Unlike some other failed two-sport athletes, John Elway’s stats in the minors were actually pretty good. That said, I’d say he probably made a good decision focusing on the NFL.
Famous For Something Else: John Elway
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Tag Archives: Football
Famous for Something Else: Ricky Williams
Before he played twelve seasons of professional football, Ricky Williams played baseball in the Phillies system, reaching as high as short-season low-A Batavia. Here are his stats from his time on the diamond:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 18 | Martinsville | APPY | Rk | PHI | 36 | 121 | 113 | 19 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 32 | .239 | .289 | .248 | .537 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 19 | Piedmont | SALL | A | PHI | 84 | 288 | 266 | 30 | 50 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 17 | 8 | 18 | 87 | .188 | .245 | .259 | .504 | 69 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1997 | 20 | Piedmont | SALL | A | PHI | 37 | 149 | 136 | 12 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 44 | .206 | .268 | .265 | .533 | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | 21 | Batavia | NYPL | A- | PHI | 13 | 55 | 53 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 16 | .283 | .309 | .283 | .592 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 Seasons | 170 | 613 | 568 | 68 | 120 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 40 | 46 | 17 | 35 | 179 | .211 | .265 | .261 | .526 | 148 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| A (2 seasons) | A | 121 | 437 | 402 | 42 | 78 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 27 | 12 | 27 | 131 | .194 | .253 | .261 | .514 | 105 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Rk (1 season) | Rk | 36 | 121 | 113 | 19 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 32 | .239 | .289 | .248 | .537 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| A- (1 season) | A- | 13 | 55 | 53 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 16 | .283 | .309 | .283 | .592 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
The PED Double Standard
As you all definitely know, baseball was hit by a steroid scandal yesterday.
You may have also heard that such a thing struck the NFL, where news again surfaced that Ray Lewis had used a type of “deer-antler spray” that contained a type of illegal hormone for muscle growth. I say “again” because this actually isn’t news, it had first been reported in 2011.
Of course, you probably never heard that, because use of PEDs in the NFL is usually overlooked, or just dismissed, or, in some cases, openly rewarded. Yesterday, for example, Ray Lewis simply said that he’d “never tested positive” and then that was it. ESPN did cover it, but it was nowhere near the level of what would have happened if, say, the same thing had happened to a MLB player the day before the World Series were to start.
(Also, they don’t test for the PED that Lewis is accused of, since the NFL doesn’t have blood tests, so Lewis’ denial, while technically true, isn’t exactly a declaration of innocence.)
It doesn’t stop there (go below the jump):
Russell Wilson probably made the right decision
Russell Wilson plays for the Seattle Seahawks today, but he once played in the Colorado Rockies organization.
Looking at his career .229 BA, I’d say he probably made the right decision.
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 21 | Tri-City | NORW | A- | COL | 32 | 143 | 122 | 18 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 36 | .230 | .336 | .377 | .713 | 46 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | 22 | Asheville | SALL | A | COL | 61 | 236 | 193 | 40 | 44 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 35 | 82 | .228 | .366 | .342 | .708 | 66 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 Seasons | 93 | 379 | 315 | 58 | 72 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 19 | 8 | 51 | 118 | .229 | .354 | .356 | .710 | 112 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||
Football Continuum: The Seattle Screwjob
Sports has had many blown calls in history: Jeff Maier, Hull in the crease, the 1972 Olympic Basketball mess (I’m still reasonably sure that Doug Collins is forming a Ocean’s Eleven-style team to go steal the gold medals back from the Russians), and, of course, the epic tale of Joyce and Galarraga. But, with the possible exception of the ’72 games, none have been as surreal as what happened last night. Given how Twitter was busy comparing the NFL’s current replacement ref-a-palooza to the WWE, I decided to do some research on pro wrestling to find a inspiration for the name for this incident (thanks internet!). I found my inspiration in something called the Montreal Screwjob, where Vince McMahon intervened in one of his fake wrestling spectacles to ensure that Bret Hart, who had announced he was about to leave for another wrestling company, would not “win” a title at McMahon’s company.
Now, admittedly, there was no vast fake-wrestling conspiracy to take out the Packers last night. Instead, it was just utter incompetence on the part of the replacements, the NFL owners, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. But, c’mon, Seattle Screwjob rolls off the tongue well.
(jump)
Random Non-Baseball-related Video of an Undetermined Amount of Time:
You probably saw this on ESPN. It still needs to be posted, as it is one of the most error-filled sports video… ever.
So, to sum it up: the receiver of the punt muffs it, the Kent State guy grabbed the muff and proceeded to RUN THE WRONG DIRECTION, his teammates BLOCKED FOR HIS SUICIDAL WRONG-WAY RUN, Towson TRIED TO STOP THE SUICIDIAL WRONG-WAY RUN… and, in the end, everything ended up NOT MATTERING because, by rule, a muffed punt is down as soon as the opposing team touches it.
Whoops.
Great Mysteries in Other Sports
Yesterday, I gave some of the great mysteries in baseball. But there are plenty of mysteries beyond the diamond as well. For example:
- Was, as some conspiracy theorists claim, the 1985 NBA Draft lottery fixed so that Patrick Ewing would go to the New York Knicks? (I doubt it, but it’s one of the most talked about sports conspiracy theories of all time, so…)
- The original trophy for Soccer’s World Cup was awarded permanently to Brazil in 1970 after they won the tournament for the third time. In 1983, that trophy was stolen. What happened to it?
- Does the IOC really have the silver medals for the 1972 Basketball Tournament in a vault, waiting for the cold day in hell when the screwed-over USA team accepts them?
- Was Michael Jordan’s baseball stint really a cover story for a gambling suspension? (Again, I doubt it, but since so many people often discuss the possibility…)
- Why doesn’t the NFL give the 1925 Pottsville Maroons their due? It can’t just be because it would injure the pride of the Cardinals, right?
- Jim Robinson was the fourth man to fight to Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) professionally. He has not been contacted or seen since 1979. What happened to him?
- Speaking of Ali, did Sonny Liston throw either of his fights with him to pay off debts he had with organized crime?
- Did Wilt Chamberlain really sleep with 20,000 women? (This has been mathematically debunked, but…)
- Is Jimmy Hoffa buried underneath what was once Giants Stadium (it is now a parking lot for the new stadium)?
Know any other good ones?
The Baseball Continuum 
