Category — Blasts From The Past

Laker fans won’t consider it a blast from the past, but…
I still remember it like yesterday. The Rockets, with Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon, pulled off a stunning upset of the defending champion Lakers in the 1986 Western Conference Finals. Houston clinched the series in 5 games, winning the final one at the Forum in L.A. Did we mention the time we saw ZZ Top at the Forum?
So many elements were spinning in the basketball orbit that forgettable night for Laker fans in L.A. Jon Weinbach puts them all back together in a wonderful read.
Free Darko

Well the 49ers can always count on the Raiders for something. On Sunday, Mike Singletary and his club got their 1st victory at the mercy of the stinking R-A-I-D-E-R-S. And who said this season would be better than the past ones in Oakland?
Some folks probably remember Roger Craig as a backup to Heisman winner Mike Rozier at Nebraska. And a whole lot of folks won’t remember that. But Craig was a major talent too in the NFL, playing 11 seasons and making the playoffs in all of them. He got 3 rings with the Joe Montana-led 49ers and was a huge asset in the offense.
L.A. Times

Archibald is the only player to lead the NBA in scoring and assists in the same season. Image that boys and girls.
Archibald is 62 and preaching education to anyone who will listen. He speaks to students about the value of it though many of them want to know how to jump to the NBA from high school.
FanHouse.com

Writer Danny O’Neil searched in vain for Brian Bosworth, but he failed to find him. My how times have changed. It used to be Bosworth was everywhere.
Despite it, O’Neil writes a lengthy piece and rehashes how Bosworth created one of the more popular sports personas in the ’80s, then it started to crumble when Bo Jackson ran through him on an unforgettable touchdown run on Monday Night Football in 1987. Less than 3 years later, Bosworth would be out of the NFL.
O’Neil writes an excellent piece, but allow me to expand on some of it. For starters, O’Neil mentions many of the legal problems Bosworth has incurred recently, but he misses the DUI Bosworth got in L.A. in March 2009, when he got popped riding his Harley down Hollywood Boulevard.
There also is a classic story about Bosworth, who was then an All-American at OU, admitting to Sports Illustrated about his negligent work habits during his employment at the now-closed General Motors plant in Oklahoma City. People would have killed for those jobs, so you wonder how he got one. Right, right.
And of course he had a Corvette to boot.
No wonder Barry Switzer said here’s your hat when Bosworth decided to leave OU early. The list of transgressions were even more than the normally laid-back Switzer could tolerate. And there would be more idiots with similar and worst behavior at OU that would eventually lead to Switzer’s demise as coach.
But don’t mind me. I just couldn’t resist throwing in my 2 cents. It’s the copy editor in me and someone who enjoys retelling Sooner stories, especially the ones about the more colorful characters.
Regardless, O’Neil writes an outstanding piece even without Bosworth cooperating.
Seattle Times

Imagine the stories those 2 could tell.
I can still hear Whitey Herzog holding court in the cafeteria just off the press box at the Big A. “(Chuck) Finley ain’t going to win 20, (Mark) Langston ain’t going to win 20, your wife ain’t going to win 20,” Herzog told Gene Autry, the legendary owner of the Angels, one night about 20 years ago.
You could have fried bacon and eggs on the head of the simmering Jackie Autry, but the Cowboy just laughed and laughed as Herzog continued his standup routine. I laughed too. Though I tried to hold it, Herzog overheard me and looked over with a grin. “Like that young fella?”
On Sunday, Herzog will be inducted to the Hall of Fame. What took so long is beyond us, but even today, Herzog is still remembered as one of the best managers ever.
Post-Dispatch

I was there and it remains one of those sports moments frozen in my mind. Just freaking awesome.
Anaheim. ’89 All-Star Game. Bo Jackson is the lead-off hitter for the AL. I’m standing in Aisle 10 (with no ticket of course) on the Terrace Level chatting with friends and bragging how I slipped in free, sucking a cold one and keeping an eye on Bo. Bo was one of those rare athletes you never took your eye off for long because you knew he could do something special in the blink of an eye. On this day, he cranked one of the most memorable home runs in All-Star history.
When he launched it, everything stopped. Mouths dropped.
Two things struck me: One was watching the height of the home run because it carried as high in the air as the distance it traveled to straight-away center. The second thing was the buzz of the crowd in Angel Stadium after it happened. And the buzz continued for a good inning or so.
If you were there, you knew you had just seen something incredibly special. But that was Bo. Special delivery.
O.C. Register

Remember him? He became the light-heavyweight champion of the world by knocking out Marvin Johnson in 1979 before Dwight Braxton (who also converted to Islam and became Dwight Muhammad Qawi) took his title 2 years later.
Saad Muhammad is homeless now in Philly. It’s another sad tale of leeches taking advantage of a boxer during his heyday, whe he has money to burn, only to wind up broke and no where to go after his career.
Philly.com

He took Wimbledon by storm 25 years ago, when at 17, he won his 1st title at the tournament. He would went 2 more at Wimbledon and earn a page in the tourney’s storied history. But nothing was better than stunning the field and winning the title in 1985
N.Y. Times

One of the most memorable championships of the 15 the Lakers have won came in 1985, when for the first time in franchise history they beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. They also beat the Celtics for the title in 1987, but none was sweeter than the ’85 victory. Making it much more sweeter for L.A. fans was the Lakers winning the title on Boston’s famed parquet floor in the old Garden. Eight Hall of Famers played in the series and 2 more (Pat Riley and K.C. Jones) served as coaches.
O.C. Register

In the ’80s and ’90s, the former Arkansas coach was one of the best in college basketball. He led the Razorbacks to a national championship in ’94 and to the title game in ’95, when they were beaten by UCLA. Only once during the decade did Richardson’s teams fail to reach the Tournament. Three times the Razorbacks advanced to the Final 4.
It wasn’t like Richardson had great players either. Joe Johnson and journeyman Carlton Williamson are the only 2 to have any impact in the NBA.
But the nasty fallout in 2002 between Richardson, a member of the college basketball Hall of Fame, and then Arkansas AD Frank Broyles cost Richardson more than his job. Only 2 schools approached him after that, Richardson says, and neither were major powers.
He was blackballed. Blackballed for speaking out on issues regarding race and the NCAA double standards. But that’s just one of the double standards African American coaches put up with in college sports. Even Richardson, who compiled a 508-206 mark during his college career.
Richardson though surfaced this season as head coach of the Tulsa Shock of the WNBA. And it’s more than a coincidence that it was Richardson who gave Marion Jones a second chance.
Yahoo Sports