GRIT CITY PIGSKIN PRO’S

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By Scotty Mincher

 

Draft day is upon us once again, and at a time, in which we live, where the NFL draft has become a giant spectacle and a season of everlasting hope, especially for Browns fans like myself, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the local football products, that went on to make their dream of playing in the NFL become a reality. One of the more notable NFL players from Youngstown is former Jets’ receiver Brad Smith, who attended Chaney High School and went on to play Quarterback for Missouri. After being redshirted in 2001 he became the four-year starter (never missing a start) for the Missouri Tigers. His sophomore year, he established himself as a quarterback in college football, becoming only the second player in Division 1-A football history to ever pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000. He received numerous national and Big 12 Conference freshman honors, leading the Tigers to a 5–7 record. His sophomore year, he led Missouri to an 8–5 record and their first bowl game since 1998. In 2004 the Tigers went a disappointing 5–6 after beginning the season ranked number 17 by the Associated Press. His senior year, he and the Tigers would bounce back, as he led the Tigers to a 7–5 record and his second Independence Bowl in three years and the first Missouri bowl victory in 7 years. Smith was working on his graduate degree in Economics at Missouri upon being drafted. He received his business degree from Missouri in May 2005. Smith has set numerous Missouri, Big 12, and Division 1-A records. Smith also excelled in the classroom and was named to the Big 12 All-Academic Team. He participated in the Mike Jones Football Clinic, Chancellor’s Lunch, Big Brothers and Big Sisters Bowl for Kids’ Sake, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Food Drive, Truman Club, and Athletes-in-Action, among others. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He also played for the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. In 2018, when he returned home for his annual football camp Smith said he loves coming home to spread an important message. “Seeing them come back each year and seeing the emails, seeing them go to college and play in college, notes from the parents. You know, after the camp they saw a difference in their kid, a different level of commitment, treating people different, that is the whole goal. Football is going to end for everyone, sports is going to end, but what type of man, what type of young lady are you going to be for the rest of your life? That is what we want to get done here,” Smith said.

Youngstown is also the birthplace of fellow former NFL receiver and 2x Super Bowl champion David Givens. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame, primarily as a running back.

Givens also played for the Tennessee Titans. Givens caught nine passes and one touchdown his rookie year for the New England Patriots in 2002 and improved in each of the next two seasons. He posted 34 catches and led his team with six touchdowns in 2003 and 56 catches in 2004 despite scoring just three times. The best performances in his career came in the postseason. Beginning with the 2003 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, Givens scored at least one touchdown the Patriots’ next seven playoff games, including both Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX. In 2005, Givens caught a career-high 59 passes and was the Patriots’ number two receiver for the second year in a row. In Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, Givens mocked the wing-flap celebration of Eagles receiver Terrell Owens after catching a four-yard touchdown from Tom Brady. Givens was the Patriots’ record holder in postseason touchdown receptions until 2015, before being surpassed by Rob Gronkowski who scored his eighth playoff touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs on January 20, 2016, and has the second-longest streak of consecutive postseason games with a touchdown reception, with seven. As we move along, We look at arguably the most famous running back to come out of the city of Youngstown in Maurice Clarett. Clarett played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. He also played professionally for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. During his freshman year at Ohio State University in 2002, he helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship. In a widely unexpected move, Clarett was drafted on the first day of the 2005 NFL Draft with the final pick of the 3rd round (#101 overall) by the Denver Broncos. He is well known for unsuccessfully challenging the NFL‘s draft eligibility rules requiring a player to be three years removed from high school and for his tumultuous life outside of football, including his dismissal from Ohio State, several arrests, and imprisonment. Since his release, Clarett has become a celebrated public speaker across the country by speaking candidly about his previous struggles and successful recovery. Additionally, Clarett founded a successful behavioral health agency in both Youngstown and Columbus He also co-hosts Business and Biceps, a top-rated business podcast. In high school, After displaying his abilities as a freshman tailback on the Austintown-Fitch High School varsity team, Clarett transferred to Warren G. Harding High School and garnered national attention. When he graduated from Harding, national publications ranked him among the top 100 players nationally. He was a 2002 U.S. Army All-American. Clarett received an offer from Ohio State University and verbally committed to Ohio State over offers from Notre Dame, Fresno State, and the University of Miami. He formally committed to the Buckeyes in February 2002. Ohio State’s coach, Jim Tressel, had previously been coach of Clarett’s hometown Youngstown State Penguins. Later, Clarett received the USA Today Offensive High School Player of the Year and Parade All-American distinctions. Clarett started at Ohio State for one season, rushing for 1,237 yards (then a school record for a freshman) and scoring 18 touchdowns, which helped the Buckeyes to a 14–0 record and the 2002 BCS National Championship. He scored the winning touchdown against Miami with a five-yard run in the second overtime in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. He also made a key defensive play in that game, stealing the ball on the Miami 28 from Hurricanes safety Sean Taylor, who was returning an interception from the end zone of a pass thrown by Craig Krenzel. After that play, Ohio State kicked a field goal, giving them a 10-point lead at the time. Clarett was the first freshman to be the leading rusher on a national championship team since Ahman Green of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1995. Clarett signed a four-year contract with the Broncos on July 28, 2005. However, he was cut a month later and didn’t play a down in the NFL with the Broncos. As far as placekickers go, this story wouldn’t be right if I didn’t include Jeff Wilkins. Jeff Wilkins is a former American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL)With the Rams, he won Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans. He played college football for Youngstown State University. Wilkins is currently tied for second place all-time in most consecutive PATs without a miss at 371. He played for Austintown Fitch High School in the Austintown, Ohio suburb of Youngstown.At Youngstown State University, Wilkins made a school-record 66 field goals, with a long of 54 (a school record). While at Youngstown State, the Penguins won the 1991 and 1993 Division I-AA National Championships under future Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. Wilkins was inducted in the YSU Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.Wilkins signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994, but played in just six games and did not attempt a single field goal or extra point. The following season, he joined the 49ers. While he only played in seven games, he had a superb season, kicking 12 of 13 field goals. In 1996, he finally saw duty as his team’s full-time kicker and did not disappoint, kicking 30 of 34 field goals and all 40 extra-point attempts.In 1997, he joined the Rams, where he played the remainder of his career and became the team’s all-time leading scorer. Wilkins assisted his team to a championship win in Super Bowl XXXIV, kicking three of four field goals and two extra points in the Rams 23–16 win over the Tennessee Titans. He also kicked a 50-yard field goal in the Rams 20–17 loss in Super Bowl XXXVI.Wilkins was the last player to kick barefoot in the NFL, doing so for the first seven games of the 2002 season.In 2003, Wilkins kicked an NFL record-tying 39 field goals (then shared with former Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears kicker Olindo Mare), which stood until surpassed by Neil Rackers‘ 40 field goals in 2005. In St. Louis’ opening game of the 2006 season, Wilkins set a franchise record by kicking six field goals in their 18–10 win over the Denver Broncos. He also became the first Rams player ever to score over 1,000 points.On November 11, 2007, Wilkins kicked his 300th career field goal against the New Orleans Saints. Wilkins announced his retirement from the NFL on February 29, 2008. The YSU football program during Wilkins’s tenure featured many student-athletes from surrounding high schools. According to Wilkins, In an interview he did with thejambar.com, this led to a sense of community within Youngstown and the surrounding areas.”As I got there we just kinda took off,” Wilkins said. “Being able to play in front of your hometown community and seeing the crowds going from 2,000 to 5,000 to 10,000 to sold out as we were making those championship runs was great because you knew everyone in the area. … The people coming to the games were people I grew up with, so it was nice to be able to do that in your hometown.” Wilkins had this to say during the interview after being inducted into the Youngstown State University hall of fame in 2003. [It] means a lot because being from this area, playing on some great teams, and being recognized for some achievements … That’s what you want to do,” Wilkins said. “I think it’s just a blessing. Now, I sit back and think about it and go to the YSU games and relive all those memories from those days.” The final former football standout to go from all-American to the cream of the crop in the NFL is a guy we’ve highlighted a lot at YSN, that guy is Bernie Kosar. He’s probably the most famous Youngstown native to play in the NFL, But even his father Bernie Kosar Sr. didn’t see it coming.”In our wildest dreams, we never imagined this would happen,” said Bernie Kosar Sr. In a story for chicagotribune.com in 1988. ‘Bernie was a tall, gangly, uncoordinated kid,” former Boardman football coach Gene Pushic said. ”Everybody had doubts about Bernie because he looked so weird throwing the football,” Boardman offensive coordinator Jack Hay said. ”He throws sidearm and even to this day, he has no mobility.”

”Bernie was just one of the guys,” said Jim Glinatsis, a high school teammate and close friend of Kosar. ”Then, all of a sudden, we`re watching television and Bernie`s in the Orange Bowl, winning a national championship and being compared to Joe Namath. When you come from a small town and you see one of your best friends playing on television, it`s a big surprise.”

In the article, To explain how a slow-footed, sidearm quarterback has moved so quickly to success in the NFL, Kosar points to the people who have influenced him most:

his parents, Bernie and Geri; his high school football coaches, Pushic and Hay, and his youth league baseball coach, Mike Hamilton.

‘The hardest thing I ever had to do was leave my family and friends in Boardman (to go to Miami),” he said. ”But it turned out to be the best thing for me because it allowed me to come back here.”Kosar was born Nov. 25, 1963. Except for two years in Akron as a child, he lived in Boardman until he was 17. He attended Byzantine Catholic Central through 8th grade.

”He was an altar boy for me for many, many years,” Father John Ycobac of St. Mary`s Church said. ”He was a very sincere, very honest, very faithful boy. He was very close to his family. And he was always a straight-A student in our school.”

Kosar, who graduated 49th in a class of 478 at Boardman and earned a finance and economics degree in three years at Miami, said his interest in school was encouraged by his parents. ”They always told me that sports were fun, but education was more important.”

”In 1948, I was 10 and I was a big Indians fan,” said Bernie Sr. ”I can tell you game by game about the `48 season, when the Indians won the pennant. And two years later, the golden era of Browns football began with Otto Graham. My kids all heard a lot about Otto Graham.”Bernie Jr. had Browns and Indians posters on his bedroom wall, a Browns wastebasket in the corner, and a Brian Sipe jersey that he wore most of the time. However, it was obvious to his father that Bernie`s interest in sports was more than just as a fan. He wasn`t a dreamer, like most kids. He didn`t worship Sipe and other athletes; he studied them.

”When he was 10 or 11, I remember we were watching a basketball game on television,” his father said. ”Bernie saw a move he liked and went right out to the driveway and started practicing it. He did it over and over, 100 times until it was perfect. I remember watching him and thinking, `Gee, what makes a 10-year-old kid practice a move 100 times? Where does he get the patience?` ” Baseball was Kosar`s first love, and that`s where he met Hamilton.”He taught me a lot about winning,” Kosar said.

”I used to scout our opponents, taking notes in a notebook,” Hamilton said. ”Bernie always wanted to know what I was writing down. He would always sit next to me. Other kids would be horsing around, looking for girls, and Bernie would be studying a pitcher`s pickoff move because Bernie didn`t have a very good one and he wanted to learn. Or he`d be noticing something about the way a catcher positioned himself. He wanted to know everything.”Boardman was 6-0 before a teachers` strike ended Kosar`s junior season. The team was 9-2 in his senior year. He passed for 2,222 yards in a season and a half and was The Associated Press player of the year in Ohio as a senior.

  • As I wrote in previous stories for YSN, Kosar went on to become, a National Champion (1983) A Heisman Trophy finalist (1984)
  • A 2× Pro Bowl (1987, 1989) selection with the Cleveland Browns and a Super Bowl champion (XXVIII) with the Dallas Cowboys in 1994.
  • As this story comes to a close, We give you 14 football players with Valley ties that were or are with NFL teams. This is as of August 19th, 2019. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Kevin Radar – Youngstown State
  • NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Derek Rivers – Youngstown State, Damoun Patterson – Youngstown State, John Simon – Cardinal Mooney
  • GREEN BAY PACKERS: Corey Linsley – Boardman, Darrin Hall – Austintown Fitch
  • CINCINNATI BENGALS; Billy Price – Austintown Fitch
  • INDIANAPOLIS COLTS; Malik Hooker – New Castle
  • LOS ANGELES RAMS: Troy Hill – (Born In Youngstown), Vytas Hrynkiewicz – Youngstown State
  • CHICAGO BEARS: James Daniels – Warren Harding, Danny Trevathan (Born in Youngstown)
  • NEW YORK GIANTS: Avery Moss – Youngstown State
  • DENVER BRONCOS: Derek Wolfe – Beaver Local High School

Most of these guys are still currently on NFL rosters. Derek Wolfe and Avery Moss have switched teams as Wolfe is with the Baltimore Ravens and Moss is with the Miami Dolphins. Also, Damoun Patterson’s most recent football ties are with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Before that, Patterson had stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. These guys and the former NFL players, I wrote about earlier are fine examples from a football, and in some cases an intellectual perspective for the rest of us and show us that if you want something bad enough and are willing to put in the hard work and make some sacrifices, the sky is the limit and nothing is impossible. Also, whether it’s because of something that they’ve done on or off the field they give the people of Youngstown and it’s surrounding areas, More specifically our sports fans something to duplicate, Or at the very least think about when we’re trying to achieve our goals!

I’LL SCRAP FOR THE SCRAPPERS

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By Scotty Mincher

 

Coronavirus has the world in emergency shutdown mode, and in an unprecedented time unlike the nation has ever seen we at YSN, much like the rest of the world are starving for sports. It’s good to be able to watch the games of the year from the 2019 NFL season, But with that being said this is a time of year when if you look at things from a historical perspective, through a sports fan’s eyes, hope springs eternal and so much of that has to do with the great game of baseball. Playing the role of an optimist and assuming that all goes well and the horrific effects of COVID-19 are neutralized, we’ll once again be able to see that fresh-cut grass and hear the crack of the bat that goes along with a distinct roar from the crowd. The centerpiece of this story much like the beginning of my sports career is highlighted by the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. I was still just a spring chicken when I landed my first job with the Scrappers at the age of 21. It was that year in the summer of 2010 I was fortunate enough to work as an intern for the minor league club.

For those that don’t know much about minor league baseball or the Scrappers or would like to know more about the origin of the team here’s what I found in my research. The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a minor league baseball team based in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River. The Scrappers play in the Pinckney Division of the Short-Season A classification New York–Penn League and are affiliated with the Cleveland Indians. The Scrappers’ home field is Eastwood Field, opened in 1999 as Cafaro Field, located behind the Eastwood Mall on U.S. Highway 422. In their first six seasons, the Scrappers averaged over 4,000 fans per game. In 2004, the Scrappers won the New York–Penn League championship. John Batcho AKA Mr. Sports who joined our team at YSN at the beginning of March and hosts the show Breaking Batch Called Scrappers games on Youngstown, Ohio station WBBW (1240 AM) from 1999 to 2001. As far as my history of working with the Scrappers goes, The season I worked as a summer intern is when I would help score the games and was the first time I scored games regularly. I also was responsible for putting videos up on the jumbotron. That season the Scrappers went 30-46 and finished 6th in the Pinckney division. They were managed by former Indians third baseman and 5X All-Star Travis Fryman, who was one of my favorite players as a kid. The most memorable moment in my brief stint with the organization was former Indian and 2X All-star Asdrubal Cabrera’s rehab assignment with Mahoning Valley. I’ll never forget how bonkers the crowd went the first time he stepped to the plate in that Scrappers jersey and vividly remember the crowd giving him an ovation as if he was a god. This along with other key moments and enjoyable factors I experienced while working with the team is why I sorely hope the Scrappers play ball beyond 2020. The Scrappers are one of 42 teams ticketed to be removed from the affiliated minor leagues in Major League Baseball’s proposal. You can find the complete list of minor league teams up for elimination on the website baseballamerica.com It was reported back in October of 2019 that The Professional Baseball Agreement (PBA) between Major League Baseball and minor league teams expired at the end of the 2020 season. But if a new MLB proposal were to become reality, more than three dozen cities with affiliated minor league teams will lose those teams after the 2020 season and thousands of minor league players will be out of work as well.

It’s also well documented that back in October The MLB proposal was just one idea at the start of what will likely be a lengthy negotiation, but the two sides were reported to be further apart than they had been in any PBA negotiation since 1990. At the core of the negotiations, MLB is looking to dramatically improve Minor League Baseball’s stadium facilities as well as take control over how the minor leagues are organized as far as affiliations and the geography of leagues. Those areas have been under the control of MiLB for the past 100-plus years and would lead to a dramatic restructuring of how MiLB is governed and operates.MLB has offered a proposal that, if adopted, would reduce Minor League Baseball from 160 teams—not counting the complex league teams that are wholly MLB-owned—to 120 beginning in 2021.

The proposal is described as a preliminary offering subject to alteration. But if the proposal, or some version of it, is adopted, it will lead to the most dramatic restructuring of the minor leagues in more than half a century. Under the proposal, not only would more than 25 percent of MiLB teams be eliminated, but the remaining leagues would also be dramatically reworked with some leagues getting much smaller, others getting bigger, and teams switching classification levels all around the country.

Baseball America has been reporting on the negotiations of the new PBA for about two years. That has involved multiple discussions and interviews with owners and officials from MLB and MiLB. Because of the sensitive nature of ongoing negotiations, almost everyone requested anonymity. We are engaged with Major League Baseball on a successor agreement to the PBA. It’s early in the negotiations, and that’s the most I can say,” MiLB president Pat O’Conner said back in October. “We’re at the very initial stages of the negotiations where each side is presenting to others the issues and concerns they have with the existing PBA,” MLB deputy commissioner Dan Halem said.

“From the perspective of MLB clubs, our principal goals are upgrading the minor league facilities that we believe have inadequate standards for potential MLB players, improving the working conditions for MiLB players, including their compensation, improving transportation and hotel accommodations, providing better geographic affiliations between major league clubs and their affiliates, as well as better geographic lineups of leagues to reduce player travel.”

Before the 2021 minor league season begins, Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball must agree to a new PBA and both sides must ratify it.

Since 1903, there has always been an agreement between MLB and MiLB. There was a contentious PBA negotiation in 1990, which ended with MLB receiving a ticket tax from MiLB teams, eliminated payments from MLB to MiLB for player transactions and implemented requirements for significant facility improvements. But before that and since then, new PBA agreements and renewals have generally been uncontentious affairs with relatively few adjustments.

This PBA negotiation has already turned contentious. MiLB has long said that it sees the need for improved facility standards—something that has not been significantly changed since the 1990 PBA—but in general, MiLB is quite happy with the current arrangement.

MLB is not happy with the current structure. In the view of some MLB owners and front office officials, the current system, where MLB teams and MiLB clubs negotiate every two years to sign two-year Player Development Contracts, leaves MLB clubs in undesirable situations from facilities and geographical standpoints. In several cases over the past decade, MLB owners have ended up purchasing MiLB teams to avoid ending up in what are viewed as some of the worst stadiums around minor league baseball.

In MLB’s viewpoint, roughly a quarter of all current MiLB clubs far fall below the level of facilities they view as needed for their minor league players. MLB has essentially put the onus on MiLB to find a way to guarantee those stadiums will all reach what MLB deems as acceptable standards in the near future. If MiLB cannot, then MLB has a proposal to simply reduce the number of affiliated minor league teams going forward to the 75 percent of MiLB clubs that MLB deems capable of meeting their facility needs. MLB would work with MiLB and others to ensure the remaining 25 percent of clubs have baseball teams of some sort, but they would no longer be affiliated MiLB clubs. MLB also wants to completely rework the PDC process to ensure MLB clubs can have MiLB affiliates that meet their desires geographically. To do so, they want to eliminate the current two-year PDC process and replace it with much longer-lasting MLB-MiLB franchise agreements. Doing so would give the MLB clubs much more certainty, but it would also eliminate the negotiating leverage MiLB teams currently have every two years.

And MLB wants MiLB to share in the increased costs that are going to come with increased player pay. In MLB’s view, there may be several ways to reach these goals, but their initial proposal is one path to those goals.

At the root of the disagreement is a preliminary proposal MLB has offered to reduce its number of Player Development Contracts (the affiliation agreement by which MLB teams provide players and staff to MiLB teams) from 160 to 120. That reduction would eliminate the four, non-complex Rookie-level and short-season classifications from the minor leagues. The proposal also completely reorganizes the full-season minor leagues. While there would still be Triple-A, Double-A, high Class A and low Class A, those four levels would be completely reworked to make the leagues much more geographically compact. In Triple-A, the Pacific Coast League would shift from 16 teams to 10. The International League would grow to 20 teams. The 14-team low Class A South Atlantic League would be turned into a six-team league with a new Mid-Atlantic league springing up.

The short-season Northwest League would move to full-season ball.

Under MLB’s proposal, some teams would be asked to move from Class A to Triple-A. Others would be asked to move from Triple-A to Class A, and there would be other less dramatic moves as well.

The proposal lays out valuations for the different levels. Triple-A is valued at $20 million. Double-A is valued at $15 million. High Class A is valued at $10 million. Low Class A is valued at $8 million, and short-season/Rookie-level teams are valued at $6 million. A team moving up from low Class A to Triple-A would be asked to pay $12 million to move up. A team asked to move from Triple-A to high Class A would receive $10 million in compensation for the move down to a lower level. That is likely a significant point of contention in the negotiations because those valuations bear little resemblance to the prices teams are currently going for on the open market. While MiLB team valuations used to be largely tied to their classification level, that is not really true on the open market. A low-attendance, low-revenue Florida State League club in high Class A has a sale price significantly lower than that of a high-revenue low Class A club.

Not all current full-season teams would survive in this proposal. Some short-season clubs would be asked to move up to take the place of excised full-season affiliates. The proposal even suggests a pair of independent league clubs—in St. Paul, Minn., and Sugar Land, Texas—would be brought into affiliated ball.

What would happen to the 42 current teams who are left without PDCs in the proposal? MLB suggests setting up what it calls the Dream League.

As part of its overhaul, MLB would move the draft back to August and would reduce it to 20-25 rounds. Those players who go undrafted would have the option of playing in the Dream League (or going to independent leagues). The Dream League would be a joint MLB-MiLB venture, but in essence, it would be a quasi-independent league where the clubs would field teams of undrafted players.

MLB teams would be limited in the proposal to fielding five minor league clubs in the United States. That’s four full-season teams plus one complex-based Rookie affiliate. In addition to their 40-man roster players, each MLB team club would be limited to 150-200 players under minor league contracts on MiLB rosters. The proposal does not address roster limits for international players playing in the Dominican Summer League.

Under the proposal, some teams would have to shed as many as 100 players from their current MiLB rosters. The Yankees currently field eight U.S. minor league affiliates, which means they can currently have as many as 285 players under contract. Under this proposal, they would have to drop as many as 135 players to meet the new restrictions. Right now, there are no restrictions on how many teams—and, therefore, how many players—a team can field. Under this proposal, all MLB teams would be limited to the same number of teams and players.

Moving the draft later would likely have significant effects. Since there would be no short-season and non-complex Rookie-level teams, drafted players would likely not play official games during their draft year. Instead, they would probably play in scrimmages and instructional league-type games in August and September. The next spring, college players would likely head to low Class A in their first full pro seasons, while high school draftees would join international signees in the complex leagues.

The draft currently is held at the end of most states’ high school baseball seasons and the final month of the college baseball season. If the draft moved to July, it could reshape the summer showcase circuit, because high school seniors would have more time post-graduation to try to impress scouts, as well as rework summer college wood bat leagues. MLB’s proposal would create a seismic shift for Minor League Baseball. Since it is early in negotiations, it is not clear if this proposal is a dramatic opening salvo aimed at reducing MLB’s share of expenses associated with supporting MiLB or a clear attempt to dramatically reduce the scope of the affiliated minor leagues. MLB could always walk back its demands to land smaller concessions from MiLB in a final deal.

Regardless, if MLB’s proposal or any similar move is adopted, it would be the most dramatic rework of the minor leagues since they were reorganized in 1962.

MLB teams are responsible for paying for the salaries and benefits of players and coaches on all affiliated minor league teams, while minor league teams pay for the minor league staff, travel and other expenses. In the case of a short-season or Rookie-level club, players’ and coaches’ salaries—and the worker’s compensation insurance that comes with it—can be a significant share of a team’s total expenses.

Many people contacted said they expect MLB to raise salaries for minor league players in the near future, with the expectation that minimum salaries will be raised by 50 percent and the reduction in total affiliates (and players) will help pay for those increases. MLB is also currently involved in a class-action lawsuit filed by minor league players who contend they should have been paid for their time in spring training and extended spring training.

Owners of the eliminated minor league teams would expect to be compensated. It’s also likely a number of municipalities would look at taking legal measures to recoup any money they spent to upgrade facilities in recent years for affiliated clubs that would be taken away under the proposal. The proposal would likely create a group of haves (the remaining 120 teams with PDCs) and have-nots (the 42 teams left out of the new PBA), but it would likely have negative impacts for all affiliated minor league clubs because it would likely decrease valuations for all minor league teams.

Values for affiliated clubs are dramatically higher than independent minor league clubs, even in cases where the independent club’s market and revenue is comparable. The reason is largely tied to the guarantee of a PDC. While the number of independents (and summer college league teams) are theoretically infinite, there are a limited number of PDCs that tie teams to MLB teams. And for the past 30 years, that number has never gone down.

Teams have frequently swapped affiliates, but as long as a team has a PDC, it is guaranteed to have an affiliation with an MLB club.

MLB’s proposal for the new PBA is limited to five years, down from the seven that PBAs have traditionally been in the past. That proposal also could be a sign of future intentions. If MLB reduced the minor leagues by 42 teams in this negotiation, there is no guarantee it wouldn’t look to reduce the number further in the next round of PBA negotiations. With no guarantee a team will always have an MLB affiliate, the value of even the most successful MiLB teams will likely be reduced to price in that uncertainty.

The full details of how the Dream League or leagues would work are not yet clear. In the proposal, league teams would be responsible for paying players and the coaching staff as well as the training staff, but there is also an awareness on MLB’s side that some sort of subsidies would be needed. MLB would potentially assist in helping teams identify players, but it appears teams would be responsible for acquiring their own players. The expectation is these players would be paid very modest salaries for the chance to catch the attention of MLB scouts. MLB clubs would then have the option to purchase the contracts of Dream League players in-season for $5,000 per acquisition.

A rough estimate is that going from affiliated baseball to the proposed Dream League would add $300,000 to $400,000 in costs to the club for in salaries, worker’s compensation, and staffing. Because the markets for most Appalachian and Pioneer league clubs are unlikely to be able to support the increased costs of the Dream League, teams in those leagues would instead be encouraged to form summer wood bat amateur teams under the auspices and organization of MLB. By doing so, MLB could assure cities that while they may no longer have MLB-affiliated teams, they still would have baseball tied to the MLB/MiLB umbrella.

I know that this has been a lot of info for our readers to digest, and to be honest I have no idea if any of these facts or scenarios mean I should be more optimistic about the possibility of an extended and prosperous future for minor league baseball at Eastwood Field beyond 2020. But after two decades of baseball in Niles Ohio and getting my start with the Scrappers organization, I can only hope to watch some of the Indians future stars for decades to come!

WELCOME BACK, XFL. WELL, KIND OF.

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By Scotty Mincher

 

The first (shortened) season of the XFL rebirth has wrapped up. There is much that the league has to learn as it tries to grow and become a solid spring and professional league to compete with and excel alongside the NFL. The teams completed week one with two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. The D.C. Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, New York Guardians and St. Louis BattleHawks each won their games. That means the Seattle Dragons, Los Angeles Wildcats, Tampa Bay Vipers and Dallas Renegades Have roughly two months to turn things around before the playoffs. We’ll get to some of the early winners and losers of the new XFL. But before we do, Let’s refresh our readers’ memories with some history regarding the league. The XFL is a professional American football league owned by Vince McMahon‘s Alpha Entertainment and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. It is the successor to the original XFL, which was controlled by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and NBC, and ran for a single season in 2001. The league follows a similar structure as the original XFL did in 2001, with eight teams, centrally owned and operated by the league (as opposed to the franchise model, with each team having different ownership groups) and spread across the United States in markets currently or recently represented by a National Football League (NFL) franchise, competing in a ten-game season and a two-week postseason in the winter and spring months, after Super Bowl LIV.

In announcing the reformed XFL, McMahon stated that while it would share its name and trademark with the previous incarnation, it would not rely on professional wrestling-inspired features and entertainment elements as its predecessor did, instead of aiming to create a league with fewer off-field controversies and faster, simpler play compared to the NFL. In the 2017 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary This Was the XFL, McMahon openly mused about reviving the XFL, noting that changes would need to be made compared to 2001 in order to make it viable and relevant in the modern era. McMahon had purchased the trademarks of the United Football League and an alternative brand, “UrFL” (Your Football League), in early 2017. The following year, the director of the documentary, Charlie Ebersol (son of Dick Ebersol), would go on to help form the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2018, hoping to beat the revived XFL to play. While the league was able to launch in 2019, a year before the XFL’s first season, it went bankrupt before its first season finished after it twice lost its major investors. On December 15, 2017, Bleacher Report columnist Brad Shepard reported that McMahon was seriously considering a revival of the XFL, with an expected announcement on January 25, 2018. In a statement to Deadspin, WWE did not confirm or deny the rumors, but did state that McMahon was establishing a new company known as Alpha Entertainment, which would “explore investment opportunities across the sports and entertainment landscapes, including professional football.” On December 21, 2017, WWE issued a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission, stating that McMahon had sold $100 million worth of WWE stock to fund Alpha Entertainment. Alpha Entertainment is headquartered next door to WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. On January 25, 2018, Alpha Entertainment announced a new incarnation of the XFL, which would begin with a 10-week inaugural season beginning in January or February 2020. In a press conference, McMahon stated that the new XFL would be dissimilar to its previous incarnation, stating that “There’s only so many things that have ‘FL’ on the end of them and those are already taken. But we aren’t going to have much of what the original XFL had.” McMahon stated that the league would feature eight teams as a single entity owned by Alpha (the previous XFL was also a single-entity league), which had been revealed in 2019.

Alpha Entertainment was established in order to keep the league’s management and operations separate from that of WWE. McMahon is prepared to invest as much as $500 million, five times as much as his investment in the 2001 XFL. The XFL’s decision to nix cheerleaders is in part due to changing attitudes regarding women’s participation in entertaining sports fans. He liquidated an additional $270 million in WWE stock (representing a 4% stake in WWE) in March 2019 to provide additional funding for the league. The XFL discourages political gestures by players during games such as, for example, taking a knee in protest. McMahon also originally planned to forbid any player with a criminal record from participating (Commissioner Oliver Luck later walked back the latter decision, noting that the policy had not yet been finalized, and stated in April 2019 that it would allow its teams to sign Johnny Manziel, who was convicted of domestic violence in 2016. Manziel nonetheless was excluded from the inaugural draft and player allocations, with the league later stating that it had “no interest” in him.) Felony convictions are still a disqualification. McMahon justified his intentions by stating that the XFL would be “evaluating a player based on many things, including the quality of human being they are”, and that “people don’t want social and political issues coming into play when they are trying to be entertained”. He suggested that players who wish to express political opinions should do so on their personal time. Luck stated in October 2018 that the ban on protesting during the national anthem would be written into player contracts as a condition of employment and that the stipulation was McMahon’s idea; Luck agreed that the league aimed to be as non-political as possible. McMahon did not initially reveal any specific details on rule changes that the new XFL would feature but did state that he aimed to reduce the length of games to around two hours (in contrast to the standard in American football, which generally runs slightly over three hours). The league later revised this to a two-and-a-half-hour target length. Later, when announcing new changes to overtime rules, it was implied that television broadcasts would have three-hour time slots, into which the entire game and overtime would fit. Test games resulted in an average game time of 2 hours and 40 minutes with a comparable number of plays to an NFL game. He also noted that by announcing it two years in advance (unlike the original XFL, which was only announced one year in advance), there would also be more time to prepare the league in order to deliver a more desirable product. On June 5, 2018, Oliver Luck was named the league’s commissioner and chief executive officer. Luck left his previous positions with the NCAA to take over the operations of the XFL.

There’s a little bit on the rebuild of the new XFL, as well as what will continue to make it a different and unique brand of football that’s once again spearheaded by Vince Mcmahon. Like with any sports league, there are things I like and dislike about the early stages of the reborn XFL. I feel the NFL should definitely adopt the XFL’s replay transparency. The AAF also pushed this hard a year ago and it was a big success. The ability to see and hear exactly what’s going on in the replay booth makes for interesting television. More importantly, though, it’s not hiding anything. Given the amount of heat the NFL takes regarding its officials and its review process, it would benefit them to seriously consider it. It’s easy to do and it makes the broadcast, and product, better. I also like the kickoff rule and unlike the NFL, It completely maximizes the chances for a big return and decreases the chances of big collusion because players don’t sprint as far down the field to make a tackle as they do in the NFL. As far as what I don’t like about the league. mistakes, turnovers, penalties, negative plays, and general miscues are the type of things that make casual fans lose interest quickly. Granted, every team needs a few weeks to work out the kinks. And not every team is going to have a great quarterback. Understanding those things are essential to enjoying this league. The drop-off in quarterback talent and consistency is also cause for concern. But give the XFL this: the product is further ahead in its early stages than what many expected it would be. No one knows how much stability and staying power the XFL will have this time around. But as an enormous fan of the game of football, I wish it nothing but the best and unlike the old league, Hopefully, fans can enjoy it not just in 2020, But for many years to come!

BIG GAME HISTORY

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By Scotty Mincher

 

As a whole, it’s one of the most-watched television events of all time. More specifically Super Bowl XLIX is currently the most-watched U.S. television broadcast with 114.4 million viewers. Yes, the Super Bowl has plenty of appeal that comes with it and it also has what’s widely viewed as the best rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner that was sung by Whitney Houston before Super Bowl XXV. It’s because of this and the fact that it has become a timeless event that always brings excitement that’s it’s hard to find a better topic to write about sports-related or not. It began with the AFL and NFL champions and took place in 1966. The game was originally called the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game,” which wasn’t exactly catchy. The AFL Kansas City Chief’s owner, Lamar Hunt, proposed using the term “Super Bowl” to refer to the championship game. Millions of fans gather around televisions on a Sunday in January or February to celebrate this de facto national holiday. It is broadcast in more than 170 countries. It also features elaborate halftime shows, celebrity appearances and cutting-edge commercials adding to the game’s glamor. After more than 50 years of existence, it’s safe to assume that the Super Bowl has become a legendary symbol of American culture. For me the Super Bowl even makes me think of family because of our love of sports and the fact that I always know what Super Bowl it is because the number is the same as the age of my dad which may not mean much to our readers but I think It’s pretty cool. Anyway, in 1960 a group of businessmen who wanted to own football franchises—but were denied by the NFL—decided to launch an alternative league, known as the American Football League (AFL). For several years, the NFL and AFL were gridiron rivals, competing for fans, players and support. Then, in 1966, owners negotiated an agreement to merge the leagues by 1970.

After the leagues merged, the NFL split into two main conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The champions of each now play in the Super Bowl. For the record, my favorite Super Bowl in my lifetime is Super Bowl XLIX. It was a tense back and forth battle between two terrific teams that ended with the Patriots stealing a championship from the Seahawks as they intercepted the ball during an ill-fated pass play from the 1-yard line. I still don’t understand why Beast Mode didn’t get the ball there! But let’s continue. Super Bowl I took place on January 15, 1967, and included the NFL’s Green Bay Packers against the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.

The game was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum, and even though ticket prices averaged just $12, it was the only Super Bowl that didn’t sell out.

Still, the game aired on two different networks and drew in an audience of more than 61,000 fans.

The Packers outperformed the Chiefs, winning 35-10. The next year, the Packers decisively won again in Super Bowl II, defeating the Oakland Raiders 33-14. Many began to question whether the AFL teams could hold their own in the NFL.

But the next year, the AFL’s New York Jets, led by quarterback Joe Namath, defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Super Bowl IV was the last game played between the two leagues, and the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7.

The popularity of the event continued to grow after the leagues integrated.

Super Bowl: 1970s-Present

During the 1970s, three NFL teams—the Pittsburgh Squealers, the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys—dominated the NFL scene and won a combined eight Super Bowls in 10 years.

Franchises from the NFC won 16 of the 20 Super Bowls played in the 1980s and 1990s. Teams like the 49ers, the Chicago Bears, the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants stood out during these years.

The Cowboys resurged in the 1990s, and the Buffalo Bills became a powerhouse franchise, although they never won a Super Bowl, infamously losing four title games in a row from 1991-1994.

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The AFC has bounced back in the years since the Bills’ run of losses. Between 1995 and 2016, five teams—the Broncos, Patriots, Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts—were represented in 20 of the 22 AFC Super Bowl appearances. Since 2001, the Patriots have established themselves as a dynasty, with Tom Brady leading them to nine Super Bowl appearances and six wins.

The 2010s have been, thus far, more evenly matched, with the NFC winning five Super Bowls, and the AFC also winning five.

Memorable Matchups

Although many sports gurus debate the most exciting and memorable Super Bowl matchups, the following games typically top the lists:

Super Bowl LI (Feb. 5, 2017): In this epic game, the Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit to win against the Atlanta Falcons in the first overtime Super Bowl game in history.

Super Bowl XXV (Jan. 27, 1991): A missed field goal by the Bills gave the Giants their second Super Bowl win in five years.

Super Bowl XIII (Jan. 21, 1979): Squealers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns to lead his team to victory over the Cowboys.

Super Bowl XLIX (Feb. 1, 2015): The Seattle Seahawks decided to pass the ball, instead of running it at the 1-yard line, which resulted in an interception and a win for the Patriots.

Super Bowl XXXIV (Jan. 30, 2000): The St. Louis Rams stopped the TennesseeTitans at the 1-yard line to win the game.

Super Bowl XXXVI (Feb. 3, 2002): A game-winning field goal as time expired secured victory for the Patriots over the St. Louis Rams.

Super Bowl III (Jan. 12, 1969): Although the Jets beat the Baltimore Colts by 9 points, the game was memorable because it was the first time an AFL team was victorious over an NFL team, and also because of Joe Namath’s famous guarantee.

Super Bowl XLII (Feb. 3, 2008): The Giants ruined the Patriots’ hope for a perfect season by scoring the winning touchdown with 35 seconds left on the clock.

Super Bowl Halftime Show

The early Super Bowls featured modest marching bands from local high schools or colleges during halftime shows.

As the years went on, popular musicians began to take the stage, and the shows evolved into much-anticipated spectacles. Some viewers consider the halftime show, now a full 30-minute act, a bigger event than the actual football game, tuning in solely for the musical entertainment.

Internationally famed artists, such as Michael Jackson, U2, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Prince, Beyonce, Coldplay, and others have performed during the Super Bowl halftime show.

Super Bowl and American Culture

While some might consider it just a game, the Super Bowl has become a unique, shared experience in American culture.

It’s likely the only time of the year that viewers are glued to television screens watching the same broadcast, even if they don’t care about the teams or the outcome of the game.

The Super Bowl combines sports, music, and advertising into one extreme event. In essence, it provides a fascinating picture of what many Americans consider ideal entertainment.

Fun Facts About the Super Bowl

  • The NFL restricts the use of the phrase “Super Bowl” for advertising purposes. Companies often must come up with creative alternatives, such as referring to it as the “Big Game.”
  • The Pittsburgh Squealers and New England Patriots have six Super Bowl victories—the most of all the NFL teams. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers each have five wins.
  • With five defeats, the Denver Broncos hold the record for the most Super Bowl losses.
  • Teams that have never been to the Super Bowl include the Detroit Lions, the Cleveland Browns, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Houston Texans.
  • With 11 cameos, the Patriots have made the most Super Bowl appearances of any team.
  • The championship team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which is named after the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowls.
  • Because the football season runs into two calendar years, Roman numerals are used to identify each Super Bowl.
  • The Super Bowl venue changes each year, and no team has ever played in its home stadium.
  • Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest day for food consumption in the United States, with only Thanksgiving ahead of it.
  • According to Nielsen ratings, Super Bowl LI drew an average of 111.3 million viewers in the United States. That’s more than one-third of the country’s population.
  • A typical 30-second commercial that airs during the Super Bowl costs advertisers more than $5 million.
  • Nearly 14 million Americans are expected to call in sick to work the day after the Big Game, which is sometimes dubbed “Super Sick Monday.

As the Big Game gets closer and closer here are three things in closing I’d like to see in connection with the biggest Sunday party of the year. First and foremost it should come as no surprise to our team and followers of YSN that I wanna see my beloved Browns hoist the Lombardi trophy. Come on Baker and Stefanski! Get it done!

The second thing I’d like to see happen is an NFL team hosting the big game. The Vikings came close a few years ago, So why can’t we see a retractable roof installed at First Energy Stadium so the Brownies could play for a title in front of the Dawg Pound.

Last but certainly not least I’d love to see a new version of the Budweiser wassup commercial. I mean let’s be real it’s only the best beer commercial ever made not to mention the fact that I miss saying wassup a lot! So no matter what you’d like to see in the future every spectator can only hope that the next fifty-plus years of what the big game has to offer are as dazzling as the first and decades from now we’re continuing to talk about a super history!

THE FATHER TIME EFFECT

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By Scott Mincher

 

During the NFL’s wildcard weekend the young quarterbacks showed flashes of greatness, but it seems that almost every year there are at least one or two all-time greats battling it out in an attempt to add to their championship resume. It was no different this year and despite their best efforts you have to wonder if Brees and Brady’s best shot at another Super Bowl ring is in the rearview mirror. It certainly brings up an interesting topic of discussion and something in sports I’ve always found to be tantalizing. At what age do a player’s skills start to diminish? How old is too old and does hanging on to the game for too long taint a superstar’s legacy?

These questions can’t help but make me think of Michael Jordan my favorite athlete growing up as a kid in Campbell Ohio. It still feels weird picturing MJ in that Washington Wizards jersey and even though I owned a Jordan Wizards jersey as a kid It was the first first time since I could vividly remember in my earliest days of watching sports that I debated whether watching him felt the same as it did when he was king of the Bulls dynasty in the ’90s. Don’t get me wrong like any basketball fan I always was enamored with watching Jordan hoop. But the Washington years just felt different. As a kid when you see something or someone as your favorite or the best It’s hard to not be partial and to admit that that person or thing has weaknesses or flaws just like it can be in some ways as an adult. For the first time in MJ’s career, he looked human. That’s not to say that he still wasn’t a pretty damn good player with the Wizards. Despite an injury-plagued 2001-02 season, he led the team in scoring (22.9 ppg), assists (5.2 APG), and steals (1.42 SPG). However, torn cartilage in his right knee ended Jordan’s season after only 60 games, the fewest he had played in a regular-season since playing 17 games after returning from his first retirement during the 1994–95 season. He averaged 24.3 points, 5.4 assists, and 6.0 rebounds, and shot 41.9% from the field in his 53 starts. A lot of NBA players would do anything for a stat line like that, but because Jordan always wanted to be the best at everything the bar spectators had for him and the bar he set for himself was higher than the sky and at the time because of that it resulted in many fans viewing Jordan’s tenure with Washington as a decent one, that was miles away from the legendary Chicago dynasty leader that so many watched. At that time I think every NBA fan wanted to see if Michael would remain the best player in the world and his time with the Wizards still had great moments that were a must-watch for even casual sports viewers and although he might not have been quite the same Mike, he was still a mega catch and that’s extraordinary!

Another guy that captivated the hearts of the sports world was Brett Favre. Favre was a 9x Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XXXI champion quarterback with the Green Bay Packers but, in his last years played with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. His tenure in Green Bay produced its fair share of iconic moments and with many wondering what the late 30’s QB had left in the tank his season with the Jets in 2008 started well. in Week 4 of the 2008 season, he threw six touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals, a personal best and one shy of the NFL record. This performance led to him being selected as the FedEx Air Player of the Week. By Week 12, the Jets had compiled an 8–3 record, including a win over the previously undefeated Tennessee Titans. However, the Jets lost four of the last five games of the season, including the final game against AFC East divisional opponent Miami, who had acquired quarterback Chad Pennington after he was released from the Jets to make room for Favre. In those five games, Favre threw eight interceptions and only two touchdown passes, bringing his season total to twenty-two of each. Favre had complained of shoulder pain and had an MRI performed on December 29, 2008, which revealed a torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder. After the 2008 season had ended, in mid-January 2009, Favre told Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum, “it may be time to look in a different direction” regarding the quarterback position. On February 11, 2009, Favre informed the Jets that he was retiring after 18 seasons. He remained part of the Jets organization until April 28, 2009, when the Jets released Favre from his contract, thus allowing him to sign anywhere he wanted. By May 2009, he was officially cut from the Jets Reserve/Retired list. After an offseason of speculation, Favre officially signed with the Minnesota Vikings on August 18, 2009. He would go on to have a landmark season in which he surpassed former Vikings defensive end, Jim Marshall, for consecutive starts at one position, with 291, became the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat every one of the league’s 32 franchises since the NFL first expanded to 32 franchises in 2002, surpassed Dan Marino’s previous record for four-touchdown games, and was named to his 11th Pro Bowl. The Vikings finished 12–4 and advanced to the NFC Championship game, ultimately losing in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl XLIV champion New Orleans Saints. Despite the loss, Favre set playoff records for pass completions and passing yards previously held by Joe Montana. The next year during the 2010 season Favre achieved two milestones. He threw for his 500th touchdown and 70,000th yard against the New York Jets. On November 7, 2010, in a game against the Arizona Cardinals, Favre threw for a career-high 446 yards while rallying the Vikings from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to win in overtime. On December 13, 2010, due to a sprained shoulder, Favre was marked inactive for the game against the New York Giants ending his consecutive regular-season start streak at 297. Favre started a total of 321 games including post-season appearances. On December 20, 2010, while playing the Chicago Bears outside at TCF Bank Stadium due to the collapse of the roof of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Favre sustained a concussion after being sacked by Bears defensive end Corey Wootton. As a rattled Favre was helped to his feet by Vikings’ athletic trainer Eric Sugarman, he asked, “Suge, what are the Bears doing here?”. This would be his final appearance in an NFL game. Farve would later have some post-NFL health issues are another effect from playing a contact sport, Not to mention him playing it into his 40’s.

Age will always have an impact on a player’s body and many times a negative one. But at the time many football experts argued that Farve’s first season with the Vikings at age 40 was the best of his career and it makes you wonder if like what Jordan was able to do in more than a few games with Washington when he really shined If some superstars in sports at times do get better with age. No one knows how running back greats Jim Brown and Barry Sanders would have fared if they decided to play another 5 years or so and not retired when they were playing at an elite level, and It seems somebody like Tom Brady in his age 42 season is as savvy as ever, even if some of his physical skills have started to diminish. The bottom line is I believe that some of the brightest stars in sports have shown that even if father time is undefeated you’re only as old as you feel and if an athlete can’t do things quite the same at forty as they did when they were twenty it doesn’t mean that peak level performance is off the table in other aspects of their game. Let’s face it no sane football fan would turn down being able to watch Jim Brown or Barry Sanders in the modern NFL regardless of what their age would be.

Sports icons joining new teams may feel weird and take some time to get used to, especially if they’ve been with one team for most of their career, but Fave will always be a Packer, just like MJ will always be a Bull and weather they or anybody before or after them tried or tries to play for a couple of years or a couple of decades just try to enjoy the show as much as possible because even the best of the best will someday have to deal with the father time effect.

SPORTS RESOLUTIONS FOR A SPORTS REVOLUTION!

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By Scotty Mincher

Sports are terrific, and as a fan, there’s nothing better than watching and rooting your favorite team on to victory. Unfortunately, fans impact on games and organizations as well as schools, etc. only goes so far. But like everything in life, in sports things are constantly evolving. Fans have been able to enjoy playing fantasy sports for decades now but think of how much more enjoyable and fun sports would be if fans had a bigger voice and say in regards to the construction of sports ideas, strategies, and so on. It’s 2020 things always change and in this story, We’ll go over my dream sports resolutions I’d like to see put to action for 2020 and beyond. There has already been one athlete in the past year of 2019 that has played at a remarkably high and revolutionary level in football As the quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens in Lamar Jackson and some of the greatest ideas in history were once considered crazy at one time or another but that doesn’t mean they didn’t eventually work out or become widely thought of as brilliant or genius. That being said I’m certainly no Albert Einstein. But hey, A guy can dream can’t he?! With that, we get to the changes I’d like to see implemented in sports for the new year and the years to come.

I’ll start with my favorite sport to watch in person, That is the grand game of baseball. My biggest problem with America’s national past time is the fact that MLB uses no salary cap. I went to my first baseball game in 1998 and I still salivate at the thought of the Indians being able to keep their core of superstars they had in the ’90s. Major League Baseball is the only major U.S. professional sport without a salary cap. Major League Baseball’s luxury tax was introduced as a compromise during collective bargaining in the late 1990s as a way to avoid implementing a salary cap, which had been one of the major points of conflict that led to the 1994 strike by the Major League Baseball Players Association. For years, baseball fans have heard about the dominance of certain teams. Year in and year out the playoff picture is never complete without including the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Phillies, Angels, Cubs, Braves, and Cardinals in the discussion. What do all of these teams have in common? These teams are large market teams. That means that they generate a TON of revenue from ticket sales and other sales. This benefits these teams in ways that the other 22 teams cannot.

For example, the Yankees could afford to sign C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixiera before Opening Day ’09. That combination cost the Yankees money that most teams cannot afford to shell out. This is a major reason for the dominance of large market teams.

There is only one way to fix this problem.

It is called a salary cap. When you look at these sports, there is always a team that comes to mind that seems to be dominating, but it is never for more than about a decade. The NFL has done the best job utilizing a salary cap. It seems like there are always different teams in the playoff mix. n baseball, the Yankees and Red Sox have always dominated their opponents and it does not look that is going to change anytime soon unless the MLB institutes a strict salary cap.

Until that happens, the Indians, the Pirates, the Rockies, Rays, Royals, White Sox, Twins, Brewers and other smaller market teams who are in the hunt every now and then will continue to be looked at as inferior to their richer brethren in the Bronx and Boston.

They will also not win the World Series because these larger market teams will always have teams packed with all-stars.

If baseball had a salary cap, neither the Rockies nor the Rays would have been blown out in their respective Fall Classics in 07 and 08. So these are the reasons why I think baseball should implement a salary cap, It’s doubtful that it will happen anytime soon because of the luxury tax. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen. The second thing I’d like to see happen in sports is for football and basketball officials to be held to a higher level of accountability. You could look at the no interference in the 2019 NFC championship game When the refs missed a blatant pass interference that should have been a penalty called against the rams. Or most recently the overturn of a play that was ruled a fumble on the field then, via reply changed to an incomplete pass in the Clemson-Ohio State playoff semifinal game, a ruling that was incorrect according to the Big Ten supervisor of officials Or even the NBA and former referee Tim Donaghy and the betting scandal, The allegations against the NBA and the effect it had on the league. All of these examples are of the human error which is a part of sports, But I feel that refs get off to easy when it comes to them making mistakes, in comparison to players, coaches, general managers, etc. It’s not an easy job—regardless of sport. But officials need to be held accountable for their work the same way players and coaches are held accountable. Almost every sport does a poor job of this. Baseball does the best job: most nights, reporters are free to knock on the door to the umpire’s locker room to ask about calls. Occasionally, an umpire will refuse to talk, but more often than not, they’re willing. When Jim Joyce, at the time regarded as one of baseball’s best umpires, missed a call at first base in Detroit in 2010 that cost the Tigers’ Armando Gallaraga a perfect game, he met with the media to apologize for what had happened. It’s also my belief that ALL NFL officials should be full-time employees. They should be graded on their work throughout the season—much the same way coaches grade their players by watching tape of each game and, often, practice. If they fail to achieve a certain level—I’ll leave it to the professionals to figure out the grade scale—then they lose their job, just as players do. It’s vitally important to me that in sports that officials be held accountable in 2020 just as the players and coaches are.

The third and last thing I’d like to see happen in sports for 2020 or anytime soon is a woman pitcher make it to the big leagues. American soccer player and two-time FIFA women’s World Cup champion, As well as two-time FIFA Player of the Year Carli Lloyd, is serious about pursuing an NFL kicking job in 2020 and stated that she received pretty serious offers from teams this past August So, Who says a woman can’t make it to the show?! Bernice Shiner Gera was the first female umpire in professional baseball and the tv show PITCH which aired in 2016 and starred Kylie Bunbury as Ginny Baker In what I could only hope was foreshadowing for pro baseball As it tells the story of a young pitcher who becomes the first woman to play Major Leauge Baseball on her journey to prove herself are examples of woman doing groundbreaking things in sports, Although one is a fictional example. With that being said sports have continued to evolve and you’d have to think that women’s voices and abilities will only get stronger and louder for 2020 and beyond so, fasten your seatbelts for anything to be in play. Maybe Carli Lloyd will kick for the Browns in 2020 and maybe we’ll even see a female pitcher or umpire in this decade.

No one has a crystal ball, but a lot could and will happen in the next ten years and I have to wonder if certain sports resolutions, will create a sports revolution!

 

SPORTS: THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

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By Scotty Mincher

 

Bells are ringing once again, and It’s that time of year when people are going bananas, and are infected with the spirit of Christmas. As a great man that I know likes to say “Givin is Livin.” Even though I wholeheartedly agree with that statement, The beauty of Christmas is that if you’re fortunate enough during the holiday, you get to enjoy the best of both worlds of giving as well as receiving gifts. For all those people who are fanatics like I am, The combination of gifts in connection to sports gives the combo of chocolate and peanut butter a run for its money. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve found sports to be fascinating, So I’m always ecstatic to receive any gift that even remotely pertains to sports. I enjoyed the T.V. show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” it was during my pre and early teen years that I watched the show and because I’ve always been compelled to learn as much as I can about the history of sports that I’m intrigued by, the sports version of who wants to be a millionaire? For my PC Is one of my favorite sports gifts from my early youth. All of the Frowns, Cavs, and Indians jerseys I received over the years from my parents and my brother, as well as my lucky Buckeye beads I was gifted in 2002, are just some of the best of the rest as far as all-time sports presents go. Now on, to the best sports gifts for 2019!

The Buckeyes march to the College football playoff has been a terrific treat for any Ohio State fan like myself as they continue to strive for their second national title in the CFP era. Being able to attend what a new friend of mine Astutely called the most notorious Browns Steelers game in history, was in numerous ways pretty special too. But being able to attend this year’s baseball All-Star game in my second home of Cleveland Ohio take’s the cake in my mind. Not only did I get to watch the most star players I’ve ever seen on one field shine under the bright lights. I witnessed a touching tribute to Indians starting pitcher Carlos ‘Cookie’ Carrasco, in route to him overcoming his battle with cancer and winning Major League Baseball’s comeback player of the year award, To go along with Carrasco’s teammate Shane Bieber flourishing As the hometown hero as he struck out the side of the National League All-Stars batting order to lock up the ASG MVP. I’ve always been fortunate enough to be able to rock plenty of sweet looking jerseys over the years and getting a Color Rush Jarvis Landry jersey from my dad this year was a highlight for my sports year. But nothing was quite like watching the best of the best going at it in my favorite sport to watch in person at the gem of a stadium that is Progressive Field, which I still call the Jake by the way, As it ranks as my best sports present of 2019.

It’s hard to think that there’s anyone out there that doesn’t like getting presents for Christmas, with stocking stuffers being an underrated part of the holiday joy in my mind. I’ve already been blessed and have received two great stocking stuffer type gifts this year courtesy of friends that include A new Cavs Lantern that goes great with my 2016 Cavs championship lantern, To go along with some Baker Mayfield socks. I also really like hats and have a pretty big sports hat collection that has made up a good portion of the stocking stuffers given to me over the years, and was kindly gifted a new YSN hat this year that adds to my collection.

Speaking of YSN, it should come as no surprise to any YSN followers that joining on board the team was and is another big present for me this year. Ever since the beginning, I’ve always been very opinionated, when it comes to sports and always had a major thirst for it. Getting my start as a summer intern with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in 2010, It was there I scored the baseball games and helped put videos up on the jumbotron. A couple of months down the road I started working for the Purple Cat. It was at Pearl Street on the east side of Youngstown where I’m ended up joining the team and started working at their new radio station. Being part of a team that conducted a sports radio show two days a week along with other adults with disabilities was unique. All the experience on goldenstringradio.org helps me ease into things with the team at YSN in 2019 at it’s been a real pleasure to talk sports and come up with different facts for the social media pages at YSN. for more on that you can check out ysnlive.com along with YSN’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

As we try to wrap up and put a shiny Christmas bow on this story, I wanna go over some of the best all-time sports presents for myself and my family. Earlier in this story, I mentioned my dad and the cool Browns jersey I got from him at the Browns Steelers game back in November, but one of the best sports with him was one of the earliest sports moments of my life. I went to my first MLB game with my dad as we watched our Indians take on the Red Sox in 1998. The Indians would lose a close one that day 3-2 but I’ll always remember the juggernaut that was the Cleveland lineup when I was a kid in the ’90s led by the likes of Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel just to name a few studs. The Red Sox were led by former American League MVP Mo Vaughn and 1997 rookie of the year Nomar Garciaparra so they weren’t exactly too shabby themselves. The two of us will never forget how talented those players were on the field and that’s why my first baseball game with my dad will always be a great sports highlight and present for both of us. The best sports present for my mom was taking me to the Cavs second Eastern Conference Finals clinching game in 2015. The Cavs would go on to hammer the Hawks 118-88 led by Kyrie Irving, Triston Thompson, and of course King James. The arena was electric all night and it quickly was booming with Happiness and it was the beginning of a historic Cavs run that my mom and I will always cherish.

As far as my sister goes based on our personal experience I would say that seeing a Browns win together in person on my birthday is at the top of the list. The game was played on November 28, 2010, and it ended in a Browns win which is rare, coupled with a W on my birthday which might never happen again. Arguably the Browns most fun one-hit-wonder and Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns and kicker John Kasay missed a 42 yarder as time expired as the Browns got the 24-23 victory. It always nice to see the Browns get a win, but my sister and I will never forget that before Baker came along there once was Hillismania in Cleveland. We’ve yet to get to my brother, And one of his favorites when it comes to a present I bought for him, a retro Kenny Lofton GV art and design t-shirt. That ties into the greatest sports gift my brother and I received together in our lifetime. I got him the shirt a few years ago and it was around the same time that we witnessed one of the greatest moments in Tribe playoff history. We both went to game 2 of the 2017 ALDS in Cleveland between the Indians and the Yankees. The Indians trailed 8-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning when their star shortstop Francisco Lindor belted a grand slam off the foul pole against Yankees relief pitcher Chad green that would shake the stadium and send the fans into a frenzy. Jay Bruce would follow with a solo shot to tie the game in the 8th and catcher Yan Gomes would later smoke a walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th for the win. The Lofton shirt and the game connects the Indian’s past and more recent glory days, topped off by their run to the World Series in 2016. But my brother and I think 2017 was unforgettable too, as we watch a 22 game regular-season winning streak and were apart of what was the loudest baseball environment we’d ever been in on that memorable playoff night in 2017.

It’s been a great sports ride these last few years, and hopefully, like me, everybody has been blessed with a great sports moment in 2019. Because sports is always the gift that keeps on giving!

TUNE UP; CHRISTMAS SONGS IN SPORTS

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By Scotty Mincher

 

I believe that as the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said: “Without music, life would be a mistake.” It seems that everybody likes to jam and rock out to their favorite tunes, especially before watching or playing in a big game or celebrating a great team victory. If you’re the type of person that likes all kinds of music, The Christmas season is one to savor, with plenty of carols and music tracks to go around. A lot like entertainment and sports It almost feels like music and sports are somewhat synonymous. This week we’ll break down all the world-renowned Christmas classics that tie in with sports.

The fact that I’m from the Youngstown area and fans in Youngstown are split 50-50 on their allegiance to the organization that I like to call the Cleveland Frowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Our first song choice is an obvious one for local sports fans. If you’ve watched any of the Browns Steelers games this year, it’s easy to see that the games haven’t lacked personality. Christmas songs are touted for their charisma and the leadoff hitter in this story is no different. Song number one ties into the Steelers franchise. You guessed it, This hit features Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer and Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph. As far as the song goes, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a song by songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer published by the Montgomery Ward Company. Gene Autry‘s recording hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949. In 1939, Marks’ brother-in-law, Robert L. May, created the character Rudolph as an assignment for Montgomery Ward and Marks decided to adapt the story of Rudolph into a song. English singer-songwriter and entertainer Ian Whitcomb interviewed Marks on the creation of the song in 1972. The song had an added introduction, paraphrasing the poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” (public domain by the time the song was written), stating the names of the eight reindeer which went:

“You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,

Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen,

But do you recall, The most famous reindeer of all?”

The song was first sung by crooner Harry Brannon on New York City radio in early November 1949,[citation needed] before Gene Autry‘s recording hit No. 1 in the U.S. charts during Christmas 1949. As for Mason Rudolph, at this point in his career, he’ll almost certainly be remembered only for his role in the brawl with Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett, Which would climax with Garrett striping Rudolph of his helmet and hitting him over the head with it. Rudolph played college football at Oklahoma State, where he was a three-year starter and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award during his last year. He was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent the 2018 season as the Steelers third-string quarterback and did not see any game action in the regular season. Before the 2019 season, he was promoted to the main back-up to long-time starter Ben Roethlisberger.

In week 2 of the 2019 season, Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending injury, and Rudolph was named the starting quarterback in his place. He’s been far from great as a starter. He ranks 31st in the league in passing yards, 29th in touchdowns, and 31st in QBR which stands for quarterback rating. I hope everyone enjoyed a little history on the song Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and the connection with Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph.

As we move on to song number two and the connection an NFL player has with it, We take a look at defensive lineman Frostee Rucker and that means that of course, the next tune on our list is Frosty the Snowman. It is a popular Christmas song written by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950 and later recorded by Jimmy Durante. It was written after the success of Autry’s recording of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” the previous year; Rollins and Nelson shipped the new song to Autry, who recorded “Frosty” in search of another seasonal hit. Like “Rudolph”, “Frosty” was subsequently adapted to other media including a popular television special by Rankin/Bass Productions, Frosty the Snowman. The ancillary rights to Frosty are owned by Warner Bros., but due to the prominence of the Rankin/Bass TV special itself, merchandising of the character is generally licensed in tandem with that special’s current owners, DreamWorks Classics. The song recounts the fictional tale of Frosty, a snowman who is brought to life by a magical silk hat that a group of children find and place atop his head. Frosty enjoys roaming throughout the town with the children who constructed him, only stopping once at a crosswalk when the policeman directing traffic orders pedestrians to stop. Frosty finally says goodbye to the children and comforts them, promising he will be back again someday. Although Autry’s original recording does not explain the reason for Frosty’s departure, later versions have lyrics that attribute it to the hot sun.

Although it is generally regarded as a Christmas song, the original lyrics make no mention of the holiday (some renditions, like that in the 1969 Rankin/Bass TV special, change the lyric “I’ll be back again someday” to “I’ll be back on Christmas Day”). The song supposedly takes place in White Plains, New York, or Armonk, New York; Armonk has a parade dedicated to Frosty annually.

It has been covered as an instrumental by the Canadian Brass, with founder Charles Daellenbach taking on the persona of Frosty, and repeatedly calling “One more time!” (“You know what happens when Frosty gets ‘hot'”), and then starting to collapse (“I think he’s melting” — “You know what happens when Frosty gets hot”). It was also covered by the Hampton String Quartet on their inaugural album, What if Mozart Wrote ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’.

On the football side of things, Frostee Rucker is currently a free agent. He played college football at USC and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Rucker has also played for the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, and Oakland Raiders. Frostee, named after poet Robert Frost, went to Tustin High School in Tustin, California, which DeShaun Foster, Matt McCoy, Chris Chester, and Sam Baker also attended. He played running back and linebacker at Tustin High School and was named All-Golden West League MVP as a Senior in 2000. He attended Santa Ana High School during his junior year and earned All-League honors as a linebacker. He played both his freshman and senior years at Tustin High. Frostee attended Colorado State as a redshirt freshman before transferring and playing at USC from 2002 to 2005. While in the NFL Frostee has recorded 300 total tackles, 21.5 career sacks, 8 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception.

The final stop on this holiday carol/player profile breakdown has connections to the city of Cleveland, As we look at cornerback Daven Holly and one of my few Christmas favorites, You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know it’s A Holly Jolly Christmas. “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (also called “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas“) is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and most famously performed by Burl Ives. The song has since become one of the Top 25 most-performed “holiday” songs written by ASCAP members, for the first five years of the 21st century. “A Holly Jolly Christmas” was written by Johnny Marks in 1962. It was the title song of The Quinto Sisters‘ first album Holly Jolly Christmas, recorded in June 1964 for Columbia Records, featuring guitarist Al Caiola with arrangements by Frank Hunter and Marty Manning. Those are just a few of many cool facts on one of the most popular holiday songs.

Switching to the gridiron, In past years that I watched Holly play most specifically His time In Cleveland, a good word to fit the way he played football against opponents was pesky. He played college football at Cincinnati and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Holly also played for the Chicago Bears and the Browns as I previously mentioned. Holly attended Clairton High School where in his senior year made 45 receptions for 900 yards and seven touchdowns. Holly played college football at the University of Cincinnati. During his time there he played in 49 games making 85 tackles, nine interceptions and one touchdown on defense. He majored in communications. Holly was signed by the Cleveland Browns as a free agent on July 13. He proved to be a valuable addition to a position that was decimated with injury. In his first season with the Browns, he made 14 appearances and 12 starts during which he made 56 tackles and five interceptions which led the team, (one of his interceptions was returned for a touchdown versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 19). He also recorded his first fumble for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 24.  In the 2007 season, Holly appeared in 15 games with six starts. He made 47 tackles.

Well, we’ve come to the end of a brief history of Christmas Carols and how they connect with the pros, enjoy the holiday music and see you next time!   

 

P.S.-  Take a look at a few Christmas Carols that didn’t make the cut this year!

 

All I Want For Christmas Is You: Mariah Carey

Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

 

Baby, It’s Cold Outside-Idina Menzel

Team: Green Bay Packers

 

Silver Bells- Bing Crosby

Player: Le’Veon Bell

 

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year- Andy Williams

Sport: Baseball

 

Jingle Bell Rock- Bobby Helms

Player: Dewayne “The Rock” Johnson

 

 

 

THE GRASS ISN’T ALWAYS GREENER

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By Scotty Mincher

Here at YSN, we take pride in working together as a team. In modern-day sports though, One could certainly make the case that sports have become more about individuals than teams. To use the NFL as an example, It’s pretty easy to look at the Browns trade for Odell Beckham Jr. You can go back to times after Cleveland officially acquired Beckham and the press conference. At which he stated that playing with his best friend wide receiver Jarvis Landry was like a dream come true considering the two are childhood buddies and played at LSU together. If you fast forward to now the Browns, unfortunately, have underachieved at just 6-7 and are on the outside looking in when it comes to the AFC playoff picture and there are reports by Fox Sports’s Jay Glazer that Beckham wants out of Cleveland. We don’t know what Odell’s thinking and how valid those reports are, But it does beg an important question in today’s sports world. Does the modern-day player value the concept of a team or free agency more? It’s become extremely rare now in days that a player stays with one team his or her entire career like Derek Jeter did during a 19-year tenure with the New York Yankees. In sports, a free agent is a player who is not bound by a contract and so is eligible to join any team. There are three different types of free agents in sports, the unrestricted free agent, the restricted free agent, and the undrafted free agent. Even though I believe that free agency can add excitement for sports and sports fans, In many cases it has killed the thirst to root for an entire team of players and increased the thirst to follow and root for players or brands alone. In the NBA a fitting example would be the career of Lebron James who is a once in a lifetime talent that’s called Cleveland home but has played for two other cities and won two titles for Miami and one for his hometown Cavaliers.

Another good example would be Bryce Harper in MLB leaving Washington for Philly in free agency while signing a contract for ungodly money. If you’re a Bryce Harper fan you’re happy that he got his big payday and if you’re a Washington Nationals fan you’re even more elated your team won a World Series without him. I’m not saying that Harper didn’t care about his teammates or the city of Philadelphia and the fans but the free agency just like the name does give players freedom On top of the fact that an enormous payday will always be enticing. In the case of Lebron, someone who’s made way more money just off endorsements than most people make in their lifetime, It seems to be more about the location and the glamour and prestige of Los Angeles along with the increased ability to keep another star to play with him because of it. Lebron probably still has a special place for Cleveland in his heart, but everybody likes having options.

When I break it down I feel free agency is good from an individual perspective but bad from a team perspective and so far, the grass on the other side hasn’t been as green as James and Harper envisioned it would be. Who knows if they’ll eventually be content with everything from an in-game point of view but year one for James and Harper with their new teams didn’t go super smooth, As they both missed the playoffs and Harper’s team won a championship without him, they still have their money, fame, and fans but there’s a lot of work to be done on an individual and team level to get them to where they wanna be. In my opinion, a player that transfers to another school at the college level is partially different. In college, if you transfer to another school you must complete one academic year in residence at the new school before you can play for or receive travel expenses from the new school unless you qualify for a transfer exception or waiver. Because of this even with student-athletes transferring to different schools being common, It’s not as common as a pro athlete leaving for a new team via free agency. In some cases like with Ohio State’s Justin Fields, you may not have as many options like a pro athlete would in free agency because of living expenses and upperclassmen being ahead of you on the depth chart at quarterback, which is the hardest position to start at in football, and arguably the hardest position in all of sports. I think when it comes to Fields it ended up working out well for his former team, That being Georgia and his current team Ohio State. In his true freshman season at Georgia in 2018, Fields served as the backup to starting quarterback Jake Fromm. Following Georgia’s loss to Alabama in the 2018 SEC Championship Game, Fields announced that he intended to transfer schools. On January 4, 2019, Fields announced his intent to transfer to Ohio State. Fields, who would normally be required to sit out for one year due to NCAA transfer rules, sought a waiver to be able to play immediately for Ohio State. Fields enlisted the help of attorney Thomas Mars, who helped secure immediate eligibility for several transfers from Ole Miss in 2018, including quarterback Shea Patterson. Mars and Fields argued that Fields should be granted a waiver for immediate eligibility due to an NCAA guideline that waives the waiting period for athletes with “documented mitigating circumstances that are outside the student-athlete’s control and directly impact the health, safety, and well-being of the student-athlete.” Fields was subject to an incident at Georgia in which a Bulldogs baseball player used a racial slur against Fields. This was believed to be the main incident constituting Fields’ claim of “mitigating circumstances”, although the full contents of the waiver request were never made public. On February 8, 2019, Fields was granted immediate eligibility for the 2019 season by the NCAA. All in all, I think it’s worked out well for both football programs and universities and has helped at least slow the talk of dynasties at Clemson and Alabama. Fields has led the Buckeyes to the college football playoff this year, and Jake Fromm had the Bulldogs in the playoff conversation, So a guy transferring schools in college can be beneficial in numerous ways differing the free agency a lot of times in the pros where the player reaps all the rewards. The last stop we’ll make for this story is on the high school level. High school sports are too affected by the ability of a student-athlete to transfer. According to ohsaa.org If a student transfers at any time after the fifth day of the student’s ninth-grade year or after having established eligibility before the start of school by playing in a contest (scrimmage, preview/jamboree, Foundation game or regular season/tournament contest), the student shall be eligible, insofar as transfer is concerned, ONLY until the first 50% of the maximum allowable varsity regular-season contests (including all scrimmages, preview/jamboree/Foundation games) have been completed in those sports in which the student participated (participation being defined as playing in a contest) during the 12 months immediately preceding this transfer. This transfer consequence shall remain in effect until the one-year anniversary of the date of enrollment in the school to which the student transferred, at which time the student is no longer considered a transfer student.

All of this, along with open enrollment has a major effect on high school athletics because of the scenario where you could have too many players go out for one sport or not enough. I think that the OHSAA regulations in more recent years, have been effective and brought parity to an all-time high on the high school level and while no system is perfect and we still have our issues and hot button topics like open enrollment, smaller schools are making noise like never before. You can take Springfield Tigers football being the state runner up as an example, showing at times the little engine can get the job done and that on the other side the grass isn’t always greener!

JUST PEACHY: THE EVOLUTION OF BASKETBALL

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By Scotty Mincher

 

Here at YSN, I’ve had the pleasure of covering and writing about a lot of football over the last month. It’s a great game But with the upsets, we’ve already seen in college hoops, the almost certain probability you’ll see something special on a nightly basis in the NBA, And the highschool season ready for liftoff we’re more than ready and fired up to dissect the beauty of the origin of yet another grand game. We already covered the history of Ohio high school football playoffs a few weeks ago, so I don’t think it comes as too much a surprise that in this story we’ll focus on Mr. Spalding’s existence or more simply put the history of basketball.

It’s long been a favorite sport of mine going back to my days at Lowellville’s K-12 campus when I did a book report on a transcendent baller “Pistol” Pete Maravich who averaged a whopping 44.2 points per game in college. Like the football playoffs in Ohio, Bball has a long and rich history. In early December 1891, Canadian James Naismith, the inventor of the game and a physical education professor and instructor at the International Young Men’s Christian Association Training School (YMCA) (today, Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long New England winters. After rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot (3.0 m) elevated track. In contrast with modern basketball nets, this peach basket retained its bottom, and balls had to be retrieved manually after each “basket” or point scored; this proved inefficient, however, so the bottom of the basket was removed, allowing the balls to be poked out with a long dowel each time. 

Another interesting fact about basketball is that it was originally played with a soccer ball. These round balls from “association football” were made, at the time, with a set of laces to close off the hole needed for inserting the inflatable bladder after the other sewn-together segments of the ball’s cover had been flipped outside-in. These laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually, a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith. (Whereas in American football, the lace construction proved to be advantageous for gripping and remains to this day.) The first balls made specifically for basketball were brown, and it was only in the late 1950s that Tony Hinkle, searching for a ball that would be more visible to players and spectators alike, introduced the orange ball that is now in common use. 

Dribbling was not part of the original game except for the “bounce pass” to teammates. Passing the ball was the primary means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the asymmetric shape of early balls. Dribbling was common by 1896, with a rule against the double dribble by 1898. The peach baskets were used until 1906 when they were finally replaced by metal hoops with backboards. A further change was soon made, so the ball merely passed through. Whenever a person got the ball in the basket, his team would gain a point. Whichever team got the most points won the game. The baskets were originally nailed to the mezzanine balcony of the playing court, but this proved impractical when spectators in the balcony began to interfere with shots. The backboard was introduced to prevent this interference; it had the additional effect of allowing rebound shots. Naismith’s handwritten diaries, discovered by his granddaughter in early 2006, indicate that he was nervous about the new game he had invented, which incorporated rules from a children’s game called duck on a rock, as many had failed before it. Frank Mahan, one of the players from the original first game, approached Naismith after the Christmas break, in early 1892, asking him what he intended to call his new game. Naismith replied that he hadn’t thought of it because he had been focused on just getting the game started. Mahan suggested that it be called “Naismith ball”, at which he laughed, saying that a name like that would kill any game. Mahan then said, “Why not call it basketball?” Naismith replied, “We have a basket and a ball, and it seems to me that would be a good name for it.” 

The first official game was played in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany, New York, on January 20, 1892, with nine players. The game ended at 1–0; the shot was made from 25 feet (7.6 m), on a court just half the size of a present-day Streetball or National Basketball Association (NBA) court. At the time, football was being played with 10 to a team (which was increased to 11). When winter weather got too icy to play football, teams were taken indoors, and it was convenient to have them split in half and play basketball with five on each side. By 1897–1898 teams of five became standard.

As we attempt to put a nice holiday bow on this story, I think it’d be the most fun to talk about the two most revolutionary parts of basketball, the three-point shot, and the dunk. The three-point line was first tested at the collegiate level in 1945, with a 21-foot line, in a game between Columbia and Fordham, but it was not kept as a rule. There was another one-game experiment in 1958, this time with a 23-foot line, in a game between St. Francis (N.Y.) and Siena. In 1961, Boston University and Dartmouth played one game with an experimental rule that counted all field goals as three points. In the direction of Abe Saperstein, the American Basketball League became the first basketball league to institute the rule in 1961. Its three-point line was a radius of 25 feet (7.62 m) from the baskets, except along the sides.[3] The Eastern Professional Basketball League followed in its 1963–64 season. 

The three-point shot later became popularized by the American Basketball Association (ABA), introduced in its inaugural 1967–68 season.ABA Commissioner George Mikan stated the three-pointer “would give the smaller player a chance to score and open up the defense to make the game more enjoyable for the fans”. During the 1970s, the ABA used the three-point shot, along with the slam dunk, as a marketing tool to compete with the NBA; its ninth and final season concluded in the spring of 1976. Three years later in June 1979, the NBA adopted the three-point line for a one-year trial for the 1979–80 season, despite the view of many that it was a gimmick. Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics is widely credited with making the first three-point shot in NBA history on October 12, 1979; In the NBA, three-point field goals became increasingly more frequent along the years, especially by mid-2015 onward. The increase in latter years has been attributed to NBA player Stephen Curry, A guy every Cavs fan hates! Who is credited with revolutionizing the game by inspiring teams to regularly employ the three-point shot as part of their winning strategy. That’s a little bit on the history of the three-point shot, Now it’s time to slam it home (pun intended) The slam dunk is usually the highest percentage shot and a crowd-pleaser. through the 1970s, players like David Thompson, Julius Erving, and Darryl Dawkins popularized the move with more athletically executed dunks (with high-flying jumps and turns). This transformed dunking into the standard fare it is today. If you dig a little deeper you’ll find that dunking was first introduced to all of us in the 1940s and 50’s when 7-foot center and Olympic gold medalist Bob Kurland was dunking regularly during games. There are also many different types of dunks from the Windmill to the Tomahawk to the Alley-oop etc. That’s just a brief taste of one of the most exciting plays in sports and a little bit on the history of the game that classic sports movie Hoosiers glorified for putting a leather ball in an iron hoop. I hope everyone enjoyed the ride and until next time please remember to do like Mr. Cavalier Austin Carr and Throw The Hammer Down!!