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The Greatest Play in NBA History

It is so hard to believe how time flies. Two days ago, on May 25th, marked the 25 year anniversary of the day that “Larry stole the ball” against the Detroit Pistons to win the pivotal game five of the 1987 playoffs at the old Boston Garden for the Boston Celtics.

The win gave the Celtics a 3-2 series lead, and they would go on to win the hard fought battle in 7 games.

Sports Illustrated Cover from March 1986 that Larry signed

If you were an NBA basketball fan in what I consider the “Golden Age” of the NBA, this game, and that play were seminal moments that you just don’t forget. I remember exactly what I was doing, and where I was at when “the play” happened.

My wife, and 2 oldest sons, who were only 5 & 3 at the time, were on a vacation in Myrtle Beach. They had gone to bed by the time that the second half was in play, and I had settled in to hopefully somehow will my beloved Celtics to victory. My “circle of buddies,” Gary, Jim, and Chris, were watching in Ohio trying to do the same thing.

It was a great game throughout, that included Celtic center Robert Parrish dropping the Pistons Bill Laimbeer to the floor with a couple of well-timed punches that somehow the officials did not see.

The game came down to the final 20 seconds or so, when with time running out on the shot clock, Isaiah Thomas hit a jumper from the left elbow to give Detroit a one point lead.

I believe there were 13 seconds or so left as the Celtics called timeout. Everyone in the house, as well as those watching, knew the ball was going to be in the hands of “Larry Legend.”

After the T.O., DJ (Dennis Johnson), got the ball to Larry well out on the left wing. Larry hesitated momentarily, looking at the defense that the Pistons had set up. Suddenly, Bird drove hard to the bucket from the left, only to be met by what seemed like the entire Detroit squad. The shot was blocked, it headed toward the out of bounds on the side, and Larry was knocked to the floor in the process. The Celtics Jerry Schichting tried to save the ball, but the refs signaled Piston ball.

If you ever get the chance to watch this entire sequence, stop the tape right here, and watch and notice what everyone is doing. The fans & Schichting argue briefly that it went off of a Detroit player. Dennis Rodman is signaling Piston ball (as well as seemingly gloating). There is a shot of the Detroit bench as they are hooting & hollering. There are 5 seconds left, and the strategy begs for Coach Chuck Daly to call timeout to advance the ball to center court.

While the tape is stopped, focus on Bird. After getting knocked to the floor, does he mope or cry for a foul call? No, while on the floor, he is already calculating the situation. In what still cannot be explained to this day, Thomas hurriedly looks to get the ball from the official to try to inbound it to Laimbeer without calling the timeout.

Over the years, I have only seen this camera shot once, but it is a shot of DJ somehow contorting his body to reverse his path down the court to play defense, to heading for the Boston basket as he realizes Larry is about to create history.

Bird comes up off the floor, and drifts towards Laimbeer so as to not alert Thomas to what he is doing. Thomas lobs the ball over Schichting, and with a perfectly timed “interception move,” he steals the pass. If you look closely, as he turns to pass the ball to DJ, he is standing on his tip-toes so as not to step on the end-line. As he steals it, he is able to stop on a dime, pivot, and throw a perfect pass to a streaking DJ who lays it in with exactly one second on the clock, and the Celtics lead by one. Game over!

Seeing Bill Walton high-fiving his teammates on the bench also sticks out in my mind.

If you put everything into perspective, and realize all that Larry had to “think about” in those few short seconds, it is just evidence that in my opinion, it was the greatest play in NBA history, and it was performed by the greatest player in NBA history.

Unsung Heroes Lead Barons to First Game Sectional Victory

On Thursday night, the Dekalb Barons, playing in their Dekalb Class 4A sectional baseball opener, came from 3 runs down to rally and overtake the Northrop Bruins, and win by a score of 7-6.

Dekalb fell behind by 3 runs after the first inning, and things weren’t looking good. The Barons were possibly flashing back to their regular season game with the Northrop, a game that the Bruins won 10-0.

With the win, the Barons will move into semi-final play on Monday, where they will be taking on the Columbia City Eagles at 12:30 pm. The Eagles won their first game over FW Snider by a score of 6-4.

But then, starting in the second inning, Dekalb had a number of unsung heroes step up, and when it was all said and done, the Barons were moving on in sectional play.

In that second inning, Ty Rottger got things going with a double, and that hit was his first of three on the evening. Dekalb plated 2 runs in that inning, and they trailed by 1 going to the third. Northrop added 2 more runs in the second, and the Barons trailed by 3 once again 5-2.

Dekalb then came to bat in the pivotal third inning. After Bayley Coleman scored to cut the lead to 2, junior second baseman Logan Schilling stepped to the plate and launched a three-run blast to left field that gave the Barons a lead they would not relinquish.

Senior shortstop Scott Day drilled a solo shot of his own in the top of the sixth inning to make it 7-5. It was a very important insurance run, as Northrop scored in the bottom of the sixth to make it a one run game, but they would get no closer.

Kudos must also go out to junior pitcher for Dekalb, Dylan Cagle. After giving up those 5 early runs, he settled down nicely and pitched a complete game.

If the Barons can get the win against Columbia City, they will play in the championship game on Monday night at 7:00 pm against the winner of Carroll and East Noble.

Can Dekalb Win Baseball Sectional?

Tonight at 6:00 pm, the Class 4A baseball sectional starts at Dekalb High School. East Noble will be taking on FW North in the only game this evening.

The Dekalb Barons will start play tomorrow night when they will take on FW Northrop at 5:00 pm. The second game tomorrow will pit Columbia City vs FW Snider right after the Baron’s game. On Monday at 10:00 am, Carroll will take on the winner of Wednesday’s game, and then Thursdays winners will play the second game on Monday, with those winners then playing for the championship on Monday night at 7:00 pm.

The question for all of us Dekalb fans is, can the Barons win this thing?

After seeing Dekalb play numerous times throughout the season, watching them evolve as a team, and most importantly, having healthy pitching, my opinion is yes, they can take this thing and move on to regional play.

Carter Stafford, Dylan Cagle, Jacob Dickey, Phil Bassett, and Will Vadney are all poised and ready to take the “bump” and do their jobs. All have had moments this year when they have been very good.

The thing about this years sectional is that there is no clear-cut favorite. Anyone could rise up, get hot, and take home the hardware. I liken it quite a bit to 5 or 6 years ago when before the sectional I thought the only team that couldn’t win it was Columbia City, and then the Eagles went out and took care of business, and moved on in the tourney.

If Dekalb gets solid pitching from the above mentioned quintet, and they can get the timely hitting from senior leaders Bayley Coleman, Nick McDonald, and Ty Rottger, throw in the defense staying stay sharp and tight, who says this team couldn’t take it all?

Friends, Family, & Baseball

In the rush-rush, hectic, fast paced results now world in which we live, what is the best way to kick back, and enjoy life a little bit?

In my opinion, it is having the ability to spend time with friends or family, and do that kicking back by enjoying a baseball game together.

Baseball has a truly nice environment. It is slow paced, works at its own speed, and if you look close enough, there are a ton of life lessons in the “action,” that can be discussed for days afterward.

In my days of coaching, I would always try to teach my pitchers that every single pitch had a bearing on the outcome of the game. The thought process of pitch one, to the final pitch of the final out of the game is truly amazing. Between that first pitch to the final pitch, this is where all of the nuances take place that are cause for eternal debates.

I had a couple of opportunities in the recent past to experience great baseball situations in two very different environments.

In March, I was able to attend a number of Spring Training games in Arizona. I was able to see my beloved Texas Rangers (please no offense Cleveland Indians), the Reds, the Giants, the Cubs, and the Angels. Spring Training is much more laid back than the regular season.

It was during the game against the Cubs that I had the opportunity to attend the game with one of my oldest, and best friends, Bruce Frazier, who lives in Scottsdale. We had a great time breaking the game down, catching up on old times, and as an extra bonus, we were able to go to a sports restaurant afterward and watch the Ohio State-Syracuse basketball game. Having my son Joey, who works for the Rangers, join us afterward was an extra bonus. It was a truly relaxing time.

Then, just a few weeks back, when the Rangers were in Cleveland for a “real” game, I had the chance to go to “the Jake,” and watch Texas play Cleveland. My heart is always torn when these teams hook-up, as I am a tremendous fan of each. It was also a great atmosphere, as there were plenty of family and friends in attendance. My wife Maureen, her sister Sue, our niece Krista, our niece Brittany and her boyfriend,our nephew Josh, and ours and Joey’s friends from Auburn, Andy Rice and his family.

Nice time relaxing, enjoying, cheering, discussing, second-guessing, but most of all, having fun and creating memories.

Junior Will Vadney Steals the Show on Senior Night

The Dekalb Baron baseball team hosted the Concordia Cadets in their regular season finale on Monday night.

Good defense, timely hitting, and an excellent pitching outing from Will Vadney propelled the Barons to a 7-1 win, and sent eleven Dekalb Barons out on a winning note on their special night that ended the regular season.

Matt Frane, Landon Emenhiser, Carter Stafford, Jacob Dickey, Scott Day, Phil Bassett, Ty Rottger, Cody Burniston, Bayley Coleman, Nick McDonald, and statman Wade Hantz were all introduced with their parents in a ceremony before the game that paid homage to their careers at Dekalb.

The game highlight on this night though, was the complete game, seven strikeout, no walk performance by Vadney. He was in control throughout, pitching with confidence, working quickly, and keeping the Cadets off balance for the entire game.

Dekalb’s offense came through with a number of timely hits. Leading the attack were Emenhiser, Coleman, and Frane who each tallied two hits.

The Barons will start Class 4A sectional play on Thursday night when they will play FW Northrop at Dekalb High School, starting at 5:00 pm.

Carroll Primed for Another Run

The Carroll Chargers baseball team brought their swag to Dekalb High School on Tuesday night to take on the Barons in the NHC finale for both of these baseball teams for this season.

Carroll, the 2 time defending class 4A state champions, started early & fast, as they tallied 5 runs in the first 2 innings off of Dekalb starter Carter Stafford.

The Barons were their own worst enemy in the first inning, as a couple of miscues contributed to 2 runs scoring.

As the night wore on, you could see that the Chargers look like a team that is primed for a possible “three-peat.”

Good pitching, timely hitting, making the plays on defense, it all was present at Baron field on this night, but unfortunately for Dekalb, it was coming from the other dugout.

All that the Barons could muster on the offensive side were 3 singles, 2 from Stafford, and one from Ty Rottger.

The sectional starts next week, and maybe if these teams meet again, Dekalb can find a way to knock off the Chargers.

Rare Feats on the Diamond – Who would You Rather Be?

During this past week, we who follow professional baseball saw not one, but two rare feats from a hitter that you normally go years without seeing.

Early in the week, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers swatted not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 home runs in a game against Baltimore. He also threw in a double for good measure. Never in the history of American League baseball had a player had 18 total bases in a game.

Then late in the week, Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds hit 3 home runs in a game, the last coming with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to win the game for his squad.

Just 2 tremendous games for 2 of the games finest players.

The question is, if you were a player, which feat would you rather have accomplished?

Hamilton’s exploits came in a blow-out game. Votto’s came in a tense, come from behind battle.

In my way of thinking, I’ll take Hamilton’s game any time. He was only the 16th player to have ever hit 4 dingers in a game. That’s less than the total number of perfect games that have been thrown in Major League history.

Though both are tremendous accomplishments, my money is on Josh.

The Greatness of Omar Vizquel

I originally published this story a few months back, and since that time, Omar Vizquel has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season. During that time, both Jeter & Rodriguez have moved up a few notches on the all-time hits list, but Omar’s name still is not highlighted. It’s somewhat hidden down there near the bottom of top 50 of all time.

With the baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies this weekend, I just wanted to take this opportunity so say once again what a travesty it would be if Omar Vizquel were not elected to the Hall of Fame when his time comes. In five years. On the first ballot.

As Peter Griffin of “Family Guy” has been known to say, I saw something this morning that really “grinds my gears.”

There was a list in a local publication that had the top 50 hits leaders of all time in major league baseball. Out of those 50, players still active were listed in bold print. Sitting at 19 was Derek Jeter, and sitting at 47 was Alex Rodriguez. That was it for current players.

During rain delay, drawing Omar did of my son

Taking a closer look, in 45th place, in non-bold print mind you, was Omar Vizquel. Omar is still a utility infielder for the Toronto Blue Jays.

This “omission,” somewhat describes Vizquel’s career, always flying “under the radar.”

If you have followed Omar when he burst onto the scene as shortstop of those Cleveland Indian great teams of the mid to late nineties, you realize that simply put, no one compares to Vizquel when it comes to playing the position.

Besides being the best fielding shortstop in the history of the game, Omar has amassed almost 3000 base hits.

It will be a travesty if Vizquel does not end up in Cooperstown when his playing days are over. I certainly hope that not doing back flips on the diamond keeps him out of “the hall.”

Trine Baseball Fever – Catch It!

The Trine University Thunder baseball team played a pivotal 4 game series with Adrian College of Michigan over this past weekend.

Pivotal not only in the fact that if Trine at least split the series, they would guarantee themselves second place in the MIAA, and a first round home playoff game, but pivotal in its implications in the rise and future success of Thunder baseball.

Adrian has been the class of the MIAA for many years. They came into the weekend series having already clinched first place in the conference, and they were ranked 8th nationally in NCAA division 3 college baseball.

Trine lost a heartbreaker in the first game of the doubleheader at Adrian on Friday, 4-3, as the Thunder gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the last inning.

The second game saw junior righty Jake Rightnower throw a 2 hit shutout, and Trine was a winner by the score of 1-0.

On Sunday, Adrian came out fired up, and won the first game at Trine 6-3. Again, a sparkling pitching performance, this time by senior Mike Sentman, enabled the Thunder to get the split, again by the score of 1-0.

Adrian had not been shutout in over 250 games, and Trine was able to do it twice in 3 days.

With the wins over the weekend, Trine set a season record for victories with 24.

Trine will play in the conference tourney on Wednesday at 4:00 pm, as they will host Hope College.

Success in this tourney will only be icing on the cake for this fine squad of young men.

Continued success in the coming years only seems inevitable.

The groundwork has been laid.

Jake, Where Have You Gone?

I had the opportunity to attend a Texas Rangers-Cleveland Indians game at “Progressive Field” in Cleveland over the weekend.

In my heart, this stadium is still “The Jake.”

Having witnessed many a game at this facility after it opened in 1994, most of the time it was in an SRO environment. The Indians sold out over 400 games back during that period.

So on Saturday night, in a game between 2 division leaders, with the Rangers having won the past 2 American League pennants, the Tribe had their second biggest “crowd” of the season, at a little over 21,000.

Where are the fans? The Indians have a number of fine young players, and also sport a number of wily veterans.

Is it apathy? Do the people care? Is there that much animosity towards the owners? How is the team marketed to the public?

These are all legitimate questions. The only thing that I know is this. If I lived in the area, I would attend some games and stay behind this team.

In case you don’t know, they are for real, and are in it for the long haul.