TOM FOR TRUMP... MIKE FOR MARCO

TOM FOR TRUMP ... MIKE FOR MARCO

(Politics and Sports)

NEWS ITEM: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady supports Donald Trump for President.

Loving both sports and politics, I noted Brady’s endorsement with fascination. Many who don’t care for Trump groaned at the news, but Brady’s tough. He can take it. And good for him—taking a public stand. Politics shape our world and if you care about the world, you should care about politics. Who goes to the White House is almost as important as who goes to the Super Bowl!

I care about what we used to call civics. It’s distressing that some can name every Red Sox player but can’t name their senators. So if Brady stepping into the political realm results in more people thinking about the N.H. Primary, then that’s a good thing.

A former Harvard gridster named Teddy Roosevelt called the presidency a “bully pulpit,” a platform from which one can shape opinions or “call plays.” And quarterbacks are play-callers. Consider former signal-caller Doug Flutie, who won the Heisman Trophy at Boston College in 1984. He later played in the NFL for the Bears, Patriots, and Bills

Beloved in Buffalo, Flutie used his gridiron celebrity to stump for Democrat Hillary Clinton in upstate New York and helped her win a U.S. senate seat in 2000. But fast-forward to 2010, when Republican Scott Brown was running for U.S. senate in Massachusetts—where the GOP claims around 15% of registered voters. Flutie created some special sports energy for Brown, who won a stunning upset. Brown’s cause was helped when his Democrat opponent, Martha Coakley, derided Red Sox World Series hero and Brown supporter Curt Schilling. Coakley claimed Schilling was in the Yankee camp, which sealed her fate as a serious candidate in Massachusetts.

(Note to Senator Kelly Ayotte: Ask Scott Brown for Flutie’s cell phone number.)

Sports and politics inevitably mix. Both involve reality television, competition, and drama. Wilt Chamberlain helped Richard Nixon win a close election in 1968. LeBron James and Michael Vick helped re-elect Barack Obama in 2012 as Celtic icon Danny Ainge’s support wasn’t enough to get Mitt Romney to Washington.

I met another former Harvard gridster—Ted Kennedy—in 1980 when he was campaigning in the North Country before the N.H. primary. He gave a little speech where he tried to associate his campaign with the “Miracle” U.S. Olympic ice hockey Gold Medal triumph at Lake Placid. President Jimmy Carter had similarly tried to attach his star to the hockey heroes. (Olympians Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig and other teammates were invited to appear with the candidates, but declined.) I asked Kennedy what he thought about the International Olympic Committee not recognizing the Republic of China, as international politics kept the athletes from Taiwan from participating in those Olympics.

“I frankly don’t care whether Taiwan participates or not,” was Kennedy’s response, which still troubles me.

Almost every elected official has some sports connection. One of my dad’s fondest sports memories is hitting a home run in Littleton 65 years ago off of future N.H. Governor Hugh Gallen. The name recognition that sports provides can catapult people to political prominence.

Ronald Reagan claimed that football kept him going to classes at Eureka College.

“I needed that C average for football eligibility,” recalled Reagan. “I sometimes wonder what I might have amounted to if I’d taken my studies more seriously.”

Reagan’s nickname, The Gipper, stems from his movie portrayal of Notre Dame legend George Gipp in KNUTE ROCKNE, ALL AMERICAN.

There are countless examples of athletes going into politics. Like Bill Bradley, who went from the N.Y. Knicks to being a U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He later ran for president, until Al Gore took him out hard in the 2000 N.H. Primary. (And Bradley thought the Celtics played dirty?)

Jim Bunning won 224 Major League Games, including a no-hitter for the Tigers in 1958 and a perfect game for the Phillies in 1964. Would he have ever been elected as U.S. Senator from Kentucky if he’d never been a baseball player?

Congressional Democrats and Republicans have an annual baseball game. The Dems lead the series 39-38, but the Republicans won 11 straight from 1964-74, helped in large part by “Vinnegar Bend” Mizell, a rep from North Carolina. Mizell pitched in the National League for nine years before going to Congress. The Dems had a majority in the House at the time, and some of them tried to pass a law prohibiting Mizell from participating in the annual baseball contest. Talk about power politics!

Another former Bills quarterback, Jack Kemp, represented Buffalo in Congress before running for president. Maybe Brady could do likewise! He obviously cares about issues and showed guts by endorsing Trump. If he wanted to, he could probably get elected as the only Republican congressman from Massachusetts.

So, inspired by Brady, I too will advocate for my own candidate, who I think would be a great president for many reasons, which will become ever-clearer to voters as the weeks go by. But as this is a sports column, for now I’ll just say that I’m for the only candidate who married a former NFL cheerleader!

 

 

           Weirs Times columnist Mike Moffett and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

Uniforms

UNIFORMS

A recent feature on “csnmidatlantic.com” rated the uniforms of National Football League teams. At the bottom of the list was Tampa Bay. The New England Patriots were rated #13, right behind my personal favorite, the New York Giants at #12.

The subjective rankings got me thinking about uniforms. Who invented uniforms, anyway? Maybe they were a product of ancient military actions, designed to keep soldiers from striking comrades by mistake.

The first professional sports team—the Cincinnati Red Stockings—eventually developed a uniform of sorts, to go along with their red stockings. Other teams “followed suit” with suits of their own.

Interestingly, it wasn’t until the 1920s that players wore numbers. Ty Cobb never had a number in Detroit. The New York Yankees started the practice when they assigned numbers that matched the players’ places in the batting order. Ergo, the number three hitter, Babe Ruth, wore #3. The number four hitter, Lou Gehrig, wore #4. And the Yankees wore those famous pinstripes on perhaps the most recognizable sports uniforms ever.

Baseball uniforms have evolved since those days and it’s interesting to look at how players dressed in old team photos. Did Ted Williams ever wear anything other than baggy flannels?

There have been some notoriously ugly team uniforms, particularly in the 1970s, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the San Diego Padres had uniforms that were so gross that these teams were doomed to failure until they redesigned their looks. Then they finally went to the Super Bowl and the World Series, respectively.

Some inspired sports marketer thought of “throw-back” uniforms to honor team histories. The throw-backs were nostalgic hits and created a new lucrative sports apparel demand for most franchises. Even I have a Carl Yastrzemski #8 BoSox jersey.

An L.A. Laker sports marketer once suggested that the team wear white home jerseys instead of the traditional gold for a nationally-televised Christmas Day NBA game. The new look was a hit and the Lakers made millions of extra dollars selling white jerseys.

And of course, there was that inspired sports marketer who once thought of selling “pink” uniforms, presumably for the ladies. I can imagine old-timers muttering “There’s no pink in baseball,” but pink jerseys and caps are now sprinkled amongst every Fenway Park crowd.

The right uniform look is important to branding. Perhaps thinking of the disastrous Buccaneer and Padre experiences, the NHL’s San Jose Sharks did extensive polling and market research before they decided on their appealing black and teal color scheme. The Sharks made millions of dollars selling these jerseys before they ever played a hockey game.

So who were the top picks in the NFL rankings?  Oakland, Buffalo, and New Orleans finished 1-2-3. I strongly disagree, but the list was a subjective rating designed to get attention—kind of like those white Laker jerseys. And it worked, as demonstrated by the column you’re reading.

But most of us already know what the world’s best looking uniforms really are—the dress blue outfits worn by United State Marines!

All-Star Games

ALL-STAR GAMES

New Hampshire defeated Vermont 27-12 in this year’s Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl All-Star Football Game before a big crowd at Castleton State College. It was N.H.’s 15^th straight triumph in the one-sided series and it got me thinking about All-Star games—to include the good, the bad, and the ugly

The first baseball All-Star game took place in 1933—the brainchild of Chicago sportswriter Arch Ward. It pitted the best of the American League against their National League counterparts. It was a resounding success and the Midsummer Classic became part of our annual sports cycle.

Ted Williams always claimed his favorite baseball memory was hitting that three-run ninth inning home run in the 1941 All-Star Game in Detroit to lead the A.L. to a 7-5 win.

Fan balloting determined the starters for the All-Star game until 1957, when Cincinnati Reds fans stuffed the ballot boxes and almost succeeded in fielding seven Reds. Major League Baseball subsequently let the players select the starters until the fans were given a second chance in 1969.

Earlier this year it looked like Kansas City Royal fans might succeed in selecting eight Royal starters but eventually common sense prevailed. Still, the game had record low television ratings, prompting concerns about the Midsummer Classic’s future.

Part of the reason for the demise of the All-Star Game has been inter-league play. A.L. vs. N.L. is just not as special anymore. So in an attempt to make the game more meaningful, MLB decreed that World Series home field advantage would be at stake during the Midsummer Classic. This was a cool idea and a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to save the game.

Fan ballot stuffing remains a problem, threatening the integrity of the game. So here’s a solution. Create a voting formula where the players vote for their peers, with those results counting for 50%, the same percentage that fan voting would account for. That way everyone is invested.

Further, fans should pay $5 for the privilege of casting one electronic ballot per e-mail address, with the proceeds going to some worthy cause or causes. If ten million fans participated, then that would mean $50 million for a charity. If a fan had two e-mail addresses and wanted to pay ten dollars to vote twice, that’s fine. More money for charity.

Next, the size of the All-Star squads should be cut back to eighteen, which was the size of the 1933 teams. In 2009 MLB expanded the rosters to 33. That’s farcical. This may mean that some years no Red Sox players will make the team. So be it.

Stipends for participating should depend upon winning or losing. Let the winners receive stipends twice the size of the losers’ shares.

Some of these “reforms” could also be applied to the NBA and NHL.

The NBA deserves credit for creating an All-Star Weekend basketball festival, which includes not just the game, but a slam dunk competition, shooting contests, and more. But the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format has grown stale. The NBA should emulate an earlier NHL approach and pick a 12 player All-Star “Dream Team” to play a team of international stars—the NBA vs. the World. Then maybe we’ll see some defense. This year’s NBA All-Star Game saw the East defeating the West 163-158, a typical score for this game. And let the players wear their team uniforms, the way the baseball players do it.

The NHL All-Star format has changed over the years. At one time, the Stanley Cup champs took on the best of the rest. Then it was conference vs. conference. I liked the “NHL vs. the World” concept that was tried in 2001 when the North American All-Stars defeated the World All-Stars 14-12, which is a score typical of NHL All-Star games. A different format saw Team Chara defeat Team Alfredsson 12-9 in 2012.

The NHL does not have an All-Star Game during Winter Olympic Years, which is good. The true All-Stars wear their countries’ uniforms—and presumably play hard defense.

The NFL’s “Pro Bowl” All-Star contest is a complete joke—a farce that should be done away with. The players hate the game and don’t try hard. Roger Goodell should drive a stake through the heart of this monstrosity.

As for the Maple Sugar Bowl Game, it’s time to acknowledge that Vermont just can’t compete. The Green Mountain Boys last won in 2000, which means they have even less luck against N.H. than the N.L. has against the A.L.

So, to make things fairer, take a field position from N.H. and give it to Vermont, and let Vermont play 12 against ten. I’m sure socialist Vermont Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders would approve of punishing Granite State success in this fashion.

“Live free or die!”

Dave Long and Mickey Mantle

Dave and The Mick

I recently played a round of golf at Loudon Country Club with fellow Plymouth State alum Dave Long, a noted raconteur and fellow sportswriter. His weekly HIPPO column is just about as good as this one.

We enjoyed a couple libations afterwards on the country club’s deck, and naturally the conversation turned to sports. Long shared how he’d played a role in the establishment of the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame in Hernando, Fla., twenty years ago. New Hampshire developer Sam Tamposi had built a major residential complex called Citrus Hills and wanted to honor his friend Ted with a shrine of sorts that would draw tourists and baseball fans.

Long worked in public relations at the time, and as his baseball acumen was well-known, he was pulled into the project. The grand opening was in February, 1995.

“The major television networks and national media were all there,” recalled Long. “And of course, plenty of baseball Hall-of-Famers, politicians, and even Muhammed Ali.”

The irascible Williams was cool to the project at first, but on opening day he reveled in the camaraderie of all the Stan Musials and Bob Fellers who showed up—the glory of their times.

“I’ve never been around a presence like Ted’s,” said Long. “He filled up a room all by himself. The scene was breathtaking to a sports guy like me.”

A Long Island native and a long-time Yankee fan, Long was thrilled by the presence of Joe DiMaggio, who somehow got locked in a men’s room. Long volunteered to rescue the Yankee Clipper and climbed through a window and into the restroom to unjam the door. True to form, DiMaggio was distant and aloof, barely acknowledging his rescuer—in contrast to the gregarious Williams whose booming voice, backslapping, and story-telling captivated everyone.

“All the baseball greats clearly RESPECTED DiMaggio,” said Long. “But the ones who were there really LOVED Ted.”

During a pre-dinner social, Long was making his was across the room when someone grabbed his tie, jerking him to a stop. He looked up and recognized Mickey Mantle, a Hall-of-Fame Yankee and Dave’s boyhood idol.

“I like your tie,” said Mantle, as he loosened his grasp.

“Do you want it?” replied Long.

“No, I have mine,” said Mantle, who laughed and pointed to his own, identical, sports-themed cravat.

Long was taken aback by Mantle’s appearance. Years of hard-living had destroyed the Mick’s health, necessitating a liver transplant. But the two conversed about Casey Stengel’s Yankees and Mantle said he was impressed by David’s baseball knowledge.

“Well, as it was you who stopped me, I’ll tell you that I know more about you than you do,” said Long. “You were born on Oct. 27, 1931. Your father’s name was Mutt. He named you after Mickey Cochrane, the catcher. Your middle name is Charles, after your grandfather. You grew up in Commerce, Oklahoma with your twin brothers Ray and Roy. You played shortstop in the minors in Joplin, Missouri, and won the batting title there in 1950 with a .383 average. But you had 56 errors that year and the Yankees switched you to right field when moved you up in 1951, as it was DiMaggio’s last year in center field.”

“How do you know all this stuff?” asked Mantle.

“Well, you taught me to read.”

“Huh?”

“When I was in grade school, they thought I had a reading disability. I didn’t like to read. I didn’t want to read. But the teachers and my parents knew I loved sports, and they gave me a book about you. It was the first book I ever read, and I’ve been reading and writing ever since.”

Before Mantle could respond they heard a “Say hey!” and Mickey was grabbed by Willie Mays, another Hall-of-Fame center fielder. Dave continued on his way as the baseball legends chatted each other up.

Mantle died soon after that 1995 encounter, but it had to gratify the Mick to know he was Long’s inspiration. Not only did Dave learn to read but he eventually became a sportswriter with a regular column.

One that’s just about as good as this one!