Cleaning out the inbox-Sports Edition

We start today's cleaning of the inbox with the 25th anniversary of the death of Loyola Marymount center Hank Gathers.
The death of Gathers along with Len Bias ranks as the top two deaths in college basketball in my lifetime and although Bias may have hit home more personally,Gathers death being on the court has a much more resonant part of the college basketball fans life.
Those Loyola Marymount teams were sure fun to watch and Hank Gathers was a huge part of that.
Many different sites are doing 25th anniversary articles on Gathers,but this one was the best from Gathers hometown paper-the Philadelphia Daily News and Dick Jerardi.
I'm not sure that Gathers game would have translated to the NBA as he struck me as a undersized center that lacked the shot of a power forward at that level,but it sure was sad to see him not have the chance to find out..

Grantland's Charles Pierce,a long time favorite of mine, nailed his retrospective on the late Jerry Tarkanian.
I've already written about Tark,but Pierce captured the time and the NCAA battle perfectly,
Combine that with some of the players that Tarkanian helped after their eligibility was over mentioned in this story and you have a winner....

Sam Amico and Fox Sports Ohio write about the 1984-85 Cavaliers that really saved Cleveland basketball with a 8th seeded playoff berth after a 2-19 start.
The article looks at just how close the Cavaliers came to upsetting the top seeded and eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.
Lots of World B.Free stuff,who I still think should have his number retired by the Cavaliers and some cool things on the role players too.....

Christina Kharl of ESPN interviewed one of our favorite players in Giants second baseman Joe Panik.
Joe was one of the nicest players that I've met doing the minors when he played for the Richmond Flying Squirrels and is a very easy player to root for.
The article looks at Panik's move from shortstop to second base,the adjustment and differences of the two positions..

We finish with another sad goodbye to former Indian and the 1970 American League batting champion Alex Johnson at the age of 72 due to prostate cancer.
Johnson played for eight different teams with his peak years being from 1968-70 with the Reds and Angels and was known for his Angels tenure that was filled with clubhouse struggles that resulted in a suspension and a labor grievance.
Johnson recently signed an Indians card that was given to me by Mike Oravec.

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Devils hunt down Predators 3-1

The New Jersey Devils did about all that they would do over the total of the game in the first four minutes with two goals.
They would do little thereafter and would use Cory Schneider as their workhorse to hold off the Nashville Predators 3-1 in Newark.
Adam Larsson's goal (3) less than a minute into the game gave the Devils the lead and Eric Gelinas added the game winner (5 Power Play) just a few minutes later.
Other than that flurry,it was the Cory Schneider show with 33 saves until Mike Cammalleri was credited with a goal (24 Empty Net) when tripped on his way to the open goal to salt the game away.
The Devils next hit the ice on Friday against Columbus at the Rock.

Hell Raisers

1) What a game from Cory Schneider.
Schneider continued a strong run with five wins in his last six starts with two shutouts and two outings that saw him allow just one goal.
Schneider is the main reason that any dim playoff hope exists....

2) Adam Larsson's shot off the post in the first period set the early tone that allowed the Devils to play from the lead.
I've written this before,but Larsson's play has improved so much since the departure of Peter DeBoer that you have to wonder just how much different Larsson's career could turn out had DeBoer continued to coach the team...

3) Eric Gelinas may be a one dimensional player at this stage of his short career,but that dimension is quite strong as his shot ranks with the hardest in the game.
The trade of Marek Zidlicky should allow more power play time for Gelinas and best take advantage of the strengths of Gelinas.

4) The trade of Marek Zidlicky also had shuffled the roster of the defensive corps and saw Peter Harrold receive time as a fourth line winger.
Not sure how much that will increase the offense,but I suppose they have their reasons...

5) Damon Severson returned from his broken ankle as the other reason that the Harrold shuffle occurred.
I'd play the younger guys (Larsson,Severson,Gelinas and Merrill) as much as I could with Andy Greene and whoever rounding out the six.

6) The Harrold move also tell you tons about where Michael Ryder and Martin Havlat stand right now.
Lou Lamoriello isn't thrilled,but he should question himself as both players were free agent signings signed by Lou himself...

Devils deal Marek Zidlicky to Detroit

The New Jersey Devils made one move at the trade deadline as they sent defenseman Marek Zidlicky to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Devils received a third round pick in the 2016 draft and have two conditions as well.
If Detroit makes the Stanley Cup Finals-the pick will be upgraded to a second rounder in the 2015 draft.
If Detroit makes the Eastern Conference finals,the Devils would receive a fifth rounder in the 2015 draft in addition to the 2016 third rounder.

Zidlicky scored four goals with 19 assists and is expected to do for the Red Wings what he did with the Devils-provide an offensive presence that will hopefully help the power play.
Some fans are complaining that the Devils did not get enough for the veteran,but I'm satisfied.
Considering that the team has the most talent at that position,the loss isn't going to hurt the lineup and the picks gained allow the team extra flexibility in the 2016 draft as they now have 3 third round selections in that draft.

I wish the Devils could have moved more players at the deadline,but the sad truth is that the team just didn't have the type of players available that teams consider an upgrade over what they already had.
It is something that the franchise needs to address in the off season and get younger along with faster.
The desperate need for a top six forward creates possibilities that the Devils may not do what they often do-re-sign a lot of their role players.
The team should have the cap space to try some things with 8 unrestricted free agents (Forwards-Ryder,Havlat,Tootoo,Bernier and Gomez, Defensemen Salvador,Harrold and Fraser).
The team has three restricted free agents (Larsson,Gelinas and Kinkaid) and will almost certainly match any offer made by a competing team,so that will not affect next season's decision making.

Going to be interesting off season in what may be Lou Lamoriello's last stand....

Minnie Minoso

Minnie Minoso,the first black player to play for the Chicago White Sox passed away in his 90's today.

I've seen two or three different birthdates for the Cuban import,so let's be comfortable with saying 90's.

I've written before about getting those battered 1950's Red Man tobacco cards from my grandfather and my love for them.

My favorites were the Indians (Early Wynn,Roberto "Bobby"Avila and Al Rosen) and the Giants Bobby Thomson because for some reason (Likely other than Ralph Kiner,who would they pick?) I didn't have any Pirates in the bunch that pap gave to me.

However,there was one card that I liked yet was annoyed at years after all those players had left the game.

I was annoyed at Orestes "Minnie" Minoso for two reasons-neither of which was his fault.

The first was that I could never get the pronunciation of "Orestes" correct and I generally find that things like that annoy me.                         The other was that the Indians traded Minoso for next to nothing (would been a huge help in the 1954 World Series) and then traded Early Wynn to get him back (Wynn would have made a difference in the 1959 pennant race with the White Sox).

Even though these trades were 20 years ad over past,they bugged me and as a result,could have cost the Indians two possible world championships/

I know,I wouldn't have been alive for them-I was under 10,deal with it!

The other thing that I remember from my childhood was the Bill Veeck ChiSox rolling Minoso out in 1976 at the age of 52 to pinch hit so that Minoso could add another decade to his playing line.

Topps added a card in its 1977 set commemorating the occasion and the White Sox would do the same in 1980 to add yet another decade.

Chicago wasn't owned by Veeck in the 90's,but attempts to give Minoso an at bat in the 1990's were turned down by MLB (doesn't it seem like the leagues get more stodgy by the year anymore?) and at bats in the 90's and 2000's would take place in independent league play not the majors.

Minoso is better known as a White Sox player,but he spent two stints as an Indian too and my grandfather in Ohio always spoke of Minoso as a hitter the way my pap here always spoke of Rod Carew,so I always thought highly of Minoso's skills.

On the field?

Well,many baseball people that I highly respect believe that Minoso is a strong Hall of Fame candidate and the case is interesting enough to argue that Minoso may rank with the few that has fallen through the cracks.

If not for a dramatic drop in his final three years (443 AB),Minoso would have easily been a career .300 hitter (finished at .298) as before those final years,Minoso's worst year saw him hit .280 and he put together eight years of plus .300 hitting.

Minoso hit over twenty homers four times and those pesky final three years were the only years that Minoso did not hit double digit homers.

Nicknamed the "Cuban Comet" Minoso also led the junior circuit in triples and steals three times,so there is little doubt about the speed of Minoso.

Add in four times over 100 RBI,three gold gloves and seven all-star appearances and one can make a an excellent argument that Minoso should be a Veteran's Committee selection.

It's unfortunate that Minoso didn't get into Cooperstown while alive,but I'd bet he gets inducted in next time (Think Ron Santo) now that his case will be on many minds.

It's odd that the passing of Minoso happened right now because my friend Christina Kahrl of ESPN did a tremendous interview with Minoso a few days ago and it was lying there comfortably for our next cleaning of the inbox.

Minoso discussed the hall,integrating the ChiSox and players today among the items that were discussed by the man nicknamed "Mr.White Sox".

Minoso had his number retired by Chicago in 1983 and it's sad that he is only now getting some recognition outside of Chicago.

I asked Christina for a thought on Minoso and she responded with a touching quote that I cannot better so I'll let her close this out-  "He was one of the warmest souls the game has ever seen and the future is a poorer place for not having him in it to enjoy baseball with the fans he loved in the city and the country he embraced"

Frampton stops Avalos-Boxing Challenge

A two fight boxing challenge weekend resulted in R.L.Malpica taking a one point lead at 14-13.

We each earned a point for Chris Eubank Jr's 12th round knockout of Dmitri Chudinov.
Both of us thought Eubank would win via decision,so both of us gained just one point.

The difference was Carl Frampton's fifth round stoppage of Chris Avalos to retain his IBF Jr.Featherweight title.
R.L picked up three points for Frampton's win and knockout and a bonus point for picking the correct round.
I selected Frampton to win via KO,but picked round eight..
With a big fight weekend next Saturday with the beginning of Al Haymon's cards on NBC,the boxing challenge is starting to rev up after a light January and February.

I watched Carl Frampton for the second time in his knockout of Chris Avalos and came away quite impressed.
Frampton attacks with a very aggressive style and his nickname of the "jackal" is quite apt.
Avalos had next to no chance in fending off Frampton,who reminded me of his manager former WBA featherweight champion Barry McGuigan,who dethroned the longest reigning featherweight champion of the age in Eusebio Pedroza.

The Junior Featherweight division (122 pounds) has four fighters that look to be high above the rest.
Guillermo Rigondeaux (WBA champ),Leo Santa Cruz (WBC),Frampton (IBF) and England's Scott Quigg.
The potential fights are tantalizing,but I'd wouldn't bet on a simple two round tournament deciding anything.
Frampton and Quigg appear to be on a collision course for a huge summer fight in the United Kingdom,the hope is that the winner of that bout will fight Rigondeaux and that might be the best money fight for the Cuban,who's less than pleasing style has made him almost poison to the networks.
No mention of Leo Santa Cruz?
Well,the WBC champion is a Al Haymon stable member,has shown no interest in fighting any of the above three (although he does enjoy tweeting about fighting them) and has of late defended against boxers that were more along the lines of eight round fighters.
Don't believe me? Santa Cruz defended against Manuel Roman,who was shutout over eight rounds in his next fight against Diego De La Hoya,who was just 7-0 entering the fight.,
Santa Cruz's dodging of competition combined with Al Haymon's hesitation to have his fighters against anyone that isn't a member of his stable makes me think that the best we can hope for is the Frampton-Quigg winner vs Rigondeaux.

If I had guess on a winner-I might go Frampton.
Rigondeaux is clearly the most skilled fighter,but has shown a tendency to get knocked down,which could prove fatal vs Frampton.
Santa Cruz is aggressive and throws lots of punches,but doesn't have the power to hurt Frampton and I think Quigg is a nice fighter,but I think I'd rate him fourth of the four fighters.

Looks like an exciting year in the 122 pound division to me......

Devils clip Columbus 2-0

In one of the most tedious games that I have watched in a long time,the New Jersey Devils used one
nice play and some solid goaltending to travel to the state capital of Ohio and clip the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-0.
Cory Schneider finished with 33 saves on the evening in net to lead New Jersey to the victory.
Andy Greene's first period goal (2) held up as the only goal of the game until Travis Zajac's empty netter (10) with thirty seconds to go in the matchup.
The Devils are now off until Tuesday when they host the Nashville Predators.

Hell Raisers

1) Before we begin with the recap of the game,please remember that the Devils next game is after the trade deadline.
It'll be interesting to see if the Devils are active players at the deadline,more likely as sellers than buyers although one never knows when it comes to Lou Lamoriello.
The main trading chip that you would think would be available in Jaromir Jagr is gone,but they might pick up a draft pick or two for Marek Zidlicky,the suddenly rejuvenated Jordin Tootoo or disgruntled veterans such as Michael Ryder or Martin Havlat.
I'm all for just about anything and that includes a major deal such something that would fetch a major return such as Andy Greene.
We'll see..

2) Cory Schneider was great in goal,maybe his best game all season.
Schneider stopped odd man rushes,one on ones,point blank shots and attempts to squeeze the puck by him.
Tremendous game by Schneider.

3) Andy Greene's shot over the shoulder of Curtis McIlhenney was a shot perfectly place,but the goal came off a nice pass from Patrik Elias that was preceded by a Greene pick and pass.
That's the type of play that would make Greene so desirable at the deadline to other teams and so difficult to deal away...

4) Other than that,this was a pretty dull game to watch.
The Devils didn't have a ton of chances,didn't have a lot of hits other than the Mark Fraser vs Jared Boll fight,this was a less than thrilling contest.

5) The Devils put just 17 shots on goal as they essentially needed just one shot to win.
Good thing that they got it....