Lord Mancroft on Skiing

Walter Hagen on Second Place

Joe Garagiola on Baseball

Joe Garagiola, a major league baseball player who evolved into a long broadcasting career at the age of 90.  Garagiola was a journeyman catcher who played for nine seasons in the majors for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and the New York Giants.  After his retirement from baseball, Garagiola wrote the book "Baseball is a Funny Game" (1960).  That helped launch his broadcast career.

But Garagiola was better known as the backstop panelist for NBC's Today show from 1967 to 1982 and 1990 to 1992. Garagiola also did play by play and color commentary  for NBC Sports baseball telecasts from 1974 to 1988.  Garagiola then spent a season doing cable commentary for the California Angels.  Afterwards, Garagiola did part time commentary for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1998-2012 while his son was general manager for the Diamondbacks.  

All together, Garagiola broadcast for 35 years over seven decades.  No wonder why Garagiola was honored with the Ford Frick Award and inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York in 1991.

Keeping to his lighthearted take on life, Garagiola quipped that the only way that he could get into Cooperstown was as a broadcaster.

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Groucho Marx on Kansas CIty

Congratulations to the Kansas City Royals for winning their first World Series in 30 years in decisive fashion in five games against the New York Mets. 

As an inveterate New Yorker from birth, it is likely that Groucho would mark the Royal victory with a Bronx cheer for K.C.

R.I.P. Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra, renowned major league baseball player and master of malapropisms, died on September 22, 2015 the age of 90. Notwithstanding his waggish wisdom about funerals, assuredly Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra was not forgotten as his kith and kin marked his departure from the mortal coil.

 

Yogi Berra on Direction

Mike Huckabee on Getting Into the Girls' Locker Room

On Golf and the Tax Code

Mac O'Grady on Augusta National

Mike Kzyzewski on Responsibility

Roger Craig on Opening Day Pitchers

George Bernard Shaw on Baseball

Chris Rock on the Final Four

Hillary Can't Heisman?

Typically, the Heisman refers to an award given to the outstanding college football player in the United States since 1935.  The Heisman Memorial Award trophy is distinct as it is a  lost wax process bronze casting design by well known sculptor Frank Eliscu that depicts a skilled and powerful football player, sidestepping and straight-arming his way to a touchdown.

Sculptor Frank Eliscu and the Heisman Trophy

Recently, when former Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) was interviewed by Hugh Hewitt, the undeclared Republican Presidential hopeful invoked the Heisman when surveying the 2016 political playing field. Jeb Bush was asked about all of  chaos in the Middle East which the Obama Administration's foreign policy precipitated (namely Libya, ISIS and an inchoate Arab nuclear arms race).  Governor Bush responded that:

 "I think she can’t do the Heisman on the first four years of the Obama foreign policy. She’ll try. I mean, she’s going to, look, this is very Clintonian, I think, to figure out a way to get out of a mess."

Bush invoked the image of the Heisman stiff arming opposition before striding into the end zone for a score. Certainly, the big bench of talented GOP Presidential candidates will seek to stop Hillary from side stepping opposition blocking her way to the South Lawn of the White House despite screens from the Lamestream Media.

It should be remembered, however,  that the Heisman Award is an honor given by sportwriters (journalists) through a beauty contest vote.  There is concern about the Heisman curse that designated winners often do not perform well the big game or during their careers  in pro football despite the honor and the hype of the Heisman. Certainly, parallels can be made to Hillary's proto Presidential campaign and presumed coronation at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Allen West Counters Sharpton's Cries of Racism By Citing Sports

After the 2015 Academy Awards nominations did not include any nods for black actors and actresses, the Reverend Al Sharpton grabbed headlines which racially acrimonious analogies about the Oscars.  

Former Congressman Allen West (R-FL 22nd), who recently became CEO of the Dallas Texas based National Center for Policy Analysis, countered Sharpton's intimations that racism influenced the Academy Awards nominations by citing sports analogies. Sports allow us to celebrate excellence and achievement not about proportioned prosperity.

As Americans celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday, we should remember that the Civil Rights movement sought to allow the equality of opportunity not of achievement.

Joan Rivers on Jogging

Mia Hamm on Performance

What if the World Series Extended to Election Day?

Dan Quisenberry on the Bullpen

George Brett on Losing