From Brett
I agreed with what you wrote about the Buster-Tyson ESPN film. What is the best 30-for-30 or even a Rushmore of your favorites?
Brett –
This is almost an impossible Rushmore because the heights of the 30-for-30s is so great.
Conversely, the bad 30-for-30s are really stinky.
So if we had to pick four, here’s our personal favorites (and know this is personal preference): The U, The Two Escobars, Pony Express and Survive and Advance.
And that’s leaving off so many that we almost always watch. The ones on Lenny Bias or the one on Marcus Dupree. The Fab Five is great and the Bartman one is aces too.
Couple of the sneaky underrated ones are on NASCAR driver Tim Richmond and high school basketball star Ben Wilson.
While we are here, let’s recap this week’s Rushmores.
Rushmore of Buscemi movies: The Big Lebowski, Fargo, Reservoir Dogs, Con Air. (We left off TV efforts Boardwalk Empire and Lonesome Dove – and they were amazing, both of them – and just went with the movies.)
Rushmore of all-timers with multiple great nicknames: Sinatra (Chairman of the Board, Ol’ Blue Eyes), Babe Ruth (Babe, Sultan of Swat, The Great Bambino, the Colossus of Clout), Charles Barkley (Chuck, Sir Charles, Bread Truck, Leaning Tower of Pizza, Round Mound of Rebound, and one we saw but have not heard that often, the Crisco Kid), and Jerry West (The Logo, which is a boss nickname, Zeke from Cabin Creek, Mr. Clutch). For clarification Shaq was DQed because he gave himself so many of those nicknames. And to be sure, Chas’s suggestion of Jared Lorenz was reviewed because while he was not an all-time great his list of nicknames – “The Pillsbury Throwboy, the Hefty Lefty, the Abominable Throwman, Battleship Lorenzen and even the play on the former XFL player “He Ate Me” – is certainly worth mentioning.
Rushmore of mountains: The Mountain from Game of Thrones, Mountain Music by Alabama, Space Mountain, and of course Mount Rushmore.
Rushmore of TV kid stars: Gary Coleman, the Olson Twins, Ron Howard as Opie Taylor, and of course Jerry Mathers.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady can’t catch a pass during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 52 football game against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)From Todd C.
Mailbag item for any December Friday column: Greatest sports moments of 2019? Of those, which ones will be remembered in 5 or more years?
Todd C.
I believe TC was asking about the greatest moment of 2018, but maybe he’s looking for predictions too.
Well, the lasting images will be as much about the losers as anything.
Tiger, Brady and LeBron – three dudes forever in the GOAT discussion – fell short/lost in the championship round in spectacular fashion. Brady throwing for 500-plus yards but the Eagles pulling off the Philly Special. James and Co. offering little resistance to the Warriors and J.R. Smith pulling an all-time brain cramp moment in Game 1. Tiger winning at East Lake but coming up short in the Fed Ex points to Justin Rose. (And the walk through the fans as Tiger strolled up the 18th was more rock concert than golf tournament. It was certainly memorable.)
As for lasting impact, every March, we will forever be reminded of UMBC’s 16-over-a-1 win over Virginia in the NCAA tournament.
There’s a very real chance that if I had a vote for SI Sportsman of the Year, I would have gone with Saban. Or even Tua Tagolvailoa, who went from back up to slam-dunk Heisman winner to runner-up because of a bad SEC championship game. (Side note: I know Weeds wrote about it, but Tua dominated the conversation for three months and that narrative was changed after three bad hours in Mercedes Benz.)
And of course there’s the entire narrative of the “Shut and Dribble” blow back with athletes speaking out on social issues. Which also led the NFL to realize – rightly – that the less political a sport can be, the better viewership.
As for next year, well, who knows, right?
And that anything can happen is the fundamental reason we love sports so much to begin with right?
From Jake
I’m against any strategy that limits aligning your team to defend vs an offense. Shot clocks/pace/physicality limitations, okay fine. But if you start telling teams how they can/can’t align defensively, where does that line stop? Outfielders play too deep eventually, etc?
Jake
That’s a fair point of where does it stop, but rule changes that directly impact strategy are made all the time.
You referenced a few of them.
The shot clock completely effected strategy, changing it forever. And for the better.
The two-point conversion being added to the NFL. The changes on pass defense.
The DH.
In fact, more and more rule changes to help offense will be reviewed by every league moving forward.
We understand the discussion and the blowback that has come from the idea of eliminating the shift.
I am in way more support of the quote and suggestion of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who said his lefties will start bunting more to fight against the shift.
That’s how it should be.
But every league will be looking at ways of making points more plentiful.
The NFL viewership has been much stronger this year than the last few. There are a lot of reasons to that, from better match-ups to better quarterback play to yes, less protesting and coverage of said protests.
Another one is more offense and in turn more drama.
Going into last night’s awesome Chiefs-Chargers game – and yes, the Thursday night match-ups have been much, Much, MUCH better this year – NFL games were averaging 47.5 points per. That would be an all-time record.
Some of that has to because of the rule changes to protect the QB – healthier QBs mean better QBs which means better QB play which means better offense – and open up the passing lanes.
And after last night’s game, there have been 60 NFL games decided by three points or fewer, which is also a record.
Alabama starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is helped off the field after getting injured during the second half of Saturday’s SEC championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.From A Reader
So I hesitate to discuss this on the public forum of the 5-at-10 bc I am questioning someone’s faith, but Jay, the story about Tua’s Dad literally makes me sick at my stomach.
Maybe I’m late on this discussion bc I was out of the loop last week but what.the.heck? Why are more people not outraged? Admitting to hitting your grown children (without remorse) and did you read where his brother asked his Mom to come and get him after Tua threw a couple of pics simply bc he didn’t want to be in the same car? And he’s not punishing bad behavior, just poor performance in a game! And what makes it all even worse is that his family is publicly professing Christianity.
As someone who desires to follow Christ, we certainly don’t need this guy making this kind of name for Christians. Seriously, I am praying Tua stays well enough to get out of that mess this time next year when he can go pro. And that he won’t continue the family tradition when he becomes a Dad.
His Dad should be in jail. Not kidding. Isn’t what he’s done somehow illegal?
A Reader –
First, we offered anonymity to this letter writer and they accepted. So there’s that.
While sensitive, the point is very well made.
Background: Tua Tagovailoa sat down with Tom Rinaldi of ESPN for a story before the SEC title game. The interview covered an array of topics, including Tua discussing how his father would beat him with a belt if he threw interceptions in high school.
There are few stories I can ever recall of this nature that completely vanished. It’s really puzzling. Maybe Saban made it go away.
It also was disappointing that Rinaldi did not press for any details whatsoever in the interview. Here’s one of the main quotes from Tua’s interview with Rinaldi. Here’s the video clip.
Rinaldi did not press the parents on the details of this nor did he ask if Tua’s little brother – who is a big-time QB recruit too – faces the same achieve-or-be-beaten mantra as a high school kid.
“If I don’t perform well, perform the way I’m supposed to, I’m gonna get it after,” Tua said. “Just know the belt was involved and other things were involved, as well.”
Seriously.
This is not a parental judgement. How any parent disciplines his or her child is part of the thousands of decisions parents must make for themselves.
I was whipped with a belt growing up. I was never abused.
But that was used as the ultimate punishment in the discipline process.
Beating a teenager because he did not play well is gross and disturbing.
And we agree A Reader, it’s more criminal than Christian.
In the interview, Tua’s momma said the two mainstays of their home were the Bible and the belt.
But, again, this does not seem remotely close to disciplining your child as it does to abuse and crafting or molding a person through the worst possible motivator – sheer fear.
Final call for the Bowl Contest
The rules are simple. Please submit your picks before Dec. 15. (That’s tomorrow, Spy.) One entry per person. Feel free to share with friends and family. We are picking the games against the spreads listed below. If there’s massive line movement between now and kickoff time, well, that’s part of the charm of Bowling for Bowls of Bowl Game Success (Bowler optional).
Also, a correct pick gets those points; no lost points for incorrect picks. We will do all the bowl games so that everyone has at least some tangental interest in every game.
And since there is no hat required, let’s remain casual and enjoy the process. (Copyright Nick Saban.)
One-point games (max of 6 points)
Autonation Cure Bowl: Tulane (-3.5) vs. Louisiana
New Mexico Bowl: Utah State (-9.5) vs. Texas State
Las Vegas Bowl: Fresno State (-4.5) vs. Arizona State
Camellia Bowl: Georgia Southern (-1.5) vs. Eastern Michigan
New Orleans Bowl: App State (-7.5) vs. MTSU
Boca Raton Bowl: UAB (-1.5) vs. Northern Illinois
Two-point games (max of 14 points)
Frisco Bowl: San Diego State (-3.5) vs. Ohio
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall (-1.5) vs. South Florida
Bahamas Bowl: FIU (-5.5) vs. Toledo
Idaho Potato Bowl: BYU (-11.5) vs. Western Michigan
Birmingham Bowl: Memphis (-4.5) vs. Wake Forest
Armed Forces Bowl: Army (-3.5) vs. Houston
Dollar General Bowl: Buffalo vs Troy, pick ’em
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii (-1.5) vs. La. Tech
Three-point games (max of 21 points)
First Responder Bowl: Boise State (-3.5) vs. Boston College
Quick Lane Bowl: Georgia Tech (-4.5) vs. Minnesota
Cheez-It Bowl: California vs. TCU, pick ’em
Independence Bowl: Temple (-3.5) vs. Duke
Pinstripe Bowl: Miami (-3.5) vs. Wisconsin
Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl: Vandy (-3.5) vs. Baylor
Arizona Bowl: Arkansas State (-1.5) vs. Nevada
Four-point games (max of 28 points)
Camping World Bowl: West Virginia (-4.5) vs. Syracuse
Alamo Bowl: Washington State (-3.5) vs. Iowa State
Belk Bowl: South Carolina (-3.5) vs. Virginia
Military Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech, pick ’em
Sun Bowl: Stanford (-6.5) vs. Pittsburgh
Red Box Bowl: Oregon (-2.5) vs. Michigan State
Holiday Bowl: Utah (-6.5) vs. Northwestern
Five-point games (max of 45 points)
Music City Bowl: Auburn (-3.5) vs. Purdue
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Michigan (-7.5) vs. Florida
Liberty Bowl: Missouri (-7.5) vs. Oklahoma State
Gator Bowl: Texas A&M (-4.5) vs. NC State
Outback Bowl: Mississippi State (-6.5) vs. Iowa
Citrus Bowl: Penn State (-6.5) vs. Kentucky
Rose Bowl: THE Ohio State (-6.5) vs. Washington
Fiesta Bowl: LSU (-7.5) vs. UCF
Sugar Bowl: Georgia (-10.5) vs. Texas
Eight-point games (max of 16 points)
Cotton Bowl: Clemson (-11.5) vs. Notre Dame
Orange Bowl: Alabama (-13.5) vs. Oklahoma
For a 10 point bonus: (Pick the winner of the national championship; no spreads, just the winner).
If we need a tie-breaker going into the title game, we’ll come up with one.
I will post all the names of the entries in the comments tomorrow. Deal? Deal.
Have a great weekend friends.