As has been well-documented on 105.3 The Fan, I'm a sports junkie. My mind often wanders (and wonders, for that matter) about sports at all hours of the day and during all actives (don't tell my wife!). Here are some random thoughts that have crossed my mind…
*Very few athletes have a hold on folks the way Tiger Woods did and still does. I'll never forget his Masters win in 2019. On that Sunday, the entire Rangers clubhouse was dialed in to Tiger. Whether you played gold or not, watched golf or not, liked Tiger or not, you knew what was going on. How many athletes cause other athletes to totally stop down like Tiger?
*The MLB The Show tournament was a cool idea. I have very little interest in watching others play video games but I do love the banter back-and-forth between the players. It's good for the fans, too. Anything to get these guys to show off their personalities is a win, in my opinion.
*I miss when the home team in the NBA and NHL used to wear white. This is a staple thought of mine and I try to remind everyone whenever I can.
*Carlos Delgado didn't get the respect he deserved. I recently went down a wormhole that led to Delgado's career numbers which I was already aware were outstanding. He finished with 473 HR and a career slash of .280/.383/.546/.929. Wow! Yet, he didn't receive enough votes his first time on the HOF ballot to stay on for a second year. Maybe he's a victim of playing in the wrong era but he was never guilty of anything other than terrorizing opposing teams.
*Sam Presti is a great GM but with OKC now without Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka, can we at least look at their inability to win a title with that talent as one of the biggest disappointments over the last decade in sports? I wonder if the Thunder would have had more team success if they had stuck with Harden and Durant instead of Westbrook and Durant.
*With the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame class recently announced, some people have debated whether the top three in the 2020 class—Kobe, Duncan, and Garnett—are better than the top three in the 2009 class—Jordan, Stockton, and Robinson. It's fun debate and considering it made me think that John Stockton is one of the least talked about legends in recent NBA history. Somehow he remains underrated.
*I love NBC's old NBA theme. It is number one in my book. ESPN's old NHL theme is a close number two.
*It's funny and interesting to go back and watch a great accomplishment from your favorite team and recognize countless little things during that playoff run that could have easily gone the other way and derailed their achievement. Whether it is a coaching decision or a referee's decision or the roll off the rim, very, very few teams avoid the tightrope. For instance, how about the Mavs winning game 4 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals because Russell Westbrook basically imploded in the fourth quarter and single-handedly gifted the Mavs the game because of a string of miscues. Any one of those didn't happen and the Mavs don't win that game and who knows how the series plays out…
*I'm so happy that the Stars are finally retiring Sergei Zubov's number 56. It is long overdue. When I used to play one of the games a part of the NHL video game series, I had irrational joy when I'd score from a Sergei Zubov slapshot.
*Speaking of video games, I think basketball video games were my least favorite of all the sports which isn't a commentary on the sport itself, which I absolutely adore.
*Is there an athlete who loves himself more than Deion Sanders?
Until next time…
