QUICK QUIZ
Connie Mack has the most victories by a Major League manager with 3,731 Who has the second-most wins of all time?
A. John McGraw
B. Tony LaRussa
C. Bobby Cox
D. Casey Stangel
E. Steve Jaksa
QUOTABLE QUOTES
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, chastising Lou Piniella for reporting eight pounds overweight to spring training in 1982, “When you give a man a three-year contract when he’s 38 years old, then you’ve got to expect leadership from him. Lou is like a child who tests you with how many times he can go to the cookie jar. The type of individual he is, once in a while he has to be belted good.”
Gerald R. Ford, 40th President of the United States, “If I had gone into professional football, Jerry Ford might be a household word today. But instead, I had to find a different way to make a living.”
Sportswriter Joe Falls, on Philadelphia Flyers rookies, “They throw them against a brick wall, and if they get up, they make the team.”
IDLE THOUGHTS
Well, the names are out (already) on who will be the front runners for the 2024 Heisman Trophy. 247 Sports revealed the names of 10 players with odds sitting at +2200 or better in June prior to the start of the 2024 season. With College Football Playoff expansion, the number of contenders should increase down the stretch unless there's a player who separates himself from the rest of the pack early with a noteworthy season. The players – all signal callers - include:
Carson Beck, Georgia
Quinn Ewers, Texas
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Will Howard, Ohio State
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Jaxson Dar, Ole Miss
Garrett Nussmeier LSU
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
Cam Ward, Miami
It should be noted that three of the quarterbacks, Will Howard, Cameron Ward, and Dillon Gabriel, have yet to play a single down for their respective schools as they used the transfer portal to put themselves in position to win the Heisman.
I’m not sure why Sydney Kuhn hasn’t been receiving media coverage after a tremendous track season this past spring for Swan Valley High School. Kuhn broke two Saginaw County girls track records in the 400 and 800-meters. She eclipsed the 400-meter record previously held by Frankenmuth High School’s Kelsey Ritter (2010) with her :55.06 clocking. The biggie, however, came in the 800 meters where she broke a 48-year Saginaw County record set by Dwight D. Eisenhower High School’s Kelly Spatz in 1976. Kuhn shattered Spatz’s 2:14.8 record by turning in a time of 2:08.34. She recently competed in the New Balance Nationals at historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia where she set a new PR with :54.97 effort in the 400 meters. It was the fastest time in Michigan this year and 10th in the nation.
Whenever a big leaguer makes a rehab appearance in the minors, it’s typical for them to purchase the pre- or postgame spread. Max Scherzer went above and beyond during his rehab stint. He shelled out big cash for a locker room feast that included bone-in ribeye, filet mignon, and lobster. The approximate dollar figure was upward of $7,000. He also bought everyone AirPods.
One of the reasons why Nick Saban walked away from college football was the way Alabama players acted after losing to Michigan in the CFP. Saban said: “I was really disappointed in the way that the players acted after the game. You gotta win with class. You gotta lose with class. And then showing you ass and being frustrated and throwing helmets and doing that stuff. I thought we could have a hell of a team next year and then maybe 70 to 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I’m going to play because they’re thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to play me? So, I’m saying to myself, maybe this doesn’t work anymore.”
In high school Joey Gallo threw a no-hitter and then took Greg Maddux’s daughter to prom that same night. If I’m a betting man I would guess he got shut out.
Last season, Grambling State beat College of Biblical Studies 159-18 in women’s college basketball. The 141-point margin of victory was the largest in Division 1 women’s basketball history. At one point in the second quarter the score was 58-4.
Shohei Ohtani’s contract broken down:
Per year: $70,000,000
Per month: $5,833,333.33
Per week: $1,346,153.84
Per day: $191,780.82
Per hour: $7,990.87
Per minute: $133.18
Per second: $2.22
I still don’t think a lot of sports fans around the Great Lakes Bay Region fully realize just how huge of an accomplishment it was for the Saginaw Spirit to win the Memorial Cup. Let’s get this straight: Canadians do not want teams from south of the border to win their prestigious tournament, which began 104 years ago.
There’s a reason why the Memorial Cup is often called the hardest trophy to win in all sports. The journey began over eight months ago with 60 teams competing to become the 2024 CHL champions. The Spirit became just the third American club to win the Memorial Cup and the first to do so in 16 years, as both the Portland Winterhawks (1983 and 1998) and Spokane Chiefs (1991 and 2008) have each achieved the feat twice with Spokane being the last to do it in 2008.
The Saginaw Spirit will begin their defense of the Memorial Cup on Wednesday, September 25th when they host the Windsor Spitfires in their home opener. Look for a sellout crowd as the organization will raise their championship banner to the rafters of the Dow Event Center’s Wendler Arena.
The Canadian Hockey League, in conjunction with the Saginaw Spirit and the 2024 Memorial Cup Host Organizing Committee, announced that over $190,000 ($140,000 in U.S. dollars) was raised for several worthy causes during the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow.
The Royal Canadian Dominion Command Poppy Trust Fund, Canadian Mental Health Association, Memorial Cup Legacy Scholarship Program, United Way, Spirit Warriors Hockey Program, and Saginaw Spirit Charitable Foundation were among the many initiatives supported during the event.
Out of all the funds raised, over $55,000 was awarded to the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command Poppy Trust Fund through the auction of the Saginaw Spirit game-worn commemorative jerseys for the 2024 Memorial Cup. Since 2008, the host club of every Memorial Cup has worn commemorative sweaters in the opening game of the tournament as a way to recognize servicemen and women.
Since this theme jersey program began 16 years ago, the CHL has raised more than $316,000 for the Poppy Trust Fund by auctioning off these one-of-a-kind sweaters. Additionally, more than $76,000 was raised through the 2024 Memorial Cup in-arena 50/50, with $50,000 going to the Memorial Cup Legacy Scholarship Program, while $26,000 of the proceeds are set to be distributed among local United Way branches in the Great Lakes Bay Region.
The Detroit Pistons have fired head coach Monty Willilams after turning in a subpar 14-68 record in his only season coaching the team. Williams was the highest-paid coach in NBA history with a six-year, $78.5 million deal. Who do they hire next? A couple of names thrown out already include JB Bickerstaff and Sam Cassell. Why not someone who actually did something for the franchise like Chauncey Billups?
Six consecutive Triple-A Tidewater Tides games were rained out in 1992 and when the sopping tarp was removed from the field, thousands of earthworms littered the field.
The Toyota 12 or the All-State 16. It may not happen this year but collegiate conferences are eyeing the possibility of corporate sponsors naming rights to replace the conference names. Come on, NCAA, you’ve screwed up a lot of things as of late (transfer portal, NIL), please don’t let this happen. I’m still old school and like the name Big 10 just fine.
Saginaw’s St. Mary Cathedral High School compiled a 1-4 record during the 1956 prep season before halting the season because of injuries. One month after the regular season ended, a motion by Bay City St. James to bar St. Mary’s from winning any Saginaw Parochial League championships for a year was the main topic of discussion at the league meeting. The motion was made to penalize St. Mary’s for canceling its football schedule with three games remaining to be played. After much discussion, the motion failed to carry by an 11-5 vote.
Not sure if you’ve been following the WNBA but fans have been turning the entire Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese rivalry into a racial thing. Please, please, please just let them play the game of basketball.
There is an excellent story in the May/June edition of Michigan History magazine about baseball in Escanaba (MI). Because of the weather in the Upper Peninsula, there are limited opportunities to play baseball. Despite that fact, four players from Escanaba High School eventually made it to the Major Leagues. All four big leaguers starred on the football field for the Eskymos. None, however, are known to have played for the high school’s baseball team because for much of the school’s athletic history there wasn’t one. The best hardballer from Escanaba was Kevin Tapani, who later starred at Central Michigan University. Tapani said while growing up in Escanaba, baseball was his best sport, it was the one he played the least. He starred at quarterback for the Eskymos despite being 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds. Tapani however led Escanaba to the Class A state championship in 1981. He wasn’t on the baseball team at CMU. The Los Angeles Dodger held a tryout camp in Mt. Pleasant and Tapani auditioned. Chippewa baseball coach Dave Keilitz invited him to be a walk-on. He helped lead CMU to three Mid-American Conference titles and he pitched a no-hitter against Eastern Michigan. Tapani was drafted by the Oakland A’s in 1986. Three years later, he made his big-league debut with the New York Mets, and he enjoyed his best season with the 1991 Minnesota Twins, winning Game Two of that year’s World Series. After stops with the Dodgers and White Sox, his stellar career concluded with the Cubs in 2001. He earned 143 regular season victories.
I think Andy Dirks is doing a really nice job on the Detroit Tigers radio broadcasts, teaming with Dan Dickerson. As far as the television broadcasts, I’m not a big fan of play-by-play man Jason Benetti. He’s very knowledgeable about the game, but he thinks he’s a stand-up comic. The “color” person rotates between Carlos Pena, Craig Monroe, Kirk Gibson, Dan Petry, and Todd Jones. Stick with Petry and/or Jones; they have good stories they share from time to time. While you’re at it, you can ditch Johnny Kane, Trevor Thompson and Natalie Kerwin. I’m there to watch the game, not their antics.
I read something on social media the other day that appalled me. Some doofus wondered if Major League Baseball should make the bases glow green if the runner is safe and glow red if the runner is out. You’ve already made the bases larger; leave well enough alone. If you want to do something constructive, ban all the oven mitts that runners use. Maury Wills and Ty Cobb didn’t need oven mitts and they did pretty well.
Whatever happened to Al Alburquerque?
QUICK QUIZ ANSWER
B. Tony Larussa with 2,884. John McGraw is third (2,763) and Bobby Cox fourth (2,504). Cornelius McGillicuddy (1862-1956), better known as Connie Mack, has 3,731 Major League victories as manager. He also had 3,948 losses and 76 ties for a .486 winning percentage.
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Jun 20, 2024
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