Remembering Sonny

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(Posted 2-18-26)

Greetings From The Booth!

It’s great to be back in the Booth after a week-long Winter hiatus. I spent most of the week trying to chip away at the so-called “snowcrete” that has hung around for almost a month now. At some point, I gave up and watched reruns of “Breaking Bad,” which beats breaking ice.

During my vacation, DC sports fans lost a legend in Christian Adolph Jurgensen. Around the DMV, all you have to say is “Sonny,” and everyone knows who you mean. In the 1960’s, Sonny Jurgensen was one of the few reasons to watch the Washington Redskins. In those days, Sonny’s aerial show would often put up 40 points, but the traditionally bad Skins’ defenses would just as easily give up 42.   Before there was “The Greatest Show on Turf” or “Air Coryell,” there was Sonny, throwing beautiful, picture-perfect passes to the likes of Bobby Mitchell, Charley Taylor, and Jerry Smith. During a 72-41 win over the Giants, Redskins’  Hall-of-Fame linebacker Sam Huff famously said to his friend Jurgensen, “Keep scoring.”

Jurgensen came to Washington in 1964 and brought with him a reputation for a freewheeling style of play and nighttime escapades, which he cemented at various DC & Carlisle watering holes. It was not unusual for Jurgensen to go from a Saturday night bar to a Sunday afternoon stadium, where he would throw for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. With his “everyman” persona and ever-expanding waistline, Sonny quickly became a folk hero in Washington.

Then came Vince Lombardi, who only coached Sonny for one magical season in 1969, and would become Jurgensen’s favorite coach. Sonny loved playing for Vince, and in the best shape of his career, led the Redskins to a winning 7-5-2 campaign. Lombardi would say of Jurgensen, “If I had Sonny in Green Bay, we would have never lost a game.”

Lombardi would die of cancer after just one season in DC, and after a transitional year in 1970, another legendary coach would come to town, and would be Sonny’s least favorite coach. George Allen was all about defense and running the football, and that would hamper Jurgensen’s style. 1971 through 1974 were the “I like Sonny” and “I like Billy” years, with Billy Kilmer and Sonny Jurgensen forming a close friendship, despite the quarterback controversy in Washington. Sonny would have some memorable moments as his career wound down, but age and injuries finally caught up to him at the end of the ’74 season.

Jurgensen would have a second career in DC, and became part of the legendary Redskins’ broadcast team of Sonny, Sam (Huff), and Frank (Herzog). I, like many Skins fans, would turn down the TV sound and listen to the hometown broadcast. The three had a chemistry that will never be duplicated, and were the voices of the glory years of the franchise, as they called Washington’s three Super Bowl wins in their inimitable style.

My life’s Venn diagram intersected twice with Sonny, the first interaction at the PGA Tour’s Kemper Open at the Congressional Country Club, probably around 1980 or 1981. I was covering the Kemper for an area radio station, and my press credentials allowed me to enjoy the buffet line in the press tent, where I found myself standing next to Jurgensen. I remember babbling something about the food to Sonny, who basically gave me a grunt in return.

The second intersection with Jurgensen was several years ago at Huff’s memorial service in Middleburg, a who’s-who of Washington sports and broadcast celebrities. Once again, I was in a food line next to Sonny, but this time he was much nicer. Sadly, he didn’t seem to be in great health, and I know he was missing his departed friend, Sam Huff.

If there is a football Heaven, Sonny is there right now, his famous SJ9 cigar in hand, with Huff by his side, telling him to “keep scoring.”

Until next visit from The Booth…HTTR!

RW

 

Have A Coke, Mean Joe!

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(posted 2-4-26)

Greetings From The Booth!

Here we are, finally, on the precipice of Super Bowl 60 (talk about something that’ll make you feel old!), as New England and Seattle do battle this Sunday in Santa Clara, California. The game will probably not live up to the 66-52 shootout that was the Pro Bowl Flag Football Game, won by the NFC. Sorry to say, I did not watch that epic battle–I was instead watching the F-Troop Marathon on TV Land. Boy, that Larry Storch was a comedic genius!

Once again this year, I do not have a horse in the race, as the glory days of my Skins are way in the rear-view mirror. But, hey, there are always the Super Bowl commercials, right?  Is it me, or are the Big Game ads getting more bizarre, almost to the point that we can’t remember the actual products or services being pitched? The most memorable Super Bowl commercials are those that are entertaining, strike an emotional chord, AND have great product recall. Those are the ones that stand the test of time. So, as we approach so-called “Super Sunday,” here are my Top 3 Super Bowl commercials, ranked from third to first.

3. The “1984” Apple Macintosh Ad.  Being a George Orwell fan, this one grabbed me. This iconic, visually stunning commercial unveiled the Macintosh personal computer, which would hit the market 2 days later. The theme was Orwell’s “1984,” with a dreary auditorium setting the tone. Suddenly, an athletic female hammer thrower enters and destroys the big screen, on which “Big Brother” is preaching the party line of conformity. In truth, this was the only entertaining thing about that 1984 Super Bowl, where my Redskins were destroyed by the Raiders 38-9.

2. The Budweiser Clydesdale “9-11” Commercial.  If you didn’t tear up when you saw this 2011 Super Bowl ad, you should check your pulse. I just watched it again, and my eyes are moist. Airing just months after the September 11 attacks, this amazing commercial features the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales making their way through the USA, finally reaching New York and kneeling in tribute to the Statue of Liberty. No dialogue needed–just the words “We’ll Never Forget.” All the Budweiser Clydesdale commercials are great, but this one is the best of all time.

1. The Mean Joe Greene Coke Ad. This legendary commercial from 1979 still might be the greatest Super Bowl ad of all time. By 1979, the Steelers’ “Mean Joe” Greene had cemented his image of being, well,  mean. The commercial starts with an injured Greene limping back to the locker room, when a young boy offers Joe his Coke. After a brief brush-off, Greene accepts the Coke, and by the commercial’s end, Joe gives the young fan his game jersey. In 30 seconds, “Mean Joe”Greene becomes “Loveable” Joe Greene…after chugging a Coke.  After 47 years, this commercial remains top-of-mind, AND we remember the product! For me, this commercial is Number One on my list, and will probably always be.

And those are my favorite Super Bowl commercials of all-time. If Sunday’s “Big Game” is a dud, I can only hope there are some memorable ads to fall back on. I have just one request for Madison Avenue. Don’t turn people into animals. That Seal commercial still gives me nightmares!

Enjoy the game!

RW

 

 

The “Guarantee”

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(Posted 1/28/26)

Greetings from an icy Booth!

As the area continues to dig out of an epic snow and ice event, we look toward much-warmer Santa Clara, California, and Super Bowl 60. (Sidebar: Can we please dispense with the Roman numerals? As far as I know, no Super Bowl has been played in Rome, and Marcus Aurelius isn’t going to be doing the coin toss anytime soon. Too many X’s, L’s, and V’s for me! Although a Ben-Hur-type chariot race at halftime would be preferable to some of the more recent performers.) The Big Game will feature a 2015 rematch between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. But today, a look backward.

I get asked all the time about the first Super Bowl I remember. That one is easy. Super Bowl 3 is the first one I can recall, and it is memorable for many reasons. The first two Super Bowls were one-sided, as the NFL’s representative, the Green Bay Packers, dominated Kansas City and Oakland, respectively. The third edition was expected to be more of the same, as the powerful Baltimore Colts of the NFL took on the upstart New York Jets, who carried the banner of the equally upstart American Football League into Miami’s Orange Bowl. No one gave the Jets a chance, and the Colts went into the game as 16-point favorites on that January day in 1969.

Earlier that week, surrounded by the media as he held court from a lounge chair, Jets quarterback Joe Namath made national headlines by guaranteeing victory. (Looking back, what would you expect him to say? “I think the Colts are going to smear us?”). With his brash prediction, Namath became the face of the Super Bowl and the target of the Colts’ defense. Surely, “Broadway Joe” would eat his words. Instead, he raised his index finger high as he left the field with a 16-7 win, one of the great upsets in football history.

Super Bowl 3 was not just a football game, however. It was a microcosm of what was happening in the USA at the time. The mighty Colts represented the “establishment”, in some ways, the military-industrial complex. The Jets represented a youthful, vibrant, “hip” America, personified by Namath. The country was divided by the Vietnam War, and we were a nation of Hawks and Doves, as the anti-war movement was gaining momentum. The Colts and Jets were perceived as being on opposite sides of that fence. The game was also a contrast of cities. The Colts were very much an extension of blue-collar Baltimore, while the Jets certainly mirrored the Big Apple: Broadway, Madison Avenue, Manhattan.

As a 9-year-old, I felt that divisiveness watching the game. It poured out of the TV into my living room as a young Namath picked apart the Colts, and an old, battered Johnny Unitas failed to bring Baltimore back.  Super Bowl 3 divided Fathers and Sons, young and old, even men and women. It was a game that was perfect for its time, and one I’ll always remember.

Enjoy the Big Game, and stay warm this week!

RW

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

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Greetings from The Booth!

Sometimes, you gotta change the wallpaper…

It’s “Coaching Carousel” time in the National Football League, and the firings began on so-called Black Monday, right after the regular season finale. Although Commanders’ Head Coach Dan Quinn was spared the wrath of “The Turk,” the fans were thrown a bone with the dismissal of Defensive Coordinator Joe Whitt, Jr., and the surprising exit of Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. In the case of Whitt, the defense had become a sieve, with opposing teams running up and down the field against the burgundy and gold. Late in the season, Quinn took over the defensive play-calling, with minimal results. Yes, injuries were an issue (on both sides of the ball), and that’s why Quinn is probably safe for now.

With Kingsbury, there had apparently been some internal disagreement with GM Adam Peters over offensive philosophy and the handling of franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels. That situation came to a head late in the season during a game when Kingsbury called three consecutive pass plays following a second-and-goal at the 2-yard line, when many in the organization and the fan base felt the Commanders should have run the ball. Following the season, Kingsbury and the team mutually agreed to part ways.

Since then, the team has hired from within, promoting QB Coach David Blough to the OC spot. The upside is that there is a comfort level between Daniels and Blough, and the offense will have some continuity instead of starting totally fresh with an outside OC. The downside is that Blough is untested as a coordinator, and with a seat that is getting warmer for Quinn headed into Year 3, he better get this hire right. As of this writing, the DC position has yet to be filled, and interviews are ongoing. The Commanders will surely have to dismantle a defense that needs to get younger and faster, so this is another hire that must be a good one. It will be an interesting and important offseason for this regime.

And, the AFC North will look vastly different in 2026. The Baltimore Ravens fired long-time Head Coach John Harbaugh, while Pittsburgh Steelers’ HC Mike Tomlin stepped down after 19 seasons with the club. Both Tomlin and Harbaugh led their respective teams to Super Bowl titles, and their teams were perennial playoff contenders. However, both the Ravens and Steelers had high bars of expectation, and in recent years, Tomlin and Harbaugh had not reached that bar. Tomlin’s Steelers suffered their 7th playoff loss in a row Monday night when they lost at home to Houston 30-6. And Harbaugh’s fate was sealed when the same Steelers team downed the Ravens in the regular season finale, in a winner-take-all contest. To add insult to injury, Harbaugh was fired by phone as he was headed to his home from the team facility. At least the Pittsburgh organization allowed Tomlin, who probably saw the writing on the wall, to step down.

Neither will be out of work for long, but the exits of Harbaugh and Tomlin point out the “what have you done lately” nature of the NFL coaching profession. Just ask Dan Quinn…

Until next time from The Booth…enjoy the Divisional Round!

RW

 

 

 

 

 

A Season Off The Rails

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Greetings From The Booth!

I’m BAAACK…and I need some venting therapy.

Did it really happen? The magical 2024 Washington Commanders season is now a distant memory. Last year, we were all basking in the glow of a new ownership, a franchise quarterback, and a trip to the NFC Championship game. Man, we couldn’t wait until 2025 to ride this incredible vibe all the way to The Super Bowl.

It has all turned to a smouldering ruin…

As of this post, the Commanders are 3-7, and all but out of the NFC playoff picture (I can hear Jim Mora saying “Playoffs!? Playoffs? We’re just trying to win a game!” Still one of the best coach’s rants of all time.). What went wrong? As with most seasons that turn sour, it’s not just one thing. This season has been the perfect storm of injuries, underperformance, an aging roster, and a very tough schedule. Let’s address each one of these things:

As for the injuries, the Commanders are one of the most banged-up teams in the NFL, starting with franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has suffered 3, count ’em, 3 injuries this year. The list goes on, to the extent that backups to the backups are now playing for the Burgundy and Gold. It’s a veritable MASH unit out in Ashburn. But, as former NFL great Jonathan Vilma said on the national broadcast of Washington’s blowout loss to the Lions on Sunday, “no one cares.” In truth, all NFL teams have their share of injuries, and in the National Football League it’s “next man up.” No one in the league has any sympathy for the Commanners on game day.

That brings us to underperformance, which is especially true on the defensive side of the ball. Washington’s defensive problems were well-hidden last season by the magic of Daniels. This year, a bad defense has gotten worse. The Commanders “D” can’t tackle, can’t cover, can’t stop the run, and can’t force turnovers (they are one of the NFL’s worst in that department). Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play? This week, the team announced that Head Coach Dan Quinn would take over the defensive play-calling duties, while demoting Defensive Coordinator Joe Whitt, Jr. Those kind of moves usually have short shelf lives–the players aren’t magically going to get better. As for Whitt, the fans want a scalp, and I’m afraid it will be his, quite possibly after the bye week.

The Commanders have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL, and last year’s experience has given way to this year’s age and lack of speed. You only have to do the “eye test” to see that players like linebacker Bobby Wagner, while a great team leader, cannot keep up with younger, faster backs and receivers on Sunday. The Commanders roster was built last year on bringing in experienced veterans to guide the younger players. But after the surprising playoff run last year, a lot of those players were brought back, and have not been the same. As the old saying goes, better to get rid of a player one year too soon than one year too late.

Finally, we address the schedule, which is loaded with playoff contenders this year. Already this season, Washington has faced Seattle, the Chargers, Lions, and Packers, and is staring down the barrel at the Broncos, Vikings, and Philly (twice). Last year, against a much lighter slate, the Commanders posted a 12-5 regular season. Upon further examination, had just six plays gone the other way, Washington could have very easily been 6-11. So maybe the Commanders weren’t the powerhouse we (or the networks) thought they were. Sometimes, magic just happens.

It’s midnight, Cinderella, at least for 2025. I don’t see Joe Gibbs hanging around, so there will be no 7-game win streak or playoff football this year for the Washington Commanders. However, I swear I see Dan Snyder, Ron Rivera, Bruce Allen, and Jim Zorn lurking around Northwest Stadium…

Until the next visit from The Booth…HTTC/HTTR!

RW

 

RFK Stadium

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Happy Easter from The Booth!

If you grew up a fan of the Washington Redskins and Washington Senators like me, you probably had a twinge of nostalgia this past week when you heard that the Washington Commanders and the District of Columbia were getting closer to a new deal that would move the team back to the old RFK Stadium site. If the process goes as planned (which rarely happens with these things), the Commanders will move into their new home in 2030. I hope I’m still “on the right side of the grass,” as the late, great, Sonny Randle was fond of saying.

Truth be known, Fed-Ex Field (Now Northwest Stadium) never felt like home to the ‘Skins. It lacked the atmosphere of RFK Stadium, and very few great and memorable moments took place at Fed-Ex Field, unless you count Gus Frerotte head-butting a wall. On the baseball side, Nationals Park is a much better home for the baseball team, although it doesn’t evoke the feeling of the O’s home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

RFK was not an ultramodern stadium, and always smelled like a combination of stale beer, urine, and cigar smoke. But, the stadium had character–it physically shook during big Redskins games. It was home to George Allen’s “Over The Hill Gang,” Joe Gibbs’ Hogs, Smurfs, The Diesel, and no less than five NFC Championship Games (all won by the ‘Skins). Not to mention the Senators’ Frank Howard, The Beatles, and wrestling’s The Great American Bash. Here are five “I was there” RFK memories, in no particular order:

My Very First Major League Game: I don’t have a specific date, but this probably would have been the late 60s, when my Dad took me to see the Senators at RFK. So many father-son memories are tied to baseball, and this one is no different. I remember that I’d never seen grass so green, or home uniforms so white. We were so high up in the stands that I thought I was going to fall onto the outfield below. I believe my hero, Frank Howard, swatted a home run off the Longines sign that day…and the hot dogs were the best I’d ever tasted!

The Great American Bash: In the mid 80s, I was a pro wrestling geek. Every Saturday, you would find me in front of the TV at 6:05 for Championship Wrestling on The Superstation, TBS. There was no pay-per-view, so to see a “supercard” of wrestling, you had to go to a large venue. In the Summer of ’86, the NWA’s Great American Bash came to RFK, and I was there with a few of my wrestling buddies to watch Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes do battle. The seats weren’t great, and the combatants looked pretty small, but to see my heroes (and villains) live in the squared circle was a big thrill!

Zim’s July 4th Walkoff: Baseball was back in Washington, and in the hot Summer of 2006, I co-hosted a radio station listener’s trip to watch the Nats play the Marlins in their temporary RFK home. On that steamy 92-degree afternoon in the Nation’s Capital, things didn’t look good for the home team headed into the bottom of the ninth. With 2 out, and rookie Ryan Zimmerman down to his last strike, the eventual “face of the franchise” sent the small crowd of 23-thousand home happy with a 3-run walk-off home run. I remember being completely zapped by the heat and humidity, but what a fun ride home!

Rypien’s Record Day: In November of 1991, the Redskins were riding a 9-0 start as they took on the Atlanta Falcons on a cold, wet afternoon at RFK. ‘Skins QB Mark Rypien put on an aerial show for the 52,641 fans by throwing 6 TD passes and rushing for another in a 56-17 rout. The Falcons died by the blitz that day, as “Rip” constantly burned the Atlanta secondary, and came just 5 yards short of breaking the team record for passing yards in a game. My memory of that game was not leaving early in hopes the ‘Skins would score one more time. They did.

The Seat Cushion Game: Through a fortunate set of circumstances, I was able to attend the Redskins Divisional Round playoff game in that same 1991 season against the same Falcons team that had been blown out of RFK back in November (see above). On another wet day, the ‘Skins would shut down the overconfident Falcons 24-7 on their way to the NFC Championship Game. Before the game, yellow souvenir seat cushions had been handed out to the fans, and when Gerald Riggs’ touchdown sealed the deal late in the game, hundreds of the seat cushions came sailing out of the stands in celebration. The game is part of Redskins lore, and as a personal footnote, I did not throw mine, instead keeping it for several years after. I have no idea where it is today, but the memory of that game, and the noise at RFK, lives on.

The “new RFK” will be nothing like the old stadium, of course. It will probably be an ultramodern, domed showplace. But hopefully, when you attend a Commander’s game at the new venue and you listen carefully, you’ll be able to hear the faint chants of “We Want Dallas!”

Until the next visit from The Booth…HTTR!

RW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put Me In, Davey!

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Greetings from The Booth!

OK, Davey. I’m sitting out here in the bullpen, just waiting for that phone to ring, so I can run out of that gate to the sound of my entrance music (probably Hell’s Bells, by AC/DC) and put out the fire.

A dream, for sure, but right now I would have as much of a chance getting someone out as anyone in the Nationals’ bullpen corps, although the 1977 Jefferson HS Cougars might disagree. Yes, I once surrendered a whopping 10 runs in one-third of an inning on a wind-blown afternoon in Shenandoah Junction, WV, against the juggernaut Cougars in the ’77 Sectional final. As bad as I was on that day, I couldn’t have done any worse than The Gas Can Crew this past weekend.

If not for a salvage operation yesterday, a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, the Nats’ bullpen could have very easily ruined 3 stellar performances from Nationals’ starters. In the Opener, MacKenzie Gore was unhittable, striking out a franchise Opening Day record 13 batters. When he turned the ball over to his bullpen, the Philadelphia bats came alive, and the Phils would win in 10 innings, 7-3.

In Game 2 of the series, Jake Irvin wasn’t as dominant, but still was able to hold the Phils to just 2 runs in his 5 innings of work. Again, the Nat’s pen served up BP as Washington fell 11-6.

In the series finale, Mitchell Parker spun 6 and one-third innings of shutout baseball, and proving that even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while, Washington relievers were able to shut the door the rest of the way.

After the opening weekend, Nats’ starters were at the top of the major league in runs allowed (just 2). The bullpen, meanwhile, has surrendered 17 of the 19 runs the Phillies scored on them this weekend. The starters should sue for non-support. What’s really scary is that at this point of the season, pitching is supposed to have the advantage over the offense. That doesn’t bode well for a bunch of guys whose names the casual fan has never heard of.

It also doesn’t bode well for Nationals’ Manager Davey Martinez. We’re now into year 6 of the “rebuild” and far removed from the Nats’ 2019 World Series Championship, and the natives are getting restless. It’s said that a good manager can mean maybe a half dozen wins at best over the course of a 162-game schedule. But when things go sideways, someone has to take the fall, and you can’t fire the entire team.

Granted, three games is a very small sample size, and I’ll remind everyone that in 2019, the Nats started 19-31. But as that magical season fades farther and farther into memory, the seat gets a little warmer for Martinez. The Nationals, on paper, have an exciting core of players, and fan support remains strong. However, it’s time GM Mike Rizzo’s moves start to bear fruit.

Meanwhile, I’ve warmed up, and I’m ready for that call! As long as there are no Cougars in the visitors dugout…

Until next visit from the bullpen…I mean the Booth…GO NATS!

RW

Snubbed

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Greetings from The Booth!

I’m pretty sure I’m through with college sports…at least until football season. I’m very sure that I’m done with the NCAA.

To the disbelief of many experts and analysts around the sports world yesterday, the West Virginia University men’s basketball team was left out of the NCAA Basketball Tournament on Selection Sunday. Like many WVU fans, I was expecting my team to have its name called, but as each region’s bracket was announced, reality set in. WVU was on the outside looking in, the first team out of the tournament. Despite many “bracketologists,” including Joe Lunardi, deeming the Mountaineers safely in the 68-team field in the hours leading up to Selection Sunday. The NCAA Selection Committee felt differently.

However, the committee did feel like North Carolina and 15-loss Texas were deserving of a spot, and also invited 14, count ’em, 14 teams from the SEC to the party, a new record for a conference. UNC seems to be the team that displaced West Virginia, so let’s consider the following:

The 19-13 Mountaineers had 6 Quad 1 wins (wins against tournament-quality teams), while the 22-13 Tar Heels had a Quad 1 record of 1-12. WVU  had quality wins, albeit early in the season against Gonzaga, Arizona, and Kansas (at Kansas). The Mountaineers also had a very bad loss to 16-seed Colorado in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament, and probably would have been a lock had they won that game. WVU was also 10-10 in the Big 12, one of the toughest basketball conferences in the country. Admittedly, West Virginia did not play well in the second half of the season, but if the committee considers the entire body of work, as they say they do, there’s no question that the Mountaineers are deserving of a place in the big dance. Carolina is clearly in the tournament field on blue blood reputation.

It’s not a good look for the selection committee that its chairman is Bubba Cunningham, who is the AD at…wait for it…North Carolina. With a name like Bubba, surely there couldn’t be any backroom backslapping, right? Cunningham supposedly left the room during any discussion about his Tar Heels, but I’m not buying into the purity of that. Committee members know who their chairman is. I might also point out that Cunningham has a bonus system that increases the further Carolina advances in the tournament. Also not a good look.

Bubba’s reason (excuse) for WVU being left out? The Mountaineers would be without the injured Tucker DeVries in the tournament. DeVries, the son of West Virginia Head Coach Darian DeVries, hasn’t played since December, and suited up for a grand total of 8 games for West Virginia. Tucker DeVries hasn’t played for most of the season, so this reasoning makes absolutely no sense. Obviously, Cunningham didn’t do his homework, or had to pull something out of his backside to explain himself.

And, let’s not forget that WVU sued the NCAA in the 2023-24 season to get ineligible player RaeQuan Battle reinstated. The Mountaineers won that case and Battle returned to the court in the second half of the season. Would the NCAA hold a grudge against West Virginia because of that lawsuit? Just asking for a friend.

I wrote recently that doing the eye test would show that WVU is not tournament-worthy. But to be left out this way reeks of something like the infamous WWE “Montreal Screwjob.” However, there is little that can be done. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey held a presser today (Monday) and hinted at litigation, but I’m not sure anything will come of this. It will be difficult to prove that there was a conspiracy to leave the Mountaineers out of the NCAA Tournament . I still like the move, as it continues to keep the kitchen light on as the roaches scurry.

In the meantime, dominos have started to fall at WVU. The Mountaineers have declined invitations from the NIT, and a new 16-team postseason tournament called The Crown. Freshman 3-point ace Jonathan Powell has entered the transfer portal, and rumors that Coach DeVries is leaving for Iowa continue to grow.

It is not a great day to be a Mountaineer.

RW

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lightning In A Bottle

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Greetings from The Booth!

The book is now officially closed on our area high school basketball season, but not without congratulations to the Handley boys, the Luray boys, and the Clarke County girls, who all made it to their respective VHSL state semifinal games. While that doesn’t add any hardware to the trophy case, making it to the rarefied air of your state “final 4” is a great accomplishment. Falling just short also gives returning players a measuring stick for next season, and for graduating seniors, provides some great memories for later in life.

We now turn our attention to college hoop and this week’s conference tournaments. Let’s be honest, with the NCAA going five, six, seven deep into the major conferences on Selection Sunday,  conference tournaments have become simply money-makers for the ACC, the Big 12, the SEC, and the Big 10. But for the mid-majors and smaller conferences whose tournament champion may be their only team in the Big Dance, there is more on the line.

I’m old enough to remember a time when the NCAA field was 25 teams, and the only way to get into the NCAA Tournament was to win your conference tournament. Growing up a fan of “The ACC Game of the Week” (brought to you by Jefferson Pilot, with Jim Thacker and Billy Packer) every Saturday, the ACC Tournament was a must-watch every year, and provided much drama. On many occasions, the team coming out of the ACC had nothing left for the NCAA Tournament after playing 3 games in the ACC soiree.

Once in a while, a team catches lightning in a bottle in its conference tournament and rides that momentum all the way to the National Championship game. Case in point, the now-famous “Jimmy V” 1983 NC State squad, who made an improbable run through the ACC Tournament, nipping Wake Forest 71-70 in the quarterfinals, then beating #5 North Carolina and #2 Virginia to get the automatic NCAA berth. The Wolfpack would “survive and advance” through the West Region, where they would beat UVA again, this time in the Regional Final, 63-62. NC State would eventually cut down the nets after a memorable National Championship game by beating Houston (nicknamed “Phi Slamma Jamma”) on the game’s final play.

While we’re talking about “cinderellas,” let’s mention George Mason. The small commuter school from nearby Fairfax, Va., didn’t even win it’s conference tournament in 2006, losing in the CAA semifinals. However, the Patriots would get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, and playing close to home as an 11-seed, shocked 1-seed UConn in the Washington DC Regional Final. George Mason would eventually fall in the Final Four to Florida, but became the darlings of the tournament.

Bottom line, the pressure may be diminished somewhat, as many conferences get multiple entries into the 68-team field. But there are still surprises, upsets, and stolen bids lurking in the conference tournaments, and make for great appetizers for next week’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. Get those brackets ready and get ready for the madness!

RW

 

 

Remembering Gene Hackman

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Greetings from The Booth!

The entertainment world lost a giant recently as the great Gene Hackman was found dead in his home, along with his wife and the family dog. Hackman, 95, will be remembered for his movie roles in Superman and The French Connection, and so many other great films. If you want to dig deeper into Hackman’s filmography and maybe watch a few, might I suggest No Way Out, The Firm, Runaway Jury, and Unforgiven. I could go on and on about Gene Hackman and how he commanded the big screen in all his roles. He could be an almost likeable villain, as evidenced in the aforementioned Unforgiven and Runaway Jury.

As we try to tie everything to sports in this blog, Gene Hackman was in several sports movies, and I wanted to list my 3 favorites. One of these is a stretch, but hopefully you’ll see what I’m doing. So…here are 3 Gene Hackman sports movies worth watching as we remember a film icon:

Hoosiers: With high school basketball in it’s postseason around the area, a great time to check out this Hackman classic. Gene plays the coach of a small Indiana high school basketball team that against all odds wins the Indiana state championship. Hackman’s character is also an underdog with a checkered past in this inspirational story, based on true life events. The 1986 film also features great supporting roles from Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper, who took home an Oscar for his role as the town drunk.

 The Replacements: Based on the NFL strike season of 1987, and specifically the Washington Redskins of that season, this 2000 comedy isn’t the greatest film ever made. In fact, it received mixed reviews from the critics. But Gene Hackman is worth watching as Jimmy McGinty, the head coach of a ragtag bunch of replacement players who try to hold the team together with 4 games left in the season. Keanu Reeves is quarterback Shane Falco in a co-starring role.  Footnote: It is Hackman who narrates the NFL Films account of the 1987 Skins, whose strike team went 3-0 and helped the team win that season’s Super Bowl title.

Crimson Tide: An absolute Hackman classic, although it is not a sports movie. I list it because of the obvious title reference to the University of Alabama. The USS Alabama is the name of the nuclear submarine, of which Hackman’s character is the Admiral, who plays nuclear brinkmanship with his first officer, played by the great Denzel Washington. Memorable is the scene with Hackman and his crew in the pouring rain yelling “Roll Tide!” The on-screen tension between Hackman and Washington is palpable, and keeps us on the edge of our seats from start to finish in this 1995 thriller.

And that’s my “View From The Booth!” RIP Gene Hackman…

RW