Howard Stern: Bring Back the Honesty

June 17, 2009

I’ve been a loyal Howard Stern fan since 1981 when he worked at DC-101 in Washington, so I’ve listened a lot longer than even Stern show Producer Gary Dell’Abate has.  I think Stern is the greatest entertainer in the history of radio.  Obviously, Howard has been a creative and revolutionary force, with such a huge influence that he completely changed radio.  But in my opinion, somewhere along the line in the last couple of years, things seem to have changed.  The show is still great, but it’s missing something.  That something is honesty.     

For example, the fight in 2001 between A.J. Benza and Stuttering John was real.  However, last summer and again this year, there were several arguments back to back that seemed to be greatly exaggerated.  After each one, I list my best guess as to whether the “arguments” or situations were real, fake, or partly real but exaggerated. 

  • The Rev. Bob Levy complained on the Miserable Men show that he wasn’t getting enough airtime on Howard’s show.  Howard pretended to be outraged and a mountain was made out of a molehill.  Best guess:  It started out as real but was greatly exaggerated. 
  • Ronnie the Limo Driver got angry when Lisa G. asked him whether he was going to get a colonoscopy.  I’ve seen less fake outrage in a political campaign.  They went on ad nauseam about this.  Best guess:  It started out as real but was greatly exaggerated.
  • The argument when Tracy the intern yelled at former Stern staffer Steve Grillo seemed way over the top.  And it wasn’t worth it to have Artie constantly do an impression of her rant.  Best guess:  It started out as real but was greatly exaggerated.
  • When Sal argued over the selection of the Baba Booey song parodies, it was truly an argument about nothing that didn’t make sense.  Best guess.  It was real.  Sal would do this.
  • Earlier this year, Artie ripped Dr. Drew on the show for supposedly taking advantage of addicts on his TV show.  Best guess:  absolutely fake.
  • Gary Dell’Abate’s wild opening pitch at the Mets game.  Best guess:  fake.  Gary knew it would be good for the show to throw a wild pitch so he did it on purpose.  Plus, nobody could throw that badly. 
  • The controversy about Sal not being invited to Howard’s wedding.  Best guess:  real. 
  • Of course, the granddaddy of them all was when Artie walked off the show after getting in a fight with his assistant, Teddy.  Best guess:  I don’t have a good feeling about this one, and I could be wrong about this, but I think it was fake. 
  • Robin’s romance with Jim Florentine.  This wasn’t an argument, but I’m listing it here anyway.  Best guess:  they may have sort of gone out for a while but it’s a stretch to think that they had a real relationship.

The show is still mostly honest, but they need to be all honest, all the time.  That’s what made the show, not the outrageousness of it, contrary to popular belief.   

Even though I don’t agree with everything about the show.  It can still be great.  If there are any loyal fans that are reading this and are upset about it, just realize that you can like something and still criticize it because you want it to be better, or as good as it used to be.  Take Philly fans for example.  Please.  They love their teams but that doesn’t stop them from booing when necessary (although I do think their criticism of Mike Schmidt and Donovan McNabb was way over the top).  I’m a big Redskins fan but I criticize them because I want them to be better like they used to be.

Anyway, I figure this is a good time to put this up, following the Artie Lange – Joe Buck HBO controversy.  Another reason I write my blog is to publicize my other websites, including www.mikeneedsakidney.com.  Just being honest.  

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Artie Lange, Joe Buck, and Howard Stern

June 17, 2009

I’ve been holding this blog for a while, but now seems a good time to post it following the Artie Lange – Joe Buck controversy.  Artie went nuts on Buck’s inaugural show on HBO.  It was kind of a horror show, but I have to admit, some of it was funny, and some of it was riveting, though some of it was also awkward.  I do give Artie credit for being outrageous, but Stern himself is smarter, wittier.  Lange is being somewhat of a caricature.   

Anyway, Stern fans, let me say again, as I say on my other Stern blog entry, that the reason I can criticize the show like this is because I have been a big fan of the show for more than 25 years.  (I also write blogs partly to drive traffic to my websites, such as http://www.mikeneedsakidney.com).  Also, I don’t agree with everything on the show, so for those of you who may think some things on the show are inappropriate, I may agree with you on some of that.  I don’t like anything that is demeaning to women.  But I think the show celebrates women more than demeans them.  And I will admit, that though this missive seems harsh, Artie can sometimes tell a good story and it’s not like he never says anything funny.

Let me preface this by saying that I understand that a lot of fans like Artie.  I mean, a lot of fans love Artie.  But I just don’t get it.  I think the fat, drunk, druggie, tough guy, blue collar New Jersey guy act has been milked for all it’s worth.  Artie wants to be like John Belushi and Chris Farley.  Yes, we get it.  He’s always bragging about how he eats so much, drinks so much, goes to prostitutes, and has a drug problem.  He’s just not that funny at all.  He purposely eats a lot so he can continue this image.  Cupcakes and Hawaiian Punch?  Who actually drinks Hawaiian Punch?  You’re not a little kid living in the 70s.  He also loves the Italian stereotype, but he’s half German. 

He goes on too long with his stories, speaks too loudly, and a lot of his jokes fall flat.  Sorry, but like Howard, I have to be honest and tell it like it is.  Howard gives Artie way too much airtime, and Artie can’t tell a concise story.  Part of the reason Howard has Artie is because he needs a so-called tough guy since Howard was so into American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, chess, and he doesn’t like sports.  But Artie isn’t even a big sports fan.  He likes the Yankees, and he has decent knowledge of baseball, but other than that, his knowledge is pretty limited.  In fact, for someone who calls himself a sports fan, his lack of overall knowledge is astounding. 

I don’t believe Artie is still on drugs but he probably still is drinking.  Either way, they’ve milked all they can out of this.  It’s one thing to be self-deprecating but Artie relishes his image and brags about being a druggie.  Artie loves to talk about it all the time.  It’s as if Howard has gotten bored with the show and just wants to let Artie take over 1/3 of the show.  It’s getting really old.  Remember, Stern listeners are known for listening for a very long time, not just 10 minutes like regular radio listeners, so the show shouldn’t do the same things over and over.   They obsess over Artie’s problems on the Wrap-Up Show and Super Fan Roundtable.  This was old years ago.

I think the Stern show could do just as well by rotating comedians – Gilbert Gottfried, Richard Lewis, Dave Attell, Nick DiPaulo, Greg Fitzsimmons, Richard Belzer, David Brenner, David Alan Grier, Colin Quinn (he’s not doing anything), Greg Giraldo, Paul Mooney, Judah Friedlander (I knew him in school.  Well, barely – I played tennis with his brother.  I know, I’m stretching it on the celebrity name-dropping here), Norm MacDonald (though this might not work because he’s friends with Artie), Jackie Martling, and maybe a few others. 

By the way, I know Jackie isn’t a real comedian, and don’t try to say Artie is a lot better than Jackie because Artie’s role is to tell stories and Jackie’s role was to write one-liners for Howard and pass them to him.  Of the comedians I list above, the ones I could see replacing Artie are Dave Attell or Greg Giraldo, or slightly behind them, Greg Fitzsimmons, David Alan Grier, Colin Quinn, or Jackie.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Complaints about Mac and Microsoft

June 2, 2009

Some complaints about Macintosh and Microsoft:  

Mac

  • Takes too long to start up, even though it’s faster than a PC.  
  • Won’t shut down unless you keep it open for about five seconds after clicking “shut down.”
  • Has no delete button.  Or rather, the delete button is a backspace button, and in order to delete text to the right, you have to use both hands to press two separate buttons.
  • Safari is slow.
  • The only main advantages I see are that Macs are mostly not susceptible to viruses and system crashes but that’s like saying, “It’s not terrible,” rather than “It’s great.”  The photo program doesn’t seem that great although the movie making program is pretty good.  

Microsoft

  • Obviously, Windows PC’s have tons of problems and customer service is terrible, but that’s not news.
  • Word:  I cannot believe that the current version isn’t backwards compatible.  It is so inefficient to send attachments that some people can’t read.  Of course they do that so more people will buy the newest version, but it’s so useless.  If I have to save documents in the earlier version so everyone can read them, what is the point of having the newest version?  
  • Excel:  It is unbelievably user unfriendly.  I’m good with numbers, graphs, etc. but there are some things that I just can’t figure out no matter how hard I try.  I go through every menu item and it’s not there until I realize you have to right click to get to certain areas.  It is just not simple and intuitive. 

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Computers | Leave a Comment »

Why does ESPN Hate Vince Young so much?

June 2, 2009

ESPN’s Mark Schlereth said something today that I thought was totally out of line.  He said of Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, “You don’t have the football acumen to play the position the way it needs to be played.”  That was exceedingly harsh considering that Young has only played two full seasons (last year, he got hurt and replaced by Kerry Collins).

This is just another example of the fact that in the NFL, winning doesn’t matter – it matters more how you do it.  I guess Schlereth doesn’t like Young’s mobility or long windup.  Young has a career record of 18-11 as a starter.  The two years before Young came to the Titans, they were 9-23.  So Young has a career record of 18-11 and he’s considered a bust?  Jay Cutler, in the same draft class as Young, has a career record of 17-20, and Cutler, who had QB guru Mike Shanahan coaching him, is considered a demigod by the media (though Schlereth has also criticized Cutler).

Sound familiar?  In another blog entry I talk about the fact that Josh McCown, with a career record of 1-7, is the favorite to be the starter in Tampa Bay despite the fact that Byron Leftwich has a 24-20 career record, and Tampa eventually wants to give the job to a rookie who hasn’t proven anything.

Young’s stats aren’t that great but he has been working with some of the worst wide receivers in the NFL.  He also led four fourth quarter comebacks during his rookie season when he was named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.  During one of those comebacks, Young overcame a 21-0 nothing deficit to the New York Giants.  Another win was over the 10-1 Indianapolis Colts, who were leading by 14 points.

Young was named one of the 10 best college football players of all-time by ESPN, so isn’t it a little too early to give up on him – after an 18-11 record as a starter, a trip to the playoffs, and only two full seasons?  Collins has earned the starting job after a great season last year, but don’t give up on Young just yet.  I don’t blame Young for wanting to play and avoid potentially missing another full year from his career.

I don’t like it when a high draft pick is given a starting job based on potential instead of earning it.  At the same time, though, it’s just as bad when someone is counted out prematurely.  It is a little bit ironic that quarterbacks like Collins, Young, and Leftwich all fit both descriptions.

At the same time, Young should work hard and know that Collins might get injured, and there would be a good chance that he will get in and play about half the season anyway.

It’s not just Schlereth, though.  ESPN’s Trent Dilfer has been critical of Young and Merril Hoge has had well publicized verbal dust ups with Young.  It seems like for someone who has never had a losing season and who you would expect to get better and not worse, Young has come under undue criticism.

Schlereth is sounding a little like Charles Barkley – say something with authority and you must be right.  He’s also a little like Kenny Smith – an average player who was lucky to have Hall of Famers like John Elway with the Broncos and Art Monk and Darrell Green with the Redskins to get him championship rings.  Most of Schlereth’s commentary is great but with statements like “You don’t have the football acumen to play the position the way it needs to be played,” and “You’re no good at playing quarterback,” maybe Schlereth should get rid of any personal vendettas, study more football and do less soap opera acting.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Quarterbacks | Leave a Comment »

Honest Tea and Honest Ade — Healthy Drinks that Taste Great

May 29, 2009

I love Honest Tea and Honest Ade drinks.  They taste great, are healthy and organic, and they only have a little bit of sugar – 12 grams per serving for the juices, and less for the teas.  Most iced teas or fruit juices either have way, way too much sugar (usually more than twice the amount of these drinks), or have artificial sweeteners like Aspartame or Sucralose that can be unhealthy.

My favorite Honest Tea/Ade drink is the Cranberry Lemonade.  I don’t mean to sound weird, but I love this drink so much, I can’t get enough of it.  I have about 3 a day and the only reason I don’t have about 10 a day is that I need to drink water the rest of the time.  The Cranberry Lemonade only has water, sugar, lemons, and cranberries in it, plus carrot extract and citric acid.  It is definitely one of my favorite drinks of all time.

They have a lot of cool flavors.  The Superfruit Punch has yumberry, goji berry, pear juice, grape juice, strawberry juice, berry flavor, carrot juice, and cranberry juice.  How can you go wrong with that?  There’s also Orange Mango, which sometimes has Mangosteen in it (don’t ask me why other times it’s just plain Orange Mango).

Pomegranate Blue and Pomegranate White Tea with Acai are full of antioxidants.  There are a bunch of flavors of teas – green, white, black – that are all great too.

Honestly, the kids flavors are really very good, even for adults.  The Goodness Grape, Tropical Tango Punch, and Berry Berry Good Lemonade are all healthy and taste great.  They come in packs of juice boxes for kids.

Again, sounds weird, but I was so excited when I saw Honest Tea in California last summer that I bought several cases.  I’ve been drinking Honest Tea almost every day since I found out about it several years ago.

One sour note is that recently I bought three Superfruit Punches that tasted and smelled very bad.  There was absolutely something wrong with them.  I’ve noticed this a few times in the past with this flavor, and I think a couple of times with the Cranberry Lemonade.  We’re only talking about this happening about 10 times total, and I’ve probably drank about 3,000 bottles of Honest Tea and Honest Ade.

I emailed and called the company at their location in Bethesda and got no response.  That was disappointing since I’m one of their best customers, but not unexpected.  No matter what the organization, it seems that people think the best way to solve a problem is to ignore it, not reply, and hope it goes away.  I’ve also asked them if there are ways to buy it in bulk for a cheaper rate and they sometimes don’t respond, and other times they say no.

Anyway, I write this blog entry neither to promote Honest Tea nor to bash them, but just to say that I think they have some really great, healthy drinks.  The only thing that could be improved would be if they offered large bottles at a lower price per ounce.  Imagine how much healthier Americans would be if they drank these drinks instead of sodas and coffees.

Just being honest.

Update – 6/17/09

Well, they contacted me back after the second email.  It turns out that because they don’t use preservatives, there’s a slight chance that a small percentage of the drinks may be less than perfect.  However, according to my calculations, less than one percent of the drinks are affected (I drink more than 1000 a year).  That’s a small price to pay for something that is natural and organic.

In fact, one of the great things about Honest Tea and Honest Ade is not just what’s in it – great flavors and antioxidants – (can you imagine anything with more antioxidants than the Pomegranate Blue or Mango Acai White Tea flavors?) – but what is not in it – any type of preservatives.  They are also made without “antibiotics, pesticides, irradiation or bioengineering.”  The lack of pesticides is important because pesticides and herbicides have been implicated in all sorts of health problems, including autism and breast cancer.

So, anyway, I went to the Honest Tea Offices, and they took me to their vault, where there are cases and cases of every flavor of Honest Tea and Ade.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  Well, okay, that may be a slight exaggeration.  Maybe it was more like Christmas. I got to choose a few replacement drinks.  I even got a glimpse of the 64-ounce teas.

My only regret is that now there are so many great flavors, it’s impossible to try them all.

Update, 7/10/09 – Some more of the Cranberry Lemonades and Superfruit Punches are a little off.  Maybe it’s the summer heat. I’m reluctantly switching to the Orange Mango with Mangosteen, Blueberry Pomegranate, and Peach White Tea for now…

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bethesda | Leave a Comment »

Art Books for Sale on Amazon

May 25, 2009

In my quest to find the holy grail of books – one that is cheap to buy that I can resell at a great price – I found some really great art books with some really great…art in them.  Here are a few of them.  My prices are the best on amazon.  Please see http://www.amazon.com/shops/mikefrandsen.   

  • The Glass of Lalique by Christopher Vane Percy
  • 18th Century Venetian Drawings from the Correr Museum
  • The Essential Van Gogh – Kroller Muller Museum
  • Paris in New York:  French Jewish Artists in Private Collections edited by Susan Chevlowe
  • The Parthenon Frieze by Ian Jenkins
  • Raphael by James H. Beck
  • Brumidi:  Michelangelo of the U.S. Capitol by Myrtle Murdock
  • Gemaldegalerie Berlin, Prestel Museum Guide
  • Michelangelo Painter by Giovanni Poggi
  • The Essentials of Lettering by French and Meiklejohn
  • Impressions of an Irish Countess:  The Photography of Mary Countess of Rosse by David Davison (signed by Alison, Countess of Rosse)
  • Color Perception in Art by Faber Birren
  • The Blood of Kings:  Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art by Schele and Miller
  • Modern Masters by David Smith
  • Architectural Beauty in Europe:  Germany, by Stephen Daye Press
  • Angelica Kaufmann by Dorothy Moulton Mayer
  • Indian Miniature Painting by Anjan Chakraverty
  • American Folk Decoration by Jean Lipman
  • La Peinture Prehistorique Lascaux ou la Naissance De L’Art
  • African Majesty by Alan Wilkinson
  • Art of the Western World:  Spanish Painting by Ugo Bicchi
  • 50 Norman Rockwell Favorites by Christopher Finch
  • Piranesi as Designer, Edited by Sarah Lawrence
  • Vasari on Technique by Giorgio Vasari
  • Paintings of Maine, Edited by Arnold Skolnick
  • My Life in Art by Constantin Stanislavski
  • Florentine Renaissance Sculpture by Charles Avery
  • The New Art, Rachmaninoff’s Zoo Art Fair
  • The Pyramids, MR. Luberto
  • This is Photography by Miller and Brummitt

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Old Sports Media Guides and Sports Illustrateds

May 24, 2009

I sell used books, magazines, and media guides on Amazon.com.  In this blog entry I’m listing many of the sports media guides and old Sports Illustrated magazines I have for sale.  The average price is $7.  The old media guides – football, basketball, baseball, and hockey – are gold mines for information you can’t get anywhere else.  I have a lot of them from the early 1990s before the advent of the internet.  It’s very nostalgic to look through these media guides, as well as the Sports Illustrateds to remember how the teams and players were viewed back then, and to find information that is hard to find today. For example, pick a player from before the age of the internet.  You may be able to find out his stats, but unless he was a Hall of Fame type player, you won’t get the detailed information you would get in these guides.   

Some of the highlights are a 1992 Boston Red Sox media guide featuring Roger Clemens on the cover, a 1991 Houston Oilers media guide with Warren Moon on the cover, a 1991 Chicago Bulls media guide with information about a young Michael Jordan inside, a 1992 Pittsburgh Pirates media guide with information about a young Barry Bonds inside, a 1992 Seattle Mariners media guide with information about a young Ken Griffey, Jr. inside, and Sports Illustrateds of Magic Johnson, Cal Ripken, and Sugar Ray Leonard. 

Please check out my amazon storefront at  http://www.amazon.com/shops/mikefrandsen.

I also have a lot of classic books and art books for sale.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

ESPN’s SportsCentury Documentaries: My 100 Favorites

May 22, 2009

Here is my list of my 100 favorite ESPN SportsCentury documentaries.  ESPN started the series in 1999 on ESPN Classic to commemorate some of the greatest athletes or sporting events of the 20th century.  The series continued for several more years. ESPN did such a great job with the interviews, the footage, the descriptions of the players’ lives from the beginning to the end, the music, and putting everything together.  I believe that SportsCentury is the best documentary series I’ve ever seen.  It is truly inspiring.  VH1’s Behind the Music comes in second.

ESPN did documentaries on the top 100 athletes of the 20th century.  They also featured top coaches, all-time great games, and other sports figures who were notable for other reasons besides their athletic success.  Altogether, there were 265 total episodes.

I started this list with the intention of listing my favorite 25 episodes but the project just kept growing and growing.  In order to get a high ranking on this list, there has to be an interesting story.  This is not a list of great players with the best at the top.  Many of the stories center around athletes who were involved in some kind of controversy or problem, recovered from or died from various illnesses, or beat some type of odds.

Note that there are great players whose episodes I rank much lower than they would have been had this list been solely based on their sports careers rather than their stories, such as Wayne Gretzky (49), Willie Mays (64), Lawrence Taylor (74), Barry Sanders (77), Mario Lemieux (81), Jerry Rice (99), and Pete Sampras (100).

At the same time, there are athletes whose stories are so compelling that their episodes ranked much higher than you would have thought, including Brian Piccolo (4), Moe Berg (13), and Jim Bouton (23).

So here’s my list, and like any list, it’s totally subjective.  I saw a lot of them back in 1999 and again this year when ESPN Classic replayed them.  To be honest, there are probably several I haven’t seen but I include anyway because of a combination of their sports careers and their life stories.

  1. Ernie Davis.  All-American Syracuse running back died of cancer his rookie year with the Cleveland Browns.
  2. Jackie Robinson.  First black player in major league baseball encountered unbelievable racism and handled it gracefully.
  3. Disciples of Jackie Robinson.  Hank Aaron, Bob Gibson, Willie Mays and others still had to endure racism years after Jackie Robinson’s career was over.
  4. 1972 Olympic Basketball Final.  The U.S. team got ripped off in a very controversial loss to the Russians.
  5. Brian Piccolo.  Piccolo, a Chicago Bear running back, died of cancer.  His life was made into a famous movie, “Brian’s Song.”
  6. Hank Greenberg.  One of the few Jewish players in the major leagues in the 1930s and 1940s had to endure discrimination and was a role model for Jewish people.
  7. Marvelous Marvin Hagler.  One of the greatest boxers of all-time was so devastated by the controversial loss to Sugar Ray Leonard that he moved to Italy.
  8. Jim Brown.  The greatest football player ever also was a spokesman for civil rights and did a lot to prevent gang violence.
  9. George Foreman.  One of the most feared boxers ever underwent a transition from Grizzly Bear to Teddy Bear.
  10. Winter Olympics at Lake Placid:  USA beats USSR in hockey (1980).  The Miracle on Ice – a bunch of U.S. amateurs upset the vaunted Russians.
  11. Mark Fidrych.  One-year wonder baseball pitcher became ultra famous his rookie year.
  12. Georgetown – Villanova.  One of the greatest upsets in college basketball history.
  13. Michael Jordan.  Greatest basketball player ever.
  14. Moe Berg.  Baseball catcher was a spy for the U.S.  Life reads like a movie.
  15. Pete Rose.  Hall of Fame career became Hall of Shame after betting on baseball.
  16. Connie Hawkins.  Playground basketball legend was banned college basketball and the NBA for alleged point shaving despite never being charged with anything.
  17. Roy Campanella.  All-star catcher suffered a car crash that paralyzed him from the waist down.
  18. Wilt Chamberlain.  Otherworldly center put up stats that couldn’t be touched today.
  19. Pele.  Greatest soccer player ever.  Sold out Giants stadium in New York regularly at the end of his career.
  20. Jesse Owens.  Olympic Sprinter won 4 gold medals in 1936 in Berlin and disproved Hitler’s theory of racial superiority.
  21. Magic Johnson.  Best point guard ever announced in 1991 he had contracted the HIV virus.
  22. Pete Maravich.  Magician with the basketball died young of a heart attack.
  23. Ball Four (Jim Bouton).  Wrote tell-all book about drugs and sex in baseball and was ostracized from the game because of it.
  24. Alonzo Mourning.  All-star center came back from a kidney transplant to win an NBA championship.
  25. Joe DiMaggio.  Famous for 56-game hitting streak, obsession with how he was perceived, and marriage to Marilyn Monroe.
  26. Bill Walton.  College player of the year won an NBA championship but career was nearly destroyed by devastating foot injuries.
  27. Dolphins – Chargers 1981.  One of the greatest NFL games ever with classic image of Kellen Winslow being carried off the field.
  28. Jim Thorpe.  Possibly the greatest all-around athlete ever overcame discrimination as a Native American.
  29. Maurice Stokes.  One of first black players in NBA, star’s career and life were cut short by an injury.
  30. Babe Ruth.  Greatest home run hitter ever led a colorful and mythic life.
  31. Arthur Ashe.  First black man to win Wimbledon was also involved in humanitarian causes.
  32. Bo Jackson.  One of the greatest athletes ever was a two-sport star.
  33. 1997 NBA Finals, Game 5.  Michael Jordan had a great performance in a win over the Utah Jazz despite having a terrible episode of the flu.
  34. Bobby Hull.  One of the greatest scorers in hockey history wasn’t so great off the ice.
  35. Bob Knight.  Great coach with a very bad attitude.
  36. Dennis Eckersley.  Talented starting pitcher remade himself into Hall of Fame reliever after recovering from alcoholism.
  37. Mickey Mantle.  Hall of Fame slugger could have been even better if he hadn’t been an alcoholic.
  38. Lance Armstrong.  Recovered from cancer to win 6 Tour De France titles.
  39. Ali vs. Frazier “Thrilla in Manila” (1980).  Spectacular fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
  40. Denny McClain.  Baseball’s last 30-game winner was disgraced after being imprisoned for racketeering and other charges.
  41. Muhammad Ali.  One of the greatest fighters of the 1960s and 70s changed his name, gave up his career to protest the Vietnam War, and became the most famous athlete in the world.
  42. Larry Bird.  The hick from French Lick was one of the greatest NBA players ever.  His father committed suicide, and Bird didn’t talk to his daughter for many years.
  43. Borg-McEnroe Wimbledon thriller (1980).  Two of tennis’ all-time greats with contrasting styles and personalities play a match for the ages.
  44. Bill Russell.  One of NBA’s best ever centers won 11 championships and fought racism in Boston.
  45. Jerry Lucas.  One of NBA’s top 50 all-time players was also an intellectual genius.
  46. Johnny Unitas.  Helped put pro football on the map as one of games greatest quarterbacks.
  47. Walter Payton.  NFL’s all-time leading rusher died of a liver ailment.
  48. John McEnroe.  7-time Grand Slam winner was the bad boy of tennis.
  49. Rick Pitino.  Successful college basketball coach struggled after best friend/brother in-law died in 9-11 attacks.
  50. Wayne Gretzky.  The Great One.
  51. Jack Johnson.  Became the first black heavyweight boxing champion of the world in 1908.  Needless to say, encountered a great deal of racism.
  52. Hank Aaron.  All-time home run king overcame terrible racism during history-making run.
  53. Roger Maris.  Broke Babe Ruth’s single season home run record but was not loved by fans or media and later died of cancer, possibly due to the stress of the home run race.
  54. Stan Musial.  One of the greatest baseball players ever, Stan the Man didn’t get the credit he deserved, probably because he played in St. Louis instead of New York.
  55. Ty Cobb.  All-time hit king was a nasty racist.
  56. Reggie White.  Possibly more important to Green Bay’s 1996 Super Bowl championship than Brett Favre, White died of a heart attack due to sleep apnea at 43.
  57. Steve Carlton.  Stellar pitcher became a recluse who would not talk to the media.
  58. Vince Lombardi.  Legendary NFL coach led Packer dynasty of 1960s.
  59. Albert Belle.  Cantankerous slugger made Barry Bonds look like Will Rogers.
  60. Bobby Orr.  One of hockey’s all-time greats.
  61. Cal Ripken, Jr.  Baseball’s record holder for most consecutive games played.  Controversy surrounded whether Cal should have sat down toward the end of the streak to rest.
  62. Julius Erving.  Before Michael Jordan, there was Dr. J.
  63. Billie Jean King.  Made women’s tennis big and participated in famous match vs. Bobby Riggs to help the cause of women’s sports.
  64. Sandy Koufax.  No one was more of a dominant pitcher for a short period of time.
  65. Willie Mays.  Some call him the greatest baseball player ever.
  66. NFL Championship:  Baltimore Colts vs. New York Giants (1958).
  67. Charlie Finley.  Colorful owner of Oakland A’s in 1970s created unique promotions for the championship team which had a rebel style.
  68. Pat Tillman.  Arizona Cardinals safety gave up millions of dollars and an NFL career to join the military but was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan.
  69. Eric Lindros.  Star-crossed uber talented hockey player was controversial for his father’s involvement as his agent.  Multiple concussions compromised his career.
  70. Terrell Owens.  Supremely talented wide receiver who is followed by controversy everywhere he goes.
  71. Darrell Strawberry.  Great baseball career could have been much better had he not been addicted to drugs and alcohol.
  72. Dick Butkus.  One of the fiercest NFL players ever.
  73. Don King.  Successful boxing promoter was accused of shady deals.
  74. John Daly.  Golfer had troubles with alcohol, gambling, and women.
  75. Lawrence Taylor.  Best defensive player in NFL history struggled with drug addiction.
  76. Billy Martin.  Colorful and alcoholic manager for the New York Yankees was fired three times by George Steinbrenner.
  77. Doug Flutie.  Famous for a Hail Mary Pass that defeated Miami, the Boston College quarterback went on to win 6 MVPs in the Canadian League and would have been a great NFL quarterback had he been given the chance.
  78. Barry Sanders.  One of the greatest running backs ever, like Jim Brown, retired in his prime.
  79. Bob Gibson.  Mean, legendary fastball pitcher.
  80. Willie Jeffries.  First black coach of a Division I-A college football team.
  81. Larry Brown.  Restless coach improved almost every team he coached but usually moved on before he unpacked his bags.
  82. Mario Lemieux.  One of the greatest hockey players ever recovered from cancer.
  83. Ted Williams.  One of the best hitters in major league history homered in his final at bat.
  84. Satchel Paige.  Negro League legend finally made it to the majors at 42.
  85. Jennifer Capriati.  Tennis Wunderkind overcame personal problems to make a successful comeback.
  86. O.J. Simpson.  Great NFL running back is now mostly known for being acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend.
  87. Joe Namath.  Quarterback helped popularize pro football when his AFL  Jets beat the NFL’s Baltimore Colts, leading to the merger of the two leagues.
  88. Woody Hayes.  Great coach’s career ended badly soon after he punched an opposing player during the Gator Bowl.
  89. Greg Norman.  Supremely talented golfer was most known for collapses in big events including the Masters.
  90. Sonny Liston.  Former heavyweight boxing champion was a feared fighter whose career was controversial at the end, as was his death.
  91. Jayson Williams.  Former NBA All-Star was charged with manslaughter after he allegedly covered up an accidental shooting.
  92. Andre Agassi.  Image was everything for this tennis player early on but he grew into a champion.
  93. Chris Evert.  Icon for her competitiveness and beauty, the ice queen was one of the greatest tennis players ever.
  94. Steffi Graf.  Possibly the greatest female tennis player ever, Graf’s father was imprisoned for tax evasion for his role in handling her money.
  95. Maurice Richard.  The Rocket was one of hockey’s all-time greats.
  96. Charles Barkley.  Outspoken and entertaining basketball player was one of the all-time greats.
  97. Eric Heiden.  Won five gold medals in the 1980 Winter Olympics in speed skating and later became a doctor.
  98. Sam Huff.  Former N.Y. Giants linebacker changed the way the game was perceived by fans with a Time Magazine cover story and TV special.
  99. Jerry Rice.  Best wide receiver ever.
  100. Pete Sampras.  Possibly the greatest men’s tennis player in history.

There are a lot of transcendent players who weren’t featured in ESPN’s SportsCentury.  Maybe it’s because players wouldn’t agree to have documentaries done on them, but a couple that come to mind are Joe Montana and Monica Seles.  A feature on Seles would have been great.  Meanwhile, a couple of inclusions that make you go “hmmm” were Andy Roddick and Latrell Sprewell.  They were good players but did they deserve their own SportsCentury episodes?  I don’t think so.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

More Awesome: Hillary Clinton or President Allison Taylor of “24?”

May 22, 2009

Who is more awesome:  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, or the fictional character Allison Taylor, the U.S. President on the TV show “24” played by Cherry Jones?  This is an impossible question to answer.

 

How could anyone be more awesome than Hillary Clinton?  Or 24’s President Allison Taylor?  

 

They are both equally awesome.  It is a tie.  

Posted in Politics | Leave a Comment »

Coachmike.net and Autism

May 22, 2009

This table shows what types of therapies I do for children with autism compared with some other providers.  I currently have spots available for toddlers and kindergarteners for playdates and other activities during the day.  See www.coachmike.net for more information.

  Area of Instruction or Therapeutic Intervention
  Cognitive Skills and Academics using ABA, VBA, or other techniques Playdate Facilitation Understanding and Handling Emotions Sports, Exercise, Motor Skills, Coordination Trips in the Community
Coach Mike Yes – Great Results Yes Yes Yes Yes
Most Autism Therapy Programs Yes – Good results No No No No

ABA = Applied Behavior Analysis.  VBA = Verbal Behavior Analysis

Mike Frandsen

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Autism | Leave a Comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »