Bleacher Report - Articles by Blaine Spence

The San Francisco 49ers All-"No" Team, Pt. 2: The Linemen

Blaine Spence — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:46:32 -0400

Writer's note: This is the second installment of the San Francisco 49ers All “No” Team; the first can be viewed here: The San Francisco 49ers' All-"No" Team, Pt. 1: The Skill Positions.

“To live in this town you must be tough, tough, tough, tough, tough!”

— The Rolling Stones, 1978

Please remember that being bad doesn’t always get you on the team, though it does help. The decision to bring you in, or even to release you, might be the deciding factor for this team.

The Defensive Line

Defensive End: Israel Ifeanyi

The 49ers draft of 1996 was one of anticipation. Having traded their No. 1 pick the previous year for the right to draft wide receiver J.J. Stokes at the No. 10 spot (sound familiar?), the 49ers didn’t have a pick until halfway through the second round.

I remember wondering if ESPN would even get to the pick before they passed the broadcast off to their fledgling sister station—ESPN 2.

The 49ers were in desperate need of pass-rush help after trading Charles Haley to the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and never adequately replacing him.

Who would be the next pass rush specialist in San Francisco?

The name was in: Israel Ifeanyi.

My reaction: “Who the hell is Israel Ifeanyi?”

Judging from Chris Berman’s non-verbal cues as he read the name, his reaction was about the same.

During the press conference, George Seifert seemed genuinely excited to have landed the defensive end from USC. I remember Seifert saying that Ifeanyi had the quickest hands he had ever seen.

Too bad the 49ers were looking for a pass-rush specialist and not a patty-cake champion.

Considered to be a project, the native of Nigeria just never developed. He played in only three games in 1996 and was credited with zero tackles and zero sacks.

In judging the rookie class of 1996, Bob Glauber of The Sporting News provides an excellent segue for my next defensive lineman:

“The 49ers are hoping Ifeanyi doesn't turn into another Todd Kelly. Looks iffy to me.”

Defensive End: Todd Kelly

Todd Kelly cost the 49ers their first round pick (No. 27 overall) in the 1993 draft. He lasted with the team just two seasons before being jettisoned and landing with the Cincinnati Bengals.

In Kelly’s four-year career, he recorded 5.5 sacks, 3.5 of those coming in his banner year with the 49ers, 1994.

The 49ers did atone for Kelly in the 1994 draft, landing probable Hall of Fame player—and all around class act—Bryant Young.

It is just too bad that in rooming with Young, nothing rubbed off on Kelly.

Defensive Tackle: Reggie McGrew

It seems as if the 49ers have had their share of early-round defensive linemen busts, and Reggie McGrew was no exception.

The 49ers selected the defensive tackle out of Florida, with the No. 27 pick overall in the 1999 draft.

McGrew played two seasons for the 49ers and appeared in two games with the Atlanta Falcons in 2002.

Career stats: Two sacks, nine tackles...’nuff said.

Defensive End: Gabe Wilkins

Rounding out the starting defensive line for the All-"No" Team is free agent acquisition Gabe Wilkins.

Wilkins was viewed as the prize defensive free agent during the offseason of 1998.

Wilkins had spent his first four years with the Green Bay Packers and was seen as the next superstar defensive end. In his last year with the Pack, he registered 5.5 sacks, recorded a 77-yard "pick-six," and recovered three fumbles, returning one of them for a score.

A $4.5 million signing bonus seemed like nothing after luring him away from dreaded division rivals, the St. Louis Rams, who reportedly had offered Wilkins more money.

In two seasons with the 49ers, Wilkins played in 24 games and had but one sack.

It seems that in those days, bad knees were included in the signing bonus.

I know, I know, three ends and only one tackle. But you could line these guys up in the 3-4, or some of them could play either position. I’ll let the Stones lend their opinion:

“What does it matter; uh-huh, does it matter, uh-huh…”

Backups

Richard Dent. I can hear it already, but don’t forget Dent only played one season for San Francisco, in 1994, and in that one season, he played in but two games due to injury—although he did get himself a second ring. He threatened to sue the 49ers for back pay, and returned to “Da Bears” the following year.

Charles Haley. The 49ers never seemed to find anyone to replace the formidable pass rusher. To add insult to injury, he goes to the Dallas Cowboys and wins three more rings. The 49ers would “kiss and make up” with Haley, but it was toward the end of his career, and he was not the same player he once was. How did they let this guy go in the first place?

Dwaine Board: In 1988, the 49ers tried to sneak Board through waivers, the New Orleans Saints pounced when they realized what the 49er were attempting, forcing Board to finish his playing career on a former division rival.

The Offensive Line

“Uh-huh, this town is full of money grabbers...”

Tackles: Kwame Harris and Jonas Jennings

A bit of a layup, I know, but how do you leave these two knot-heads off the team?

Harris, a No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft (26th overall) managed to stay with the team for five seasons. But at what cost to the 49ers?

This guy’s false starts are responsible for countless touchdowns being called back.

The man is a hazard to any quarterback when he takes the field; Saran Wrap would offer more protection.

Harris signed a three-year, $16 million contract with the Oakland Raiders and was released after one year.

He remains a free agent...no surprise there.

Then there is the always injured Jonas Jennings. This should be brief.

The “Glass Man” signed a six-year, $36 million contract in 2005, and was released in 2008 after appearing in just three games his first year, a whopping 13 games in 2006, five games in 2007, and a mere two games in 2008.

That averages to close to a million dollars per start if you factor in the guaranteed money and void the last two years of the contract. Nice work if you can get it.

Can a man who stands 6'3" and weighs 335 pounds really be considered fragile?

Apparently so.

Center: Terry Donahue

That isn’t a misprint. The fact is the 49ers have had a pretty good run of centers since the Bill Walsh days. Randy Cross and Fred Quillan both played a little center before Jessie Sapolu took over the duties for the next 13 years. Oh, by the way, he is still one of the most underappreciated players of the “dynasty” years.

Then there was Jeremy Newberry, and now Eric Heitmann is manning the trenches.

So I ask you, as a 49er fan, wouldn’t you just love to see Donahue line up at center and get his ass canned?

Donahue was hired as the 49ers general manager in 2001.

Poor drafts, baffling contracts, and gutting the team to get under the salary cap added up to Donahue’s “getting his ass canned” by team owner John York in 2005.

Can you believe that this guy was the hand-picked successor to Bill Walsh?

Guards: Ron Stone and Anthony Clement

(Note: Had to move Clement to guard.)

This one is a bit of an enigma. In keeping with the Terry Donahue bashing, I just have to ask why you would sign an All-Pro guard off of the salary cap-strapped New York Giants to have him play for your team that has cap problems of its own?

Stone started out a bit slow with the team, but he really got it going and was becoming a force on the O-line.

After not agreeing to a pay cut, Stone was dumped after just two seasons in Donahue’s salary purge that included quarterback Jeff Garcia—need I say more?

Not to 49er fans.

Sometimes it is just better to let other people do your talking for you.

Head coach Mike Nolan on Anthony Clement: “Anthony needs to step up his game.”

A recap of the 2005 New York Giants game from sf49ersgiants.blogsome.com: “Clement was called for two holding penalties last week against the Giants, including a costly one that nullified a spectacular Brandon Lloyd catch that would have placed the ball at the 2-yard line.”

And from the fans:

“He (Kwame Harris) has slow feet, but not as slow as Clements.”—Junior

“The only reason I do not knock Kwame that much is because we had a complete bag on our team by the name of Anthony Clements. I loathe and abhor Clements. He is not even worthy of arena football. Clements, as I have said 100 times, is 10 pounds of ish in a five-pound bag. There will never be anyone worse in a 49ers uni than Anthony Clement.”—Kezar Niner

Can’t you just feel the love?

I will let you decide what “ish” is.

After his one season in San Francisco, Clement was “allowed” to sign with the New York Jets during the offseason.

Backups: Tyrone Hopson, Harry Boatswain, Bubba “I Ate Myself Out of a Job” Paris (1990 only), Tim Hanshaw, and Phil Ostrowski.

“What a mess, this town is in tatters, I’ve been shattered,
My brain's been battered...”

Next up: The Secondary, Linebackers, and Not-So-Special Teams.

Craig Heyward: A Man Called "Ironhead"

Blaine Spence — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:11:13 -0400

Writer’s Note: Craig Heyward would have been 43 on Sept. 26, 2009.

The name “Ironhead” Heyward used to invoke fear into the hearts of NFL defenders. Hell, Heyward used to invoke fear into the hearts of anyone who crossed his path, or him. This is how Len Pasquarelli from ESPN.com described Heyward:

“He was one of the toughest, nastiest SOBs that I have encountered in 28 years of covering the NFL, a man whose menacing scowl could seemingly strip paint from a wall, and who reveled in his own brute physicality and took glee from imposing his strength on others.”

But is that really all Craig “Ironhead” Heyward was about?

There is no doubt that Heyward relished the moniker he had been given at New Jersey’s Passaic High School (the same high school, incidentally, whose halls had been previously haunted by Jack “Call Me Assassin” Tatum).

Whether it was because of his eight-and-three-quarter-inch hat size or his propensity for using his head as a battering ram, it cannot be disputed that Heyward loved to spread the gospel of his "Ironhead."

The 5'11" Heyward played at anywhere from 265-280 pounds, using his girth, power, and agility to overpower defenders while playing for the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt).

Heyward was deceptively fast and once challenged one of the Panthers' wide receivers to a race in the 100-yard dash. Heyward accumulated such a lead that he turned around and ran the last five yards backwards!

For a big man, he could bust a move. One of his less famous nicknames was "The Fred Astaire of Football."

In Pitt’s 1987 opener against BYU, Ironhead rushed for 133 yards, had two receptions for 66 yards, and threw a pass for a 17-yard touchdown, leading the Panthers to a 27-17 victory.

Once, on a screen pass, Heyward sprinted 40 yards down the sideline and leaped over a defensive back in the process. He later said he learned that move from Michael Jordan and labeled himself, "Air Iron."

That first game was an early indicator of what kind of season Heyward would have. He rushed for 1,655 yards, had over 100 yards rushing in every regular season game, earned first-team AP All-America honors, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

For his three-year career at Pitt, Heyward amassed 3,086 yards, good for third on Pitt’s all-time rushing list. He trails only Tony Dorsett (6,082) and Curvin Richards (3,192).

Then in a move which was deemed risky at the time and frowned upon by the NCAA, the NFL, and Pitt head football coach Mike Gottfried, Heyward announced he would not be returning for his senior year and would be declaring, as a junior, for the NFL draft.

At the time, the NFL had an arrangement with the NCAA that stated if a player still had eligibility left (Heyward had red-shirted as a sophomore), the player could not enter the NFL draft.

Gottried sent letters to Tex Schramm, Paul Brown, and Bill Walsh—all members of the competition committee—imploring them to keep Heyward out of the draft.

In the end, the NFL recanted, and both Heyward and Trevor Molini, the former Brigham Young University tight end, were granted eligibility for the NFL.

Letting his weight balloon to well over 300 pounds, Heyward was predicted to be drafted somewhere around the third round in the 1988 draft.

In one of many battles with his weight, Heyward hired a trainer and whipped himself into the best shape of his life and slimmed down to a svelte 250 pounds.

The New Orleans Saints subsequently drafted him as the 24th selection in the first round of the 1988 draft, embarking him on an eleven-year journey in the NFL.

Heyward would spend the first part of his career with the Saints, and then make stops with the Bears, Falcons, Rams, and Colts.

Although he was a decent running back, Heyward would not realize the same success in the NFL as he had in college as a rusher. He did, however, become known as a fierce blocker.

Saints’ president and general manager, Jim Finks, called Heyward the best blocking back in the league.

During an ESPN interview with Pasquarelli, Bobby Herbert, the Saints' quarterback at the time, recalls a game in which Ironhead was used as a lead blocker against Seattle’s Brian Bosworth on six straight plays:

"After about the third time," Hebert said, "Bosworth was crying. Honest. Tears were rolling down his face, because he didn't want Ironhead to hit him anymore. He cried 'Uncle!' for real. Ironhead, he just laughed at him."

But Ironhead’s undoing was his binging, both food and drink. He ballooned to 340 pounds. Then after five years, the Saints let him go, citing his lack of self-control during the offseason.

Heyward knew he was his own worst enemy.

He told Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated:

"I was an idiot. I was all about getting drunk. Man, we'd go out there and drink a case of beer and a couple of bottles of tequila. We'd be out there wilding. Then, at the end of the night, I'd go to one of those all-night places and have four or five of those big Polish sausage sandwiches.

"Get home at 4 or 5 in the morning and still have to be at practice at 8 a.m. I'd be at practice still drunk. I didn't care. I wanted to be the big man."

By the time Heyward landed with the Atlanta Falcons in 1994, he had realized his demons and begun to exorcise them. Not coincidentally, he had his best year with the Falcons in 1995, when he rushed for 1,083 yards.

Ironhead had successfully battled the NCAA, the NFL, his weight, and the bottle. Yet his fiercest battle was yet to be waged.

During his last NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, Ironhead complained of blurred vision.

Doctors discovered a chordoma, a malignant brain tumor, at the base of Ironhead’s brain that was pressing on his optic nerve. After the initial surgery, Ironhead was pronounced cancer-free.

But as happens all too frequently with many types of cancer, the tumor returned. A subsequent operation failed to completely remove it and the tumor eventually entwined itself around Ironhead’s brain stem.

Ironhead suffered a stroke in March of 2005, which sentenced him to a wheel chair and left him partially blind.

On May 27, 2006, at the age of 39, Craig William "Ironhead" Heyward lost his seven-and-a-half year battle with cancer.

If a man is measured by how he faces adversity, then Heyward was truly a man without parallel.

Although he didn’t completely defeat cancer, he never let cancer completely defeat him.

When Ironhead was playing with the Chicago Bears, head coach Dave Wannstedt once fined him over $200,000 for failing to maintain his playing weight.

On Herbert’s final visit to Ironhead, the two discussed their eldest sons, both of whom were being heavily recruited by colleges around the nation for their football programs.

Ironhead’s son Cameron was, in fact, one of the most highly regarded defensive linemen in the country.

When Wannstedt, who was now the head coach at Pitt, phoned Heyward to convince him that his son should play for Craig's alma mater, Heyward replied by telling Wannstedt that if he were to pay back the money he had fined him in 1993, he would see what he could do about getting Cameron to play for Pitt!

Even on his deathbed, Ironhead still had the sharp wit and sense of humor that made him more than just a human wrecking machine.

The people that were closest to Ironhead knew there was more to him than the intimidating, menacing, and fearful persona he projected on the field, and oftentimes off it.

Ironhead was goodhearted and made friends wherever he went with that ever present twinkle in his eyes.

While battling his own cancer, Ironhead spent countless hours visiting children stricken with brain cancer. While around children, the armor that surrounded Ironhead just seemed to melt away.

Fred Kalil, a local NBC sports director, and fellow cancer survivor, often accompanied Ironhead to see the children. He once told Pasquarelli:

"Just once, if you could see Ironhead when he's around those kids..."

Truth be told, “the toughest SOB” loved kids, especially his own three boys.

After Ironhead’s stroke, Cameron transferred from Whitfield Academy, about 35 miles from their home in Atlanta, to a neighboring school, Peachtree Ridge, so his dad could watch him play.

Ironhead could often be seen patrolling the sidelines in his wheelchair rooting on Cameron and his team.

Cameron cared for his dad in those final days. Some of his favorite memories are having dad watch him play and then getting to see one another in the locker room after games.

He, of course, remembers his dad’s famous Zest Body Wash commercial.

But what he remembers most about his dad? That they were best friends.

His only regret is that his father did not get to see him play college ball.

Cameron is now a standout defensive lineman for Ohio State University.

Printed under each eye, in his eye black, are two words, one name—"Iron Head."

Writer's note: Blaine Spence is a supporter of "A Glove of Their Own."

Please visit the site at www.agloveoftheirown.com and purchase the book under today's donor code CVH113 Covenant House Foundation or RWF626 The Roy White Foundation, or any of the over 100 charities listed in the drop down menu, as $3.00 from each book sold will be donated to these wonderful charities, while an additional 30 cents will be used to purchase sporting equipment for underprivileged children.

The Legend That Is Arthur Ashe

Blaine Spence — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:42:11 -0400

It is really a shame that so many people remember Arthur Ashe as “the black tennis player that died from AIDS.”

To say that the man was so much more would simply be an understatement.

Early Life

Most biographies of famous players always seem to start out with where the person was born, who their parents were, etc. That is in large part due to the significance of those facts in shaping a person’s life.

This article is no different.

Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. was born to Arthur Sr. and Mattie Ashe in 1943. The family lived in Richmond, Va., and Ashe’s father’s job as “Superintendent” provided him with a Caretaker’s Cottage in Brook Park, a “blacks only” area that coincidentally included tennis courts.

Arthur Jr. had been playing tennis for about a year when his mother passed away. Mattie had gone into the hospital for a simple surgery and contracted Toxemia—a form of blood poisoning—and died at the age of 27.

Ashe was just six years old.

A similar fate would befall Arthur, many years later.

Ashe was devastated by Mattie’s death. So much so that he could not bring himself to attend her funeral. He plunged himself into his school work and tennis, trying to alleviate the pain and burden of his mother’s passing.

About this same time, Ashe was introduced to the premier black tennis player in the country, a man by the name of Ronald Charity.

With Charity’s coaching in tennis, Ashe’s father’s rearing in morality, and a black school system full of teachers that instructed Arthur to be better despite the inequities of the system, the groundwork was laid for an extraordinary human being.

In Ashe’s own words:

“Everyday we got the same message drummed into us, ‘Despite discrimination and lynch mobs,’ teachers told us, ‘some black folks have always managed to find a way to succeed. Okay, this may not be the best-equipped school; that just means you’re going to have to be a little bit better prepared than white kids and seize any opportunity that comes your way.’”

Finding Tennis

Ronald Charity recognized two things: Ashe’s extraordinary talent and drive, and his own limitations in developing that talent. So Charity passed the reigns to Dr. Walter Johnson, and extraordinary person himself.

Johnson was in a fact a medical doctor, and was the first black physician to be granted practice rights at Lynchburg General Hospital in Virginia in the early 1930s.

At the time of his introduction to Ashe, Johnson was already coaching Althea Gibson, the only African-American participating in world ranked tennis—that is until Ashe arrived.

Ashe continued to excel in his school studies, and his tennis prowess grew rapidly. The difficulty Ashe faced at that time was in finding quality opponents.

In those days, much of the country was still segregated, and Ashe was often times limited to playing only the black tennis players in the area. To find quality opponents, Ashe had to travel around the county.

He quickly started racking up tournament championships and national notoriety—Ashe was even featured in the Dec. 12, 1960, issue of Sports Illustrated feature, 'Faces in the Crowd'.

This was to be the first of two such appearances for Ashe in Sports Illustrated, the second time coming in his second year at UCLA (he was also later named the SI Sportsman of the year and graced the cover of the Dec. 21, 1992 issue).

Shortly after the Sports Illustrated article, Ashe graduated first in his class from Maggie L. Walker High School in Richmond.

Impressed with both his academic and athletic accomplishments, UCLA offered Ashe a full ride scholarship to their school—a school with one of the best tennis programs in the country.

Becoming a Champion

In 1963, Ashe became the first African-American to be named to the U.S. Davis Cup team, a love affair that would last through 1970, and again in the years 1975, 1976, and 1978.

After his retirement from playing tennis, Ashe would captain the team from 1981-1985.

He won the individual NCAA Championship in 1965, and led UCLA to the NCAA team title the same year. He accomplished all of this while still managing to earn high marks in his studies and graduating with a degree in Business Administration in 1966.

Ashe spent the next two years serving in the U.S. Army. He was stationed at West Point, and played tennis for many of his assignments.

One of those assignments was the inaugural U.S. Open. (Although the event has a long and storied history, this was the first year it was known as the “U.S. Open.”)

Ashe won the event, but because of his amateur status received no prize money. That money was awarded to the runner-up, Tom Okker.

Ashe was feted by his fellow troops when he returned to base and entered the chow hall to an unexpected standing ovation.

Ashe remains the only African-American male to have won the United States’ premier tennis tournament.

The second of Ashe’s Grand Slam Singles titles came in 1970, at the Australian Open. Ashe defeated Australian Dick Crealy in straight sets to earn another Grand Slam title. Ashe was the only non-Australian to appear in any of the singles finals.

Perhaps Ashe’s greatest triumph on the tennis court occurred at Wimbledon in 1975.

The defending champion, one Jimmy Connors, had blasted his way to the finals, manhandling everybody in his way. No one gave Ashe a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.

To make matters even more interesting, Connors had just announced a slander suit against Ashe on the eve of the tournament; Connors had already filed similar suits against the Association of Tennis Players, of which Ashe was a founder and current president.

The suits stemmed from remarks Ashe made about Connors’ non-willingness to play on the U.S. Davis Cup team and instead play at other events for prize money.

Ashe took the court wearing his red, white, and blue, Davis cup jacket.

In the first all-American Men’s Single final since 1947; in a stunning upset, Ashe defeated the heavily favored Connors, 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, for Ashe’s third Slam triumph, and in the process laid the blueprint for how to defeat the powerful Connor’s.

Connors managed to win the first game, but it was all Ashe after that. Using “junk” to defeat him, Ashe took 12 of the next 13 games to take full control of the encounter. In the aftermath, Ashe took a not-so-subtle swipe at his vanquished, bitter foe:

“He hardly ever put the ball beyond the baseline—that’s a sign of choking.”

In retrospect, Connors biggest mistake wasn’t suing Ashe. In Ashe’s eyes, Connors’ turning his back on his beloved Davis Cup was tantamount to treason.

The two would later come to some kind of accord as Connors would eventually acquiesce and play on the victorious Ashe led Davis Cup team in 1981, he would again join the team in 1984.

Enter Apartheid

You have to go back to 1969 to find the beginnings of Ashe’s contributions to civil rights. In that year, he was denied entrance into the white-governed (apartheid) South Africa for the South African Open. The country would continually deny his requests for a visa, until 1973.

Ashe would use his denial of admission into the country to get South Africa removed from Davis Cup competition.

Ashe’s popularity, and his stance on Apartheid, made him a perfect fit for the U.S. State Department’s Goodwill Ambassador to Africa. Ashe was sent to several African countries to visit with heads of states, students, and vocal leaders.

It was during one such visit in Cameroon that Ashe discovered the only other black male player to win a Grand Slam event. Ashe sent the young man to France for instruction under the French Tennis Association, and Yannick Noah would go on to win the Men’s Single title at the French Open in 1983.

Finally allowed into the country, he became the first black to play in the Men’s Singles finals of the SAO, he also partnered with the man he defeated in the 1968 U.S. Open, Tom Okker, to win the Men’s Doubles title.

However, his struggle against Apartheid was far from over.

Ashe took part in countless protests and demonstrations against the South African government. In 1985, he was arrested outside the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C., for his part in an anti-Apartheid protest.

After a 22-year battle, Ashe and countless others were rewarded for their efforts. He, along with a very large delegation of other Americans, journeyed to South Africa to personally witness the repeal of Apartheid in 1991.

When Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison after 27 years, he was asked who he would like to meet from the U.S. His answer?—“How about Arthur Ashe?”

The Historian, Educator, and Author

When Ashe was about to enroll in UCLA, his original intention was to major in engineering or architecture, two very demanding fields of study. But he instead settled on the less demanding degree in Business Administration in order to devote more time to his tennis game.

As intelligent as Ashe was, and although he surely would have excelled in either field, he never returned to school to pursue those interests.

He did, however, return as an educator.

In 1983, Ashe took a position with Florida Memorial College to teach a course entitled, “The Black Athlete in Contemporary Society.” Much to his dismay, Ashe could not find a current and viable resource to instruct his class.

Embarking on a six year journey and leading a seven person team, the results of Ashe’s efforts culminated in the three volume set, “A Hard Road to Glory” a tribute to the triumphs and difficulties black athletes have faced and had to overcome.

Ashe also founded the African American Athletic Association, whose mission statement is as follows:

“Acknowledge the contribution, evolution, and success of African American culture to the history of world sports. Encourage racial harmony, respect, self-esteem, universal acceptance and appreciation for all people. Establish services and facilities to guide and support all athletes throughout their youth, amateur, professional and retired careers. Provide role models and mentors for community service learning, work-study and internship.

Administer financial support to the following categories of athletes with verifiable needs:” (various organizations cited)

Tragedy Strikes

Ashe suffered a heart attack in 1979. He would later undergo surgery for quadruple bypass, but continued to suffer chest pain. This forced him to retire from tennis with a record of 818-260, including his three Grand Slams.

He remains the only African-American male to have won any of these Men's Single titles.

Ashe would have to under go a second bypass surgery in 1983. During this operation he received a blood transfusion: the blood Ashe received was infected with human immunodeficiency virus—HIV.

In 1988, this discovery was made. Ashe felt numbness in his hands, and when he sought medical attention, it was discovered the he suffered from what is known as toxoplasmosis, a condition most often found in people with AIDS.

The condition was kept private until 1992, when Ashe announced to the world, he had AIDS.

When asked if having AIDS was the toughest challenge he had ever had to face, Ashe replied:

“No, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with was being a black man in this society…having to live as a minority in America. Even now it feels like an extra weight tied around me.”

In typical Arthur Ashe fashion, in the last months of his life, he founded The Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, as well as the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, an organization designed to improve health care in inner city areas. Ashe would also find the time to write his memoirs, and speak to countless organizations on Aids awareness.

On World AIDS Day he made an appearance before the United Nations General Assembly to implore them to increase AIDS funding and to develop their understanding of the disease and its effects.

His tenacity in the waning days of his life prompted one time rival Jimmy Connors to remark: “He was out doing things, making his point, and taking care of business, right up until the end. I guess the sums up everything he stood for.”

On Feb. 6, 1993, at the age of 49, Arthur Ashe died of AIDS-related complications.

Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, who had presided over the marriage of Ashe and wife Jeanne Moutoussamy back in 1977, delivered the eulogy.

Their daughter, Camera, in an almost cruel twist of irony, was six years old at the time.

In his memoir, “Days of Grace,” Ashe wrote:

“I do not like being the personification of a problem, much less a problem involving a killer disease, but I know I must seize these opportunities to spread the word.”

Writer’s Note

Please visit the tennis community for its unparalleled coverage of the upcoming U.S. Open, which starts on Aug 31. The U.S Open takes place in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, New York, at the USTA’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The 24,000 seat main court is named Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Jesse Owens: One of the Greatest Athletes of All Time

Blaine Spence — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:27:58 -0400

Writer's note: Since joining Bleacher Report a few months back, I have come to the realization that not all of us are going to see eye to eye, and that is a good thing. A little bit of butting heads is going to occur in the comment section at times, which is something I have come to accept, although I am not always crazy about some people’s tact...or lack thereof.

My friend Leroy Watson has had his share of tussles, but before you think that this is an ALWT (Another Leroy Watson Tribute), I can ensure you it is not, nor is it a B/R chatter piece on the dissension (at times) in our community.

It is simply my next article that I am dedicating to my friend.

Why?

Back on July 25, Leroy was the victim of a hate crime. The assailant first attacked him on a comment thread on an article written by Southern Man, and then proceeded to leave vulgarities on Leroy’s bulletin board. I will not repeat what this person said, but suffice it to say, it was some of the most crude, vulgar, and hateful things a person can say to another.

The perpetrator has sinced been removed from B/R.

What did Leroy do to prompt such an attack?

He was born a black man and expressed his opinion.

So, pal, this one is for you!

Perhaps you have heard of Jesse Owens. Back in 1936, he won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, becoming the first American to do so.

Not only did he become the first American to accomplish this feat, he also sent a loud message to Adolph Hitler and his ideology.

Hitler was convinced that the white race (Aryan) was superior to all others. This became all too evident in the horrifying discoveries of concentration camps near the end of the war.

In what sounds almost like a cliché, James Cleveland Owens was born on Sept. 12, 1913 to a poor sharecropping family, the grandson of slaves.

In trying to do what was best for the family, Owens’ parents (Henry and Emma) moved the family from Oakville, Alabama, to Cleveland, Ohio, when Owens was just nine years old.

Two things that would shape Owens’ life occurred from the move to Ohio.

The first being how he arrived at his moniker. As a young boy growing up in the South, everyone simply called James by his first two initials, “J.C.”

Upon his arrival to the Cleveland public school system, his name quickly changed.

Apparently, when one of his teachers asked him what he preferred to be called, Owens replied, “J.C.” His teacher mistakenly thought he had said, “Jesse” and James Cleveland Owens from that day forward became known as Jessie Owens.

The second thing that would forever shape Owens’ life is that he began to run.

Owens was a bit sickly as a child and was diagnosed with asthma. He was encouraged by doctors to run to build up his lung capacity. And run he did!

Owens first achieved national acclaim as a junior high school student.

Owens' talents were first recognized by his physical education teacher, Charles Riley, at Fairmont Junior High in Cleveland.

Under Riley’s tutelage, Owens set two junior high school world records. The first was in the long jump, and the second in the high jump.

Owens achieved his first world record while in high school by running a blistering 9.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash.

At the 1933 National Interscholastic Championships, held in Chicago, Owens won three events in leading his high school to victory.

Later that year, Owens turned down many scholarship offers and instead chose to enroll in Ohio State University and work his way through school as Ohio State, at the time, had no scholarship to offer him.

On May 25, 1935, Owens, in a single day, broke three world records and tied another at a Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

He achieved all this from 3:15 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. that day. Three world records broken in roughly 45 minutes!

Over half a century later, this achievement prompted renowned sportscaster Bob Costas to choose it as one of the best individual sports achievements in history.

One thing that gets lost in the grandeur of Owens's accomplishments is the significance of his world record in the running broad jump (now known simply as the long jump). Owens’ mark of 26', 8-1/4" stood for 25 years, and he made only one attempt!

Not until Ralph Boston started shattering long jump records in 1960 would the world see this mark eclipsed.

Not even Bob Beamon’s freakish jump (29', 2 1/2") at the Mexico City Olympics stood longer than Owens’ mark.

Beamon had bested Boston’s mark by an incredible 2' and 1-3/4", a mark which stood for 23 years until Mike Powell sailed into the books with a leap of 29', 4-3/8".

Then came the 1936 Olympics.

It should be noted that Owens came quite close to not even medaling in one event and not participating in another.

On Aug. 3, Owens beat fellow African-American, Ralph Metcalfe, in the 100-yard dash finals for his first Gold Medal.

On Aug. 4, the running broad jump (now known as the long jump) almost derailed Owens’ quest for Olympic history.

During the preliminaries, Owens fouled twice and was shocked and dismayed when officials counted what he thought was a practice run as an official attempt.

Down to his last jump, one of Owens’s main rivals and German team member, Luz Long, advised Owens to move his takeoff mark back a few inches back to ensure a “safe” jump.

Owens took the advice and advanced to the next round.

Long and Owens both made the finals and on Long’s fifth attempt he matched Owens leading mark of 25', 10".

In his last jump, Owens broke the Olympic record with a leap of 26', 5-1/2".

The first to congratulate him was Long. This is what Owens had to say about that moment:

“It took a lot for courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler. You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn’t be a plating on the 24-karat friendship I felt for Luz Long at that moment. Hitler must have gone crazy watching us embrace. The sad part of the story is I never saw Long again. He was killed in World War II.”

On Aug. 5, Owens set another Olympic record in the 200-meter dash. He bested fellow American Mack Robinson, an older brother of Jackie Robinson.

Owens thought his Olympics had come to an end, as he had finished all three events he had planned on competing in.

However, Owens was asked to compete on the U.S. 4x100 relay team.

Rumor had it the U.S. Olympic Committee had, at the request of the German Olympic Committee, removed Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller from the 4x100 relay team.

Glickman and Stoller were the only two Jews on the entire U.S. track and field team.

It seemed Hitler and the Nazis had had enough of Owens’ antics and didn’t want to be further embarrassed by being bested by the American team with the contributions of the two Jewish-American athletes.

On Aug. 9, Owens garnered his fourth gold medal by running leadoff for the Americans. They set a world-record in a time of 39.8 seconds, a mark that would stand for 20 years.

One myth of the 1936 Games was that Hitler snubbed Owens by refusing to shake his hand.

At the beginning of the games, Hitler had made it a practice to shake the hand of all the winning German athletes.

He was advised to stop this practice because, as host of the Games, he was supposed to remain neutral.

This happened prior to Owens’s participation in the Games, and was not made known to the American media at the time.

When Owens won his first event and a Hitler handshake was not extended, the myth was born. Something even Owens tried to squelch at one point:

“When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad taste in criticizing the man of the hour in Germany.”

Owens later said:

“Although I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President, either."

After his historic Olympics, Owens returned to the U.S. to make good on several endorsement offers.

However, in a bit of a Catch-22, he was stripped of his amateur status when American athletic officials caught wind of his endorsements.

The endorsements disappeared and Owens's athletic career was over.

In the years after the Olympics, Owens found himself having to take anything and everything that came his way to make a living.

He would race against whoever challenged him...giving them huge leads and usually winning.

He even raced against dogs and racehorses to earn a buck.

The first American to win four gold medals in an Olympics became a gas station attendant to feed his family.

To add insult to injury, Owens had to file for bankruptcy and, in 1966, was convicted of tax evasion.

After nearly 30 years of what should have been post-Olympic glory, the tide started to turn for Owens.

Owens became a professional speaker and opened his own public relations firm.

He would lecture to major companies around the world, The International Olympic Committee, and even to our nation’s youth.

President Gerald Ford awarded Owens the Medal of Freedom for his achievements in overcoming race, hatred, and bigotry.

After a lifetime of smoking, Owens succumbed to lung cancer on March 31, 1980.

He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George H. W. Bush in 1990.

In 1983, Jesse Owens was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame.

In closing, I would like to leave you with a final thought from the incomparable Owens:

“The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself—the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us—that's where it's at.”

Writer's note: Track and Field returns to Berlin as the World Championships will be held there this weekend! Be sure to check out Rojo Grande's updates in the Track and Field section. Click here for his latest!

From Unhittable to Homeless: The J.R. Richard Story

Blaine Spence — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:20:11 -0400

The amazing thing about J.R. Richard was that he could throw a baseball hard, really hard. One of Richard’s pitches was once clocked at 98 miles per hour. Oh, did I fail to mention that this particular pitch was his slider? His fastball was regularly gunned in the triple digits, and on more than one occasion reached 103 mph.

Born to parents Clayton and Lizzie back on March 7 in the year of our lord 1950, it didn’t take long for James Rodney Richard to figure out he liked sports. It also didn’t take long for him, and the surrounding communities, to realize he excelled at them.

Basketball and baseball were the two sports that quickly showcased Richard’s physical gifts.

As a pitcher, imagine not losing a single high school game for your career, and not giving up a single run in your senior year. How about hitting four consecutive jacks, and in the same game pitching your team to a 48-0 shellacking of your opponent?

His basketball prowess was such that Richard entertained offers of scholarships from nearly every elite college program in the country. He turned every one of them down flat.

Instead, he would sign an offer from the Houston Astros to play professional baseball.

The Astros were enamored enough with Richard’s high school production, as well as his physical tools (Richard stood 6’8’’ and weighed 220 pounds as a senior in high school), to make him the second overall selection in baseball’s amateur draft held in 1969.

Like many young pitchers, Richard spent the better part of the next two years toiling in the minors. The strikeouts were amassing quickly, but also like many young pitchers, mechanics had to be perfected and control had to be tamed.

Richard made his Major League debut with the Astros on Sept. 6, 1971 at the tender age of 21.

He was asked to take the mound for the second game of a doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants—a team that included Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Bobby Bonds.

All Richard did was strike out 15 Giants, including Willie Mays thrice. He picked up the win, and tied a 17-year-old record for strikeouts in a debut for a starting pitcher.

After Richard’s auspicious debut, he found himself again contending with control problems.

He split time between the major league and the minor league until 1975, when he finally became a fixture of the Astros pitching staff for the next five-and-a-half seasons.

While winning 20 games in 1976, and 18 games in each season from 1977 thorough 1979, Richard became a strikeout machine. Using his blistering fastball and his equally effective slider, he won the single season strikeout title in both 1978 and 1979, ringing up 303 and 313 batters, respectively.

In the 1980 season, Richard was named to his first All-Star Game. Before the break he was just flat-out gas—three straight complete-game shutouts, 10 victories, 110 strikeouts, and an ERA of 1.96.

Soreness in his shoulder and back would limit Richard to only two innings pitched in the All-Star Game however; foreboding of things to come.

As Richard’s complaints of dizziness, blurred vision, and arm “deadness” escalated, so did the zetetic position of the Houston Astros organization, as well as that of the media.

Rumors of a lackadaisical attitude, drug use, and even jealousy of Nolan Ryan began to swirl about.

"You know what gets me, they talk about me faking!" said Richard. "I'd pitched five years in a row without missing a start, and they talking about me faking."

Richard made one start after the All-Star Game, against the Atlanta Braves; he was pulled in the fourth inning after not being able to see his catcher’s signs due to blurred vision.

The Astros responded by placing Richard on the 21-day disabled list.

Richard still questions the indecision on the Astros part.

"Why wasn't I taken to the hospital and diagnosed to see what was really wrong if I'd meant so much to the Houston Astros?"

On July 30, 1980, while tossing a ball around in the outfield prior to a game, Richard collapsed from what would later be identified as a stroke.

Blood flow in the major arteries in the right side of Richard’s neck had been completely restricted. A few hours later, life-saving emergency surgery was performed to restore blood flow to his brain.

To make matters worse, it was later discovered Richard had suffered no less than three strokes; he still suffered from arterial blockages in his right arm. He also was diagnosed with a condition known as arterial thoracic outlet syndrome.

In short, he could start a game feeling fine, but the constriction of blood would eventually cause the arm to numb.

After two years of therapy, another stint in the minors, and an almost complete recovery, Richard was ready to pitch in the majors once again.

However, fate would once again rear its ugly head.

There were complications from the 1980 surgery. By 1983, he was having severe pain in his right calf.

Originally, an artery from the calf had been harvested and placed in his neck. That left a synthetic replacement in his leg. The substitute section of artery had collapsed, necessitating an emergency surgical bypass.

Doctors now advised Richard the risk of further complications were so great, that pitching again was out of the question.

It was also apparent to many that Richard’s physical abilities had diminished.

The Astros released Richard in the spring of 1984, and the downward spiral of J.R. Richard’s life hit overdrive.

Richard lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in bad business investments, was divorced twice, lost his home, and in the winter of 1994, was found living under a Houston freeway underpass.

Enter Reverend Floyd Lewis of the New Testament Church of South Houston.

With Lewis’s help, guidance, and understanding, as well as a deeply rooted faith in God, Richard overcame homelessness and despair.

In time, Richard himself became a minister in the church. He and Lewis now spend countless hours helping the homeless and mentoring the area’s youth that need a guiding hand.

Richard is also involved in raising funds to help establish youth baseball leagues around the city of Houston. He firmly believes if kids are playing baseball, they won’t be joining gangs.

Of his many accomplishments, one of them he is most proud of is his membership in the exclusive club known as, “The 12 Black Aces."

The group is comprised of the 12 African-American pitchers that have achieved 20 or more victories in a single season.

Others in the group include Don Newcombe, Bob Gibson, Vida Blue, and the founder of the group, James Timothy "Mudcat" Grant.

After all the man has been through, he does not dwell on the bad things that have befallen him.

"That's hindsight, and that doesn't do any good to sit here and dwell on what could (have) been," said Richard. "It's part of my past, and I'm trying to go further in life. I try to leave that alone and look at what's in front of me."

This philosophy is the foundation of his message when he serves as a motivational speaker around the country.

With that said, he still firmly believes if his career wasn’t cut short, he would be the all-time strikeout leader.

With 1,493 in his shortened career, who can blame him?

Another version of the can be viewed at Heremystory.com

Sport's Oddest Traditions Explained

Blaine Spence — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:30:18 -0400

I am really not much of a lists kind of guy. I mean reading a list is sometimes as exciting as reading the phone book. David Wallechinsky, his father, Irving Wallace, and sister, Amy Wallace published the first “Book of Lists” back in 1977 and the rest is list history. Many bleacher report writers have adopted this list format. We have top ten lists, bottom ten lists, the best players to not do this …, the worst players to do this…, My favorite lists, you get the idea. Even the sample for the slide title is "The 10 Best Basketball Shoes of All Time". Quite frankly after “Chuck Taylor” and “Air Jordan”, I would be done. I know many readers enjoy these articles, and I’m not saying I don’t on occasion. It is just that sometimes they leave me wanting more. I’m just inquisitive by nature and as Albert Popwell said to “Dirty Harry” Callahan in 1971, “I gots to know.” What really got me started thinking about this was a list I read recently on strange sports traditions. Throwing octopi on the ice at a hockey game is strange indeed, but what started this peculiar tradition?

Begin Slideshow

The San Francisco 49ers' All-"No" Team, Pt. 1: Skill Positions

Blaine Spence — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:14:12 -0400

“There'll be no parade, no TV or stage...You don't have to be a star, baby, to be in my show.”

—Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., 1976

Introduction

During the recent CBSSports.com contest I have witnessed some great articles recounting the 49ers glory years. I’ve seen articles describing the author’s favorite 49er team, articles comparing Steve Young to Joe Montana, and articles re-living “The Catch” and “The Stop.” Ah...those were the days!

You won’t find that here.

I have decided to assemble a 49er team based on some of the worst decisions in the last 30 years or so of the team’s history.

So as you’re reading, please keep this in mind. Being bad doesn’t always get you on the team, though it does help. The decision to bring you in, or even to release you, might be the deciding factor for this team.

So, without further ado, and foregoing hours of intense research (I went with the more reliable “cringe factor”), I give you the San Francisco 49ers’ All-"No" Team!

Grab your Maalox and barf bags and get ready to re-live some of the most painful and mind boggling decisions in 49er history.

“...Stupid is, as stupid does”

—Forest Gump, 1994

Quarterback: Jim Druckenmiller

In 1997, Jim Druckenmiller came out of Virginia Tech as a highly touted prospect at quarterback along with Arizona State’s Jake Plummer.

Druckenmiller sent a video of himself working out, displaying great feats of strength (including one of him pulling a station wagon around the Virginia Tech campus), to all of the NFL teams that might be interested in drafting him. It should be noted here that Druckenmiller was well known for working out side by side with his fellow Hokie linemen.

The Niners selected Druckenmiller with the 26th selection of the first round.

Following two years of play, after Druckenmiller couldn’t move up the depth chart and hadn’t thrown a pass, the man who selected him, Dwight Clark, labeled him an immature 26-year-old, and Plummer had his team, the Arizona Cardinals, in the playoffs for the first time in 26 years.

Safely in Cleveland, Clark pointed his finger at Walsh for the pick, claiming Walsh had told him Druckenmiller had more potential than Plummer. Walsh denied ever saying anything of the sort.

What we do know is this: the 49ers had asked Bill Walsh to breakdown several quarterback prospects in the 1997 draft.

Walsh made several very public comparisons of Plummer to Joe Montana.

I have seen no evidence that he ever made a breakdown of Druckenmiller.

Did Vinny Cerrato, Dwight Clark, and Carmen Policy want to escape Walsh’s shadow?

Was the 49er brain trust (term used loosely here) enamored by Druckenmiller’s video?

I defer to Forest here.

There are plenty of backups for QB position on the All-"No" Team.

Here are just a few: Steve Stenstrom, Ken Dorsey, Gio Carmazzi, please feel free to add your own!

“You've given me, given me
nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams”

—Johnny Hates Jazz, 1990

Wideouts and Tight End: Renaldo Nehemiah, JJ Stokes, Adrian Cooper

Renaldo Nehemiah dominated the 110-meter hurdles for a dozen years prior to signing with the 49ers in 1982. He smashed several world records and lowered them multiple times. He posted victories at the Pan-American Games as well as the World Cup.

However, due to the boycott in 1980, “Skeets” was denied a shot at Olympic glory.

But the man couldn’t play football at the NFL level. In his three-year career, Nehemiah was mostly used as a decoy, drawing coverage deep and often times drawing double coverage. But how long can you make a career out of that until other teams wise up? About three seasons I guess.

“Skeets” did get a Super Bowl ring in ’94, but played a minuscule part.

I would have to say though, that this did not turn out to be one of Bill Walsh’s brighter innovations—should have held out for Willie Gault, Bill!

In 1995 the 49ers were looking for the heir apparent to Jerry Rice. Their man was none other than JJ Stokes. In a scenario eerily familiar to this year’s Michael Crabtree selection, but at a much higher price, Stokes was sitting pretty at number ten in that year’s draft.

The 49ers gave up their first pick (the 30th overall), their third (94th), a fourth (119th) and their No. 1 pick in 1996 to move up to nab Stokes.

”We had to pay a price,” coach George Seifert said. You can say that again, George.

After eight years of dropped balls, a broken hand, much pouting [“Steve (Young) never threw me the ball enough; Jeff (Garcia) never threw me the ball enough; they could have thrown more balls my way”] and a Bill Romanowski phlegm-wad to the face, the 49ers released Stokes.

One thing that did occur to me while writing this though: perhaps the reason so many “diva” receivers drop balls is that they are afraid to break a nail. A mani-pedi can be quite expensive.

Some of you may be a bit surprised by the absence of a certain receiver named “T.O.” on the All No Team. But quite frankly, I rather enjoyed T.O. while he was with the 49ers. He was after all, instrumental in the team finally beating our nemesis, the Brett Favre-led Packers, in the playoffs in 1999. And the spike on the Cowboy’s star—priceless!

But since the 49ers basically got nothing for trading him, I suppose those negations do merit an honorable mention.

Claiming that Owens’s agent had missed a deadline to void the last year of T.O.’s contract, the 49ers had a deal in place with the Baltimore Ravens for a second round pick in the 2004 draft. Owens, wanting out of San Francisco, wanted to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before an arbitrator could sort the whole mess out, the three teams reached a deal.

The Raven’s would get their second round pick back. The Eagles would get Owens. The 49ers would receive a conditional fifth round pick and oft-injured defensive end Brandon Whiting from the Eagles.

Whiting played in five games for the 49ers in 2004 before he was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL. He failed his physical the following year and the 49ers terminated his contract.

Backups: Darrell Jackson, Rashaun Woods, Derrick Hamilton.

I remember being all pumped about the signing of Adrian Cooper. The 49ers gave him big money so he had to be good, right? No. 49 finally hit the field in the 11th game of 1996. He finished the season with just six games played, and one reception for 11 yards. Now that is a crime.

Speaking of crime, Cooper was remanded to federal prison in 2006 for bilking his customers out of more than a million dollars while serving as a stock broker.

What a great segue into the running backs!

“This here’s a story about Billy Joe and Bobbie Sue...
go on take the money and run...”

—Steve Miller, 1976

Running Backs: Lawrence Phillips and Johnny Johnson

On the heels of Garrison Hearst’s devastating ankle injury in the 1998 playoffs against the Atlanta Falcons, the 49ers found themselves with a dearth of talent entering the 1999 season. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

The 49ers signed Lawrence Phillips, hoping he could put his troubles behind him.

Fat chance.

In a nationally televised game against the Arizona Cardinals, Phillips whiffed on his assignment to pick up the corner blitz. The hard charging Aeneas Williams delivered a clean hit on Quarter back Steve Young, which resulted in a severe concussion, and ultimately the end of Young’s career.

Shortly after, Phillips was released from the team for missing a practice.

We know what Phillips really missed.

Phillips is currently serving a 10-year sentence in a California State prison for assault with a deadly weapon. It seems Phillips got into an argument with three teenagers following a pick-up football game in Los Angeles. Phillips must have lost some of his old moves as he decided to use his car to run over the three youths.

I was going to call Phillips a pile of human garbage here; however, I realized calling him human was going too far.

Perhaps Phillips and Cooper could become pen pals.

I would bet that some of you are asking how Johnny Johnson can be on the team, as he never even played for the 49ers. Let me explain.

In 1996, the 49ers went hard after transition free agent Rodney Hampton of the New York Giants. Carmen Policy devised an offer that was structured in such a way that it would be almost impossible for the Giants to match.

Policy even publicly stated that Hampton was committed to the team and that he had his heart set on heading out west.

The Giants re-signed Hampton, the ‘Niners were left with egg on their face, and their desperation for a running back hit critical mass.

Johnny Johnson is a bit of an enigma to say the least. Johnson earned Pro-Bowl honors in his first season with the Phoenix Cardinals. After three solid seasons, the Cardinals traded him to the New York Jets to move up one spot and the right to draft Garrison Hearst in the 1993 draft.

Johnson earned MVP honors from his teammates on the Jets in 1993 and led the team in both rushing and receiving. The Jets released Johnson following the 1994 season, in what was described as a salary cap move.

After having not played in 1995, the 49ers signed Johnson to a two-year deal for three million dollars that included a guaranteed signing bonus of $500,000.

"He's got himself in the type of condition and mental frame of mind that I think he's really going to contribute to our club," Seifert said at the time.

Citing a chronic back condition, Johnson never made a practice and was released prior to the start of the regular season.

Queue Steve Miller.

Backups: Amp Lee, Dexter Carter, “Touchdown Tommy” Vardell, Travis Jervey.

Coming soon: The offensive line and the defense!

I am feeling some Stones coming on...shadobie!

Outreach of Hope: The Dave Dravecky Story

Blaine Spence — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:08:41 -0400

Writer's Note: This Story is dedicated to Josiah Herring, the four-year-old grandson of Bleacher Report writer Gray Ghost, who earlier this year lost his battle with cancer.

"As time passes, my story fades away."

—Dave Dravecky

Dave Dravecky made his major-league debut with the San Diego Padres on June 15, 1982.

The left-handed Dravecky pitched 105 innings his rookie year, posting an ERA of 2.57.

In Dravecky’s sophomore year, he was named to Major League Baseball’s All-Star game and pitched two scoreless innings while striking out George Brett and Fred Lynn.

In over 25 innings of post season play, Dravecky was used both as a relief pitcher and as a starter. As a relief pitcher in the 1984 World Series for the Padres, Dravecky was flawless, allowing no earned runs in either the NLCS or the World Series, which the Padres eventually lost in five games to the Detroit Tigers.

Dravecky started two games in the 1987 National League Championship Series for the San Francisco Giants. Throwing a complete game, he beat John Tudor of the St. Louis Cardinals in a 5-0 victory in Game Two. Tudor, however, took the rematch in Game Six in a 1-0 heart breaker. St. Louis would defeat the Giants in Game Seven and advance to the World Series.

Dravecky gave up only one run against the Cards in postseason play, earning him a miniscule post-season ERA of 0.38.

In an eight-year career, Dravecky went 64-57, posting an ERA of 3.13. Appearing in 226 games, he stuck out 558 batters.

Not Hall of Fame numbers, but respectable.

However, it is not his baseball career that Dravecky should be remembered for. It is his incredible courage and amazing victory over cancer.

After being traded to the Giants in 1987, Dravecky pitched an opening day shut-out to kick off the 1988 season. However, it was shortly after that victory that Dravecky noticed something was not right with his pitching arm. The Giant’s placed Dravecky on the disabled list citing stiffness in his left shoulder.

In a subsequent exam, doctor’s found in a lump in Dravecky’s pitching arm, but assured him it was harmless. Suspicious of the diagnosis, Dravecky and his wife Jan returned home to Ohio for more tests.

While sitting in a waiting room, Dave and Jan overheard doctor’s discussing his case in an adjacent office. The finding: a malignant desmoid tumor. Not the best way to find out that you have cancer, not that there is one.

Desmoid tumors develop in fibrous tissue surrounding muscles and other organs. Dravecky’s was located in the deltoid portion of his left shoulder. To save his arm, and his life, it had to be removed.

On the anniversary of their wedding, Oct. 7, 1988, doctors removed the cancerous growth. They also removed most of Dravecky’s deltoid muscle. In an attempt to eradicate all of the cancer cells in Dravecky’s arm, surgeons froze his humerous bone, leaving it fragile. Dravecky was told his pitching days were over.

Dravecky began a furious rehabilitation effort, which resulted in his much-publicized return to the majors on Aug. 10, 1989, against the Cincinnati Reds.

The game was played at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, and Dravecky did not disappoint.

Receiving standing ovation after standing ovation, Dravecky pitched eight stellar innings and beat the Reds in front of a packed house, 4-3.

The classy Dravecky would give much of the credit to the man he wanted behind the plate, catcher Terry Kennedy. This is what Dravecky had to say about that game:

“It was the most amazing, fun time I ever had playing baseball. I was able to throw the sinker and slider to spots, and that's how I pitch when I'm on. Terry Kennedy and his knowing how I worked was a big reason for my success that day.”

The comeback, however, would be short lived.

Five days later, in Montreal Stadium, Dravecky’s career would end.

Dravecky went the first three innings by holding the Expos hitless. He chose to ignore the sensation in his arm, as well as his doctor’s advice to stop pitching if he felt anything in the arm.

In the top of the sixth, Dravecky gave up a leadoff home run to Damaso Garcia.

He then hit Andres Galarraga with a pitch and Galarraga advanced to first base. Galarraga would himself be diagnosed with cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, 10 years later.

Tim Raines then stepped up to the plate.

In Dravecky’s own words, this is what transpired:

“I concentrated on Raines and threw a pitch. You could hear the popping noise of my arm breaking all over the stadium. I never felt that kind of pain in my life. It felt like my arm was coming off.”

Later that year, the Giants beat the Chicago Cubs in the National League playoffs, and in the obligatory pile-up at the end of the deciding game, Dravecky’s arm was broken again.

Upon examination of the ensuing X-rays, doctors discovered that the cancer had returned.

After several surgeries, and both internal and external radiation treatments, doctors finally conceded the inevitable and on June 18, 1991; they amputated Dravecky’s left shoulder and arm.

As you can imagine, both Dravecky and his wife struggled with the sobering realization that life would never be the same for either of them.

But where one story ends, another begins.

I have shared with you how Dravecky felt on that horrible day in Montreal, but what he kept thinking of was something his friend, teammate, and fellow pitcher, Bob Knepper, had told him earlier:

“God has provided a platform through baseball for you to share his love for those who hurt.”

Dravecky kept going back to this statement turning it over and over in his mind. He had an idea what it meant, but at first he wanted nothing to do with it.

Relying on their faith, Dave and Jan persevered. To help others would now be their main focus in life.

The first of Dravecky’s two motivational books about his experience, Comeback, was published in 1990, co-authored by his wife Jan and Ken Gire. When You Can’t Come Back was published two years later.

Comeback was republished as a children’s book in 1992.

In 2004, Dravecky penned a motivational Christian book entitled, Called Up.

Dravecky has been serving as a motivational speaker for the last several years and operates two Web sites. The first, DaveDravecky.com, bears this quote:

“Do not deny the impact your life can have on others.”

The second of the two is Outreach of Hope. Its mission, as stated on the home page, is hope, “Hope for those that hurt.”

I implore you to not let Dravecky’s story be forgotten. He is a true hero and a testament to the human spirit, turning his tragedy into so much hope and help for so many others.

Please remember Josisah Herring (Gray Ghost’s four year old Grandson who lost his fight with cancer earlier this year).

From Zander Freud:

“I also ask that you consider donating to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who made Josiah's final days truly special. In Gray Ghost's words:

[The Make-A-Wish Fund] picked Josiah's family up at their house, drove them to the airport, flew them to Orlando, gave them a rental car, provided all tickets for Disney World, put them in a $645 a night Disney hotel room, gave them food, passes to the front of the lines, set up breakfast with Disney characters—and treated them like they were the most special people in the world.

When Josiah lapsed into his coma on his 5th day there, they did everything they could to help, and after a week in the hospital there in Orlando, they flew the little guy home in an air ambulance so that the family could be in familiar surroundings. We will never forget what they did for him.

Charities like this that help families in need cannot exist without our support—to donate, please visit their site and make sure that the contribution is in honor of Josiah Herring.”

Please remember, we are not asking for donations of $100, $50, or even $20. We are only asking for what you can afford. Can you afford $1? Think what is possible if everyone that reads a b/r article today donated $1, and then the next day, and so on.

Thank you.

Please feel free to edit this list if you would like to honor anyone you know who has battled cancer.

Please join me in your hearts while we honor the following Bleacher Report writers who have had family members and friends stricken by cancer:

Gray Ghost: Grandson Josiah

Brian Clothier: Grandmother and uncle

Cameon Shiflett: “...cancer has hit my family so hard.” (link to Cameon’s article below)

Patti Rodisch: Grandmother

Nick Signorelli: Father

Jeff Hubbard: "I'm guessing cancer cheated. I never saw Paul lose before." (link to Jeff’s tribute to Paul below)

Cassnadra Adkins: Herself a two-time cancer survivor and huge Cubs fan!

Ethel Lair: “Many lost to cancer, but many more healed!”

Tyler Spence: Grandfather Tex

Kara Martin: “I've experienced personal loss due to cancer in my own family”

Tim Coughlin: Father—prostate cancer survivor

Nick Colon: Mother—three-time cancer survivor

Craig Brown: Mother battling metastatic terminal lung cancer

Cecelia Tameta: “I have some family members who got afflicted by this deadly disease”

Patrick Mauro: “I found out today that a friend has breast cancer”

Hazen Vennard: “I have 2 friends with their mothers diagnosed with breast cancer and my neighbor up at college was diagnosed with testicular cancer.”

B Brand: “I lost my mother to cancer six years ago...Have an aunt who has beaten both breast cancer and colon cancer.”

Richard Marsh: Mother

Mark Smith: Grandmother-multiple survivor.

Jamie Ward: "I lost two grandads to cancer, one in march and one a couple of years ago, also my g/f had breast cancer 8 months ago but caught it early luckily"

Mary Jo Buchanan: "I lost my sister-in-law Shelly Bombardo after a three year battle of breast cancer at the age of 43."

Doug Rush: Father

For other articles on this topic, check out the links below:

The Relay for Life: From Bill Walsh to Bleacher Report , from Tragedy to Hope

Please Donate To THe Josiah Herring Memorial Fund

Zander’s tribute to Gray Ghost and Josiah: Mourning a Loss in the B/R Family

Jeff's tribute to his brother Paul: Why Sports Really Matters

Cameon's article: A Life or Death Situation: How Far Would Your Rivalry Go?

Doug Rush's article: Gone But Never Forgotten A Tribute To My Late Father

Author's note: You can contact the American Cancer Society at:

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp

or phone: 1-800-ACS-2345

The Relay for Life: From Bill Walsh to Bleacher Report, from Tragedy to Hope

Blaine Spence — Sat, 23 May 2009 14:52:43 -0400

When Bill Walsh passed away at 75 back in 2007 following a prolonged battle with leukemia, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell didn't hesitate to issue a statement in tribute of the legendary architect of the five-time Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers.

"His coaching accomplishments speak for themselves, but the essence of Bill Walsh was he was an extraordinary teacher," Goodell said. "If you gave him a blackboard and a piece of chalk, he would become a whirlwind of wisdom. He revolutionized the game with his offense and will always be remembered as one of the most influential people in NFL history."

For 21 years (1977-1997) Bob McKittrick coached the San Francisco 49ers offensive line. McKittrick was known for his preference of smaller, more athletic linemen. His success with these smaller offensive lines is an oft-overlooked component of the Niners' decade of dominance.

McKittrick lost his battle with cholangiocarcinoma, cancer of the bile ducts, in 2000 at the age of 64.

In 1987, the San Francisco Giants signed a pitcher named Dave Dravecky. A cancerous desmoid tumor was found in his pitching arm in 1988. Dravecky had surgery to remove the cancer in his arm—in an attempt to eradicate all of the cancerous cells, his humorous bone was frozen.

Dravecky returned to pitch for the Giants in 1989. To the horror of a watching nation, Dravecky’s arm snapped as he delivered the ball to Tim Raines of the Montreal Expos.

The Giants went on to win the National League Championship that year, and in the postseason celebration, Dravecky’s arm was broken a second time. Upon examination of the subsequent X-rays, doctors discovered that the cancer had returned.

After several more surgeries, doctors amputated Dravecky’s left shoulder and arm.

In 1999, Joe Torre, the manager of the New York Yankees, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The cancer was caught early and treatment was described as "routine" and "successful."

Torre’s cancer was detected during the team’s annual physicals. The test that detected the cancer was only added to the check-ups after Darryl Strawberry was diagnosed with colon cancer the previous year.

On May 20, 2009, four-year-old Josiah Herring lost his battle with brain cancer. Herring was the grandson of Bleacher Report writer Dean Herring. Herring is known around these parts as the Gray Ghost.

For more on Josiah’s and Dean’s story, please see Zander’s tribute.

Cancer is horrible and inescapable.

If you don’t already know somebody in your life that has fought cancer, you will. It can be in your personal life, or in your sporting life. Again, it is an inescapable fact.

In just the last two years alone, the store I work for, Macy’s, has lost two of our own to cancer. As I write this, there are two others who are battling cancer.

But there is hope.

Lance Armstrong successfully battled testicular cancer and came back to win a record seven Tour de France titles.

In 1999, running back LeShon Johnson made a successful return from lymphoma to start for the New York Giants.

Andres Galarraga. Mike Lowell. Phil Kessel. Jason Blake. Jon Lester. All of them overcame cancer to play again and live normal lives.

So this is where you come in.

The Relay for Life raises money for the American Cancer Society. Ours in Redding, Calif., is May 30, and I will be captaining a team.

To find a Relay event in your area click here and enter your zip code. If there is not an event in your area and you would still like to donate, please feel free to use zip code 96001 and donate to the Macy’s Stars!

What the Relay for Life Is Not

It is not a walk-a-thon, or run-a-thon. You don’t get pledges per mile or lap. You do not have to stay for the entire 24-hour period, unless you want to.

What the Relay for Life Is

It is a 24-hour event consisting of multiple teams. The teams raise money. The objective is to keep at least one member of your team on the track for the entire event. There is entertainment, food, and sports. There is a very moving candlelight/luminaria ceremony that honors cancer survivors and victims, but, most importantly, there is hope.

Please join me.

For other artilces on this topic check out the links below:

Read Cameon's article: A Life or Death Situation: How Far Would Your Rivalry Go? Here

Read Jeff's article: Why Sports Really Matters Here

Author's note: You can contact the American Cancer Society at:

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp

or phone 1-800-ACS-2345

The New York Yankees' Forgotten Bullpen

Blaine Spence — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:25:09 -0400

While reading a recent Bleacher Report article, “Oops! The New York Yankees Forgot to Bolster Their Bullpen” by Travis Miller, I couldn’t help but recall the Yankees’ last four World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

It is easy remember the heroics of Scot Brosius, Chad Curtis, Jim Leyritz and Derek Jeter. Who can forget the pitching of David Cone, “El Duque”, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte? Do you remember the bullpen?

Born in Australia, the 6’7” Graeme Lloyd pitched for the Yankees from 1996-1998. Used primarily against left-handed batters, he allowed only two hits, and never allowed a single run in postseason play.

Although John Wetteland was awarded series MVP in 1996 against the Atlanta Braves, it was Lloyd that got some of the biggest outs against the likes of Fred McGriff and Ryan Klesko.

Lloyd’s career year in 1998, when he posted an ERA of 1.67, proved to be his undoing with the Yankees. The Toronto Blue Jays demanded that Lloyd be included in a trade with David Wells for Roger Clemens.

Lloyd now resides in his native country of Australia where he most recently served as bullpen coach for the Australian World Baseball Classic team. Lloyd also won a silver medal, playing for Australia in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Some of you might remember Lloyd’s MLB commercial that showcased baseball’s flavor by using players from around the globe singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Lloyd’s part was, "root-root-root for the home team." I am sure Major League Baseball didn’t realize that “root” is Australian for...well, let’s just say procreation.

As opposed to Lloyd, Jeff Nelson was more effective against right-handed batters. He used a three-quarters sidearm delivery for his nasty slider and his cut 90 mph fastball.

Nellie, as he was affectionately called, served two stints with the Yankees: from 1996-2000, and again in 2003. His best pitching may have been against the Padres in the 1998 World Series. He pitched in three of the four games and finished with an ERA of 0.00, striking out former Yankees hero, Jim Leyritz in Game One.

Nelson also posted a perfect ERA from 1996-2000 in Division play, as well as the 1998 and 1999 World Series.

Can you imagine how Baltimore’s Armando Benitez must have felt in that brawl in 1998 when he drilled Tino Martinez? First, he took a shot from Graeme Lloyd, then he had to fend off Darryl Strawberry, and then here comes the 6’8’’ 235 pound Nelson charging in from the bench!

Usually, entrance songs are reserved for the closer. However, Mike Stanton was no ordinary set up man. Stanton entered games to the guitar riffs of Aldo Nova’s “Fantasy” or to the equally hard driving “Enter Sandman” by Metallica.

The latter was used in save situations and is an overt symbol of respect to his former teammate, Mariano Rivera, who he set up during the World Series years.

Stanton’s philosophy is not complex:

“It’s a pretty simple game. You make good pitches, you get people out. If you don’t, you get hit.”

The left-handed specialist hurled for the Yankees from 1997-2002 and again in 2005. In the three divisional series the Yanks played in from 1997-2001, Stanton allowed only one run in 10 innings of work. He also picked up two wins along the way.

Although Stanton did get hit on occasion, most notably the 2001 ALCS, he usually came up big when the pressure was on. He faced 13 batters in the 1998 ALCS, allowing only two hits, no runs, and striking out four.

In the 2000 World Series, Stanton picked up two wins. He was perfect again, facing 13 batters; he struck out seven and did not allow a single hit or run.

Stanton is second all time in appearances for major league pitchers (1178). Only rubber-armed Jesse Orosco has more (1250).

Like Nelson and Stanton, Ramiro Mendoza also served two tours of duty with New York (1996-2002, 2005). Interestingly, the Panamanian-born Mendoza is the only player in the last 75 years to win a World Series ring with both the New York Yankees (1998–2000) and the Boston Red Sox (2004).

In the 1998 ALCS against Cleveland, Mendoza faced 17 batters over 4.1 innings. He yielded only four hits and allowed not a single Indian to score.

Although Mendoza gave up one run in game three of the World Series that year against the Padres, he managed to pitch well enough to pick up David Cone, who had gone five scoreless innings before running into trouble in the sixth, while earning Mendoza a World Series win.

The following year in the ALCS, Mendoza was equally effective against the Red Sox, posting an ERA of 0.00, while earning a save in Game Five.

The Yankees World Series victory in 1996 was their first championship in 18 years. Not coincidentally, it was a career year for John Wetteland.

Wetteland saved an American League-high 43 games that year for the Yankees. He was also selected to the MLB All-Star Game and was named the coveted “Rolaids Relief Man.”

Wetteland saved all four of the Yankees win in that World Series against the Braves, earning him World Series MVP. He made it interesting in Game Four, however.

Staked to a slim two run lead, Wetteland started off the top of the ninth by striking out Andruw Jones. He then gave up consecutive singles to Ryan Klesko and Terry Pendleton, before striking out Luis Polonia swinging.

With the Braves down to their last World Series hope, leadoff man Marquis Grissom delivered a ball into right field that drove in Klesko to score.

Rafael Belliard, pinch running for Pendleton, was now in scoring position at second base. Wetteland then induced Mark Lemke into a harmless pop fly that third baseman Charlie Hayes caught for out No. 3, postseason save No. 7 for Wetteland that year, and World Series No. 23 for the world’s most storied professional franchise.

Wetteland was famous for his “lucky” cap. He wore it for the entire 1996 season, even foregoing the new caps that were designed with logos for the World Series—he had the logo sewn on to his sweat and dirt stained hat.

When the Hall of Fame asked for it, he politely declined as he had promised it to one of the neighborhood kids, a ritual he repeated for every season of his big league career.

With the emergence of Mariano Rivera, the Yankees declined to re-sign Wetteland and he signed with the Texas Rangers the following year (1997), where he played out his career.

Wetteland is now the bullpen coach for the Seattle Mariners.

The only remaining link to those great bullpens is Mariano Rivera. Like Mendoza, Rivera is a native of Panama. Also like Mendoza, “Mo” joined the Yankees’ bullpen full-time in 1996 after an unsuccessful rookie campaign as a starter in '95.

Rivera’s brilliant postseason play has been well documented. His achievements throughout his career are too numerous to list here.

However, it just might be that one of Rivera’s few early career failures is what made him the pitcher that he has become.

Rivera blew a save in Game Four against the Cleveland Indians in the 1997 ALCS. With only four outs standing in the Yankees’ way, Sandy Alomar Jr.’s blast off of Rivera tied the game.

The Indians went on to the win that contest and eventually eliminated the Yankees—denying them a shot at a World Series repeat.

Many young pitchers may not have been able to come back from such a devastating failure.

So dismayed were the Yankees that they reportedly offered to include Rivera in a trade to the Seattle Mariners for Randy Johnson. Lucky for the Yankees, the Mariners turned them down.

Accolades aside, Rivera is more than just a phenomenal pitcher. This is what Joe Torre had to say about him:

“He’s the best I’ve ever been around. Not only the ability to pitch and perform under pressure, but the calm he puts over the clubhouse. He’s very important for us because he’s a special person.”

A lot of people point to Jim Leyritz’s home run against the Braves in Game Three of the 1996 World Series as the turning point for the Yankees' fortunes.

I say if it wasn’t for the shut-down pitching of Mariano Rivera, Graeme Lloyd, and John Wetteland, Leyritz’s homer would have been a moot point in Yankee lore.

Yes, the Yankees bullpen has been struggling this year, but I leave you with these words of wisdom from Mike Stanton:

“There has never been a bullpen—never been a pitcher—that has gone through a season and not struggled at some point. The sign of a good reliever is to be able to put that behind you and move forward.”

The San Francisco 49ers and "The Potentials"

Blaine Spence — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:16:27 -0400

Every April we have a car show here in Redding called "Kool April Nights." Each year the company I work for hosts a "Show and Shine," and this year I received the pleasure of cooking tri-tip, judging classic cars, and listening to some pretty good old tunes by a local group known as "The Potentials."

I couldn’t quite put my finger on in it, but in the back of my brain I knew I had seen that word quite a bit recently—potential. Then it dawned on me; potential is the word that has been used in a plethora of recent articles in reference to a number of players on my favorite football team, the San Francisco 49ers.

Some would say the 49ers' roster is dearth of talent. I am among those that think the 'Niners' roster is not as far off from being a respectable football as others would have you think. There are three reasons that have kept this team, and some if its players, from reaching their potential: Mike Nolan, injuries, and flat-out underperformance.

I just don’t understand why a coach would sign free agents and draft picks and then not play them. The 49ers lost to Baltimore a couple of years ago, 9-7. After the game, defensive coordinator Rex Ryan (now the New York Jets head coach) asked Nolan why he didn’t play Ashley Lelie, he then informed Nolan that if he had played Lelie, the Ravens defense would have double-teamed him.

I can’t think of anything more embarrassing for a head coach. Lelie has since been released from the team and last played for the Raiders.

But it was not just Lelie; under Nolan, rookies hardly ever saw the field. Thomas Clayton’s off-field problems have been well documented, but if you are going to pull the trigger on someone in the draft, let’s see what he can do. Clayton has been a preseason stud, yet he hasn’t seen the field in a regular season game, not even as a return man. Can anyone say Brandon Noble?

Why didn’t we see more of Tarell Brown before Shawntae Spencer was injured last year?

Mike Singletary, on the other hand, has taken a special interest in Chilo Rachal, and not only did he see the playing field in his rookie year he has become the starter at right guard!

Every team has to deal with injuries, however, it seems as if the 49ers have had more than their share of them.

Leading the list is Alex Smith. I am giving Smith a pass here, I could include him as just a flat-out underperformer, but he really has not gotten the chance to evolve into a decent pro quarterback since the hit by Seattle’s Rocky Bernard (now with the New York Giants).

Others that have not realized their potential due to injury: Jay Moore, Jason Hill, Dashon Goldson, and Manny Lawson.

Lawson is the guy I am most excited about for 2009. After a full year back from his ACL injury, and the switch to a true 3-4 defense, Manny is set to have a break out year.

Now here are the guys that frustrate 49er fans the most: the flat-out underperformers. I am not giving Vernon Davis a pass here. I realize he has had a couple of injuries, but anyone who can run his mouth like Davis should be able to back it up on the football field. Singletary seems to have Vernon’s tongue under control, but can he harness this guy’s potential? We shall see.

Ahmad Brooks and Jimmy Williams (recently acquired by the 'Niners) fall into this category. The team thought so much of Brooks that they wanted to pick him in the 2006 supplemental draft, but they were beaten out by the Bengals. When the Bengals released him, the 'Niners scooped him up. How does he repay the team’s faith in him? He shows up to mini camp overweight and out of shape—nice. Personally, I think Sing' has his hands full with these two guys.

David Baas, Isaac Sopoaga, and Michael Robinson round out my list of underperformers. Bass couldn’t crack the starting lineup for two years, Sopoaga doesn’t want to be a DT (is it really his choice?), and Robinson hasn’t been able to fill the role he was drafted for—backing up Frank Gore. But, then again, Robinson was a quarterback and wideout at Penn State, so he gets a pass, and I will blame Nolan for trying to convert him into a running back.

Although no fault of his own, David Baas was actually the 49ers contingency plan when New England snagged Logan Mankins (a 2008 Pro-Bowler) in the first round of the 2005 draft before the 'Niners could pick him early in the second. I was thinking we had found another Jeremy Newberry when I researched Baas. Now I am afraid he may be another Justin Smiley. That said, I still have faith in this guy. Time to shine, David.

Sopoaga seemed to have a breakthrough year in 2007, so much that the team re-signed him to a five-year deal before he became a free agent. I was expecting a huge year from Sopoaga this last year, but I don’t think he even made a highlight reel. A huge disappointment.

I suppose I would be remiss if I didn’t include Kentwan Balmer or Cody Wallace in this article somewhere, both were high-round draft picks last year.

Balmer is a bit further behind the learning curve than Rachal but a hard worker, so I will give him another year to develop his potential.

I must admit, Cody Wallace is a complete mystery to me. According to the team’s official Web site, Wallace had 252 knockdown blocks his last two years at Texas A&M, yet he wasn’t even activated for a single game last year. Is he a hangover from Nolan’s practice of not playing rookies? Was there an injury that wasn’t reported? Did he just not perform in practice? He gets another year as well, as most rookies should.

Well, it is time to go and check out some more cars at the classic "cruise." I hope I see "The Potentials" there. I also hope I see the 49ers' potential realized on the field this year.