The Sports World According to Kelly: Arenado Great, But Schmidt the Greatest
This article originally appeared in the Entreprise in Davis, Ca.
The Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals are finalizing a deal that will send All-Star third baseball Nolan Arenado and what could be as much as $50 million to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for at least three prospects.
While Arenado is one of the best defensive third basemen ever, he is not, as one Denver scribe wrote, “the best third baseman ever.” For the immediate future, and probably long afterwards, that distinction belongs to former Phillies phenom Mike Schmidt.
* What do the following schools — Navy, Stanford, Miami (Ohio), Michigan and Delaware — have in common as they relate to presidents and Hail Marys? Answer at bottom.
* The greatest player in the history of his sport turned 81 this month.
Jack Nicklaus won 73 PGA Tour events, including a record 18 majors. He had 286 Top-10 finishes overall. Perhaps his most remarkable achievement was that he was either first or second in 37 other major championships. One can only imagine how Nicklaus would have performed with the equipment and training regimen today’s golfers have.
* Good move by Giants to sign infielder Tommy LaStella to a 3-year free-agent contract. He’s a consistent contact hitter who can play several different positions. LaStella, who bid farewell to Oakland, fits in nicely with team president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi’s philosophy.
But the Giants lost out to Chicago Cubs for ex-Dodger Joc Pederson’s services. Perhaps Pederson likes playing a lot of day baseball.
* So many soccer matches at all levels are called “friendlies.” If this is the case, why do they bother to keep score?
* Where Are They Now?
One of the first and best baseball commentators to speak his mind on air (and keep their job) was former Yankee Tony Kubek.
Kubek was a New York shortstop from 1957-65 and transitioned to the booth upon his baseball retirement.
He had a 24-year career with NBC Sports and called ball games with Jim Simpson, Curt Gowdy, Joe Garagiola and Bob Costas.
He and Costas (plus Vin Scully and Garagiola) gave NBC the top-rated broadcast teams throughout the 1980s.
Later on, he worked for the Toronto Blue Jays. Now 85, Kubek lives in Appleton, Wisc., just outside Green Bay.
* Why do so many football and basketball sideline reporters have to tell us “Coach So-and-So told me just a few minutes ago?” … Who cares who Coach So-and-So spoke to?
Give the viewer the update and move on. Airtime is limited in that situation and all of it should be devoted to what everyone wants, and that’s information.
* Hall of Fame Rams defensive end Jack Youngblood turned 71 this past Tuesday. Youngblood spent his entire career (1971-85) with Los Angeles, hated the Rams’ move to St. Louis, but rejoiced upon the team’s return to L.A.
Youngblood worked in the Sacramento Surge front office in 1991-92, later did a talk show on KHTK with Mike Remy and is now a consultant from his Florida home with the NFL league office. Youngblood works hard to improve benefits for long-ago retired players and navigate current player safety issues.
* Still can’t fathom Green Bay’s decision to kick a field goal instead of going for a potential tying touchdown on fourth-and-goal last Sunday in its 5-point loss to Tampa Bay.
The call effectively took the ball out of presumptive league MVP Aaron Rodgers’s hands. We are talking about Aaron Rodgers here.
Worst case scenario would have been a turnover on downs, Packers have all their time outs left and Tampa Bay deep in its own end.
Instead, Tom Brady eventually ran out the clock and put his team in next Sunday’s Super Bowl.
* Quiz answer — Each school has produced a U.S. president and a Super Bowl-champion quarterback. Navy (Jimmy Carter/Roger Staubach), Stanford (Herbert Hoover/John Elway or Jim Plunkett), Miami-Ohio (Benjamin Harrison/Ben Roethlisberger), Michigan (Gerald Ford/Tom Brady), Delaware (Joe Biden/Joe Flacco). Thanks to column co-conspirator Rachel Shuster for this one.
— Reach DE columnist Doug Kelly at dkelly1416@aol.com. Kelly is Doug Kelly is director of communications for Battlefields2Ballfields and managing general partner of Kelly & Associates. Kelly also is the longtime radio and television color man on UC Davis football broadcasts.