Cleaning out the inbox

The inbox is literally over the top with items and I'm going to break it up into two or maybe even three of these before its finally cleaned up.

The Pittsburgh Pirates obtained pitcher Jesse Biddle from the Phillies in the type of decision that I like-a mild risk for a big reward down the road.
Pittsburgh sent Yoervis Medina to the Phillies,who was picked up over the winter after splitting 2015 with the Mariners and Cubs and should be part of the Phillies bullpen for Biddle.
Biddle was looked at as the Phillies top lefthanded pitching prospect for years,but underwent elbow surgery and will miss the 2016 season.
You are never sure in what a year off will do to a pitcher,but when your cost is a free agent journeyman reliever for a player of Biddle's upside-the proactive GM does the trade.

During our recent podcast with Carling Coffing Nolan,we referred to 18 holes with Jimmy Hanlan hiring a replacement for Carling in LPGA star Natalie Gulbis.
Here is an article on Gulbis being hired with Crain's Cleveland Business Journal.
I look forward to Natalie's version of the show,but I'll miss Carling and the birdie dance!

A blog that I never heard of in Exile on Trumbull Street covers in eight well written parts where all the bodies are buried in the move of the Hartford Whalers to Carolina.
Here is the link to part one,you can find the remaining parts off to the side.
It is not a short read,but it is an interesting one as you wind through the political and business maneuvers of moving a team....

Best wishes to long time favorite of ours as Bret "the Hitman" Hart as he is in a battle with prostate cancer.
The Hitman is 58 and has had quite a few medical problems over the years.....

We wrote a little while back about the passing of Ken Stabler and his health issues.
Stabler has been in the news twice this week with the best of the news being his finally entering the pro football hall of fame.
I'm glad Stabler made it,but once again it happened too late for the player to see it.
Stabler should have been in long ago...
Stabler also was discovered to have CTE,a brain condition that is becoming all too common in the lives of former football players.
The New York Times discusses Stabler and his condition in detail,so if you were a fan of the Snake or interested in the issues involving CTE,I think you'll find this interesting...

I just found out about the passing of former Vikings linebacker Fred McNeill in November from Lou Gehrig's disease,but McNeill was the first former NFLer to be diagnosed with CTE while still alive.
Back in 2013,a UCLA study showed McNeill to have CTE and that was a step forward in being able to make huge progress in concussion research,
The Showdown discusses this and more about the former Vikings first rounder that was an underrated player on those later 1970's Vikings teams....
McNeill might be best remembered as the first player to block hall of famer Ray Guy's punt in the Minnesota 32-14 super bowl loss to Oakland.
Back then,many said that Guy's punts were unblockable-McNeill showed differently.
McNeill's block takes place around 3;07 on the below video.


SABR (I allowed my membership to lapse) has many pages on many different baseball players and there is a new updated player page/article on Sandy Koufax.
It's detailed and scan the free part of the SABR files as the articles are on more than just the great ones....

We still have more in the inbox later this week!

Podcast-Kenny Stabler,DeAndre Jordan and Phil Steele

The TRS Podcast brought to you by CSA Cards!

We make the case for Ken Stabler for Canton,DeAndre Jordan and how he set the Mavericks back years and the top football book on the market-Phil Steele's college football preview.

Passing of the Snake

Many times,a notable passing gets moved to a cleaning of the inbox,but tonight's passing of Ken "the Snake" Stabler from cancer at the age of 69 deserved a little more.
Stabler,who had been considered for a forgotten superstars piece on more than a few occasions,was such a character that he was known by even casual or non-sports fans in his late 70's heyday.

Stabler made his name at Alabama as the successor to Joe Namath before preparing for his NFL career in Oakland in the manner that quarterbacks were developed in the era-sitting for years behind a veteran passer in Stabler's case,it was Daryle Lamonica,who was the teacher to Stabler's student.

Kenny Stabler on the field was often overshadowed by Kenny Stabler off the field with a hard living party image,but not one like Joe Namath's,Stabler was more of a man of the people.
More comfortable in honky tonks than high scale parties,Stabler was the guy down the street that played hard and worked hard and as a result of all the powerhouse teams of the 70's (Oakland,Miami,Pittsburgh,Minnesota and Dallas) Stabler was the guy that was most loved by football fans that weren't Raiders haters (I.E.Denver,Kansas City and San Diego fans).
Kenny Stabler was just plain cool and he might have won any poll that would have been taken for the NFL star that was the most fun to hang out with.

Ken Stabler was respected in the football industry though as a player that you would have loved to have had the football in his hands when you needed one score at the end of a game.
How many other players had three games that not only were game winners,but were endings memorable enough to earn nicknames?
Stabler had those with the "Sea of Hands" with his threading the needle to Clarence Davis to down the two time defending champion Dolphins in the 1974 playoffs,the "Ghost to the Post" to tie the Colts in the 1977 playoffs in a game Oakland would win in double overtime and of course,the "Holy Roller" the deliberate fumble that pulled out a win over San Diego and saw the rule enacted that you see that affecting games to this day that you cannot advance a fumble with under two minutes to go in the game.
Figure that in with the long scramble down the sideline for the only Raider score off the bench that allowed the "Immaculate Reception to be possible and you can see that Stabler was almost the Forrest Gump (also a Alabama grad) of 1970's AFC football!
Stabler finished his career with Houston,with the rare star for star football trade for Dan Pastorini and New Orleans with the Saints first steps into becoming a contender,but was an immobile shell of the player he once was.
Stabler was given the nickname of Snake for being able to avoid the rush and slide away from pass rushers and the Oiler/Saint version was the opposite-a player that was meat on the platter for rushers,most notably in a Monday Night Football loss for the Saints against Dallas,where he was hammered into several fumbles.

The fact that Ken Stabler isn't in the Hall of Fame is a joke.
I can rattle you off five names that I would say Stabler has a better case to be in Canton than that are already there.
George Blanda (longevity and AFL Career),Len Dawson (same one title as Stabler),Bob Griese (2 titles,but Stabler a far better passer with a lesser run game),Fran Tarkenton (zero titles) and Sonny Jurgensen (zero playoff wins) all come up under Stabler in my judgement,

All and all,Ken Stabler,Hall of Fame or not,is one of the most memorable players of his time and will be remembered by football fans of all the memories that he provided.
My Stabler McFarlane figure and autographed cards (each of the three teams he played for) will be a cherished part of my collection forever.
Hopefully,I'll have a podcast up tonight that will talk about the legacy and memories of Kenny Stabler...