Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The Big 7-0

At the end of his 2003 autobiography, "The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game," Oscar Robertson openly wonders if he and his contemporaries will be forgotten.

"As I write this, basketball has entered a strange new century," Robertson writes. "The game has become international; it has become computerized and wireless and fiber-optic. Nobody knows what the next five years will look like, what heights players will be capable of reaching, how brightly they will shine. Whatever happens to the sport, I hope that the men who gave their blood, sweat, and tears to build the league will be remembered. I hope that people will never forget that when any man reaches for previously unattainable heights, he does so only because he stands on shoulders of those who came before."

Robertson wrote those words when he was 65 years old and 29 years removed from his final game as an NBA player and it's not difficult to understand his concern. When he called it quits after the 1973-74 season, Robertson held the NBA record for assists (9,887), was second only to Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time scoring list (26,710) and was one of the top 20 rebounders with 7,804. Now, Robertson's fourth in career assists, eighth in scoring and barely hanging in the top 60 for rebounds.

But Robertson, born 70 years ago today on a snowy Thanksgiving Day in Charlotte, Tenn., shouldn't worry about fading away.

In fact, in the five years since he penned that paragraph, Robertson's stature has only grown. Thanks to the all-around excellence of players from today's generation such as Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, Robertson's Hall of Fame accomplishments have become that much more magnificent.

From his days at Indianapolis' Crispus Attucks High School to when he retired from the Milwaukee Bucks in 1974, Robertson's playing career could best be described as a great river: a steady and consistent confluence of excellence flowed from him.

Much of his on-court steel was forged in the roiling racial cauldron of its day. Rightfully angered by the injustice he encountered off the court because of the color of his skin, Robertson mixed that internal fire with a cool control of every team he ever ran. Robertson wasn't flashy like Bob Cousy and was as fundamentally sound as any player before or since. When asked how he accumulated so many assists in his career, Robertson was said to reply: "I passed it to the open man."

Therein lay Robertson's genius. He made playing the point guard position seem simple.

And at the time, there was no precedence for what Robertson was doing: leading the first all-black team to an Indiana state high school title, averaging 33.8 points per game and winning National College Player of the Year in each of his three season at the University of Cincinnati, a feat not even his future teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar accomplished.

"I think he revolutionized the position because he was 6-5," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Oscar was very well built, a great example of physical fitness, and strong. He wasn't a wispy kind of guy. I think of another guard of his size, Dave Bing. Dave was not the physical presence Oscar was.

"You couldn't push Oscar around. It was impossible."

He lead a veritable All-Star team to gold in Rome in 1960, and then notched a triple-double during the 1961-62 season (30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists) for the Cincinnati Royals.

Oscar Robertson's stellar career was highlighted by a championship in Milwaukee.
Walter Iooss Jr./NBAE/Getty Images

At the time, not even Robertson had known what he had done.

"There's a story attributed to baseball legend Willie Mays," Robertson wrote. "When Jose Canseco was honored in the 1980s for being the first man to hit forty home runs and steal forty bases in one season, Mays said, 'If I'd known that would be such a big deal, I would have done it a few times myself.'

"That comes close to expressing the bemusement I feel about all the attention on my triple-double season."

Imagine our bemusement, then, to know now that Robertson averaged a triple-double for the first five NBA seasons with 30.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game in 384 games. Stick that in your trophy case for a moment and gawk at it: 30, 10 and 10, every season for five years.

Could you imagine what ESPN would do with Oscar if he played today? They'd probably give him his own channel. He would own Nike ... and adidas. In this Internet world of today, how huge Robertson would be in Europe or China? And how many articles would be written about him opting out of his contract in 2010?

And there is another overlooked element of Robertson's storied legacy: free agency. If not for Robertson and the Player's Union filing a class-action suit in New York District Court in 1970 -- known as the "Oscar Robertson rule" because as the NBPA president, his name led the list -- and its settlement in 1976, we'd have no speculation regarding where Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh and LeBron James would go to chase an NBA title.

A title once eluded Robertson as well. Boston or Philadelphia always stood in Cincinnati's way and because of the reserve clause that kept a player with a team in perpetuity, Robertson was a Royal until the franchise either traded or released him. On April 20, 1970, four days after the NBPA suit was filed, the Royals traded him to Milwaukee, where he teamed with a young superstar in Abdul-Jabbar.

"I was very aware of Oscar's overall excellence," Abdul-Jabbar said, remembering the trade that brought Robertson to Milwaukee from Cincinnati. "I just didn't know how he'd fit in with our team. I should have known better. There was nothing to be apprehensive about. He was a great overall player and a great leader. He pushed us. He'd get on our case if we didn't do our assignments. Having that kind of leadership is a key element to any team."

The Bucks went 66-16 in the regular season, became the first team to shoot better than .500 from the field (.509), cruised through the postseason at 12-2 and capped that incredible run by sweeping the Bullets in the Finals.

"I think that was an exceptional season," Abdul-Jabbar said. "In terms of efficiency in the playoffs, that was one of the best teams that ever played. A lot of people don't remember that very accurately because of the way things happened with the Knicks and Lakers in the mix."

Robertson would make one more trip with the Bucks to The Finals in 1974 before retiring at the age of 35.

It was then one could see what the river of Robertson's career had carved: basketball's Grand Canyon. You could not help but be stunned by the depth, breadth and the sheer beauty and excellence of it all.

"I think Oscar was really special because of his ability to do so many different aspects of the game well," Abdul-Jabbar said. "There are very few people who have the ability to score, set people up to score, rebound and defend. He was a complete player."

When Kidd adds to his career triple-double total of 101 (still 80 shy of Robertson's career mark) or James finishes the season with 30 points, seven-plus rebounds and seven assists per game, they're like tourists who spend a couple days, take some photos and leave, gobsmacked by what they have seen.

And only by getting as close as they do to Robertson's excellence do Kidd and James know how much they have left to accomplish.

They, too, could look at what he's done after his player career ended -- owner of three companies and partner in a fourth or that he donated one of his kidneys to his daughter, Tia, which subsequently led to him being named a spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation -- and see that in 35 years after he retired, Oscar remains to this day, a pioneer.

So, on this day, 70 years after that snowy Thanksgiving Day when Robertson was born, let us give thanks for Oscar Robertson.

Because of him we know what true greatness looks like.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Sorenstam's career ends

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Standing in the center of a sun-drenched 18th green, as waves of cheers rippled from a packed gallery, Annika Sorenstam hugged caddie Terry McNamara and took the flag from his hand.

She held it high, like a conquering hero, then slammed it into the hole.

"It's over," she said.

Sorenstam's tour career presumably ended Friday afternoon, when she failed to qualify for the third round of the ADT Championship. She shot a 3-over 75, putting her at 5 over for the week - two shots away from surviving the cut from 32 down to 16 for Saturday, after which the field will be pared in half again before the final round battle for $1 million.

"All of a sudden, the time is here," Sorenstam said. "You're standing there on the 18th fairway and it's your last approach shot in an LPGA event. A lot of thoughts go through your head ... and what's been the coolest thing this week is all these people who showed up that I don't know, my fans."

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Wakamatsu to manage Mariners

Don Wakamatsu is proud to be the first Asian-American manager in major league history. He's also keenly aware of what his grandparents endured, generations before he took over the Seattle Mariners.

During World War II, the United States government moved his Japanese ancestors across the country from one internment camp to another. Wakamatsu's father, an iron worker, was born in one.

"I'm proud to represent some of what they went through in their lifetime," Wakamatsu said. "If I can set a future stepping stone for Japanese-Americans and just the equality in baseball, I'm glad to bear that torch."

A fourth-generation Japanese-American, the former Oakland bench coach was introduced Wednesday as the new manager of the Mariners.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

this pitcher throws like a schoolgirl

A 16-year-old schoolgirl is making a unique pitch to become the first woman to play professional baseball in Japan.

High school student Eri Yoshida was drafted by the Kobe 9 Cruise, a professional team in a new independent Japanese league that will start its first season in April.

"I always dreamed of becoming a professional," Yoshida, who is 5-feet (152-centimeters) tall and weighs 114 pounds (52 kilograms), told a news conference Monday. "I have only just been picked by the team and haven't achieved anything yet."

Yoshida throws a side-arm knuckleball and says she wants to follow in the footsteps of Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who has built a successful major league career throwing a knuckleball.

Yoshida took part in a tryout held earlier this month and passed with flying colors. The right-hander held male batters hitless for one inning in the tryout and her successful outing helped her become one of the 33 players picked in the draft.

***

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The fraternity of knuckleball pitchers is small, and Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox is its active godfather.

Eri Yoshida hopes to expand that roster and break the gender barrier at the same time.

Yoshida, the petite 18-year-old who became the first female drafted by a Japanese professional team, Kobe 9 Cruise of the Kansai Independent Baseball League, made her pro debut on March 26, 2009, at the Osaka Dome. She learned how to throw a knuckleball as a young girl by watching video of Wakefield.

On Tuesday, at the Red Sox player development complex, Yoshida, wearing a gray Boston T-shirt with Wakefield's name and number on the back, met her idol and pitched with him.

"I'm impressed," Wakefield said. "She spun a couple, but for the most part it was very good. She was able to take the spin out of a lot of them and they had quite a lot of movement on them."

Yoshida, who stands 5-foot-1 and throws her knuckleball with a sidearm motion, is in the United States to pitch in the independent Arizona Winter League. She got her first win on Feb. 12, tossing four shutout innings for the Yuma Scorpions. But she admitted she was nervous working with the 43-year-old Wakefield.

"I think everything that he taught me is going to give me a chance to really work on what I need to work on," she said through Red Sox team translator Masa Hoshino. "But also, I got a chance to meet him and it really gave me some courage and the confidence I need to really get back to training hard."

Wakefield, who is entering his 18th major league season, made his first All-Star team last year. He was happy to share his knowledge with someone willing to try the knuckler.

"It's an honor to have somebody carry on a knuckleball tradition," he said. "And somebody that's doing it because she likes what I do. It's pretty cool to have someone come over to the States from Japan. I heard about her last year. I know she's pitching in independent leagues now. But for her to come all the way to Fort Myers and watch me throw, it was an honor for me to just talk to her and give her some tips."

***

The Golden League, dotted with former big leaguers and players with years of minor league experience, is not a good place for an 18-year-old to pitch.

Let alone an 18-year-old girl.

From Japan.

Say this about Eri Yoshida: she likes a challenge. With the spotlight of the media from both sides of the Pacific, Yoshida made her debut with the independent Chico Outlaws on Saturday night, becoming the first woman to pitch in a professional league in the U.S. since Ila Borders in 2000.

It didn't go that well, although you would never have known that by the throng of adoring fans cheering and begging for her autograph after the game.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Pete Newell

Pete Newell, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who won an NCAA championship and Olympic gold medal and later tutored some of the game's greatest big men, died Monday. He was 93.

The University of California confirmed his death. Newell coached the Bears to a national title in 1959. No details were available, but Newell had a serious lung operation in 2005.

Newell coached 14 years at San Francisco, Michigan State and California before doctors advised him to give it up because of the emotional toll. His final coaching job came in the 1960 Olympics, when he took a U.S. team led by Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Jerry Lucas to a gold medal in Rome.

Newell also ran a Big Man's Camp in Hawai'i.

Brock Lesnar defeats Randy Couture

Brock Lesnar stopped "The Natural" Randy Couture in the second round of their UFC 91 fight on Saturday night to become heavyweight champion.

Lesnar earned a TKO after the referee stepped in while he kept pummeling Couture, even after he went to the ground.

Lesnar has now become the first man ever to win a fake and real championship. The WWE and the UFC Heavyweight Championships. Lesnar is also a former NCAA Wrestling Champion.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Obama's brother-in-law has a big rebuilding job too

With a hint of 5 o'clock shadow and small bags under his eyes, Oregon State coach Craig Robinson took the basketball court to start a campaign that is nearly as daunting as the one he just helped to complete.

Now that the campaign is over Robinson is able to concentrate on coaching.For the past 20 months, Robinson assisted his brother-in-law Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency. Robinson stumped in Iowa, gave speeches in Washington State and did interviews about his childhood on Chicago's South Side with his younger sister, Michelle, who is married to Obama.

Now that the Obamas are preparing to enter the White House and Robinson can devote all his energy to his first season at Oregon State, Robinson and the president-elect can debate about whose task is tougher.

"Before this whole economy thing, I would have said that we had a bigger rebuilding job," Robinson said of Oregon State. "But this economy thing puts him over the top, hands down. He's got the economy, and you can throw in the housing crisis and the war. He's got more on his plate than I do."

Robinson simply inherited an Oregon State program that is coming off an 0-18 season in the Pacific-10, carrying a 21-game skid and looking for its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1990.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Chris Paul surpasses the Big O

Chris Paul couldn't leave New Orleans' locker room last night until he finished helping a friend with his tie.

Add another assist to the Hornets' point guard, who set an NBA record in leading New Orleans to a 100-89 win over Miami.

Paul finished with 21 points and 13 assists for his sixth straight double-double of at least 20 points and 10 assists to open the season, surpassing the mark set by Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson in 1968.

"That is very historical for him to be able to pass a name like that that's a Hall of Famer," New Orleans coach Byron Scott said. "If he stays healthy and keeps growing as a basketball player, obviously he'll be a Hall of Famer, too."