Sports Then and Now

Ken Rosewall is still active as a tennis legend.In looking back at the great players of the past, I often can’t help but wonder how they’d perform in the modern game.

It might not have been as lucrative to be a pro tennis player in Ken Rosewall’s day, but there were other advantages.

For though it was a physically demanding sport even then, one didn’t necessarily have to be over six feet tall and ripped. While the modern men’s game has had only two major champions—the single slam winners Michael Chang and Gaston Gaudio—under 5’10”, Rosewall was actually under today’s average international height for males at 5’7″.

And while fitness has long been demanded of its players, Rosewall played in a day when a build like Rafael Nadal’s was unthinkable. Rosewall, actually, would acquire the nickname “Muscles” on the tennis court, but it was ironic moniker: The 145-pound Australian was given the name because muscles were something he didn’t have in abundance.

But Nadal and Rosewall do share kinship in one respect: The close relatives who taught them how to play the game instructed them to do so with their non-dominant arm. Toni Nadal’s decision to teach his nephew to play lefty has proven beneficial, as many a right-handed opponent has struggled to retrieve his high-bouncing shots to their backhands.

It’s a bit harder, though, to see how it benefited Ken Rosewall when his father, an avid player and tennis court owner, insisted that his son play right-handed. Perhaps there was no precedent for left-handed tennis greats in those days; all that is known is that, playing right-handed, Rosewall’s worst shots would be his forehand and serve.a Read the rest of this entry →

It is hard not to wonder just how great Monica Seles could have been were it not for the attack in Hamburg.

Monica Seles, a former world No. 1 tennis player, released her memoir Getting A Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self on April 21, 2009.

The autobiography details her bout with depression and her subsequent food addiction after being stabbed in a tennis tournament in Germany.

It also describes dealing with her father’s cancer diagnosis and eventual death, which devastated a daughter who was very close to her dad. Finally it follows her journey back to the game and her aim for a life beyond tennis.

Later on July 11, 2009, Seles was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, drawing attention to her story by a generation of tennis fans who may have missed her extraordinary rise to the top of the women’s game in the ’90s.

The Early Years

Monica Seles was born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia on Dec. 2, 1973 but she became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1994. She started playing tennis when she was five years of age.

Her father, Karoly Seles, coached her and was the one who helped her develop her unique two-handed style with both the forehand and the backhand. He also contrived special moments that made the day-to-day practices fun for the little girl.

She was one of many tennis talents discovered and developed by Nick Bollettieri, training in the Bollettieri Tennis Academy for two years. Read the rest of this entry →

The Arizona Cardinals pulled out a victory for the ages with a 51-45 win over the Green Bay Packers

During the last week, Sports Then and Now ran a series featuring the 50 greatest games and moments in the history the NFL conference playoffs. The game Sunday evening between the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers will certainly move near the top of that list.

Ironically, in a game that featured NFL Playoff records for points, total yards and first downs, it was a defensive play that proved to be the difference.

The Packers rebounded from a 31-10 second half deficit to send the game into overtime tied at 45-45.

Considering that Green Bay had scored five touchdowns in the second half it seemed logical that when they won the coin toss for overtime it would lead to a quick score.

However, the score proved to be for the Cardinals. On third down, Aaron Rodgers was sacked and stripped by Michael Adams with the ball bouncing right to Karlos Dansby, who returned the ball 17 yards for the game-winner.

The 51-45 final score set a new record for point in a postseason game. The previous record was 95 set by the Eagles and Lions in 1995.

Read the rest of this entry →

As was the case for most of the 2010 season, the Sports Then and Now College Football Zultan proved that his skill for prognosticating was superior to nearly all who dared challenge his greatness.

Facing a record number of challengers during the Sports Then and Now Bowl Challenge, Zultan overcame a sluggish start to pick winners in 13 of the 20 bowl matchups included in the contest.

Among the legions of entries, only seven participants were able to match the Zultan’s mark and just four contestants proved to be better at predicting the turbulent landscape of the college bowls than the omnipotent one.

Topping the masses was Nathan Meloy from Appleton, Wisconsin with an impressive 16 of 20. Ryan Sparrow from Channahon, Illinois, Dean Studt from Noblesville, Indiana and Jeff Coffey from Columbus, Ohio all finished with records of 14-6.

Not only did Nathan have the best score, but he also won the drawing for the $100 merchandise gift card. To be eligible for the drawing, contestants had to “Beat the Zultan” during the Bowl Challenge.

All participants were eligible to win one of two copies of the CD “Best of College Football Fight Songs.” Winning those CDs were Scott Carpenter of Rogers, Arkansas and Max Woodham from Johns Creek, Georgia.

Special thanks to the Zultan (JA Allen) for providing his expertise throughout the 2009 season. He will be resting up in preparation for an even better performance in 2010. Overall, more than 400 individuals from across the country (as well as a few international participants) participated in the “Top the Zultan” Challenge during the 2009 season.

Be sure to check Sports Then and Now throughout the year for not only great stories about current and past sports history, but also for exciting contests and interactive opportunities.

Currently, anyone who registers for the Sports Then and Now daily updates between now and January 15, 2010 will be eligible to win one of two copies of the book “When the Game Was Ours” featuring legendary NBA stars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

Emmitt Smith should earn induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Unless the members of the Football Hall of Fame selection committee have a collective meltdown (which isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility given some of their past decisions), the 2010 class for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame will have the distinction of including the top statistical running back and wide receiver in league history.

Many consider former San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks receiver Jerry Rice to be the best football player in NFL history while former Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals back Emmitt Smith is certainly on the short list of all-time great running backs.

They highlight the list of 17 finalists for the Hall of Fame announced on Friday.

Former Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Tim Brown is also a first-time nominee.

The other finalists include Cris Carter (receiver – Eagles, Vikings, Dolphins), Andre Reed (receiver (Bills, Redskins), Shannon Sharpe (tight end – Ravens, Broncos), Roger Craig (running back – 49ers, Vikings, Raiders), Dermontti Dawson (center – Steelers), Russ Grimm (offensive line – Redskins), John Randle (defensive line – Vikings, Seahawks), Cortez Kennedy (defensive line – Seahawks), Richard Dent (defensive line Bears, 49ers, Colts, Eagles), Charles Haley (linebacker/def. line – Cowboys, 49ers), Rickey Jackson (linebacker – Saints, 49ers) and Don Coryell (head coach – Cardinals, Chargers). Previously, senior nominees Floyd Little (Broncos) and Dick LeBeau (Lions) were announced.

Last summer, I spent two months analyzing the best players not in the Hall of Fame at each position. Click here to read my column on the Best Players Not in the Hall of Fame as well as the position by position breakdowns.

Because I looked only at players already eligible, Smith, Rice and Brown were not included on my list. Of the other 14, seven were included among my list of the top 25 players not in the Hall of Fame while many of the others were among the top 10 at their respective positions.

I will break down the finalists and provide my predictions for the Hall of Fame class of 2010 as we get closer to the announcement on February 6th.

The miracle reception by Franco Harris led to the first of many playoff victories for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We have spent the last week counting down the top 50 moments in NFL Playoff History  (since the beginning of the Super Bowl era in 1966), but it is now time to look at the “Best of the Best.”

So, here is the top 10 of the 50 Most Memorable NFL Playoff Moments.

10. 1999 AFC Wild Card Game-Bills vs. Titans “The Music City Miracle”
The Buffalo Bills appeared on their way to a victory over the Tennessee Titans when Steve Christie made a 41-yard field goal to give Buffalo a 16-15 lead with 16 seconds to go.

All the Bills had to do was kickoff to the Titans and not allow a big return and they would advance to the next round.

On the kickoff, Christie hit a pooch kick that was caught by Titans fullback Lorenzo Neal at the Titans’ 25-yard line.  Neal handed the ball off to tight end Frank Wycheck who turned toward the left sideline and threw it back to wide receiver Kevin Dyson.

Dyson caught it and then ran 75 yards for a shocking touchdown with three seconds left.

The play was reviewed to see if Wycheck’s pass was a backwards lateral or a forward pass.  If it were forward, it would negate the touchdown and give the game to the Bills.

Replays seemed to show the pass was parallel, not going forward or backwards, thus making it a lateral in referee Phil Luckett’s mind who upheld the decision.

The Music City Miracle gave Tennessee a 22-16 win and propelled them to their first Super Bowl. Read the rest of this entry →