Cleaning out the Inbox

Time to clean the inbox out with some various notes of interest.

I have missed Seahawks game coverage the last two weeks because they have played at the same time as the Browns and I really dislike doing game coverage of the games that I have not seen.
I make no claims on being the best of anything, just that I add a perspective of bullet points that the standard wrap usually does not and me gleaning information from that is kinda like reheated leftovers.
Since this is basically an opinion-based site, to begin with, I am not comfortable with that being done very often.

The Browns and Seahawks will not play at the same time for the remainder of the season, so Seattle coverage will return this week.


My good friend Wooden sends me this awesome nugget and I have been engrossed in this site ever since.
It deals with the genius Buddy Ryan and his "Polish Goaline" from Buddy's playbook
The intent is to intentionally draw too many men on the field penalty, while at the same time draining time from the clock in a late-game situation.
With the new rules on time and penalties at the end of the game, I am not sure that this would work as well now, but it shows the amount of detail that Buddy Ryan's teams covered.
Those teams may not have won a playoff game, but those defenses were the most fun to watch of any I have ever seen.
I may be in the minority, but I fervently believe that had the Eagles kept Buddy Ryan, those early 90's Eagles would have won a Super Bowl.....

The Eagles honored Buddy last night at halftime of their game with the Chicago Bears and it was very nice, although overdue.
Philly fans still hold Buddy in high regard and this had to raise his spirits a bit.
Buddy is fighting cancer right now and is having five radiation treatments a day in his fight against the evil disease.
Not too bad for a guy that never won a playoff game.....

A while back we posted about the Browns releasing Brian Robiskie, but I forgot to write the follow-up of Robiskie being claimed by Jacksonville.
A note to Pat Shurmur-you want some of the heat on you to cool down?
One way would be to make sure that Brian Robiskie does not stand out when the Jaguars hit Cleveland in a  week from Sunday.
If Robiskie is able to have a good game, the heat will definitely be turned up a notch...

Strat O Matic has made headlines for two reasons recently.
The first is the 50th anniversary of the company and Bloomberg News has an article about SOM here.

The latter is that every night of the NBA lockout SOM is simulating the games that have been canceled and placing the simulated games/stats on their website.
The company has done this in the past with baseball labor issues, so they have a track record of making the best of the worst...

I have been an ardent reader through the years of the Robert Caro series on Lyndon Johnson ( I just finished a re-read (No relation to Ry-Ry) of the second book Means of Ascent) and my biggest worry of the series that began in 1981 is that Caro (now in his late seventies) might not be able to finish the project.
The final book of the set was scheduled to be out next year, but that has been changed as the final portion has evolved to a two-book set and the series a five-book volume.
Passage of Power will be released in May of next year and will cover 1958-1964.
The fourth book will take Johnson from the planning of his 1960 presidential run, his years as Vice President, and the first year of his presidency.

I will be waiting until the softcover book comes out sadly.
Hardcover books seem to fall apart so easily anymore and when you consider the cost of the product, I'll just wait a while and buy the softer version.

Do you remember the 1970s?
Concrete donut stadiums and garish uniforms?
Well, the Miami (yes, the name will be changed) Marlins may be moving into a new stadium for next season, but the uniforms are definitely a throwback that is as welcome as a Pet Rock or Mood Ring.
The orange version of this makes me want to rinse my eyes with Clorox or maybe the designer was doing just that!
If this leak is the actual plan for the new Marlins togs, then someone in Miami had better deny it, find a backup plan and pray that any proof of this ever comes out of the closet.
Ugh.

Time for a few goodbyes

To former Heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, who passed last night at the age of 67.
Frazier will always be linked to Muhammad Ali of course, but Frazier made three other defenses before the devastating second-round knockout loss of the championship to George Foreman in 1973.
Frazier's loss on that night with Howard Cosell's commentary of "DOWN GOES FRAZIER" has become a permanent staple among even casual sports fans when people take pratfalls on TV and in the real world.
Frazier's fights with Ali were classic as Ali did not have the punching power to hurt Frazier, but Smokin' Joe was meat on a platter with his charge in style for a punishing pounder like Foreman.
Frazier was also the heavyweight Gold Medalist in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.

Former National League batting champion Matty Alou passed on at the age of 72.
Alou played for five teams, but his best seasons were in Pittsburgh when he won the 1966 batting championship with an average of .342, which was the first of a seven-year run that saw Alou hit over .300 six times and .295 in the exception season.
Alou was the type of hitter that is not as prevalent in the game today as he was a one-skill hitter as Alou never reached double digits in homers in any year of his career.

Former Cardinal pitcher Bob Forsch passed suddenly at the age of 61 just days after throwing out the first pitch before Game Seven of the World Series in St.Louis.
Forsch was a twenty-game winner in 1977 and tossed two no-hitters in his career.
Forsch is part of the only brother act with sibling Ken to throw no-hitters and was generally a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher.
Ironically, Forsch was on top of my pile of people to write this year, being so close to the top that his envelope was actually already addressed when I heard of his passing.

Our best to all the above-named families....