 |
|
KNUCKLEBALLS, By Dave Clark - Knuckleball HQ Where There's A Will Imagine looking around where you sit and noticing things missing. Maybe furniture, maybe pictures, maybe clothing, maybe you can't even tell what, as if it's maybe some of the oxygen in the room. And you know these things were not stolen, but they're gone, and you'll never find them, never get them back. The room, the car, the neighborhood, all a little emptier of something held dear. For those who do not experience New England sports or didn't taste NFL coverage in the 80s, you would not feel the sense of loss as we do here. You didn't have to know much about Will McDonough to fall in with the admiring faithful. It's as if we locals were born with a canine's alertness to sound not heard by human beings. The name alone brought this unconscious sense of who this man was to the fore, and you had to pay attention, and listen, and huddle around him, whether you liked sports, or even cared for it. Back when print and broadcast sports journalists had a mutual dislike, he opened television to the scribes and proved they could not only hold their own, or even fit in with comfort, but do some moving and shaking. He, a newspaper sports reporter, had influence on the early AFL and later, the NFL, and the large names in it. A writer? Oh, yes. If you knew the man, you'd know why, and it wasn't hard at all to know him. Feisty, not prosaic to be considered for a Pulitzer but nevertheless attention-gathering, he grew up in South Boston, friends with a kid who later became the FBI's Most Wanted, Whitey (Jimmy, to his friends) Bulger. Later, he was brother-close to the likes of Pete Rozelle, Paul Tagliabue, and Bill Parcells. And that's just in football. He made friends and put in a good word for virtually everyone he ever met, and was a friend with honor and dignity, class and respect. He had more than enough stories to fill a tell-all best-seller, but he wouldn't write them down. He wouldn't tell those stories about his friends. And so he was as trusted as a Mosler safe, if you told him something that should stay right there; yet because he was the closest friend of the best sources, he had the scoops others couldn't pry out with crowbars. He was right more than he was wrong; quietly savoring every win and sullen with the losses. He acted like Joe Average, proud of every story he got right but never with the "I'm-so-cool" attitude he had to report on in others. He'd get into screaming matches with even his best friends, but once the teakettle boiled dry, friends stayed friends, and he let you know it's done, history, and they're still buddies, always. Patriot Raymond Clayborn had an issue with him once, poking Will in the chest and screaming to get out of his face. Will's second punch hammered the younger and fitter Clayborn back into his locker. Both were immediately embarrassed by the incident, what may have been the only time Will actually came to blows with anyone. You didn't have to read him or catch him on some electronic media outlet much to get a quick and admiring sense of this man. You never had to meet him to know him. In a town where there's a heated political rivalry between the conservative Herald and his liberal Globe, politics never entered into the sports pages. In a town where the Boston Globe is revered like some holy writ by the residents of the People's Republic of Cambridge, Will's pieces were a different planet entirely. The front part of the rag had nothing to do with the sports section, and so issues were often bought by those with no perceptible political lean, just fans who knew they'd get the hot sports poop from an in-the-know straight-shooter - something more tasty than a political rally. Something like a ballpark hotdog without seating next to a drunk. Whole volumes entirely unique in content could be written about him, and I bet it'll happen. He took too many eye-popping stories with him, but there are plenty left, recalled by the widest spectrum of people: the Commissioner of the NFL, America's Most Wanted, a street urchin toting a leaky football, a rival reporter. Fans, readers, players, neighbors. All of sports should have gotten to know him better. The rest of the world should have known this man as we in New England did. Boston's Fleet Center is holding its second service to him as I write this. The Fleet Center? For a sportswriter? No, for Will McDonough. Big difference. And, thanks to him, we know what big is. Do you want to grow frustrated or houseplants?  THE ETOPPS REPORT, By Mark Menter - http://www.etoppsclubhouse.com The following article discusses eTopps, a new innovation in sports card collecting. To learn more about eTopps visit http://www.etopps.com Here are a few sleeper cards from the 2002 eTopps football set - ones that you might want to look at for future growth. The key word here is growth. This article looks at some cards that are trading for well below their potential value, and is not a search for the highest valued card in 2003. That is why you may be surprised at some of the picks. For the most part, these guys carry significant risk since most require a successful franchise to show any growth. But, in the right conditions, history has shown that they will do well. 2002 Clinton Portis eTopps Portis was the most successful 2002 issue and it's still got room to grow. Portis should hold his value and if the Broncos can make some noise in the playoffs next year he will be a huge part of their success. He's young, durable, extremely talented, and a media magnet. All that should translate into continued success on the football field and growth in his eTopps card. 2002 Brian Griese eTopps Everyone loves a winner. Everyone ignores an injured, mediocre talent. Currently Brian Griese falls into the latter category and his card value reflects that belief. However, when he heals, he is the leading candidate to lead the Broncos on the field in 2003. If he is able to lead them to the playoffs (as he probably would have done this year had he stayed healthy) this card will show some significant growth. Of course, the 2001 card - with only 505 printed - will show greater growth, but at a current value of $4.00, this card has very little downside. A lso, since the 2001 PR is so small, many will opt for the 2002 issue. Why pay $55.00 for one of 505, when you can pay $10.00 for one of 2909? 2002 Brian Urlacher eTopps Urlacher is one of those that everyone loves. His teammates love him. The media loves him. The fans love him. All he needs is a winning team for his value to skyrocket. Of course, should the Bears NOT suck in 2003, the 2001 Urlacher will see the most growth, and could easily reach $40.00. But with only 3,146 Urlachers out there, the 2002 issue could see some nice growth as well. 2002 Priest Holmes eTopps His spectacular 2002 season ended prematurely with a hip injury in the 15th week of the season. Without that, the Chiefs would have almost certainly steamrolled into the playoffs, and Holmes into the record books for most single season touchdowns. Because of this injury (can you say Bo Jackson?) people will be wary until he proves that he is healthy - and that won't be until sometime next season. So this card should remain inexpensive for a while. You may not want to wait. If he picks up where he left off last season this card will show some nice growth. With only 418 cards printed in the first run, people will look here for their Priest Holmes card. 2002 Trent Green eTopps The Chiefs' offense was one of the most explosive in the NFL this past year. They just missed making the playoffs when Priest Holmes went down with a hip injury. Then they had to play Oakland on a sloppy field. By his own right Green was a very exciting passer, but he needs a successful franchise for his card to become more collectable. With all of the great quarterbacks in the league, he gets lost in the shuffle. The Chiefs are one of those teams that always seems to be knocking on the door. If they can find a way to knock that door down in 2003 this card will have some value. HOOPS AVENUE, By David Fitzpatrick - HoopsAvenue.com Question: Do you think Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers are a good matchup with the Dallas Mavericks? And with the Pacers and the Mavericks with two of the best records in their leagues do you think they will face each other in the finals? (from Joe) Answer: As of now that could be a strong possibilty, but so much changes during the year it is kind of too early to tell. Question: Everybody's always talking about the Mavs, the struggling Lakers, The Hornets' good start; but what about the Pistons? They haven't really been in the spotlight as much as others. Even when the Lakers lose they're still in the spotlight! Why aren't the Pistons being talked about the most? It seems NBA fans don't care about Detroit. (from dragonboy) Answer: Detroit has been playing great Defense thus far - best in the league. Not sure why they aren't getting much exposure but they will get their due as the season moves on. Question: Peace & Greetings, what is Rafer Alston doing now? Is he playing anywhere? Also, with Golden State in need of a point guard, why didn't they keep him? (from Greg) Answer: A lot of people were shocked when Rafer Alston was cut from the Warriors roster. He is currently a free agent and can be picked up by any team. The contents of the respective articles represent the opinions of the individual writers and not necessarily those of the editor/owner of The Oddball Mall Sports Cards. © Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. |