Oklahoma City Thunder: Not everyone follows Presti’s lead
There is a general belief that all rebuilding teams in the NBA should use the Thunder’s blueprint. Build through the draft, shed big-money contracts of mediocre veterans, create cap space that can make trades much more advantageous. And of course, hope you get lucky in the lottery.
Some franchises talk about it. But it’s not so easy to do it. The Minnesota Timberwolves, for example.
The T-Wolves have struggled mightily since trading Kevin Garnett to Boston five years ago. But finally, optimism has returned to Minnesota. Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, rookies Derrick Williams and Ricky Rubio. The Timberwolves appear to have a future, and the present isn’t so bad. A fun, entertaining team that probably won’t finish .500 but won’t be far off.
But management still matters, even after you’ve stumbled into some ballplayers.
Take Kevin Love’s contract negotiations. The power forward, in the same draft class as his UCLA roommate, Russell Westbrook, was eligible for a contract extension but had to be signed by Wednesday, else he and the team would have to wait until the summer. Derrick Rose and Westbrook, the other plums in that 2008 draft, already had signed five-year extensions.
Love asked for the same. Let me repeat. One of the NBA’s best players, a power forward who puts up video-game type numbers, told the woebegone franchise in Minneapolis that he would commit for a full five years. And the ‘Wolves said no. The Wolves said, how about four?
The biggest problem in the NBA over the last couple of years is superstars wanting to migrate to 1) rosters decked with other superstars; 2) exotic locales (LA, Miami, New York); 3) or both. And Kevin Love, an elite NBA player, says he will do exactly what his old pal Westbrook did, sign for the maximum length of contract, with a franchise in a cold-weather city, far from the lights of Broadway, even though the Timberwolves aren’t contenders and are in the dream-and-hope mode as we speak.
Shouldn’t the Timberwolf brass sprint to Love’s side? Shouldn’t they hold his hand while he signs? Shouldn’t they get down on their knees and thank the good Lord to be so blessed to have a player willing to commit to a dream?
You’d think. Instead, Minnesota wanted just a four-year deal. Didn’t want to commit to a fifth year, apparently because it worried about signing Williams and Rubio in four years.
Love said fine. But the four-year contract will include an opt-out clause after three years. So Love really is committed to Minnesota only until summer 2015. Two full years before Westbrook’s deal in OKC runs out.
I wonder if the Timberwolves realize that if Love bolts in 2015, signing Williams and Rubio will be a massive problem? Wonder if the Timberwolves realize that they’ve shrunk their window of opportunity?
Sure, a five-year deal at $15 or $16 million is a lot of money. But that’s the going rate in the NBA. Revenue sharing figures to help franchises like Oklahoma City and Minnesota. The Thunder swallowed hard and made the commitment to remain a contender. The T-Wolves hedged their bet that they could get there.
Sometimes, knowing what to do isn’t all of the puzzle. Sometimes, you have to go ahead and do it.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Oklahoma football: Tim Kish’s Northwestern time impressive
Tim Kish is the new linebacker coach at OU, and our man Travis Haney conducted an interesting interview with Kish for the Friday Oklahoman. You can read it here.
I haven’t met Kish yet, but I’m looking forward to it. And there’s one thing on his resume’ that jumps out above all the rest. Not his Ohio upbringing. Not his eight years on the staff at Army, even though West Point must be a fascinating place to work. Not his eight years on Mike Stoops’ Arizona staff. Interesting items all.
But not as interesting as Kish’s five years at Northwestern. From 1992 through 1996, Kish was on Gary Barnett’s staff. Which means Kish was part of the greatest single-season coaching job in college football history.
For a career, for a job done over several years, I’ll take Bill Snyder and Kansas State. But for one season, for a staff that made players believe when there was no reason to believe, and to be in position to compete when the physical barriers were mighty, I’ll put Northwestern’s 1995 coaches against any ever.
Between 1971 and 1995, Northwestern had 23 straight losing seasons. The Wildcats won 47 games in those 23 years, which means an average of two per year. They won 32 Big Ten games in those 23 years. Their overall record was 47-205-4. Northwestern was the Big Ten punching bag.
Then came 1995. On opening day, Sept. 2, Northwestern played at Notre Dame. And pulled off a 17-15 upset on national television. Northwestern became a national story — and promptly lost 30-28 at home the next game, to Miami-Ohio. At that point, it was time for Northwestern to retreat to its losing ways. To go back in the shadows and let college football’s big boys have the stage.
Except Barnett and his staff didn’t let it happen. Northwestern routed Air Force 30-6 and Indiana 31-7 the next two weeks. Then Northwestern went to Michigan and won 19-13 in the Big House. At that point, everyone knew Northwestern was for real.
And the magic didn’t wane. Minnesota fell 27-17. Wisconsin was waxed 35-0. Northwestern survived arch-rival Illinois 17-14. Penn State came to Evanston, Ill., and lost 21-10. Iowa followed and did the same, 31-20. On Nov. 18, Northwestern capped an unbeaten Big Ten record with a 23-8 victory at Purdue, and the Wildcats were Rose Bowl bound.
On New Year’s Day, Northwestern’s amazing run ended. Southern Cal beat Northwestern 41-32 in the Rose Bowl. But what a season. From nowhere to Pasadena. From Big Ten doormat to Big Ten champ. All within one solitary season. A program that had won 19 games total the previous eight seasons won 10 alone in 1995.
Kish coached outside linebackers for that Northwestern team. Ron Vanderlinden, who went on to become head coach at Maryland (and hired Mike Gundy), was defensive coordinator. Receivers coach Gregg Brandon went on to become head coach at Bowling Green. Running backs coach Jeff Genyk went on to become head coach at Eastern Michigan. Barnett went on to become head coach at Colorado, where he won four Big 12 North Division titles in a five-year span (2001-05).
Northwestern 1995 was a masterful coaching job. That Northwestern team had some talent; Barnett had upgraded recruiting, no doubt. But Northwestern did not have Michigan- and Ohio State- and Penn State-tyle talent. Those coaches got those players to believe in a system and to believe in a dream and to believe in themselves.
Tim Kish was a part of that.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Big 12: Don’t blame Missouri for scheduling dilemma
Big 12 Conference Interim Commissioner Chuck Neinas speaks during a press conference to announce West Virginia's entrance into the conference Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/David Smith)
Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas told the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette on Wednesday that he expects West Virginia to be in the Big 12 this summer and expects to release the 2012 Big 12 football schedule by Feb. 1. Which is Wednesday. Neinas said all kinds of interesting things, which you can read here.
Neinas also said the scheduling dilemma — with the Big 12 needing West Virginia to immediately fill the void left by Missouri’s departure to the Southeastern Conference — can be blamed on Missouri.
“The one thing that gets lost is we’re in this predicament because the SEC invited Missouri,” Neinas said. “But the SEC was willing to play with 13 (rather than 14) next season. We made an offer to Missouri that was financially beneficial to stay for another year. Missouri made the decision not to accept.”
Uh, can the pot stop calling the kettle black and gold? Missouri is not doing anything other than looking out for itself, which is what every other entity has done. Missouri wants to get in its new league as soon as possible. The same way Nebraska and Colorado did, and the same way A&M did, and the same way West Virginia wants to. Lame-duck status doesn’t help anything. And the Big 12 can’t very well rip Missouri for leaving the conference in a bind, when the Big 12 is attempting to do the exact same thing to the Big East.
No one has the high ground here. Everyone is fighting for their own skin. Frankly, that’s what college sports are all about. The quicker we accept that, the better off we’ll all be.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Thunder: Remembering the Hornets
The Hornets were in town Wednesday to play the Thunder, and for the Thursday Oklahoman, I wrote about the massive makeover of the franchise that we once called ours. No player or coach or even owner left from the Oklahoma City days, even though it’s been less than five years since the Hornets left. You can read about it here.
But I got a little melancholy Wednesday and decided to play that Thunder trivia game we played a couple of weeks ago. Name every Hornet who started a game in their Oklahoma City years. There were 22.
I went by memory, and frankly, my memory wasn’t all that great. I came up with 15. If you want to play the game, stop right now and make your list.
Here’s who I remembered:
Chris Paul: I’m sure you’ve heard of him.
David West: Still a ballplaying fool, only now with the Pacers, and we can say we saw his emergence.
PJ Brown: On old favorite of us in the media. He learned everyone’s name in the first couple of weeks and called us by name the entire season. They don’t make many like him. He retired in 2008.
Desmond Mason: The transitional figure in Oklahoma City basketball history. A Hornet and a Thunder. Now retired in Oklahoma City. I’d still like to see him employed by the Boomers in some capacity.
J.R. Smith: Not a ton of these Hornets are still relevant in the NBA. Not that J.R. is, either, stuck in China.
Rasual Butler: Now a Raptor. Here’s a great Rasual Butler story. Some kid from South Africa or some place flew over here just to see Rasual Butler play. Quite a story. So I wrote about it. Talked to the kid, and he said he just became a fan of Butler and had always wanted to see him play. I asked Butler how to explain his popularity with this kid. He looked at me with the straightest face you’ve ever seen and said, “I’ve got fans all over the world.” Serious as a heart attack.
Marc Jackson: I loved Mark Jackson, the big center brought in late in Year 1. What a good guy. Finished Year 2 in OKC and retired.
Speedy Claxton: Great backup point guard to CP3 in Year 1. Played so well he got a new contract with the Hawks. Retired in 2009.
Jannero Pargo: Excellent backup to CP3 in Year 2. Still in the league, with the Hawks.
Bostjan Nachbar: Started 13 games at the start of Year 1, then Mason took over and Nachbar was traded to the Nets in the Marc Jackson deal. Hasn’t played in the NBA since 2008.
Birdman: Chris Andersen started two games and played in 32 before his suspension for drug use. The Hornets people kept telling us we weren’t seeing the real Birdman. Turns out, they were right. Still wreaking havoc for the Denver Nuggets.
Peja Stojakovic: Almost didn’t remember Peja, he was here such a short time. Played 13 games, then had back surgery. Helped beat the Thunder last season with the Mavs in the Western Conference finals.
Linton Johnson: Don’t ask me why I remember Linton Johnson. I just do. Came over in that Net trade. Last played in 2008-09, with Chicago.
Aaron Williams: Maybe my personal favorite Hornet. The A-Train could dunk. I don’t mean spectacular dunks. I mean, when he got a chance to dunk it, he did. Nazr Mohammed ought to try it sometime. Williams now is an assistant coach at his alma mater, Xavier.
Tyson Chandler: I almost forgot him, even though he was a big-time player in Year 2. And almost came back to us, in that Thunder/Hornets trade that the Thunder backed out on. Now a Knickerbocker.
So that means I was missing seven — though I didn’t know how many I was missing. At the game Wednesday night, I trotted out the quiz to the Thunder stat crew, which consists mainly of the same guys who worked the Hornet games, too. Five or six really sharp guys who know a lot about the NBA and have a really good memory. Anyway, they didn’t come up with Johnson or Pargo, but they added five to the list:
Jackson Vroman: Yes, hard to believe, but the Iowa State flash started two games. Just when you think the NBA’s a big-time deal, you go to a game and Jackson Vroman’s in the starting lineup. When he was injured, Vroman used to hang out in the media room before the game. Darndest thing I’ve ever seen. That 2005-06 season was Vroman’s last in the NBA.
Kirk Snyder: I should be whipped for not remembering Snyder. Started a ton of games, had that poster dunk over Von Wafer when the Lakers were in town, interesting guy. Then moved on to the Rockets, lost his mind, was convicted of aggravated burglary and felonious assault and sentenced to three years in prison.
Cedric Simmons: First-round draft pick in June 2006 out of North Carolina State, started four games in Year 2. Been out of the NBA since 2009.
Hilton Armstrong: Another first-round draft pick in June 2006, out of UConn. Started five games in Year 2. Stayed with the Hornets until 2010. Last played with Atlanta last season.
Devin Brown: The ultimate Hornet, from those two seasons. Signed off the scrap heap as a free agent on Dec. 22 of Year 2 and then started 49 games and averaged 11.6 points a game. Last played in the league with the Bulls in 2009-10.
So there are 20 players. Two remaining, and neither me nor a panel of Oklahoma City NBA experts could remember. So drumroll…
Brandon Bass: Still a viable NBA player, with the Celtics. I didn’t think of Bass, primarily because I would have doubted that he ever started. He seemed to always be in Byron Scott’s doghouse. But what a solid player he turned out to be. He played in 50 games over two seasons in OKC, starting four.
Bobby Jackson: Signed as a free agent in summer 2006, to much fanfare, since he had been a key player with the Kings. Never really did much in OKC; started twice, played 56 games. Last played in the NBA in 2009.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
College football: Raising bowl eligibility would come at a cost
Some in the college football bowl business want to raise the standards. They believe 6-6 teams should not be in bowl games. They have many compelling arguments, and Brett McMurphy of cbssports.com wrote an interesting piece on it, which you can read here.
Short version: requiring teams to have a winning record and/or seven wins would make bowl games more meaningful and almost surely would cut down on the number of bowl games. Several bowls would go out of business, because of a lack of teams available. In the past two seasons alone, 27 teams have reached bowl games with just six wins.
But it’s a bad idea. For one simple reason. Raising the bowl requirement would be one more reason for teams to dumb down their regular-season schedules. One more reason to schedule three or four cupcakes in non-conference, then take your chances within the league.
Think about it. If you’re Kansas State, why in the world would you risk a home-and-home series with Miami, if you need seven wins to reach a bowl? Go 2-1 in non-conference, and that means you’d need a 5-4 Big 12 record to quality. If you’re Ole Miss, why would you play home-and-home with Texas? Go 3-1 in non-conference, and the Rebels would have to go 4-4 in the SEC to qualify for a bowl.
If you’re Arizona State, why play home-and-home with Missouri, when losing would mean at least a 5-4 Pac-12 record to go bowling?
This sport needs more incentive to play good non-conference games. Raising the bowl standards would create less incentive.
I don’t like the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl any more than you do. A 6-6 Illinois vs. 6-7 UCLA matchup, with both schools having fired their coach, is bad football. The glut of bowls hurts the television ratings. Cut down on the number of bowls (35 in the 2011 season), and you increase the strength of the remainder.
But again, why are trying to nurture the bowls? When is someone going to express concern for the regular season. I hope you guys don’t get tired of me preaching about the regular season, but that’s what must be fixed in college football. That’s what must be restored.
If you want to go back to the old rule that games against I-AA opponents don’t count, great. I’m all for it. That would shrink the market for purchased victories and make schools decide just to suck it up and play more real games.
Let’s do a little research. You know I’ve told you this before, but in the 1970s, OU played 40 non-conference games. Thirty-six were against schools that we would now consider to be in BCS conferences. In the decade of 2000-09, OU played 37 non-conference games; 13 were against BCS-conference schools. So the Sooners went from 90 percent of their non-conference games being against similar-level schools to three decades later 35.1 percent. And the Sooners generally are considered way ahead of the curve for their willingness to schedule quality games.
Let’s look at some other schools. Ohio State. In the 1970s, the Buckeyes played 26 non-conference games. All 26 were against BCS-level opponents. Let me repeat. Ohio State in the 1970s did not play a mid-major. The Buckeyes played Oklahoma and Penn State and UCLA and SMU and Colorado and California and Syracuse and Missouri. In the first 10 years of the 2000s, Ohio State played 37 non-conference games, and just like OU had only 13 against BCS-conference foes.
In the 1970s, Texas played 32 non-conference games; 25 came against BCS-level foes, 78.1 percent. From 2000-09, only eight of UT’s 36 non-conference games were from the major conferences, 22.2 percent.
Alabama: 32 of 42 in the ’70s, 76.2 percent; nine of 36 in the ’00s, 25 percent.
You want to go try some non-bluebloods? OK.
Oklahoma State: 24 of 40 in the ’70s, 60 percent; six of 36 in the ’00s, 16.7 percent.
Washington: 26 of 38 in the ’70s, 68.4 percent; 16 of 33 in the ’00s, 48.5 percent.
Mississippi State: 13 of 45 in the ’70s, 28.9 percent (the Bulldogs were pioneers in the art of dumbing down a schedule); six of 36 in the ’00s, 16.7 percent.
Purdue: 22 of 29 in the ’70s, 75.8 percent; 17 of 36 in the ’00s, 47.2 percent.
Well, you get the picture. It’s changed for virtually every school. And college football is the poorer for it. Let’s work to make it better, not worse.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Power Lunch Chat with Berry Tramel: 11 a.m. CST
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Thunder: Northwest Division NBA’s toughest
Remember not long ago — like last March — when the Thunder’s Northwest Division appeared to be set for Thunder-domination? The Nuggets had just traded Carmelo Anthony. The Jazz had just traded Deron Williams. The Blazers were facing the realization that their franchise cornerstones, Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, were damaged goods and never would be the same again. The Timberwolves woke up every day and saw the Timberwolves in the mirror.
That was then. Now, the best division in the NBA is the Northwest, and it’s not even close.
The Thunder is 14-3. The Nuggets are 12-5 and showing the spunk that carried them to the playoffs last season; life without Carmelo is downright nice. The Jazz is 10-5, and while Utah might not sustain such a pace, the future looks very bright with an abundance of front-court talent. The Blazers are 11-7 and have retooled wonderfully around LaMarcus Aldridge. Even Minnesota has a pulse; the T-Wolves are 7-10 and dang fun to watch, with Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love.
Northwest Division are collectively 24 games above .500. That’s far and away the best record among the NBA’s six divisions:
1. Northwest +24: It’s not likely that Utah or Minnesota keeps up the pace, but the Thunder, Nuggets and Blazers absolutely will.
2. Southwest +3: The Southwest once was the league’s elite division, when Yao Ming was in Houston and Chris Paul was in New Orleans. Now the Southwest is four good teams deep but is stuck with the hapless Hornets, who play in OKC tonight with a 3-14 record. San Antonio and Dallas each are 11-7, and Memphis and the wonderfully-consistent Rockets are each 10-7. Doesn’t matter who’s in Houston. The coach changes, the star players change. Doesn’t matter. Sort of like Utah, the Rockets always find a way to be competitive. This division figures to only get better as the season progresses. The Mavs and Spurs generally play for the playoffs. The Grizzlies will get Zach Randolph back. But the Hornets will continue to stink.
3. Central +1: Thanks mainly to the Bulls. Chicago is 16-3. Indiana is 11-5. But Milwaukee and Cleveland each are 6-10, while Detroit is 4-14. The Central probably will improve. The Central teams will get to play a bunch of games against the dregs of the Atlantic Division. Chicago will stay elite. The Pacers might drop a little but will remain competitive. Milwaukee could rise. I love Cleveland’s effort, but the Cavs probably are playing over their heads. Detroit is a ghost ship of a team.
4. Southeast -3: How could a division with Atlanta (13-5), Miami (12-5) and Orlando (12-5) be below .500? By housing maybe the NBA’s two worst teams. Charlotte is 3-15 and Washington is 2-15. I still say it — the Thunder’s loss at the Wizards was an outright embarrassment. That’s a team that doesn’t know how to play or how to behave. The Bobcats are coached by one of my all-time favorite NBA players, Paul Silas, so I can only wish Silas the same fate that befell Washington coach Flip Saunders. May you be fired soon and put out of your misery.
5. Pacific -11: This has long been a shaky division. Only some roles have been reversed. The Clippers (9-5) aren’t bad. The Suns (6-11) are. And the 10-8 Lakers are already looking to April. Meanwhile, 5-11 Golden State is bad. I flipped over to the NBATV late Monday night and caught the final six minutes of Warriors-Grizzlies. Golden State had a 14-point lead. Within virtually no time, the lead was gone, and Memphis won the game. In those six minutes, I’ll bet the Warriors got two good shots. Just Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry launching one bad shot after another. But you can say this for Golden State. Sacramento (6-12) is worse.
6. Atlantic -14: The 76ers are the league MVT. Most Valuable Team. If Philadelphia (12-5) hadn’t gotten off to such a good start, do you have any idea how awful this division would be? The Celtics are 7-9 and looking old. The Knickerbockers are 7-10 and looking in disarray. The Netropolitans are 5-13 and looking like the Nets of old. The Raptors are 5-13 and looking like nothing, since no one has seen them. If Philly falters, the Atlantic could take a swing at being the worst division of all time.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Nicknames: Don’t change the Astros
I guess you saw where new Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said he is considering changing the franchise name. Not a good sign for Astro fans.
Sort of like college football coaches who get hired and immediately want to change the uniforms, an owner who wants to change the team name sounds more like a rich guy looking for a hobby, not someone interested in producing pennant-winning ballteams. The team culture, the scouting department, the general manager, all kinds of things should be evaluated when taking over a franchise that went 56-106 last season.
Team name, not so much.
But if we want to discuss team names, let’s do it. Astros is a fabulous name. I like it for two reasons:
1. Association with Houston. Astros would seem silly in Baltimore or Seattle. But Astros fits in perfectly with Houston, home of NASA. The Astros played in the Astrodome for decades. As a kid, I went to Astroworld amusement park (they tore it down in 2006; somehow, the demise of an amusement park seems as sad as the demise of a ballpark).
2. The uniqueness of the Astros name. No other sports team in the world, none at least anyone follows, is called the Astros. Look at the other major-league franchises just in Texas. The Rockets (Houston, NBA) were born in San Diego in 1967. The Nuggets were born in Denver in 1967 and were called the Rockets. The Houston Texans (NFL) aren’t even the original Texans of pro football. The Kansas City Chiefs were the Dallas Texans in the early ’60s. Utah’s ABA team in the ’60s and ’70s were the Stars long before Dallas’ NHL team. The Rangers of Arlington aren’t even the only Rangers in major league sports today (New York’s NHL team has been the Rangers since 1926). And while no other major-league franchise is called the Cowboys, even a place as Dallas Cowboy-mad as Oklahoma can’t sell out to the Cowboy nickname. Here, the Cowboy name means Oklahoma State more than it means Dallas. But Astros? Say Astro, and people think of only two things. George Jetson’s dog and the Houston baseball team.
I will say this. Crane is not the only guy who ever wanted to change a name. The history of sports is full of franchises that changed identities.
BASEBALL
Astros: The Astros themselves were the Colt .45′s their first three years, 1962-64. Not a good nickname. Astros is much better.
Braves: Been the Braves since their Boston days. Actually were born as the Boston Red Stockings in 1876, became the Beaneaters in 1883 (they don’t make nicknames like they used to), switched to the Doves in 1907 (seems a little mild), tried Rustlers in 1911 (what did anyone rustle in 1911 Boston?) and finally the Braves in 1912. The franchise switched to the Bees in 1936 through 1940, before going back to the Braves. Eventually said enough is enough and just moved to Milwaukee.
Red Sox: Born in 1901 as the Boston Americans, became the Red Sox in 1908.
Cubs: Born in 1876 as the White Stockings (it’s a little confusing), became the Colts in 1890, then the Orphans in 1898 (Orphans? Wouldn’t you like to be in on the meeting where someone in power decided that Orphans would be a good name for a ballteam?). Finally became the Cubs in 1903.
White Sox: Born in 1901, adopted the White Sox name the National League franchise had abandoned a decade earlier.
Reds: Born in 1882 as the Cincinnati Red Stockings, became the Reds in 1890. But tried out the Redlegs from 1954 through 1959.
Indians: Born in 1901 as the Cleveland Blues, became the Bronchos (take that Denver; UCO got it right) in 1902, then the Naps (named after star infield Nap Lajoie in 1903. Finally became the Indians in 1915.
Dodgers: One of the great nicknames in sport, but it took the franchise awhile to get there. Born in 1884 as the Brooklyn Atlantics, became the Grays in 1885, the Bridegrooms in 1888 (must have been a different time), the Grooms in 1891 (sounds a little better), back to the Bridegrooms in 1896), the Superbas (“Superba” was the title of an 1890s entertainment spectacle; sort of like today calling a team the Cirque Soleils). In 1911, the team found the name Dodgers. But the Dodgers being the Dodgers, they dumped it in 1913 for the Superbas, then became the Robins in 1914. In 1932, they came to their senses and became the Dodgers again. The Dodgers really came to their senses in 1942 when they hired Branch Rickey.
Yankees: The franchise movd from Baltimore in 1903 and named itself the Highlanders. Became the Yankees in 1913. Highlanders is among the most mundane nicknames in the history of sport. Yankees, I assume you know, is the best.
Phillies: Born in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers (why didn’t the Utah Jazz call itself the Utah Mormons?). Became the Phillies in 1890. The longest-running franchise name in American sport is the Philadelphia Phillies; 122 years and counting.
Pirates: Born in 1882 as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (kindred spirits of the Colorado Rockies), became the Pirates in 1891.
Giants: Born in 1883 as the New York Gothams (what a great name; would have been fine by me to have kept it), became the Giants in 1885 and kept the name upon moving to San Francisco.
Cardinals: Born in 1882 as the St. Louis Brown Stockings (hey, why don’t more teams adopt the “Sox” name? Toronto Blue Sox is much better than Toronto Blue Jays.), became the Browns in 1883, the Perfectos in 1899 (you can’t make this stuff up) and the Cardinals in 1900. When an American League team came to St. Louis in 1901, it became the Browns. Then moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles.
Rays: Born in 1998 as the Tampa Bay DevilRays, dropped the Devil in 2008, apparently because not enough people knew that a devilray is a fish.
FOOTBALL
The NFL has had far fewer name changes. Of course, that’s what happens when you start up your league after World War I, instead of during the Grover Cleveland Administration.
Bears: Born in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys, moved to Chicago in 1921 and became the Bears in 1922.
Jets: Born in 1960 as the New York Titans, switched to the Jets in 1963 in some apparent need to make all the new-generation Gotham team name rhyme. Mets, Jets, Nets. The great mystery is why the NHL Islanders weren’t called the Vets.
Steelers: Born in 1933 as the Pittsburgh Pirates, became the Steelers in 1940. Old-time teams had a longing to share a name with another sport in town. New York Giants. Brooklyn Dodgers (defunct NFL team). St. Louis Cardinals. It was kooky.
Titans: Born in 1960 as the Houston Oilers, moved to Tennessee in 1997, playing one year in Memphis and one year at Vanderbilt University in Nashville as the Tennessee Oilers. Then moved into a new Nashville stadium and became the Titans.
Redskins: Born in 1932 as the Boston Braves (see what I mean?) but switched to Redskins in 1933, then moved to Washington in 1937.
BASKETBALL
Nuggets: Born in 1967 as the ABA’s Denver Rockets, switched to Nuggets in 1974 in anticipation of joining the NBA, since Houston already had the NBA Rockets.
Nets: Born in 1967 as the ABA’s New Jersey Americans. Switched to Nets in 1968 in the rhyming craze.
Wizards: The Baltimore Bullets moved to D.C. in 1973, and the Bullets name was retained. Became the Washington Wizards in 1998, when safety in the streets of Washington became an issue.
DEFUNCT
Some of the wackiest name changes have come from defunct franchises, which probably is not a coincidence.
Memphis’ ABA team was the Pros in 1970, became the Tams in 1972 and then the Sounds in 1974. Then it folded in 1975.
Pittsburgh’s ABA team was the Pipers in 1967, then moved to Minnesota in 1968. Moved back to Pittsburgh in 1969 and stayed the Pittsburgh Pipers. Then became the Pittsburgh Condors in 1970.
In the old major-league level American Association, the Cleveland Blues were born in 1887. In 1889, the franchise jumped to the National League and became the Spiders. The franchise folded in 1899, and when a new American League franchise began in Cleveland in 1901, it resurrected the Blues name. What were they thinking? Spiders is one of the all-time great nicknames. I loved Spiders as a name for Oklahoma City’s NBA franchise. The Oklahoma City Spiders, with black pinstripe uniforms. Think of all the cool auxiliary nicknames off Spiders. Spidermen. Durantulas. When Kevin Durant gets into his 30s, we could call him Granddaddy Long Legs. The possibilities would have been endless.
In that old American Association, the Louisville Eclipse was born in 1882 and became the Colonels in 1885. Which makes that an historic franchise, giving birth to two trademarks in American nicknames. The Colonels were resurrected in the ABA in the 1960s, as the Kentucky Colonels. And the Eclipse appears to be the first singular nickname. So let us all curse the Eclipse.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Thunder: Mark Cuban fighting the fight
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook played on the United States’ World Championships basketball team in summer 2010. They won the gold, and it was great for the Thunder. Even playing year-round didn’t bother the guys. Young legs can do amazing things.
But the truth about international basketball competition is that it can wear on a player. It can be difficult physically and mentally. And the older Durant and Westbrook get, the more that summer international ball will wear on them.
It’s a little politically incorrect to question superstars — or heck, role players, too — playing for their country. But leave it to the NBA’s straightest shooter to broach the subject. And we don’t mean J.J. Redick.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is calling into question the sanity of NBA franchises paying players millions of dollars — tens of millions of dollars — and then allowing those players to play heated, intense basketball during the off-season, when their bodies should be getting rest and relaxation.
Cuban told ESPNDAllas.com that he is not pleased with Dirk Nowitzki playing for the German national team, when it’s Cuban who has made the financial commitment to Nowitzki’s basketball. You can read the story here.
“It’s just the epitome of stupidity that we would allow ourselves to be used so other corporations (Cuban’s word for the Olympics and international hoops) can make tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars,” Cuban said. “There’s some guys sitting at the Olympic headquarters going, ‘Those dumb-asses, we’re taking all their best guys for nothing.’ ”
Cuban tells the uncomfortable truth that the Olympics, particularly Olympic basketball, is not so much about love of country, but love of money, at least on the organizational side. Cuban also says other NBA owners agree with him but are slow to speak out about it.
Cuban could be doing the Thunder a huge favor. Westbrook and Durant figure to be right in the middle of U.S. Olympic and World Championship teams the next few years. And with the Thunder having committed more than $150 million to the duo over the next five years, the health of Durant and Westbrook is paramount.
I know, we all want to think of patriotism and playing for love of the game and love of the country. But when you write checks for that much money, you’ve got to start thinking of protecting your investment. If the flood of NBA stars into international basketball subsides, it can only help the Thunder. Mark Cuban might be the one man who talks enough to make the league take a look at the current system.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
College football: Bob Stoops moving up the longevity list
I’ve written extensively on how Bob Stoops (and Mack Brown, naturally) are fast moving up the longevity list of college football coaches. Stoops and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz are tied for fourth in years on the job: Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer (25 years), Troy’s Larry Blakeney (21 years), Texas’ Brown (14 years) and then Stoops and Ferentz (13 years each).
But that’s a list for job stability as much as anything. You want an old-timers list, you need to add in head coaching seasons at other schools. With Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden now out of the profession, here’s the list of the college football coaches with the most seasons as a college head coach:
31: Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer. Six at Murray State, 25 at VPI.
30: Texas-El Paso’s Mike Price. Eight at Weber State, 14 at Washington State, eight at UTEP.
28: Texas’ Mack Brown. One at Appalachian State, three at Tulane, 10 at North Carolina, 14 at Texas.
26: Nevada’s Chris Ault. All at Nevada, but with an eight-year interruption (1996-03).
22: South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier. Three at Duke, 12 at Florida, seven at South Carolina.
21: Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly. Thirteen at Grand Valley State, three at Central Michigan, three at Cincinnati, two at Notre Dame.
21: Troy’s Larry Blakeney. All at Troy.
21: Missouri’s Gary Pinkel. Ten at Toledo, 11 at Mizzou. Pinkel and Mack Brown are the only current college football coaches with double-digit seasons at two schools.
20: Kansas State’s Bill Snyder. All at KSU, but with a three-year interruption (2006-08).
20: Connecticut’s Paul Pasqualoni. Five at Western Connecticut Stat e, 14 at Syracuse, one at UConn.
18: Minnesota’s Jerry Kill. Five at Saginaw Valley State, seven at Southern Illinois, three at Northern Illinois, one at Minnesota.
18: Akron’s Terry Bowden. Three at Salem, six at Samford, six at Auburn, three at North Alabama.
18: Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez. One at Salem, seven at Glenville State, seven at West Virginia, three at Michigan.
17: Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe. Six at Ohio, 11 at Wake Forest.
16: Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz: three at Maine, 13 at Iowa.
16: Texas Tech’s Tommy Tuberville. Four at Ole Miss, 10 at Auburn, two at Tech.
16: Alabama’s Nick Saban. One at Toledo, five at Michigan State, five at LSU, five at Alabama.
16: Central Florida’s George O’Leary. Eight at Georgia Tech, eight at UCF.
15: North Carolina State’s Tom O’Brien. Ten at Boston College, five at N.C. State.
15: Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson. Five at Georgia Southern, six at Navy, four at Georgia Tech.
13: Maryland’s Randy Edsall. Twelve at Connecticut, one at Maryland.
13: OU’s Bob Stoops. All at Oklahoma.
13: North Texas’ Dan McCarney. Twelve at Iowa State, one at North Texas.
13: Ohio’s Frank Solich. Six at Nebraska, seven at Ohio.
13: SMU’s June Jones. Nine at Hawaii, four at SMU.
12: TCU’s Gary Patterson. All at TCU.
12: Army’s Rich Ellerson. One at Southern Utah, eight at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, three at Army.
12: Western Michigan’s Bill Cubit. Five at Widener, seven at Western Michigan.
12: South Florida’s Skip Holtz. Five at Connecticut, five at East Carolina, two at USF.
12: San Diego State’s Rocky Long. Eleven at New Mexico, one at San Diego State.
Now, if you only want to count major-college coaching stops, the list is a little different:
27: Texas’ Mack Brown. Three at Tulane, 10 at North Carolina, 14 at Texas.
26: Nevada’s Chris Ault. All at Nevada, but with an eight-year interruption (1996-03).
25: Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer. All at VPI.
22: Texas-El Paso’s Mike Price. 14 at Washington State, eight at UTEP.
22: South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier. Three at Duke, 12 at Florida, seven at South Carolina.
21: Troy’s Larry Blakeney. All at Troy.
21: Missouri’s Gary Pinkel. Ten at Toledo, 11 at Mizzou. Pinkel and Mack Brown are the only current college football coaches with double-digit seasons at two schools.
20: Kansas State’s Bill Snyder. All at KSU, but with a three-year interruption (2006-08).
17: Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe. Six at Ohio, 11 at Wake Forest.
16: Texas Tech’s Tommy Tuberville. Four at Ole Miss, 10 at Auburn, two at Tech.
16: Alabama’s Nick Saban. One at Toledo, five at Michigan State, five at LSU, five at Alabama.
16: Central Florida’s George O’Leary. Eight at Georgia Tech, eight at UCF.
15: Connecticut’s Paul Pasqualoni. Fourteen at Syracuse, one at UConn.
15: North Carolina State’s Tom O’Brien. Ten at Boston College, five at N.C. State.
13: Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. All at Iowa.
13: Maryland’s Randy Edsall. Twelve at Connecticut, one at Maryland.
13: OU’s Bob Stoops. All at Oklahoma.
13: North Texas’ Dan McCarney. Twelve at Iowa State, one at North Texas.
13: Ohio’s Frank Solich. Six at Nebraska, seven at Ohio.
13: SMU’s June Jones. Nine at Hawaii, four at SMU.
12: TCU’s Gary Patterson. All at TCU.
12: San Diego State’s Rocky Long. Eleven at New Mexico, one at San Diego State.
So there you have it. Frank Beamer is the longest-tenured coach in major college football at one school, and Beamer has more years as a college head coach than anyone else in major college football. But Mack Brown has most the years as a major-college head coach.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
