Christmas cards are great in any form

One if by Land. Two if by Sea. Three if by Drone. Four if by Email. Nobody will remember how it got here, only that it did.

It all started so innocently. My sister Helen was in Las Vegas for a conference in February of 2012. In the lobby were a few men at a table talking baseball and signing autographs. The two former major leaguers were trying to generate some interest. They asked for questions from the relatively small audience. My sister called me and asked for some baseball trivia. Talking about baseball never goes out of season. The guy at the table closest to my sister asked for her phone. First, a question to me followed by a few jokes, and the two hours flew right by.

I knew the ending, but I had to look up the career for left handed pitcher, Dave Dravecky. 64 wins with 57 losses. Lifetime Earned Run Average - 3.13. Fewer hits than innings pitched. 0.60 postseason ERA. One National League Championship Series shutout. One lifetime home run. Spending eight years in the big leagues(The Show). We shared the same birthday (Valentine's Day). I was mesmerized as we spoke.

Dave Dravecky underwent his first operation Oct. 7, 1988, after a cancerous tumor was diagnosed in the primary throwing muscle of his left arm. Doctors conducted an eight-hour operation to remove a malignant tumor and nearly half the deltoid muscle, and told him he never would pitch again.

Ten months later, on Aug. 10, 1989, Dravecky pitched seven shutout innings for the San Francisco Giants in a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

But five days later, while pitching against the Montreal Expos, his left arm snapped and he collapsed on the mound in agony.

The bone healed and Dravecky was considering another comeback when the arm was broken again, this time during a freak on-field celebration with his teammates when the Giants clinched the 1989 National League pennant with a victory over the Chicago Cubs.

"As soon as the doctor told me the cancer had returned , I knew the score. He was my friend and it wasn't easy on him. I trusted him. I had faith in him. He did what was best for me and my family and I am grateful."

"In as much as there is a certain amount of fear involved in losing my arm, it is a sense of almost relief that I feel," Dravecky said. "The pain and discomfort of that time is now about to end and I look forward to once again doing the things I enjoy."

After recovering from the surgery, Dravecky went on to begin a new career as a motivational speaker. He has written two books about his battles with cancer and his comeback attempt: Comeback, published in 1990 and When You Can't Come Back, coauthored with wife Jan and Ken Gire in 1992.

Those are my stocking stuffers. Merry Christmas to all.

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

J-E-T-S are not even close to rockbottom

Imagine the reception awaiting the head coach of the New York Jets, a four-time champ for a franchise that, until he took over, hadn't won it all since LBJ was in the oval office. Imagine how Belichick would be celebrated in the big city after serving as an invaluable defensive coordinator for Bill Parcells' two title teams with the Giants and then taking the Jets places Parcells could not take them.

Bill poetically penned that he was quitting as “HC of the NYJ. "I resigned because I wasn't comfortable with the situation with the Jets."

On Thanksgiving Day November 22, 2012, QB Mark Sanchez had his infamous Jet moment, running into the backside of offensive lineman Brandon Moore and fumbling the football on national TV.

To add insult to injury, New England Patriots' safety Steve Gregory scooped up the fumble for a touchdown en route to a 49-19 rout over Gang Green.

"I want to kiss you."

The words spoken by Hall of Fame QB Joe Namath on the sidelines on December 20, 2003 to Suzy Kolber were taken from the single hit All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople. The song, written by David Bowie, was given to the struggling rockgroup. Bowie gave them the record in May of 1972 because he thought they were great, and didn't want them to breakup. Joe Namath was dealing with the breakup of his struggling marriage. "I couldn't care less about the team strug-gle-ling."

All the young dudes
Carry the news

The stars were aligned on January 12, 1969 when Joe Namath led the New York Jets to a 16-7 guaranteed victory over the Baltimore Colts. “That Super Bowl Game III, which we lost by nine points, was the critical year (for the AFL),” Colts defensive end Bubba Smith famously told Playboy. “The game just seemed odd to me. Everything was out of place. I tried to rationalize that our coach, Don Shula, got out-coached, but that wasn’t the case. I don’t know if any of my teammates were in on the fix.”

The lead guitarist for Mott the Hoople, Mick Ralphs left the group in 1974 to form the band Bad Company. He must be a J-E-T-S fan.

How poetic.

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

Mike Zimmer becomes the first head coach to behave like normal

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was back at practice on Tuesday, after two operations last week on a detached retina in his right eye. While the coach said doctors "haven't told me I can't do anything," he added he'll be smart about his eye going forward. I understand the seriousness of the issue. Zimmer will be able to travel on the team flight to Florida this weekend, and Zimmer said there is no gas bubble on his eye to push his retina back into place.

This is a completely different approach than the original one for the Vikings' head coach. Zimmer had his first eye surgery in early November. The issue came about after he had trouble with his vision, and scratched his eye during an Oct. 31 game at the Chicago Bears. That’s when he was diagnosed with a torn retina. The Associated Press report said he was at risk for blindness if he didn’t get treatment right away. Zimmer wanted to put off the operation until after the Dallas Cowboys' game last Thursday, but doctors won the battle and emergency surgery was performed.

On January 10, 1983, Dick Vermeil, describing himself as ''emotionally burned out'' after seven years of self-imposed workdays of 18 and 20 hours, resigned today as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. "I'm my own worst enemy," said Vermeil, who made a practice of sleeping on a cot in his office at least three nights a week during the season. "I'm far too intense, far too emotional."

Nick Saban responded to a question about the 2016 presidential election by saying that he "didn't even know yesterday was Election Day." Alabama coach Nick Saban says he forgot about Election Day, not about voting. He says Tuesdays are the busiest day of the week for the coaches.

Former Providence College head basketball coach Pete Gillen always preached teamwork and togetherness. "This isn't open-heart surgery. We want to win, but we also want to have fun and enjoy playing together. The hard work is always there. The stress, the anxiety and the sacrifice ... that's all part of it. But if the journey is all pain and misery, then, to me, you're missing a big ingredient to life."

Gillen may not have always practiced what he preached. When the elementary school called Providence Athletics one day to inform the coach that his young son was injured on the playground, Gillen did not know his son's social security number, date of birth or teacher's name. Fortunately, somebody at the college was able to look up the vital information. Gillen's wife was out of town.

Oakland Raiders' head coach John Madden retired as a Super Bowl winning head coach at 42. He was the youngest coach ever to reach 100 career regular season victories, a record he compiled in only ten full seasons of coaching. The Raiders did not make the playoffs in his final season. When informed by his wife Virginia that their oldest son needed a car for college, Madden replied" I didn't know he had his license." The kid had been driving for two years.

Barry Switzer coached the Dallas Cowboys for four seasons, winning one Super Bowl in his tenure. His motto was " Tail-lights at Two O'Clock." His interest had waned significantly following his 16 years at the University of Oklahoma. Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones tolerated Switzer's behavior because the team was successful.

In August 1997, Switzer was arrested after a loaded .38-caliber revolver was found in his luggage at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Switzer said there were children at his Dallas home and he put the gun in his bag to hide it from them. He said he accidentally forgot to remove the gun from the bag before heading to the airport.

I wonder if Nick Saban knows that Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November or that February has only 28 days. No chance of teaching him about Leap Year. We won't touch it.

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

It never gets old listening to the Greatest Generation

One for the Ages

The best part of being in the U. S. Navy is meeting new people from all over the country. The close quarters on the ship put you right next to some guy who talks with an accent. The bunks go three high and two across taking up about five feet of space way down below the ocean's surface.

With today being Thanksgiving, the three F's are in play: Family, Food and Football. The average person will consume 4500 calories. 88% of Americans will eat the traditional turkey dinner at home or on the road. 75% will attend or watch a football game. The average weight gain will be 1.3 lbs. To work off those calories, it will take six hours of running or 45 miles of walking.

The guy with the funny accent was from Chattanooga. I slept right next to him and we would tell stories most nights well past midnight.

Jerry was a running back for his high school team who were appropriately named the Volunteers. In their Thanksgiving week rivalry game, they were matched against the Tigers from across the bridge. Most rivalries are really not because one team generally dominates the other.

Jerry's team had lost the past three years to the Tigers, and his senior year was probably going to be a clean sweep.

With the score 14-6 at the half, the Volunteers kicked off to the Tigers. Normally, the tee used on the kickoff is retrieved by some youngster. This time, the team manager decided that he would run out and grab the tee. Mike Wilson was the team manager and a high school senior. It would be his only chance to get on the field.

As Mike went onto the field to pickup the kicking tee at the 40 yard line, he worried that he might be in the way of the game. Mike was born with only one leg. He moved so fast that his leg fell off and he hopped to the sidelines with the tee. He then went back on the field and grabbed his leg, triumphantly raising it over his head to show the 12,000 plus fans that he was alright. The roars were deafening.

They say football games can change on the results of a single play. The good looking, wise cracking Mike Wilson had made his appearance for that one shining moment count.

Volunteers 26 Tigers 24

Latin plays English, Classical plays English, and Concord should still play Lexington. Enjoy the games and the day. It is by far the best day of the year.

This article was replayed due to the urging of my longtime friend, Jerry.


Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

The Greatest Generation versus The Millenials, no contest

A Cook County judge on Wednesday turned back a legal challenge by Fenwick High School to overturn its disputed loss in a football playoff game last weekend.

The ruling by Judge Kathleen Kennedy came in a lawsuit filed by Fenwick against the Illinois High School Association, which had refused to hear an appeal by the private Catholic school in Oak Park, citing a bylaw declaring that decisions by officials shall be final.

A mistaken decision by officials with no time left allowed Plainfield North to tie last weekend's game with a field goal in regulation and then win 18-17 in overtime on a two-point conversion.

Near the end of regulation in Saturday's semifinal game, Fenwick was clinging to a 10-7 lead and had the ball at its own 15-yard line. With four seconds left, the Friars' quarterback threw a deep pass on fourth down for an incompletion, seemingly ending the game.

But the officials ruled that play to be intentional grounding, a penalty. With no time left on the clock, the officiating crew then awarded Plainfield North one play, allowing them to kick a game-tying field goal.

Several hours after the game, the IHSA issued a statement stating the officials erred when they gave Plainfield North one final play after the passing penalty. The IHSA cited bylaw 6.033 states that "the decisions of game officials are final."

The Fifth Down Game was played on November 16, 1940 between Cornell University and Dartmouth College. The college football game was conceded by the victor after films confirmed that errors by the game officials had allowed an unpermitted fifth down as the last play of the game.

Cornell entered the contest with 18 straight victories. Dartmouth managed to corral Cornell's potent offense for nearly the entire low-scoring game. Dartmouth scored first, kicking a field goal early in the fourth quarter.

With less than a minute remaining in the game, Cornell got the ball on Dartmouth's six-yard line. Cornell had four chances to win the game. On first down, FB Mort Landsberg gained three yards. A second down run by HB Walt Scholl moved the ball to the one-yard line. On third down, Mort Landsberg tried to run up the middle, but gained only a few inches. On fourth down, Cornell was penalized for delay of game, and Referee Red Friesell spotted the ball just over the 5-yard line in order to replay the fourth down. With nine seconds left on the clock, quarterback "Pop" Scholl threw an incomplete pass into the end zone. Normally, the ball would have gone to Dartmouth, which would have used up the remaining seconds and won the game, 3–0.

But following the fourth down, Linesman Joe McKenny signaled that it was first down and that the ball should go to Dartmouth at the 20 yard line. Referee Friesell did not agree and gave the ball to Cornell and placed it on the six-yard line on fourth down when in actuality it was "fifth" down. Making the most of the unexpected opportunity, QB Scholl threw a touchdown pass to William Murphy, and following the extra-point kick, Cornell won the game 7–3.

Officials discovered their error after reviewing the game films. Head Coach Carl Snavely, acting athletic director Bob Kane, and President Edmund Ezra Day, a Dartmouth alumnus, agreed that Cornell should send a telegram to Dartmouth offering to forfeit the game. Cornell players voted unanimously to award the game to Red Blaik's Indians. Dartmouth accepted.

Although there is some doubt whether the 1940 Cornell forfeit was "official" according to NCAA rules, the game is regarded as a 3–0 Dartmouth victory, instead of a 7–3 triumph by Cornell. This is the only time in the history of football that a game was decided off the field.

Here's hoping East St. Louis High beats Plainfield North fair and square in the state championship game. We only have eight justices on the United States Supreme Court.


Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

We have nothing to fear, but the next four years

"Willpower is the key to success. Successful people strive no matter what they feel by applying their will to overcome apathy, doubt or fear." - Dan Millman

It has been only two weeks, but it feels like a lifetime. Swearing off watching, reading or listening to the President-elect requires skill. "What I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career". They will be put to good use in the next four years.

The bet was for only $50.00. That I could go one month without watching, listening or talking about sports. The honor system was in play. I'd like to tell you it was the easiest 50 bucks I ever made, but that would be untrue. And to top it off, it was during the football season. The biggest motivating factor was that I was dealing with the cheapest person on the planet. One who would take the batteries out of his transistor radio during lunch so nobody could listen.

It isn't the product that turned me off, it was the customer treatment. To deny a $500.00 prize because some poor soul didn't have all the bottle caps from the same bottling plant in spelling PEPSI was cruel and unusual. Finding a needle in a haystack would have been easier. It has been 42 years, and even having Cindy Crawford in your commercials couldn't bring me back. I hope the pour soul appreciates my support.

Lent (Latin: Quadragesima: Fortieth) is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks later, before Easter Sunday. Giving up alcohol, donuts, chocolate cake, meat on fridays, smoking, swearing, candy or telling lies are too easy. Without Sundays, it is only 40 days.

It was July 18, 2015 when Donald Trump put me on the road to nowhere. After the flamboyant businessman turned presidential candidate belittled Senator John McCain’s war record, many Republicans concluded that silence or equivocation about Mr. Trump’s incendiary rhetoric was inadequate.

Mr. Trump upended a Republican presidential forum here, and the race more broadly, by saying of the Arizona senator and former prisoner of war: “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

Mr. McCain, a naval aviator, was shot down during the Vietnam War and held prisoner for more than five years in Hanoi, refusing early release even after being repeatedly beaten.

If John McCain can endure 5 1/2 years at the Hanoi Hilton, I can easily play games for the next four years turning channels, shutting off the radio, avoiding breaking news, walking away from conversations and not reading any of the daily newspapers.

I already got the ball rolling by purchasing three new remotes for the television from the cable company. Like the Dollar Shave Club, I signed up to have triple AAA batteries sent directly from the main office to my home on a monthly basis.

If by chance he wins a second term, I will grab a PEPSI and go to Plan B. If it lasts more than four years, I will call my doctor about the side effects of: nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, fatigue and stomach pain.


Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy