Recent content by sport historian

Manny Fernandez was one of the Dolphins on the NFL Network's 1972 America's Game episode. He said the Dolphins were interested in him because of Miami's Cuban population, but said, "I don't speak a word of Spanish." Fernandez is very articulate. When the 1972 Dolphins were invited to the White...

When Walter Payton contracted his fatal illness, Matt Suhey helped him. Payton said, "We're doing Brian's Song over again. This time the brother dies." On the ESPN channels, the 30-30 series is on usually early in the day to fill time. They often have the one on the 1985 Bears.

Something like this happened in a Patriots-Chargers game (a playoff game I think) several years ago. The Patriots were fourth and long late in the game and a pass went right to a Chargers DB. All he had to do was knock the pass down and the ball would be turned over. Instead, he intercepted it...

We can do without a derogatory term which has been used for over a century to mean a hapless loser.

Funny thing. Shoeless Joe Jackson is more remembered and talked about today due to the Black Sox gambling scandal than he would have been if they had won the 1919 World Series honestly.

The enormous goodwill shown to blacks is not returned one iota. A grand slam and a spectacular Touchdown by Donald Jeffries. There may be a plea bargain in which the killer will probably get eight years or so, 10 at most.

Trump has also been raving about a third term while claiming he hadn't thought much about it! A friend of mine says Trump acts like a big baby. Instead of doing popular things, which got him elected again, he may trigger a world-wide depression. Phrases like "patience" and "give it time" are...

Austin Metcalf's father made a big thing of "forgiving" his son's killer. This will probably be plea-bargained with the perp getting out after 7-8 years.

Bigunreal, Glad to hear from you. I've missed you. You claimed every game was choreographed and fixed. Peyton Manning was throwing playoff games.

I can't tell you how many times I would read in my younger days, "The Heavyweight Champion is the symbol of physical supremacy." This was stressed about Johnson, Louis, and Ali. Funny thing, when White fighters started dominating the heavyweight division, this trope was never heard again.

It would be nice if Trump controlled the border and took care of the economy but he goes wild about tariffs and picks fights everywhere. Trump being Trump. Saying and doing stupid things.

I was a regular reader of Sports Illustrated in 1967, not a subscriber but I read library copies every week. It was the fall of 1968 when blacks started appearing in TV commercials. Nowadays they are featured in almost every commercial. Their numbers significantly increased that year in episodes...

Pete Rose will go into the Hall of Fame posthumously, which is appropriate. I told previously why betting on your own team is not harmless. Rose will have a HOF plaque with an asterisk.

It looks like Tomlin is going to coach the Steelers as long as George Halas coached the Bears.

Doing something spectacular in a Super Bowl, as Cooper Dejean did, has always been a way to become famous. I'm glad he scored the TD standing up.