America holds the tag of being famous for two of the things,
its open hearts for all those who wish to study
abroad– particularly in the States and even more for its ever
increasing craziness for baseball. However, this sport, like every other sport,
has its own sets of controversies, from run-ins with the law to strange
behaviors both inside and outside the field. Here’s a list of 5 such
controversies that touched the icebergs.
BALCO-BONDS Controversy: Barry Bonds is very allegedly known
as a companion of controversies. One of the most prominent and famous of the
lot being the BALCO controversy in 2003. BALCO aka Bay Area Laboratory
Co-Operative was being investigated by the government in 2003 and in the
course, Bonds’ name pounced up. One of the finest power-hitting outfielder,
Bonds was asked to testify before the grand jury where he declined the usage of
any sort of steroids let alone any association with the company. Bonds was
however, found to be lying and was later charged with both perjury and
obstruction of justice in 2007. Sentencing has yet to happen on the latter
charge.
ALCS- Game 6 Controversy: An eye flipping game between Kansas City
Royals and Toronto Blue Jays called for massive craziness among the audience.
It all started with Mike Moustakas of Kansas City Royals. Mike being in the ace
of his game, hit off of a magnificent delivery from David Price. The ball hyped
straight into the right field and was about to concluded a score when a fan
reached over the railing and caught the ball. The over enthusiasm of the fan
resulted in lack of clarity on whether the ball would have actually cleared the
wall or made a hit on the top- resulting in a whopping ground-rule double. The man
on right field, Bautista, signaled for interference, almost instantly. The
decision ruled out for a home run and was also confirmed upon review.
Over
the decades, clubs have reached deep into their pockets to ensure that they
have the world’s best players on their team. Some of these soccer stars have flourished
under the pressure of their transfer fee while others have been crushed with
the burden of expectations placed on them.
To
keep things on a positive note, we’d like to bring 6 key transfers in the
history of world football to your attention, that had a tremendous impact on
the players career, the fate of a team or even of leagues. With plenty of offers for
betting free on who goes where in todays transfer markets, here we found our picks in no particular order
for the best transfer:
The impact: While this move didn’t brand Beckham as the next Pelé like
L.A. Galaxy hoped it would, it did bring in a fortune for Galaxy in terms of
advertising deals and brought international attention to the MLS. It also sparked the arrival of more international additions.
So, while David Beckham didn’t perform as well on the field as fans had hoped,
he did make a significant change to the team in other ways.
Imagine if one of the most iconic athletes of the current
era suddenly retired, announced he had an incurable disease and within two
years was dead. That is exactly what happened in 1939 when iconic New York Yankees
star Lou Gehrig pulled himself out of the lineup after 2,130 consecutive games
and then 80 years ago, on July 4, 1939, said goodbye to New York fans with his
famous “luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech.
For 13 years, Gehrig was baseball’s most durable player as
he famously was in the lineup every day. But durability wasn’t his only
strength, he was also the best first baseman of his generation and was a
run-producing machine.
Only Gehrig could push the Sultan of Swat, Babe Ruth, into
the number three spot in the batting order. He drove in 140 or more runs nine
times during his career, including 185 RBI during the 1931 season. In 1934 he
claimed the triple crown as he hit .363 with 49 home runs and 166 RBI.
Topps has tried many crazy products, often called “test issues”.
Test issues were usually only distributed in limited areas and were difficult to find. Candy Lids were one of Topps most unusual; little tubs of candy with player’s photos on bottom of the 1 7/8″ lids. The 10 cent candy’s came 24 to a box. Sealed tubs can still be found in the $150 to $200 range. Called “Baseball Stars Bubble Gum”, the 1970 Topps Candy Lids set had 24 different players, while 1973 Topps Candy Lids had 55.
Topps released their first Candy Lids in 1970. The 1970 Topps Candy Lids are very, very hard to find and had small photos of Tom Seaver,
Carl Yastrzemski and Frank Howard.
In 1973 the candy was replaced by gum, the mini photo of Frank Howard was gone from the top of the lid and team logos were airburshed off the player’s caps. Even the tiny Yaz and Seaver photos logos removed. 1973 Topps Candy Lids are hard to find, but not nearly as scarce as the 1970’s. In 1972 a Topps Candy Lids issue was planned but never released although a few proofs do exist.
Topps released two other test issue sets in 1973 (1973 Topps Pinups and 1973 Topps Comics). The 1973 Topps Comics and 1973 Topps Candy Lids shared many photos and again had no team logos. If thinking “licensing dispute”, you are likely right. Topps received player’s union’s permission for these test issues, but not Major League Baseball’s. Issues over rights & fees with MLBPA and the player’s union resulted in Topps started shutting down future production of test issues putting an end to some of their most fun collectibles.
It was one of the most entertaining games in the history of college basketball. The six overtime marathon of a battle between Syracuse and Connecticut in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Big East Tournament was for starters, thrilling. Adjectives are never ending in describing it. Phenomenal. Amazing. Exhausting. Climactic.
Syracuse players celebrate their thrilling six-overtime victory over Connecticut in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Big East Tournament on March 12 and 13.
Filled
with the suspense and drama on when, not to mention if, the game would ever end,
it was equally as attractive for being a
marquee matchup of two longtime Big East rivals lead by prestigious head coaches
in Jim Boeheim of the Orange and Jim Calhoun of the Huskies. The glamour and
glitz of New York City added to this game as the school’s dueled on the
national stage of Madison Square Garden, known as the world’s most famous arena.
Both teams were ranked in the AP Poll with Connecticut at No. 3 and Syracuse at
No. 18. The sixth-seeded Orange and the third-seeded Huskies were also meeting
for the fourth time in the last five seasons in the Big East Tournament with
Syracuse having won the prior three matchups from 2005 through ’07.
In
playing the longest ever game in the shot clock era, Syracuse and Connecticut
tied for the second longest game in the history of NCAA Division I college
basketball. Only two other games have ever gone six overtimes. Both those
happened in the 1950’s when Minnesota beat Purdue 59-56 in 1955 and Niagara
beat Siena 88-81 in 1953. The game was eclipsed in number of overtimes only by
a game on Dec. 21, 1981 when Cincinnati beat Bradley 75-73 in seven overtimes. That
game in 1981 tied for the most overtimes in the history of college basketball
regardless of NCAA classification.
However
overtime almost never happened for the Orange and Huskies.
Connecticut
freshman guard Kemba Walker’s offensive rebound and layup with 1.1 seconds left
in regulation tied the game at 71. Following a Syracuse timeout, Orange junior
guard Eric Devendorf gathered a long inbounds pass off a deflection and quickly
got off a 3-point shot that went in giving the Orange an apparent victory.
However replays showed that the ball was still contacting Devendorf’s
fingertips as the buzzer sounded and the basket was waived off by officials and
the game went into overtime.
In 16 seasons as men’s basketball coach at William & Mary, Tony Shaver won more games than were won in the 20 seasons prior to his arrival.
It seems like a day doesn’t go by this time of year without another reminder that college athletics is really a major business that likes to pretend it is something more noble and altruistic.
Full disclosure that today’s example is a bit personal and especially frustrating for me because it involves a former colleague who has spent his entire career representing all the positive attributes that college sports supposedly are about.
After 16 years of success that is unparalleled in the history of William & Mary men’s basketball, the college has decided to part ways with 65-year-old head coach Tony Shaver.
In a statement, Athletic Director Samantha Huge said that “We have high expectations for our men’s basketball program, including participating in the NCAA tournament, and we will not shy away from setting the bar high. Now is the time to begin a new chapter in William & Mary basketball.”
That sounds all well and good, but what Huge seems to not understand is that prior to the arrival of Shaver, “high expectations” for the men’s basketball program basically meant double-digit victories every few years.
The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is one of the most underappreciated wide receivers in NFL history, despite boasting a career that spanned 16 seasons and saw him excel as one of the league’s premier deep threats. Known for his speed, route-running, and ability to make plays downfield, Harold Jackson left an indelible mark on the game during an era that was not yet pass-heavy. Standing at 5’10” and weighing 175 pounds, he defied expectations of size to become a dominant force on the field. Over the course of his illustrious career (1968–1983), Jackson totaled 10,372 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns, placing him among the top receivers of his time.
Topps has tried many crazy products, often called “test issues”.
Test issues were usually only distributed in limited areas and were difficult to find. Candy Lids were one of Topps most unusual; little tubs of candy with player’s photos on bottom of the 1 7/8″ lids. The 10 cent candy’s came 24 to a box. Sealed tubs can still be found in the $150 to $200 range. Called “Baseball Stars Bubble Gum”, the 1970 Topps Candy Lids set had 24 different players, while 1973 Topps Candy Lids had 55. 
Topps released their first Candy Lids in 1970. The 1970 Topps Candy Lids are very, very hard to find and had small photos of Tom Seaver,
Carl Yastrzemski and Frank Howard. 
Topps released two other test issue sets in 1973 (1973 Topps Pinups and 1973 Topps Comics). The 1973 Topps Comics and 1973 Topps Candy Lids shared many photos and again had no team logos. If thinking “licensing dispute”, you are likely right. Topps received player’s union’s permission for these test issues, but not Major League Baseball’s. Issues over rights & fees with MLBPA and the player’s union resulted in Topps started shutting down future production of test issues putting an end to some of their most fun collectibles. 
