August 4th, 2007 A date which will live in infamy

Yesterday, August 4^th, 2007 – a date which will live in infamy – the integrity of baseball was deliberately attacked by the bat of Barry Bonds.

Bill Walsh, mastermind of the 49ers dynasty passes away at 75

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/30/BAG57LR8OK21.DTL

In addition to coaching some of the best teams of all time, Walsh was one of a select group that can say they changed the game of football significantly.

Very sad news. Our thoughts go out to his family.

Rod Beck dead at 38

ESPNEWS reports that former all-star relief ace Rod Beck has died. More details as they come.

RIP Rod Beck

http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/beckro01.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Beck

HOF or not?: Dick Allen

 

Dick Allen was a offensive powerhouse in an era that lacked offense, putting up monster stats in an era where pitching dominated. In his MVP season of 1972 the average line of the AL was .239/.306/.343. (by contrast in 2006 the average AL line was .275/.339/.437 , and that’s Batting Average/On base %/Slugging %). Allen’s 1.024 OPS (on base% + slugging%) was far and away the best in the AL

• During the span of Allen’s career, the only player (with a fair amount of plate appearances) with a better OPS was Hank Aaron.
• As shown here Allen has the third highest OPS+ among retired players not in the hall of fame, behind 2 players (Joe Jackson/Black Sox scandal and Mark McGwire/Steroids scandal) who would have been elected on the first ballot had they not been involved in certain scandals. (for the unfamiliar OPS+ is OPS adjusted for the park and the league in which the player played, but not for fielding position. An OPS+ of 100 is defined to be the league average. An OPS+ of 150 or more is excellent, signifying that the player had a 50% higher OPS than average, adjusted for park.)
• In his MVP season of 1972 he put an OPS+ of 200 joining this elite club of players who have done that. Note how there is only 1 other HOF eligible player not in (Norm Cash)
• 113 HOF batters (including Hank Aaron) have a lower career OPS+
• Out of every player with 3000 Plate Appearances since 1901 , Allen is 18th in career OPS+

73-0

It is perhaps the only game in major sports history immediately recognized by just the score alone. The 1940 NFL Championship game was the biggest blowout in NFL history as the Chicago Bears pounded the Washington Redskins and their loudmouth owner. Today if the Super Bowl ended by a 73-0, fans would be disappointed. But the “Sacking of Washington” captivated the nation more than any other game (with the exception of the 1958 title game).