Offbeat NBA Quizzes: 1) Name the two players in NBA history
who have had 11 steals in a single game. Hint: One played in
the 1970s and his last name begins with “K”. The second player
accomplished the feat in the late ”90s and is well-known for his
defensive play. 2) What single NBA team did Monte Towe play
for? [Towe was the point guard on the great NC State
championship team of 1974.] 3) Where did Steve Kerr play his
college ball? Answers below.
Johnny Mac”s Baseball
This year”s selection of Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett into
the Baseball Hall of Fame was not unexpected and, on balance,
were free of any controversy. In response to our editor”s query, I
admitted that I was not a big Winfield fan and didn”t feel he was
any better, for the bulk of his career, than Dwight “Dewey”
Evans. For those of you who view baseball statistics with
religious reverence, read on.
Rarely have two players made for a more direct comparison.
While it”s often difficult to match up players from different eras
or different positions, we find none of these issues here. Born
exactly one month apart in 1951, both players began their major
league careers in 1973 (Evans had a brief cup of coffee in 1972).
Both played the outfield and played it well, both had long careers
that were relatively injury free, and they each had some post-
season experience.
Winfield was the better natural athlete, excelling in basketball for
the University of Minnesota (he was drafted by the NBA), and
his physical talent even led the NFL to draft him although he
never played organized football. He kept himself in great
condition, which allowed him to play until he was 43. Those last
few seasons cemented some impressive career milestones,
including 3,000 hits and 400 home runs. That combination has
normally been a sure ticket for Cooperstown and it was no
surprise that he was elected easily in his first attempt.
But let”s be fair…should Winfield be in the Hall simply because
of longevity? We should address the issue now, because players
are lasting longer due to superior nutrition and conditioning.
And the staggering salaries certainly make it attractive to take
care of oneself. A decent position player can command $3, 5, or
7 million a year these days. And when you add in the offensive
explosion of the last few years, milestones we used to view as
surefire Hall of Fame numbers might need to be reexamined.
Take Harold Baines, for example. Baines has been a helluva
player for a long time (the White Sox retired his number about
10 years ago, which is interesting since they signed him for
2001). But I don”t think any serious baseball fan would consider
Baines Hall material. Yet if he gets 500 at-bats this year, he has
a decent shot to reach 3,000 hits. Then what, put him in solely
based on this accomplishment? Should he be the first player
with 3,000 hits not to be selected? See what I mean? The
parameters need to be changed.
And the same thing with home runs. With 50 a year becoming
almost commonplace, that means 10-12 good years will get you
at or near 500. We will need to put records into context with
great care going forward.
Getting back to Winfield and Evans, I”m going to give you
career stats for both through the 1991 season, after which Evans
retired at the age of 39.
Evans: At bats 8,996; Runs 1,470; RBI 1,384; HR 385; Walks
1,391; Ks 1,697; Hits 2,446; BA .272; On-Base Pct. .370;
Slugging Pct. .470.
Winfield: At bats 9.464; Runs 1,459; RBI 1,602; HR 406; Walks
1,044; Ks 1,414; Hits 2,697; BA .283; On-Base Pct. .353;
Slugging Pct. .475.
OK, you tell me, who would you take? Winfield hit for a slightly
higher average and drove in a few more, but Dewey drew more
walks and scored more runs. His OBP is 20 points higher
although he did strike out a bit more. Winfield was the superior
base stealer (223 for his career…70% success ratio).
Both were excellent outfielders, but Dewey was exceptional.
Winfield had 7 Gold Gloves, while Evans had 8. That leaves
Dewey behind only Mays, Clemente, Kaline, and Griffey. In
addition, Evans had a cannon for an arm that was arguably the
best ever. He blossomed late as a slugger and had his best
season at age 35 in 1987, hitting .305 with 34 HR and 123 RBI.
Few players of his caliber had their best season that late in their
career.
For his part, Winfield did drive in 100 eight times, but Evans had
four such seasons along with another two of 98 and 97. Evans
also scored 100 four times vs. just two for Winfield.
For all his offensive prowess, Winfield rarely led the league in
any category. He topped the NL in RBI and total bases in 1979,
that”s it. But Dewey led the AL in walks three times, was second
twice, had a home run crown, once led the league in total bases
and on-base percentage, and twice played all 162 games.
Winfield is infamous for his 1981 postseason (“Mr. May” had
just 1 hit in 22 at bats as the Yankees lost to the Dodgers in the
Series); while in 1992, playing for Toronto, he hit only .250 in
the ALCS and .227 in the World Series, hardly stellar numbers.
Evans made 4 post-season appearances. He had mixed results,
with his best effort being the 1986 Series when he hit .308 with 9
RBI against the Mets.
I can”t really tell you who was better, but that”s the point. To
elevate Winfield to first-ballot Hall of Famer while relegating
Evans to “good, but not good enough” status means that
Winfield”s greatness must lie in what he accomplished after the
age of 40. Although he had a good year in 1992 and an OK
campaign in ”93, he was hardly “great.”
This is not meant as an argument for the election of Evans, or
even against the election of Winfield. Rather, it is a cautionary
tale for the future. Let”s start examining careers more closely,
looking at what a player actually accomplished, as well as the
proper context, instead of just looking at gross statistics.
And for argument”s sake, was there ever a better outfield than Evans,
Rice and Lynn? All could hit, hit for power, and all but Rice
were excellent fielders. They played together in their primes for
a team that perennially challenged, but as any Red Sox fan could
tell you, never won it all.
More Stuff
–The other day I wrote of my experience at the Smithsonian and
how captivated I was by an exhibit of some Stradivarius violins.
This Wednesday, Willa Conrad had a piece in the Star-Ledger on
the value of another violin of this era, a Guarnerius.
It turns out that Guarnerius del Gesu was also making violins in
Cremona, Italy at the time of Stradivari. Only about 100 of these
gems survive today and one of them is currently played by the
concert violinist Robert McDuffie.
But McDuffie couldn”t buy this instrument on his own. So in
1999 he formed a partnership with 15 others to purchase it for
$3.4 million. Other investors include NFL commissioner Paul
Tagliabue and some Wall Street-types, as well as a violin dealer
Dietmar Machold who specializes in these things.
This particular instrument, known as the “Ladenburg” after the
German banking family that owned it for two generations, sold
for $250,000 in the mid-70s, $1.6 million in 1992, $2.2 million
in 1995, and the $3.4 million price tag in 1999.
Now what happens is that McDuffie gets to play it until 2023
(primo violins need to be “exercised,” similar to racehorses) and
then the partnership will sell it, possibly for $20 million or more.
Kind of makes you want to check out grandmother”s attic,
doesn”t it?
–Rescue workers on Thursday pulled a survivor of a flooded
coal mine in India, seven days after water burst through a wall
from an adjoining mine and trapped 32 workers.
Salim Ansari told reporters he was swept away along with the
rest of the group but managed to grab onto an iron bar, which
was near an air pocket. The human spirit is pretty amazing
sometimes.
–Harry K passed along this fact. The world”s heaviest raccoon
has now topped the scales at 65 lbs! “Bandit” entered the
Guinness Book of Records two years ago when he weighed a
mere 52 lbs. The varmint”s owner is some woman in Palmerton,
Pennsylvania. Commented a Pennsylvania game official, “What
are they feeding that thing? It probably can”t even walk.” Heck,
it”s the size of a cow!
–Volcano Alert! Head for the hills! Yes, every now and then
we need to provide this vital public service. Japanese
volcanologists are closely monitoring Mount Fuji because of
recent signs of faint seismic activity. Now this doesn”t mean an
eruption is imminent, but, oh don”t you know what would
happen if it did! Mount Fuji is just 93 miles from Tokyo and last
blew in 1707. The volcano that is, not Tokyo, which one might
say because of the nation”s ongoing economic difficulties also
blows.
–When I was at the Smithsonian I saw this giant squid that they
have embalmed there. Kind of gross, actually. But on
Wednesday, an Australian museum took possession of their own
squid, some 12-feet long. However, when you include its two
long feeding tentacles, it actually measures about 36 feet.
[Unfortunately, the tentacles didn”t make it to the exhibit.
Perhaps they are wrapped around one of the Survivor babes.]
Remember, boys and girls, no one has ever seen a giant squid.
We only know about them when fishermen snare one, so each
specimen is a pretty big deal. If you happen to bag a squid,
please let us know here at StocksandNews. Your identity will be
protected and you can view your catch at the official
StocksandNews aquarium, to be built at a site to be determined.
–I”m fired up. The Yankees (as part of YankeeNets LLC) have
formed a partnership with the great Manchester United soccer
club. Of course, I hate the Yankees, but I love Manchester
United (that”s a reason why I go to Europe as much as I do…so I
can watch their games…he said, half-kiddingly). It”s now
possible we may finally have better access to UK soccer, for
those of us who don”t receive Fox Sports World.
Top 3 songs for the week of 2/10/62: #1 “Peppermint Twist”
(Joey Dee & The Starliters) #2 “Duke Of Earl” (Gene Chandler)
#3 “The Twist” (Chubby Checker).
NBA Quiz Answers: 1) Larry Kenon had 11 steals in a single
game while with San Antonio in 1976. Kendall Gill had 11 as a
New Jersey Net in 1999. 2) Monte Towe played two seasons for
Denver, 1975-77. 3) Steve Kerr attended Arizona.
–Fats Lever, while playing for Denver in 1985, had 8 steals in a
single quarter. He finished the game with 10.
–John Drew holds the record for most turnovers in a single
game, 14, while a Hawk in 1978.
Next Bar Chat, Monday. A little tribute to my main man,
Charles Schulz.
