We start with the Athletic and their Buffalo branch with an article on Jim Kelly and his time with the USFL's Houston Gamblers.
Matthew Fairborn talks to all the players in the gambit that brought Kelly, who was seconds away from signing with the Bills in their offices, to Houston with the Run and Shoot offense that set all sorts of passing records.
I also learned something that I didn't know about Kelly and backup Todd Dillon.
I knew the Gamblers signed Dillon as a fellow rookie, but what I didn't know is that the team was having problems with Kelly buying into the offense, signed Dillon specifically to challenge Kelly's competitive spirit and if Dillon beat Kelly out- so be it, which led to a Kelly outburst in the office of team owner Jerry Argovitz.
This might be the most comprehensive article that I've ever read about this period of Kelly's career and if you are a USFL or a Mouse Davis. June Jones or Run and Shoot offense fan, this is a must read!
The New York Times writes of the massive, encompassing and increasingly obsolete boxing on VHS collection of the late Bela Szilagyi, who compiled over 55,000 fights on over 8,000 tapes.
The collection is still being updated by his widow and she's looking to sell, but the aging format is working against it in the digital age.
The collection was once used by fighters and trainers to prepare for bouts, networks that needed footage for broadcast or even boxing junkies such as yours truly to just step back in time before the days of YouTube.
Szilagyi was a concert pianist and you don't usually think of concert piano and boxing having crossover fans, but this article is more than boxing.
It's just as much as about a man's love for the sport and a wife's love for her husband that she doesn't want to let go.
It's a piece that hits home for those of us that know the feeling of unconditional love from one's spouse.
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| Photo Credit; Brian Boesch |
Bob said of the "Pfitz" that he never knew how much it looked like Hagerstown's Muni and there are similarities despite Hagerstown Municipal being already 54 years old when Pfitzner was built.
Getting from Hagerstown to Woodbridge can be quite a grind, but reading this makes me want to make one trip to Potomac to say goodbye.
I've been there a few times, but not enough to develop a real connection with the place.
Perhaps there is room for just one rundown, badly kept stadium in my life! Ha Ha!
It's another good story of a long time fan saying goodbye, even if it is goodbye to a place that is long past its prime.
I suppose one day, I could be writing a similar article about the Muni- Let's hope that in that case,
their new home is in the area, not far away.
Yahoo writes of the rising career of Top Rank's Crystina Poncher, who has developed her skills in boxing broadcasting to move up to commentating in both the play by play and color roles on ESPN+ undercards and as a reporter on the featured events.
Poncher is the first woman to perform in the play by play role in boxing and is quite good, although she's still learning that role.
I've always liked her work and it'll be interesting to see how she continues to improve in calling boxing along with her hosting and interviewing work.
We finish with the Athletic again with an article on NBA veteran Jerry Stackhouse, who was recently hired as the head coach at Vanderbilt, despite never coaching at all in college.
Stackhouse apparently still laces the sneakers up and practices with his teams as he did this season as an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Stackhouse apparently emphasizes defense and slows the game down, which surprised me considering Stackhouse's skills in the open floor as a player.
Stackhouse seems to be highly thought of by the players and coaches that have worked with him, but players that try college jobs with only NBA coaching experience have failed more than succeeded, Clyde Drexler at Houston, Sidney Lowe at N.C, State and most recently Chris Mullin at St.John's come to mind off the top of my head.
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