Brandon Crawford, the Bay Area native who is in the most famous photo of the “last game at Candlestick Park” in 1992 as a sad 5-year old when the Giants almost moved to Tampa and dreamed of nothing but playing in that uniform, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals instead of finishing out his career with the Giants. Of course, on the Giants he’d be a backup shortstop helping a youngster who might have the job for years to come with the occasional spot-start. So instead he signed with the Cards. Where he’s going to be a backup shortstop helping a youngster who might have the job for years to come with the occasional spot-start. Somebody’s missing the forest for the trees…
Wednesday night is the last scheduled time the most-ever played men’s basketball rivalry will be played. It’s not Duke-Carolina, it’s not Kentucky-Louisville, it’s the matchup that used to be called the Civil War, Oregon and Oregon State. This will be game number 364, while Duke-Carolina is more than 100 behind at 260. Why are the Ducks and Beavs so far ahead? Well, I’m glad you asked. For decades the Ducks and Beavs played three games a year just to goose attendance as much as possible, and then when conferences began to really be a thing in the mid-50’s, the most prominent in-season college basketball tournament was not the Maui Invitational in Hawaii, it was the Far West Classic in Portland, hosted by the Beavs with the Ducks assisting. They met up in those tournaments more times than they didn’t, so that’s 35+ extra games right there. For what is probably the best history of the Far West Classic, I wrote it up on this newsletter’s predecessor…
Famed NFL writer Peter King announced his retirement this week from his epic 10-thousand word Monday Morning Quarterback column, which has appeared on the internet in some form or another for more than two decades. I was surprised at the announcement, because I assumed MMQB went the way of the carrier pigeon a long time ago and hadn’t read him in years. It may be coincidental, but the recent complete gutting of Sports Illustrated, where King made his national name, and his retirement are very much connected in my mind…
I know he’ll still have the goods when he starts up again somewhere. For proof, just check out the still-golden-voiced play-by-play man Gary Thorne, long gone from his national days on ESPN or regionally for the Orioles, but still calling his grandson’s high school hockey games and sounding as good as ever…
It’s more fun performing without the pressure on you, anyway. On the Cardinals Brandon Crawford’s just a veteran backup shortstop. On the Giants it’s CRAWFORD WATCH every day. The minute Marco Luciano or whoever the young shortstop is makes an error it’s PUT IN CRAWFORD and the minute Crawford makes an error or looks awful at the plate it’s CUT CRAWFORD and frankly the drama would be stupid and in St. Louis nobody cares…
As Iowa’s Caitlin Clark obliterates collegiate all-time scoring record after collegiate all-time scoring record, as a Kansas alum I’m very glad for the recognition that Lynette Woodard is getting. Woodard, as most people have pointed out, played in that curious time after Title IX was passed but before the NCAA took over regulation of women’s collegiate sports. She’s scored more points than Clark, for now, but Clark is seen as the official record-holder already (and Clark will pass Woodard very soon anyway). That there are plenty of people saying “hey, you should honor Lynette Woodard too” is in it’s own way honoring Lynette Woodard outside of Lawrence, where her number is hanging inside Allen Fieldhouse as it has for decades…
It's almost March. The Bracketologists are still saying that Gonzaga is going to be one of the last teams to make the to make the NCAA tournament, which makes no sense. At this point they’re a legacy team and even a marginal-for-them team will get in over a bunch of lesser squads. And now they’re ranked 23rd in the AP Poll but yet Joe Lunardi and lots of other Bracketologists still have them as an 11-seed and the “last team in.” Are there 22 better teams than the Zags or 63? Something here does not compute!
Would I rather Crawford have only played his entire career in orange and black? Of course. But the way he’s looked the last year, he may not make the big club with St. Louis at all and this is all moot…
I grew up in Portland and Beaverton in the 50s and early 60s and remember the Far West Classic. I look forward to reading your definitive history.
Well, I’m glad you asked. That sounds like a wonderful name for a regular column!
Rivalries are giving way to attractive made foe TV matches. Goose the ratings with high level teams. Rivalries almost seem, sadly, nostalgic.
I, too, look forward ro readng about the Far West Classic.