Bottom of the Bird Cage 3/30
So this is the 89th day of the year, and we must honor one of the greatest Chiefs players who wore the No. 89, wide receiver Otis Taylor. Other 89s include Henry Marshall, Keith Cash, Andre Rison and Jason Dunn.
Born on March 30, 1945 was one of the greatest guitarists in history, Eric Clapton. In 1986, actor James Cagney passed away at the age of 86.
And on March 30, 1867, Alaska was purchased by the United States from Russia, thanks to the work of Secretary of State William Seward. The purchase was 586,412 square miles at a cost of $7.2 million, or about two cents an acre. Even in today’s money, it would be a good deal. Based on 2009 dollars, the same purchase would cost $108 million.
Before we get started, you must visit this link. The folks at Guitar Hero have outdone themselves this time. If you thought Alex Rodriquez, Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps and some guy wearing a helmet were great in that TV ad, you’ve got to see this one. Just watch the looks on Roy Williams face! I’m not sure how much Guitar Hero paid for this one, but it had to be a lot to get these four guys together.
Here’s the link to
From the Baltimore Sun:
March 29, 1984, remains the most infamous day in Baltimore sports history. Ask longtime residents about it and they’ll practically spit the words “Irsay” and “Mayflower.”
As the moving trucks rolled out in the snow that morning, they carried away the blue-and-white Colts gear that had meant so much to Baltimoreans in the John Unitas era. Surely, that legacy had no place in Indianapolis. Worse still, the departure left city residents to confront their fears that Baltimore was a third-rate town.
With 25 years of perspective, however, it’s possible to argue that March 29, 1984, was actually a good day for Baltimore sports. It allowed the city to cut ties with a desperately flawed franchise and a deeply unpopular owner. It spurred elected officials to get serious about plans that would keep the Orioles in Baltimore and attract a new NFL team. Those plans bore fruit in Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium, beloved facilities that are now as intrinsic to downtown as the Inner Harbor. The Ravens arrived in 1996 and won a Super Bowl six years before the Colts brought Indianapolis its first Lombardi Trophy.
So, perhaps, crazy as it might sound, Bob Irsay did everyone a favor when he suddenly ordered his franchise packed into green, yellow and red trucks.
In the end, the move of the Colts did workout for Baltimore. The city enjoyed a Super Bowl championship before Indianapolis ever did. As difficult as those years were when there was no pro football in Charm City, they survived. One thing should have been different, however. Robert Irsay had the right to move his franchise, but he should never have been allowed to take the Colts name and logo with him. Right now, they should be the Indianapolis Ravens and the Ravens should be the Baltimore Colts.
From the Buffalo News: Lou Saban was a football coach who never stayed in one place too long but who found a way to inspire players everywhere he stopped during a remarkable five-decade career.
“Lou was probably the best motivator I’ve ever been around,” Pro Football Hall of Fame guard Billy Shaw, who played for Saban in the Buffalo Bills’ championship years, said from his home in Georgia. “I would have run through a wall for him.”
Former players from across the country echoed those comments Sunday upon hearing the news that Saban had died at age 87 at his home in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Saban, a member of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, is one of the coaching icons in the city’s history. In his first stint as Bills head coach, from 1962 to 1965, he led the Bills to American Football League championships in ‘64 and ‘65 and left his successor with a team that would come within one victory of playing in the first Super Bowl. In his second stint, from 1972 to 1976, Saban turned a moribund franchise into a contender, rejuvenating the career of future Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson and making the playoffs in 1974.
Saban died at about 4 a.m. Sunday at his home, his wife, Joyce, said. He had been troubled by heart problems in recent years and recently suffered a fall that required hospitalization.
Saban was truly one of the great characters of football and one of its better coaches. It’s just that he couldn’t stay in one spot long enough. But he was a motivator and the type of old-school coach that would have to adapt in today’s environment. “He could not have coached in the National Football League today,” former Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little told the Denver Post. “He told you how long you could wear your pants. You couldn’t wear sideburns, you had to wear a shirt and a tie. He was old school. And I loved it. He hollered and screamed at me as much as anyone else. But at the end of the game, he’d put his arm around me and say, ‘I love you, man. Just hang in there and we’ll get you some help.’ ”
From Orlando Sentinel columnist David Whitley: In this crazy world, it’s good to know you can still count on a couple of things. The sun will go down, as will Tiger Woods’ final putt. The only question Sunday was which would come first. The sun officially beat the putt by nine minutes. But at 7:52 p.m., Tiger officially notified the world he is back.
Woods made a 16-foot birdie putt to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It was the biggest night win of Tiger’s career, and the reaction was almost unanimous. Can you believe it?” “Unbelievable!”
Consider that a case of people getting caught up in the excitement. For a more sober reaction, we turn to one of the golfers who played with Woods.”I don’t think I’ve ever seen him make a putt when he needed it,” Zach Johnson said. “And that was the epitome of sarcasm.”
The last three times Tiger has made a birdie on the 72nd hole to win were at Arnie’s tournament. He could be attacked by killer bees in his backswing and an earthquake could strike as the ball rolled toward the hole. If it was on the 18th hole at Bay Hill, the ball would drop.”I hit a pure putt,” he said of his latest effort.
There are not many things that can knock March Madness from the top of the sports pedestal, but Tiger Woods did that on Sunday. What a remarkable competitor! I’ll sit and watch a golf tournament on the tube any time; I’m sick that way. The same way people can watch fishing shows or poker on TV – how boring – I can watch the country club boys pound the dimples. But if Tiger’s playing, then it’s must see TV. At one point, Michael Jordan was the NBA. But since the prime of his career, no participant has become as important to his sport as Tiger Woods is to golf.
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