Time Out With Tany - Mid-November Installment

    icon Nov 12, 2018
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THIS COLUMN WAS WRITTEN IN FRONT OF A LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE

                                                       QUICK QUIZ

Who is the leading career rusher at the University of Michigan?

  1. Jamie Morris
  2. Tyrone Wheatley
  3. Mike Hart
  4. Pete Hauffe

 

QUOTABLE QUOTES

Jack Nicklaus, on why he tees up a golf ball so high, “Through years of experience I have found that air offers less resistance than dirt.”

Samuel Johnson, English critic, “Angling – I can only compare to a stick and string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other.”

Sugar Ray Leonard, just before his second fight with Roberto Duran in 1980, “What helped me develop my quickness was fear. I think the rougher the opponent, the quicker I am.”

 

IDLE THOUGHTS

Mychal Kendricks of the Seattle Seahawks has been suspended by the National Football League. No, not for performance enhancing drugs, substance abuse or domestic violence. Kendricks, a 5-foot-11, 240-pounder, violated the league’s personal conduct policy after his guilty plea to insider trading. Federal prosecutors said that in 2014, Kendricks made approximately $1.2 million in profit after receiving non-public information from Damilare Sonoiki, who was then an employee at Goldman Sachs. Kendricks played for the Philadelphia Eagles at the time of the alleged illegal tips, for which prosecutors say the linebacker gave $10,000 in cash as well as tickets to games. After the charges were first announced, Kendricks was subsequently released by the Cleveland Browns, whom he signed a one-year deal with in June. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 24. I wonder if he’s dating Martha Stewart?

I’ve been a Saturday Night Live fan from Day 1. The trendy and sometimes non-funny sketch comedy show has featured a number of athletes as guest hosts. My top 5 athlete/guest hosts (ranking in order of humor):

1.Peyton Manning

2.Derek Jeter

3.Charles Barkley

4.Tom Brady

5.Michael Jordan

And, to keep things on a level playing field (no pun intended) my bottom 5 athlete/guest hosts:

1.Lance Armstrong

2.Jonny Moseley

3.Nancy Kerrigan

4.Jeff Gordon

5.O.J. Simpson (prior to becoming a murderer)

I was disappointed when ESPN cancelled The Sports Reporters, a 30-minute roundtable discussion of some of the top sports writers in the nation that was on for nearly 30 years. It was originally hosted by Dick Schaap (1989-2001) and then John Saunders (2001 until his death in 2016). It featured panelists such as Mike Lupica, Mitch Albom, Bob Ryan, William C. Rhoden and John Feinstein tackling the hot sports topics of the previous week. ESPN has replaced it with E:60, an hour-long, award-winning news magazine show featuring sports profiles and innovative stories. Ironically, the host is Jeremy Schaap – the son of Dick Schaap – and features a handful of correspondents.

One of the two stories E:60 featured on Sunday dealt with Jared Lorenzen, the former University of Kentucky quarterback who, at 300-pounds, was called Hefty Lefty. Lorenzen, who had a brief National Football League career when he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants in 2004. Lorenzen received a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII as the backup quarterback behind Eli Manning. He retired in 2013 after playing for a couple of Indoor Football teams. Well, Lorenzen has now ballooned to over 500 pounds (560 pounds at his heaviest) and is facing numerous health issues because of his weight issues. E:60 was quite poignant when they said he was incapable of staying fit.

Look for Bryce Harper to not re-sign with the Washington Nationals and ink the largest contract in major sports history. Harper’s next contract will reportedly fetch $400 million. That’s Donald Trump-like money. Right now, it looks as if the Philadelphia Phillies will beat out the New York Yankees for Harper.

Be honest now, how many of you turn down the volume on your television when Dick Vitale is broadcasting a college basketball game? I watched the Duke/Kentucky basketball game last week and got real sick of listening to Vitale drool over Duke freshman Zion Williamson. I know Williamson is the real deal and is probably a one-and-done, but take a chill pill, Dickie, there’s four other starters on the floor, too.

The Dallas Cowboys released Dez Bryant in April after eight seasons because his cap hit for 2018 was $16.5 million and he was no longer producing like an elite wide receiver. He turned down a reported three-year, $21 million deal from the Baltimore Ravens and waited for other offers. They didn’t materialize, so he signed with New Orleans and promptly tore his Achilles in practice and is out for the season. His one-year deal with the Saints paid him a maximum of $1 million, including incentives, he won’t reach now. He will be 31 years of age next season so don’t expect many teams to come calling.

The Detroit Lions are a .500 football team at best. It seems when they put emphasis on building up a certain position, like that did at running back this past year, another position goes to hell. They’ve never been a team with a lot of depth, so when a couple of their offensive linemen got hurt, quarterback Matthew Stafford has to start running for his life. Stafford is now 30 and his best days are probably behind him. By the time they get the offensive (and defensive) lines built back up through the draft or free agency, Stafford will be on his way out.

Lloyd “Pete” Bishop, former athletic director at Buena Vista High School, has passed away at the age of 82. Pete was one of the “good guys” in local sports circles. He loved to teach and coach and wound up gaining membership in the PGA of America. He was a member of the St. Mary’s Cathedral High School’s state champion basketball team of 1952-53 that was inducted into the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

Whatever happened to Tate Forcier?

 

PREDICTION

Division 5 Semifinal: Swan Valley 21, Hudsonville Unity Christian 20

Division 8 Semifinal: Harbor Beach 28, Breckenridge 14

 

QUICK QUIZ ANSWER

C. Mike Hart, who gained 5,040 yards from 2004-07. Anthony Thomas is second with 4,472, and Jamie Morris is third with 4,392.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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