NFL teams are listening is another question.

But there are other words by George Santayana that ring true here as well:

Before you contradict an old man, my fair friend, you should endeavor to understand him.

~ George Santayana

With history so blatantly on the side of not drafting underclassmen QBs in the first round, then why do many NFL teams, who invest so much money and so many resources into the scouting and drafting process, continue to make such choices?

The answer is simple: you have to have a good quarterback to win a Super Bowl. (And, ironically, former junior draft pick Trent Dilfer is often held up as the anomalous exception that proves the rule, after he “led” Baltimore to a Super Bowl title by simply not losing games so their defense could win them.)

The importance of having a good QB should not be understated. And when good QBs are so hard to find, it is understandable that teams become intoxicated with players whose skill sets and college production suggest that they might someday possibly become a franchise QB.

A team like the Lions cannot plan ahead until next year and wait to take Sam Bradford. What if they actually stumble into a few wins this season and do not pick first next year? If they squander this year’s pick on a non-QB, and do not have the opportunity to have their pick of next year’s litter, they could enter 2011 with Daunte Culpepper still at QB and no succession line to the future. When considered in this context, a 2/15 roll of the dice almost, maybe, kind of, sort of makes sense.

What to do with this paradox? Well, let’s go back to our good friend George Santayana.

Science is nothing but developed perception, interpreted intent, common sense rounded out and minutely articulated.

~ George Santayana

We often hear the NFL draft discussed as a science, though an imperfect science at best. There are endless measurables used to gauge a players’ ability to compete athletically at the professional level. Tests like the Wonderlic purportedly assess a player’s aptitude. Game tape is dissected and graded, players are poked and prodded, values are assigned to each position on the draft board, and teams devise rating systems based on numbers and colors to group players on their draft boards.

And from this maelstrom of data and analysis comes what teams hope is a minutely articulated and developed perception from which they can interpret a strategic draft day intent that leads to successful common sense decision-making and, thus, draft picks who ultimately contribute to the greater cause of winning championships.

Yet, as we all know, it rarely if ever works out so cleanly. So perhaps that quote by George Santayana really does not clear up anything.

Got another one George?

The truth is cruel, but it can be loved, and it makes free those who have loved it.

~ George Santayana

Ah, the truth. It certainly can be a cruel and tricky little devil.

And with respect to the “science” of the NFL draft, the truth can be especially cruel when it contradicts the “developed perception, interpreted intent, and common sense rounded out and minutely articulated” that NFL teams invest so much time and so many resources in developing, but that can ultimately be flawed and misleading.

NFL teams want to find franchise QBs, they need to find franchise QBs, and I am convinced that they look for “franchise” inside of draft-eligible underclassmen quarterbacks where no franchise probably exists. In a year such as this one, in which no senior quarterbacks possess the talent to suggest “franchise” to NFL teams, those teams desperate for QBs are forced to consider underclassmen and compelled to weigh the cruelty of truth (underclassmen QBs drafted in the first round usually fail) with the reality of the NFL (teams without franchise QBs rarely win Super Bowls).

In business, important but uncertain decisions and investments are assessed along a risk/return continuum in which the assessed risk of failure is weighed against the potential for return and then analyzed within the context of the organization’s overall goals. And the NFL is wholeheartedly a business, perhaps even more than it is a sport (though that is a debate for another day).

As the NFL draft looms closer, teams are weighing the risk/return of drafting underclassmen QBs Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Freeman with more urgency. For example:

• The Detroit Lions are asking themselves if they should go safe and choose player more likely to be a solid, consistent NFL contributor (Aaron Curry) or take the guy with the higher upside but far greater risk (Matthew Stafford).
• The Jacksonville Jaguars are asking themselves if they should fill a need by targeting a WR in a WR-rich draft or hedge their risky bet on David Garrard with an even more risky bet on a junior QB.
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are asking themselves if they should stay at their current pick to take the risky Freeman, or if they should trade away picks to move up and select the only slightly less risky (according to conventional wisdom, at least) Sanchez; or do they forget about QBs altogether and draft a WR or infuse their aging defense with youth.

Here’s a novel idea for all of the teams targeting underclassmen QBs with first round picks: study history, remember it, and vow not to repeat it. And not just the history that says underclassmen QBs drafted in the first round have an absurdly high rate of not being successful, but also the history that proves franchise QBs do not have to be taken in the first round. Sure, many are. But Tom Brady wasn’t. Drew Brees wasn’t. Kurt Warner wasn’t. Joe Montana wasn’t. Brett Favre wasn’t.

Yet, all of these quarterbacks and many other non-1st round QBs have experienced success and become bona fide franchise QBs. Why? Because they came to organizations that were built on a solid foundation and had the pieces in place to allow them to grow into their positions and develop as football players and as leaders.

Peyton Mannings, John Elways, even Matt Ryans, are exceedingly rare. And these guys, plus the many other senior first round QBs who have turned into franchise QBs, have two things that Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Freeman do not have:

• Far fewer questions about their abilities and mentalities. More game tape + more experience in college allows NFL scouts to understand a players’ strengths and weaknesses better. Compared to drafting a senior QB, NFL teams almost “draft blind” when taking an underclassmen.
• By staying in college through their senior year, these players had the maturity to handle the pressure of being the #1 pick, as well as the advanced skill set and understanding that an extra year in college helps to develop.

The truth is that drafting any QB in the first round is essentially a crap shoot. Seniors drafted #1 overall have failed (Akili Smith, Cade McNown, Dan McGwire…thank you Peter) and juniors drafted later in the first round have succeeded (Ben Roethlisberger). But if, as an organization, you commit yourself to fundamentally sound principles and choose your risks wisely — and fighting 2/15 odds is not what I consider wise — you will be better off in the long run and increase your chances of building a consistent winner.

My humble opinion, if you cannot already figure it out, is that drafting Matthew Stafford (pictured, left) at #1 would not be a bold move by the Detroit Lions; nor would it be, according to history, a wise move. The same goes for the other teams thinking about one of these QBs in the first round. For teams with so many holes, why would you want to select a quarterback that still needs development and that has a 13% chance of succeeding, and then place him on a team that is not currently built to win?

Over the next week, NFL war rooms will be dominated by the voices and egos of GMs, coaches, and scouts, all of whom want to set their respective organizations up for the best chance at future success with their decisions this weekend. And TVs and radios will be dominated by draft gurus and “experts” who think they know what each team should do this weekend to achieve that best chance at future success. Yet with all of the talking, projecting, analyzing, melkipering, posturing, and picking, it would be wise for one particular voice to not be drowned out.

Listen to George Santayana.

The best path to understanding this year’s NFL draft is with a solid understanding of each player available, each team’s needs, plus a healthy dose of historical perspective. The last one, understanding history, is the component that usually gets forgotten. And it is probably the reason why teams end up making many of the same mistakes year after year.

It is also the reason why this final quote from George Santayana perhaps sums up the totality of the NFL draft experience, for both the teams and fans, as well as any:

Why shouldn’t things be largely absurd, futile, and transitory? They are so, and we are so, and they and we go very well together.

~ George Santayana

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What do you think?

Should the Detroit Lions take Matthew Stafford #1 overall?

• Yes (15%, 4 Votes)
• No (85%, 22 Votes)

Total Voters: 26

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Whether it does or not, assuming that your team needs a QB. Would you want them to select one of this year's junior QB prospects in the first round?

• Yes (10%, 2 Votes)
• Yes - but only if its in the second half of the first round (30%, 6 Votes)
• Not anywhere in the first round (60%, 12 Votes)

Total Voters: 20

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All-Time List of NBA Coach of the Year Award Winners: Mike Brown Named 2009 COY

Congratulations are in order for Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown who was named the 2008-09 NBA Coach of the Year today. Among Brown’s many accomplishments this season in Cleveland:

• Franchise record 66 victories
• Only two losses at home the entire season
• #1 overall seed in NBA Playoffs

[Note: Follow the links for great deals on Cavs Playoff Tickets or all NBA Playoff Tickets from Stubhub.]

But more important than any quantifiable accomplishment is the close relationship that Mike Brown has built with superstar LeBron James.

This year’s Cavs have amazed NBA observers with their team chemistry and camaraderie. Much of that can be attributed to Mike Brown trusting LeBron James, LeBron James trusting Mike Brown, and the positive vibes trickling down throughout the entire team. Brown obviously trusts his best player to also be a team leader, and LeBron has certainly fulfilled that role as much, if not moreso, than any superstar in recent NBA history.

As to the voting for this year’s award, Mike Brown received 55 first place votes in the NBA Coach of the Year voting and finished with 355 total points. Rick Adelman finished second and Stan Van Gundy finished third. The combined point totals of Adelman and Van Gundy would not equal Brown’s, making Brown the clear winner. The NBA Coach of the Year is voted upon by NBA writers and broadcasters.

Said Cavs owner Dan Gilbert:

“Mike Brown is one of these rare people that has nearly every tool in his tool box,” Gilbert said in a statement. “He is smart, hard working, and selfless. He is curious and hungry to learn. He is philosophically driven and derives his decision making from his strong philosophy.”

Brown becomes only the second Cavaliers head coach ever to be named NBA Coach of the Year. Bill Fitch was also named Coach of the Year when he was in Cleveland during the 1975-76 season. Below is the complete all-time list of past NBA Coach of Year Award winners.

Now that Mike Brown has earned some hardware, his Cavaliers look to continue their quest for the ultimate piece of hardware. After throttling the Pistons in Game 1, the Cavs host Detroit again Tuesday at 8:00 ET on TNT. Cleveland is favored by 11.5 — and anyone who watched Game 1 will no doubt be leaning towards taking the Cavs with the points.

The more immediate question than the Cavs’ quest for an NBA Title is whether LeBron James can hold off Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade to win his first NBA MVP Award. Follow the link for an analysis of the 2009 NBA MVP Award and a list of the past MVP winners.

(Mike Brown and LeBron James photo above by Drew Hallowell / Getty Images North America)

NBA MVP Award: List of Past Winners and the Candidates for 2009 – LeBron, Kobe, and D-Wade

One of the hottest topics as the 2008-09 NBA regular season winds down is who will take home the NBA MVP award. Kobe Bryant won it last year, and is in the running for the MVP award again this year after leading his LA Lakers to the #1 seed in the Western Conference. He faces pretty stiff competition, however, from three other superstars:

• LeBron James, Cleveland
• Dwyane Wade, Miami
• Yi Jianlian, Milwaukee (via Japan)

Just kidding on the last one. It’s early, so just trying to make sure you’re all awake.

Seriously, I don’t think anyone disputes that the battle for the NBA MVP is a three horse race between Kobe, LeBron, and D-Wade. For Kobe it would be his second MVP, while LeBron and Dwyane Wade are still in search of their first. And all three of them are worthy candidates who would be surefire selections were it not for the presence and greatness of the other two.

(Not sure who to credit the picture of LeBron, Kobe, and D-Wade to, but I found it at The Love of Sports.)

Click here for great deals on NBA Playoff Tickets from StubHub

Before we delve into an analysis of the Kobe-LeBron-DWade MVP debate, let’s first take a quick jog through NBA history, with an assist from the NBA.com Encyclopedia that provides a list of the past NBA MVP winners. Here is a quick glance at the list that LeBron and Dwyane Wade are trying to join:

And to break it down even further, here is the list that Kobe is looking to join: multiple NBA MVP award winners:

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6)
• Michael Jordan and Bill Russell (5)
• Wilt Chamberlain (4)
• Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone (3)
• Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Steve Nash, Bob Pettit (2)

So who has the advantage in this year’s race? Let’s take a closer look.

Kobe Bryant MVP Credentials

• PPG: 26.8 (3rd in NBA)
• RPG: 5.20
• APG: 4.90
• Player efficiency rating: +24.18
• Minutes per game: 36.1
• Lakers are the #1 seed in the Western Conference and no other team in the West was close.

LeBron James MVP Credentials

• PPG: 28.4 (2nd in NBA)
• RPG: 7.60
• APG: 7.20 (9th in NBA)
• Player efficiency rating: +30.88
• Minutes per game: 37.7
• Cleveland is the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference and will finish the regular season with the best record in the NBA and home court advantage.

Dwyane Wade MVP Credentials

• PPG: 30.2 (1st in NBA)
• RPG: 5.00
• APG: 7.5 (8th in NBA)
• SPG: 2.19 (2nd in NBA)
• Player efficiency rating: +29.29
• Minutes per game: 38.6
• The Heat, coming off of their awful season last year and with a bunch of new, young players, have locked up the #5 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Anyone want Yi’s stats? Okay good, I didn’t think so.

The way I look at it, this year’s NBA MVP race is actually just a two-horse race. While Kobe Bryant has been outstanding, and would certainly make a very good choice in another season, I think he is a slight notch below LeBron and Wade. While Bryant may be the most killer clutch player in the league, his numbers across the board this year are less than those of James and Wade. Plus, I think if you rated the supporting casts and coaches of the Lakers, Cavs, and Heat, the Lakers would come out on top.

So that leaves us with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, two guys who will hopefully be staging MVP battles like this year’s (along with Kobe) until late into the next decade. It is splitting hairs to choose between these two guys, but I’m going with LeBron.

Dwyane Wade’s stats are amazing, and he has literally carried a young Heat team with a young coach on his back. Without Wade, there is no telling how bad the Heat would be. Wait a minute, yes there is: last year; and the Heat were awful.

Still, I don’t think LeBron’s influence on his team can be overestimated. Just because he has helped to lift up and improve his supporting cast (along with steady improvement and maturity from Mike Brown) over the course of the last few years does not mean that he should not get credit for being such a leader. The difference between LeBron’s Cavs and Wade’s Heat is that the majority of the Cavs roster has had a few years to gel together. Mix in additions like Mo Williams and it creates the continuity and dominance we’ve seen this year. I believe that Wade and the Heat can develop something similar to what the Cavs have, but they are a few years away.

In the end, LeBron scores a little less but he rebounds more and is overall a more efficient player. And I think you have to give him a bonus for being the undisputed leader on the team that has proven itself to be the best over the long haul of the NBA regular season.

Like I said, you can’t go wrong picking LeBron or Dwyane Wade, but my vote would go to LeBron James.

What do you think?

Who will be the 2008-09 NBA MVP?

• D-Wade
• LeBron
• Kobe

View Results

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Biggest Final Round Comebacks in Masters History

Tiger Woods is seven shots back entering final round play of the 2009 Masters. On Sunday, he will be teeing off with rival Phil Mickelson at 1:35. Both currently sit at 4-under, and staring up 12 other golfers above them on the leader board.

What are their chances of either mounting an incredible final round comeback? Well, not very good. But here is some good news for all the Tiger and Phil fans out there: if either come back to capture the Green Jacket, it will not be the biggest 54-hole deficit overcome.

Biggest Final Round Comebacks in Masters History

The record for the biggest 54-hole deficit overcome belongs to Jack Burke, who came back from 8 strokes down in 1956 to win the Masters. He actually fell to nine back before mounting his rally. And in 1978 Gary Player overcome a 8-stroke deficit to mount the second biggest final round comeback in Masters history. In 1996, Nick Faldo famously overcame a 6-stroke deficit to Greg Norma to win, the third biggest final round comeback in Masters history.

So, while the most likely scenario is Angel Cabrera or Kenny Perry taking home the green jacket, or one of the other 10 guys in front of Tiger and Phil, it would not be unprecedented for a comeback by either to take place. What I do not know, and have not had time to research, is if anyone has ever overcome 12 or more golfers in the final round to win. That certainly sounds like a lot. Anyone know?

Either way, Tiger’s deficit does nothing to dampen my excitement for tomorrow. At some point he’s going to come back and win a major after being down heading into Sunday. There isn’t much that Tiger has not done on a golf course yet, and while I’d rather he be a little closer, maybe he’s just setting us all up for his greatest comeback yet.

Would anyone really, truly be surprised?

Reliving The Greatest Moments in Masters History with Jack and Tiger

One of the best parts about watching The Masters every year is the ability to relive all of the many memorable moments throughout Masters history. Like baseball, and seemingly much more so than football and basketball, truly appreciating The Masters involves placing each shot, each moment, and each champion’s path within the proper historical context.

How do you appreciate Tiger’s quest for seven Green Jackets without appreciating and understanding the Golden Bear’s journey to six?

(Photo of Jack Nicklaus making birdie on 17 in 1986 credited to David Cannon of Getty images.)

How can we appreciate the longing for Phil Mickelson to consistently stand toe-to-toe with Tiger to recreate the Nicklaus-Palmer rivalry from the 60s?

If a young prodigy like Rory McIlroy makes a run into Sunday, how can we understand the importance and rarity of such a performance without remembering Tiger’s incredible 1997 performance?

Obviously, I could go on and on.

I am no Masters historian by any means, but I do recognize and appreciate many of the big moments. One of my goals heading into the 2009 Masters, especially now that I have this blog, was to do a little bit of research and educate myself on some of the missing links in my Masters memories. That is the purpose of this post, and hopefully it does the same for you.

First off, I just did some browsing on YouTube and found video of my favorite Masters moments, which I will share. I know I’m not breaking any new ground here, and these are relatively cliched favorite moments involving Tiger and Jack, but can you really argue?

Masters Moment #1 Video: Amazing Chip Shot at 2005 Masters by Tiger Woods

Masters Moment #2 Video: Jack Nicklaus Birdies 17 to Win 1986 Masters

Masters Moment #3 Video: Tiger Woods Dominates Masters Field to Win 1997 Masters

By no means is this an exhaustive list of Masters video on YouTube. In fact, search “the masters golf tournament” on YouTube and it brings up plenty of great Masters moment videos. (Do not, however, simply search “the masters” expecting to get just golf videos. You get video game stuff and videos from He-Man. And as cool as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe were, this weekend we are really only concerned about Tiger, the Master of the Universe.)

The Independent put out a list of the best Masters moments in history, complete with a nice photo slideshow. Here is how their list breaks down:

1. Jack wins #6 in 1986.
2. Tiger Woods become youngest winner by dominating 1997 Masters.
3. Gene Sarazen hit ‘the shot heard ’round the world’.
4. Sandy Lyle and his sweaty armpit victory in 1988.
5. Zach Johnson wins the war of attrition in 2007.
6. Nick Faldo annihilates Greg Norman for comeback win on Sunday in 1996.
7. Arnold Palmer plays his final Masters in 2004.
8. Larry Mize wins three-way playoff in 1987.
9. Tiger completes “Tiger Slam” by winning 2001 Masters.
10. Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson compete in grueling 18-hole playoff; Nelson wins.

I suppose I like this list. It definitely nails the first two, but I think those are generally hailed as the greatest Masters moments of all-time. I certainly think that Tiger’s amazing 2005 chip shot that helped him beat Chris DeMarco belongs on the top 10 list. It might not be the most important, the most clutch, or even the most skilled shot — there was certainly skill, but also lots of luck — but it was without question the most amazing and exciting shot I have ever seen at The Masters. A moment that memorable and indelible belongs on any list of the greatest moments in Masters history.

For some other lists of the greatest moments in Masters history, here are a few links for you:

Biggest Final Round Comebacks in Masters History — (MSF)

Top 10 Moments Masters Moments of All-Time — (Bryan Hollister at Bleacher Report)

Most Memorable Masters Moments — (Erik Barzeski at TheSandTrap.com)

30 Years at Augusta: Top Masters Moments — (TheState.com)

50 Greatest Masters Moments — (Lewine Mair at Telegraph.co.uk)

As far as I’m concerned, nothing makes a Masters weekend more rich and enjoyable than soaking in the current tournament while reliving the details of the many wonderful tournaments of the past. And I think CBS does a great job of it during their weekend coverage.

What do you think? Chime in with your opinion on the two polls below regarding my three most memorable Masters moments. Then, use the comment section to tell us what your favorite or most memorable Masters moment is, especially if it is not listed above.

And then go enjoy what should be a great Friday-Saturday-Sunday of Masters action.

Which is the more memorable shot? (Use your own definition of memorable.)

• Jack's birdie on 17 in 1986
• Tiger's ridiculous chip in 2005

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Which performance was more memorable? (Again, use your own definition of memorable.)

• Tiger's dominant victory as the youngest champion in 1997
• Jack's 6th Masters win, making him the oldest champion, in 1986

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Masters History: List of Masters Champions and Multiple Green Jacket Winners

One of my favorite parts about having this blog is that it challenges me to learn more about the history of the sports I write about. As you may remember (since it was only last month) I did a series of posts about the history of March Madness and the history of the major conference tournaments. It was great because it gave me not only the ability to educate our readers, but also to educate myself.

As the 2009 Masters prepares to tee off on Thursday, I now have the opportunity to do the same thing for the Greatest Spectacle in Golf. And golf, much like baseball in many ways, is hard to fully appreciate without understanding the proper historical context for contemporary accomplishments.

(See also, our posts on the biggest final round comebacks in Masters history and the greatest moments in Masters history.)

Tiger Woods will tee off around 2:00 on Thursday, gunning to become Masters Champion and Green Jacket Wearer for the fifth time. Why is this so important? Because it would break the current tie between Woods and the great Arnold Palmer for second on the all-time list of Masters Champions. It would also move Tiger to within one of the incomparable Jack Nicklaus for most Green Jackets ever.

But pretty much every golf fan knows that.

What about Phil Mickelson? Where can he place himself on the all-time Masters champion list this weekend? How about Ben Crenshaw and Jose Maria Olazabal? That is the purpose of this post.

First, we will run down the all-time list of Masters Champions, all the way back to the first Masters in 1934. Then, we’ll take a look at the list of men of who have won multiple Green Jackets and how they stack up against each other.

This information above was taken from the official website for the Masters, where they provide a list of Masters champions that includes the 18-hold, 36-hole, 54-hole, and 72-hole totals for each champion. The above table is obviously just a snippet of that information.

Also provided at Masters.com is the list of multiple Masters champions, which looks like this:

• 6 – Jack Nicklaus: 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986
• 4 – Arnold Palmer: 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964
• 4 – Tiger Woods: 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005
• 3 – Jimmy Demaret: 1940, 1947, 1950
• 3 – Sam Snead: 1949, 1952, 1954
• 3 – Gary Player: 1961, 1974, 1978
• 3 – Nick Faldo: 1989, 1990, 1996
• 2 – Horton Smith: 1934, 1936
• 2 – Byron Nelson: 1937, 1942
• 2 – Ben Hogan: 1951, 1953
• 2 – Tom Watson: 1977, 1981
• 2 – Seve Ballesteros: 1980, 1983
• 2 – Bernhard Langer: 1985, 1993
• 2 – Ben Crenshaw: 1984, 1995
• 2 – Jose Maria Olazabal: 1994, 1999
• 2 – Phil Mickelson: 2004, 2006

And a few other interesting nuggets of Masters history:

• Only four players have been wire-to-wire champions: Craig Wood (1941), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Raymond Floyd (1976).
• Mark O’Meara set the record for the most number of attempts before winning his first Green Jacket in 1998: 15.
• Amazingly, Jack Nicklaus won his sixth Masters 28 years after his first Masters Tournament.
• The youngest Masters champion ever is, of course, Tiger Woods in 1997 when he was still only 21. Woods also shattered the course record that year in perhaps the greatest single 72-hole performance in golf history.
• The oldest Masters champion is Jack Nicklaus, who was 46 when he won Green Jacket #6 in 1986.
• The average age of a Masters champion is 32.57 years.

Looking at the list of past Masters champions, you cannot help but notice the amazing stretch from 1960-1966 when only three players donned Green Jackets: Jack Nicklaus (3), Arnold Palmer (3), Gary Player (1). That must have been an amazing time to be a golf fan — one that I am obviously not familiar with since it was about 20 years before I was even born. I would love to get the perspective of an older golf fan in the comments section as to what it was like to have those three (and especially Nicklaus and Palmer) pushing eachother to such great heights.

That has been the one thing conspicuously absent from Tiger’s dominance over the last 15 years: a legitimate rival. I know that Phil Mickelson has won two Masters in the last five years, but I don’t think anyone looks at Mickelson as being Arnold Palmer to Wood’s Nicklaus.

Perhaps as both move into the heart of their 30s, they can provide that kind of back-and-forth competitiveness and drama to eachother. We shall see. It certainly would be fun to see the two of them paired up together on Sunday, battling shot-for-shot for the 2009 Masters championship.

March Madness History: Women’s Basketball Championship List

I have spent the better part of the last two weeks trying to research and dispense as much information as possible about this year’s NCAA Tournament and conference tournaments, as well as the history of the NCAA Tournament, both on the men’s and women’s side.

Yesterday, I posted about the history of the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament MOP award, and a few days ago we looked at the history of every Final Four on the men’s side. (Links below for these posts.)

Today, we jump back over to women’s college basketball to take a brief glance at the history of their tournament.

Before we delve into the table and then discuss, here is your menu of links for our March Madness History series:

• 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown
• 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown
• NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament History: Past Champions, Final Four participants, Final Four locations by year, and interesting tournament tidbits
• NCAA Champions – Mens Basketball: All-time list of mens basketball NCAA Tournament champions, ordered from most won to least.
• NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament MOPs: All-Time List
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Tickets
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Tickets

Now, let’s take a look at the history of the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament, which began in 1982 and has seemed to grow in popularity with each year.

As you look at this list, one thing will become clear: Tennessee and UConn have dominated the women’s side of college basketball like no team on the men’s side since UCLA. Neither one has come close to UCLA’s standard of consistent domination and excellence in the 60s and 70s, but Tennessee and UConn are the undisputed #1 and #2 heavyweights of women’s college basketball.

And just so you don’t have to do it for yourself, here is a quick breakdown of women’s basketball championships by team from most to least:

• Tennessee – 8
• UConn -6
• Louisiana Tech, USC, Stanford – 2
• Old Dominion, Baylor, Maryland, Notre Dame, Texas, Texas Tech, North Carolina, Purdue – 1

Tennessee and UConn have combined for 14 NCAA women’s basketball championships since 1987. That is ridiculous. By comparison, the top combined total for any two men’s programs since 1987 is five. Duke has won three NCAA titles since 1987, while UConn, North Carolina, Kansas, and Kentucky have all won two.

For even more evidence of Tennessee’s dominance, consider the number of Final Fours they have reached: 18. That means that Tennessee has reached the Women’s Final Four 69% of the time. That is just a preposterous number, and proves the greatness of Pat Summit. Louisiana Tech has made 10 Final Fours, UConn has made 9, and Stanford has made 7.

According to the source for this article, the NCAA Women’s Basketball page on Wikipedia, a major breakthrough for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game occurred in 2003 when the championship game was moved to the Tuesday after the men’s title game. This makes the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship the last game of the college basketball season.

The growth of teams in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament has grown as follows:

• 1982-1985: 32 teams
• 1986-1988: 40 teams
• 1989-1993: 48 teams
• 1994-present: 64 teams

The women’s tournament has also gone through a variety of different seeding processes, most based on regional seeding to keep all teams as close to their home base as possible. Since 1996 though, the seeding process has become very similar to the men’s tournament.

I will be the first to admit that I do not follow women’s college basketball during the regular season. Between the end of football season, my passion for IU and Big Ten men’s basketball, and the beginning of Spring Training, there just is not enough time to follow women’s basketball too. But I do fill out brackets and watch the Women’s Basketball Tournament. And two rules of thumb that I will continue to follow this year: pick Tennessee or UConn to win, and pick Tennessee to make the Final Four.

By doing so, you definitely put the odds in your favor.

March Madness History: Mens and Womens Tournament MOPs

When I was a kid, I always thought the term MOP was curious. Perhaps it was because I was so used to the term MVP, and the NCAA Tournament was the only place I ever heard the term MOP, or Most Outstanding Player, used. It makes sense, I suppose; and “valuable” and “outstanding” are relatively interchangeable within the context of a 6-game tournament.

Still, there was always something about MOP that seemed less prestigious to me than MVP. Maybe it has something to do with the unavoidable mental connection to mops, the actual physical things used to clean floors, and of course terms like “mop-up duty” or “mop-up time”. I always associated those terms with the scrubs at the end of the bench getting to play — clearly a stark contrast from what MOP is meant to symbolize.

But it what it is — and I may be the only idiot to overanalyze this in such a way — and when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, the best player is named the Most Outstanding Player. And the history of the Most Outsanding Player Award is the subject of today’s March Madness history lesson.

Before we jump into the All-Time NCAA Tournament MOP table, with both the mens and womens award winners, a quick rundown of our other recent March Madness links, and even a couple of ticket resources if you are thinking of make the (wise) decision to attend some NCAA Tournament games this year.

• 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown
• 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown
• NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament History: Past Champions, Final Four participants, Final Four locations by year, and interesting tournament tidbits
• NCAA Champions – Mens Basketball: All-time list of mens basketball NCAA Tournament champions, ordered from most won to least.
• NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships: All-time list of womens basketball NCAA Tournament champions.
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Tickets
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Tickets

And now, here is the table that displays the all-time list of MOP winners for the mens and womens NCAA Tournament:

NCAA Basketball Tournament MOP Award Winners: Men and Women

A few interesting tidbits that I noticed while putting this list together:

• There have been 4 two-time winners of the Womens NCAA Tournament MOP Award since 1982. During that same time span, not one player on the mens side has won the award twice in a row. It did happen on the mens’ side back in the day, however, when guys like Bill Walton, Lew Alcindor, and Jerry Lucas took home multiple NCAA Tournament MOPs.
• 2004 was a hell of a year for UConn. The mens and womens teams took home the titles, with Emeka Okafor and Diani Taurasi both winning the MOP.
• Since 1982, only 14 different schools on the womens’ side have had MOP winners. In that same timespan, 20 different schools on the mens’ side have had MOP winners.
• Damn, Baylor just beat Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament.

March Madness History: All-time List of NCAA Champions – Mens Basketball

Now that we have exhausted all of the major conference tournaments (sorry Conference USA but you have one team, so you didn’t qualify) as a source of March Madness history, it is time to turn our attention to the NCAA Tournament in the first installment of what I have decided to call, in an impromptu burst of creativity, March Madness History.

This will be a fun series for me to research and write, however, because I can relive the glory days of Indiana basketball — that wonderful time when a 1-17 conference record would have been deemed a complete impossibility. As this year proved, however, even the most incomprehensible collapse of a once proud program is possible with the perfect storm of catastrophic player departures and recruiting scandals. All of us IU fans are clinging to the optimism that it was just a one year blip and that Tom Crean will have us back competitive again next year.

Because, you see, while the IU program took a big hit this season, the IU tradition is still alive and strong; and the reason for that is IU’s splendid history of NCAA Tournament excellence. No, Indiana has not been a great tournament team over the past 15 years (except for that awesome 2002 run), but between 1973 and 1993 there were few teams who could match IU in postseason success. The table below, which lists the schools with the most NCAA Mens Basketball Championships, is proof positive of this.

Let’s get to the table and then analyze a bit. First, a few relevant NCAA Tournament links (some of which have not been posted yet, but will be), especially if you are planning on attending any of the tournament games this year:

• 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown
• 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown
• NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament History: Past Champions, Final Four participants, Final Four locations by year, and interesting tournament tidbits
• NCAA Tournament All-Time MOPs: Mens and Womens Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player Winners
• NCAA Womens Basketball Tournament Champions
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Tickets
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Tickets

The following table provides an ordered list of NCAA Champions in mens college basketball from most to least. It includes the number of titles for each school that has won at least one, and the years in which those titles were captured. I actually included this table at the bottom of a previous post, but figured it deserved its own. Here you go:

Obviously, for me, the best part about this NCAA Champions table is the school in third place: Indiana. The Hoosiers have won as many titles as the rest of the Big 10 combined. The Big 10 needs to get a move on or it could get shut out this decade. Michigan State closed the 90s by winning the 1999-2000 championship, but it has been bupkus ever since for the conference.

North Carolina actually has a pretty good shot to tie the Hoosiers with their fifth championship if the Tar Heels can D up in the tournament. They certainly have the talent to win it all and will likely enter the 2009 NCAA Tournament as the #1 overall seed.

We know one thing: Kentucky won’t be adding to their total any time soon.

UCLA obviously has the most impressive historical resume of any school in the country — by a long shot. And the Bruins have reached three straight Final Fours, but have been unable to close the deal. It appears that UCLA is not good enough to make the Final Four this year, but stranger things have certainly happened. It still boggles my mind to look at their dominance in the 60s and early 70s. Just an amazing run, led by native Hoosier (but collegiate Boilermaker) John Wooden.

Kansas joined the rarified air of 3-time NCAA Champions with their title last year. UConn, Louisville, and Michigan State all have two, but could stretch that number to three in this year’s tournament. I think there is a good chance that San Francisco will be sitting on their two titles for a long, long time in the future…

Out of the NCAA Champions in the Top 6, Indiana is obviously the furthest away from claiming another title based on our performance this season. However, Hoosier fans can take solace in that fact that each of the five other schools has dealt with periods of turmoil and struggle to rebound and become national powers once again. If Indiana is to hang a sixth banner in Assembly Hall, it will have to follow a similar path.

Hopefully Tom Crean is leading us on a path to do just that.

Pac-10 Tournament Preview: Who cares? Oh yeah, President Obama does.

If you came to this page looking for picks and predictions for the 2009 NCAA Tournament, we’ve got you covered.

Follow the link to our 2009 NCAA Tournament Game-by-Game Picks all the way through the Final Four.

Or, you can view them by region:

• Midwest Region Breakdown and Predictions
• East Region Breakdown and Predictions
• South Region Breakdown and Predictions
• West Region Breakdown and Predictions

And if you actually came to this page to review our 2009 Pac 10 Tournament predictions, pardon the interruption and continue reading below.

Okay, I lied.

I said I was done with the college basketball conference tournament previews, but after doing five out of the six BCS conferences I had to add the last one.

So here we are, discussing the Pac-10 Tournament.

Before we get too far into this, a quick preview of the 2009 Pac-10 Mens Basketball Tournament:

• What: 12th Pac 10 Mens Basketball Tournament
• Dates: March 11 – March 14
• Tournament Site: Staples Center — Los Angeles, California
• Official Website: 2009 Pac-10 Tournament
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 Pac 10 Basketball Tournament Tickets
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

Is it just me or does the Pac-10 seem especially irrelevant this year? I am a die-hard Big Ten fan, and obviously the Big Ten has taken its fair share of flack in recent years — and deservedly so. But I can tell you right now that unless the matchups are just ridiculous, I doubt I will have an Pac-10 teams advancing past Round 2 in the NCAA Tournament.

And while that may have more to do with my lack of knowledge and exposure to the Pac-10 than it does with any in-depth analysis, it goes to prove my point that the Pac-10 has seemed especially under-exposed and irrelevant this season.

Take a look at the most recent college basketball rankings. Washington is the highest rated Pac-10 team at #16. Then UCLA and Arizona State check in at #’s 19 and 20. By way of contrast, the Big Ten has Michigan State, Purdue, and Illinois in the Top 25, at #8, #19, and #23 respectively. And while the differences are not huge, the Big Ten does at least have one team in the top 10.

But, the Big Ten does not have a team like UCLA that has been to three straight Final Fours. The Big Ten also does not have President Obama’s brother-in-law coaching one of its teams.

So maybe I am just biased and Midwest-centric and the Pac-10 isn’t that down this year. But what did you expect? This site isn’t called Pacific Coast Sports Fans. At least I’m trying to expand my horizons and learn more about the other conference tournaments going on this week.

For those interested, the schedule and bracket for the 2009 Pac 10 Tournament is below. If you are thinking about attending any of the games, here is a useful link to the StubHub page for Pac 10 Tournament tickets. You should be able to find as good a price there as anywhere:

2009 Pac 10 Basketball Tournament Tickets

(Note: Follow the link for a printable 2009 Pac 10 Mens Basketball Tournament Bracket.)

The Pac-10 Tournament is a lot like the Big 10 and Big 12 Tournaments in that there is not a lot of history. The Pac-10 actually started their conference tournament before the Big 10 and Big 12, back in 1987, but the first iteration only lasted four years because of poor attendance and coach opposition. It came back in 2002 and will be in place until at least 2012, with all future Pac-10 Tournaments scheduled at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Here is your breakdown of the past champions, tournament MVPs, and tourney sites:

(Note: Follow the link for more background on the Pac-10 Tournament)

And with that, our week-long look at the major conference postseason mens basketball tournaments is complete. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this impromptu series of posts and have learned a little something about these March Madness appetizers that we will treated to this week.

The conference tournaments always play a huge hand in shaking up the final Field of 64 brackets, and always seems to provide ample drama and excitement. I how I can’t wait for them to kick off and build the momentum for Selection Sunday.