Peter Press Maravich: The man, the myth, the legend

Born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Peter Maravich was a stud (check out the video). I would bet my life savings the average fan couldn't tell you his middle name was Press (terrible middle name) but I guarantee they could tell you he was the "Pistol" (awesome nickname). Maravich played in a simpler time, before there were three pointers, ESPN and blogs (but keep reading, I promise this is worth it).

The Pistol was named because he literally fired from his hip. Maravich is the all-time leader in NCAA history for points with 3667, but he only played three years because freshman couldn't play varsity when he entered school.

Currently the top scorer in Division 1 is Stephon Curry who is averaging 28.7 points per game (playing the Southern Conference Curry is a man among boys). This is a very impressive number but compared to the "Pistol", it's pathetic. Maravich averaged over 44 a game. He didn't score over 44 now and then, he AVERAGED it for three years. Keep in mind there were no three pointers.

After the Pistol's college days were over, former LSU coach Dale Brown (led his teams to the final four in 81 and 86) decided to go back and chart every shot Maravich ever took. His results were astounding. The Pistol made 13 three's per game (this is honestly the most impressive of all his stats, imagine someone scoring 39 a game from behind the arc). Had the line existed Pistol would have average 57 per game. Even without the line he scored over 50 on 28 different occasions with a career high of 69 (which translates to 82 if he made his usual 13 bombs).

Maravich played at LSU for his Dad who taught his son from a young age. Maravich was obsessed and would practice by himself for hours in the driveway while being required to make 100 free throws before he could go to bed (he was 7). All of his work paid off in his first freshman game in college when he scored 50 points, had 14 rebounds and 11 assists.

Other guys in the history of basketball could score. Wilt Chamberlain comes to mind. But Wilt was a giant, six inches taller than the competition. Pistol was only 6'5" and is still the most prolific scorer in college history (before three point lines and a shot clock which adds possessions). I am too young to have ever seen the Pistol play except on old VHS tapes. Most of us are. Maravich died at the age of 40 in 1988 from a congenial heart defect no one knew he had, but is still remembered as one of the greatest college players ever.

Next time you sit down to watch a college basketball game and are in awe of a 30 point performance, remember the Pistol. He averaged 44, for three years, with no three point line. He was a superstar scorer who did everything else. Today I remember the Pistol.

Random Thoughts...

...If you are a high profile athlete and like hitting the bong, don't let people take pictures of you doing so. This is basic Facebook knowledge. The average idiot knows not to put that picture of himself doing a beer bong while tea-bagging his friend on Facebook; so why can't athletes understand this concept? (Juice)

...Gas prices keep going up. The price of oil keeps going down. How is this not addressed daily in the media, but there are 40 articles on Michael Phelps being a stoner? (The Kicker)

...Nothing should ever start before 10 am. This includes, but is not limited to, both work and school. 8 am is just too damn early. Morning people do not exist. Anybody who acts perky in the morning deserves to be punched in the face. Just stop. Seriously. You're annoying. (Juice)

...February is without a doubt the worst month of the year. There are no real holidays, it is still cold outside, and there are no sporting events worth watching after the Super Bowl. (Juice)

...The best thing about the internet is that you can look at any team's roster and find guys you thought were out of the league and look at how little they play. Thank you Al Gore for inventing the internet. (The Kicker)

...If there are two athletes that have the same name (i.e. Adrian Peterson (Vikings) and Adrian Peterson (Bears)) the less talented of the two should be forced to change his name. It would just be easier for everybody. (Juice)

...Sports books are amazing. There is so many of them that it is hard to keep up with the "best" ones, but I just read one called Minnesota Basketball and it was awesome. (The Kicker)

...I found out today that people from England can’t give blood in the U.S. Why you ask? Because they had mad cow disease six years ago. I believe mad cow existed in the States...so no one can give blood? (The Kicker)

...Espn.com had a poll asking how many years you would want your favorite team to sign Manny Ramirez for. The majority of people said they don't want Manny Ramirez on their team. Really? You couldn't hypothetically use the 35 home runs and 100 rbi? Seriously? I mean, my god, the Red Sox must have the best propaganda machine since the Nazis. (Juice)

...ESPN had another poll asking if you have ever passed up sex to watch a game. How would that play out? "Hey hunny, if you don't watch the game today I will sleep with you." With the response of "Yeah, sounds great, let me just turn off the triple overtime Super bowl and I'll meet you in the bedroom." Like honestly, that doesn't happen. You couldn't possibly watch most of the game and have sex because all sexual things last the same length as whatever game is on? ESPN, you disappoint me. (The Kicker)

Fightless Hockey? Why?

In my random online perusing I came across an article titled "NHLPA to Mull Restrictions on Fighting in Hockey." Now, I am by no means a hockey fan, but why take away the one thing that the casual fan enjoys?

At this point, hockey is no longer a major sport. It just isn't. It has a small, devoted base of cult followers (also known as Canadians) with a few casual fans sprinkled in.

Basically there are only three interesting things about the NHL:

1. The Stanely Cup. Not the games, but trophy itself. It's a cool looking trophy.

2. Alexander Ovechkin's ridiculous goal a couple years ago. That was surprisingly entertaining.

3. Fighting.

Now, a lot of hockey purist will probably say "well if you want to see a fight watch boxing or the UFC." This is completely different though. I don't want to see a staged fight. I want to see two grown men get pissed off and fight over something mundane. It's like watching a bar fight. Who doesn't love a good bar fight?

The problem with outlawing fighting in the NHL is this will alienate the casual fan. The casual fan doesn't like hockey. The casual fan likes the violence of someone getting checked against the boards--or preferably through the glass--and the retaliation afterwards.

Unless the powers that be have decided "screw it, the mass appeal ship has sailed, lets focus on our fan base," outlawing fighting is not the right choice.

And maybe focusing on the small fan base is the way to go. It's obvious that the NHL needs a marketing change. Maybe the best thing would be to fold every franchise in the south, and make the league a battle of the U.S. versus Canada. Everybody loves to root for their country, even when it comes to hockey.

This would generate more mass appeal, and even allow them to outlaw fighting, if they so choose. They would no longer need the fights to attract the casual fan.

The fact is the NHL needs a major overhaul, not a minor tweaking. Restricting fighting is just not the place to start.

-Juice

Living Up To The Hype

"He has better vision than Magic; and he is quicker."

"He competes as hard as and is as athletic as Kobe."

"He is the next Jordan."

LeBron James has lived up to the hype. I am not calling him the next Jordan--that title will forever belong to Harold "baby Jordan" Miner (former Miami Heat "star"). I am, however, saying LeBron has lived up to the billing. He cannot be stopped.

LeBron James is 6'8" and weighs 250lbs, but plays like a point guard. He has the ability to run the floor, defend the perimeter and the post. Not to mention he is a pure scorer. LeBron has taken over the NBA. And he is only 24.

He can score at will, defend the best players in the league and no one wants to try and defend him. He scores 30 a game and still is improving. He can develop a better outside game and, if he ever gets a supporting cast like Jordan or Kobe, he will be even better. Coming out of high school I never thought it was possible. The kid would stumble. He would fall. He would mess up. He hasn't. LeBron hasn't punched a teammate, had a picture taken of him getting stoned (Michael Phelps won 7 olympic golds stoned...?) and he hasn't been a bad teammate. No one knocks LeBron.

As far as I know, LeBron has few enemies. He doesn't have a posse like Pacman, a rap sheet like Pacman, a hate for dogs like Pacman (I assume he hates dogs) and he doesn't have an obsession with guns, drugs or strip clubs like Pacman. What I do know, is that a kid from Ohio was blessed with all the ability in the world, and he has worked to become the best player in the world. But while working he has become a stand up citizen, a terrific teammate and a blessing to a league that was in need of a true superstar. So to LeBron I say "you lived up to the hype, you didn't let us down, now do it for 10 more years."

-The Kicker

The Man-Ram Economy

I'm sure everyone has had enough of "recession talk." Honestly, at this point, if somebody told me there was a radio show or podcast called "Recession Talk," I wouldn't be surprised; which speaks for itself in the “topics that have been beaten into the ground” category.

It is interesting, though, how the economy has affected the sports world. So bear with me, and I promise I won’t ever talk about the economy again. Maybe.

Take a look at the MLB offseason, for example. Some of the free agents left on the market include Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu, and Ben Sheets; big name players that would get equally big contracts most years.

In this market, however, everything is uncertain, and teams are just not offering the long term, big money deals. It’s just not good business. Because of this, most players would be wise to take a one year contract, and re-enter the free agent market next year. You know, once President Obama's magic spells have fixed the economy.

Many players, such as Manny, are still intent on signing the big contract, however. (To be fair, Man-Ram probably doesn’t know who Obama is, or what the word recession means.)

The problem is most teams are just not willing to give out long term deals to questionable (be it for age, health, or attitude) players right now.

Now, granted, most people would say this is a good thing. And it probably is. Not because the players don’t deserve the money they make, necessarily, but because it spreads out the talent.

For example the Nationals will be more likely to take a chance on a short term deal. They have some payroll flexibility, and are more likely to take a risk than teams that have been burned in the past. And lets be honest, it’s about time the Nationals best player is someone other than a guy nicknamed “Da Meat Hook.”

Simply put, it is just much easier for a team to commit to a player for one year, rather than three or four. That’s not to say teams can throw around absurdly large one year contracts, but a short term deal is much easier to handle.

And, sure, the big names like Mark Teixeira and C.C Sabathia still received the big contracts from the Yankees, but the Yankees don’t think like other teams. Long term financial ramifications don’t factor into their planning. Although, we’ll see how well that works out when they are trying to sell their $2,500 tickets to former Lehman Brothers employees…

Really, though, MLB attendance figures will be the most interesting thing to see.

There are far more seats in a baseball stadium than an NBA or NHL arena, making it hard to compare the attendance figures. Football stadiums are comparable in size to that of baseball, but there are ten times as many games in a baseball season than a football season. This makes it a lot easier to splurge one time a year on football tickets, rather than five times a summer on baseball tickets. Especially in markets that are really floundering, like Detroit. Luckily for them, with the Lions, there is no reason to bother splurging on football tickets, so they can just forget about sports for a year.

Seriously, though, when taking a look at how ever plummeting bank accounts are affecting the sports landscape, baseball is the best barometer. If, come July, there are only 10,000 fans at given game, we’ll know for sure that fans really are cutting back. We’ll find out for sure whether sports are “recession proof.”

-Juice

Kicker's Corner

I really do struggle with titles but the idea of this post is to tell a story. Not necessarily a sports story, but a story in general. It might become a weekly thing, but I might forget about it twenty minutes after I post...but either way, here we go.

So I am sitting in class today and my mind starts to wander onto the subject of how much pro athletes make. (This article isn't stupid like the other ones on this topic, as I will not complain about their fortunes). OK, clearly pro athletes make a ton of money. According to Sports Illustrated (all figures include endorsements) the highest paid athlete is Tiger Woods at $127 million dollars. The highest paid athlete on a team sport is LeBron James at just over $40 million.

Now, I would love to make $100,000 a year someday. That would be a lot of money to me. That is nothing to pro athletes.

But what can I do better than anyone in the world? I can chug a can of Coke without stopping (is that impressive or sad?). I once won 124-3 in college football 95 for Sega when I was the number 2 team playing against number 1...if you're Colorado you can call a timeout and then a hail mary and run for at least 40 yards every time with Kordell "Slash" Stewart (does that warrant $30 million a year?). As you can see, I am pretty average...or weird. But my point is, these people are the best in the world at what they do.

No one complains that Warren Buffet makes too much on his investments, Bill Gates makes too much by being smart or that Will Smith makes too much for being in movies. So why complain about pro athletes? Tiger and LeBron are the BEST in the world at what they do. Tiger might be the best ever (I think he is) and he is getting paid accordingly. I am sorry if no one pays you millions of dollars to be the best Target manager, carpenter, teacher or truck driver in the world. If you are that person, awesome. I am proud of you.

Finally, these athletes make money because they entertain and bring in money. Will I ever bring in $25 million a year to my company? Absolutely. (Well, maybe not...) But LeBron does, Tiger does and so do plenty of other athletes. You pay to see LeBron. Everyone does. People love Tiger Woods. If we are willing to pay to see them, they deserve a cut (this is my issue with college athletes not getting a stipend or ANYTHING when schools and networks are making millions upon millions off of them...)

So next time you are complaining about how much people are making for playing a "game" realize they are the best in the world. Yes, even you Oklahoma City Thunder players. (Really? Thunder? are they in sixth grade?)

-The Kicker

Super Shocker

Remember in Angels in the Outfield how we learned God can’t help decide championships? Well the Cardinals put all their eggs in the God basket. When, as Christopher Lloyd so aptly pointed out, championships have to be won on their own. This is why they lost. Of course, if Cardinals fans had simultaneously performed an awkward angel arm-waving motion, that might have helped too.

Seriously, though, the Super Bowl was actually entertaining. How bout that? Always fun to choke on your own words...

Quite frankly I'm very pleased the game proved me wrong. I didn't expect it, but I hoped for a good game. As far as fourth quarters go, you’ll be hard pressed to find one more interesting; although, I’m not going to toot the “best Super Bowl ever” horn quite yet.

We should have known we were in for a good fourth quarter, though. I mean, after the awful batch of commercials, and three quarters of garbage football, we had to get some entertainment out of the night.

Through three quarters it appeared the game would, in fact, be a dud. The highlights to that point were seeing James Harrison possibly unconscious after sprinting 100 yards, watching a koala bear get punched in the face, and constant “penetration” jokes spurred by John Madden’s lack of a vocabulary. Needless to say, things were looking grim.

By this point, the Cardinal’s bandwagon was officially empty.

The fourth quarter, however, changed everything. It gave us everything we could hope for as a sports fan: a thrilling comeback by the underdog, several big plays, and a last minute drive to win the game. I will say, though, I feel a little cheated we didn't get the last ditch Hail Mary from the Cardinals. I mean you have to at least take a second look at Warner’s fumble, right?

As someone that had no vested interest in either team, the fourth quarter turned out about as well as possible. Even if the Steelers were unable to score on their final drive, the ending would have made up for the rest of the game. Fitzgerald’s two touchdown catches will mostly be forgotten now, but those two plays were amazing at the time.

The Cardinals comeback was more than anyone could have asked for. And, after spending two weeks berating the two teams and spouting off how about how boring this Super Bowl would be, I must hang my head in shame.

The only thing missing was a stadium full of awkward angel arm waving.

-Juice