Bleacher Report - Articles by Raymond Mullan

Fandom And The Psychology Thereof—A Deadly Bug Bite

Raymond Mullan — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:00:50 -0400

"Etymologically, the word fan derives from the word 'fanatic' and means an enthusiastic devotee...with personifying the word fan comes a certain mentality, a psychology." —Katie B. Davis

They are worn on shirts, hats, skin, and in haircuts.

You can see them hanging from key chains, on credit cards, and flapping in the wind as cars pass with flags draped from the windows.

Fans will stop at nothing in their quest to announce to the world where their allegiances lie when it comes to their favorite team or athlete—whether they be professional, collegiate, or other.

Fandom can at times grow so out of control it harms friendships, marriages, and even physical health.

The latter is not a phenomenon exclusive to the infamous Hooligans of European soccer, either. An example much closer to home is the San Francisco Giants' fan who was shot to death by a Los Angeles Dodgers' fan during an argument at Dodger Stadium following a game between the rival clubs in 2003.

What is the cause of such deep-rooted emotion in connection with a team?

How do people become so enthralled by someone else who is simply playing a game?

There are many factors that come into play as a person evolves into a true fanatic. These include why or how a sport or athlete originally became the object of one's fanaticism, geographical factors, and the examples of fandom the budding fanatic is surrounded by.

In many cases, people follow the sports they themselves play as children; Little Leaguers are generally MLB fans, while Pop Warner participants generally follow the NFL, for example.

Another common cause is growing up on the lap of a fanatic; NASCAR fanatics come to mind for some reason.

Geography is an obvious factor in determining a person's sporting loyalties, as well. It is hard to imagine a kid growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin and not being mad about the Packers.

Regardless of the initial inclination toward future heroes, most die-hard fans start early. Very few guys who become tennis fans because their wife introduced them to the sport at the age of 38 would be considered fanatics. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule.

The question posed is, what is the psychology behind fanaticism?

There are reports that state a driving force behind fandom is the desire to belong. While in a generic sense this is logical, it does not explain the colossal feelings that accompany a fan's obsession.

A need to belong simply cannot explain a Sacramento Kings' fan's overwhelming urge to punch the nearest wall from the mere thought of Robert Horry's game winning three-pointer in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, over seven years ago.

Another explanation experts give for fanaticism is to explain it away as an escape mechanism.

The premium tequila Patron allows a person to escape from reality; sports are a way of life that themselves necessitate escape at times. Surely Washington Nationals' fans are consuming unhealthy amounts of liquor this year.

Though there may not be a proper diagnosis for the cause of fanaticism, there is, at least, a fitting analogy.

Fanaticism is like a deadly bug bite. Often times the exact moment the bite takes place is not even known. It can seem quite harmless when discovered unless, of course, the victim is an entomologist.

Even as the poison spreads, it can be explained away; how dangerous can some redness and itching be? By the time the severity of the situation is realized, there is nothing to do but live with it until death. This is the state of any true fanatic.

Studies show that in male fans, testosterone rises 25 percent after their favorite team wins and drops 25 percent when their heroes are served a loss. There must have been countless unhappy homes in Detroit Lion land in 2008!

Jonathan Sanchez Goes from Zero to Hero in Nine Hitless Innings

Raymond Mullan — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:53:34 -0400

Less than three weeks ago Jonathan Sanchez lost his starting job as the fifth man in the San Francisco Giants rotation to minor league call-up Ryan Sadowski. This due to the fact he had been performing terribly. In the month of June the Puerto Rican went 0-4 with a 7.08 ERA.

As a reliever, the lefty's only appearances were in the junk time of blow out wins and in every conversation amongst Giants' faithfuls the name Sanchez came up as an expendable piece who would hopefully be a part of a package deal that would bring in the big time bat the Giants have been so badly in need of.

All of that changed on July 10,2009.

Randy Johnson, the Giants No. 2 pitcher was unable to take the mound due to a shoulder injury. In his place Jonathan Sanchez started. The general feeling was, against the lowly San Diego Padres maybe Sanchez could do just enough to keep the Giants in the game.

The offense did their part, highlighted by a three run blast to right field in the home half of the fifth by Pablo Sandoval.

Amazingly, heading into the seventh inning not only were the Giants still in the game, they were leading 7-0 and Sanchez had pitched six perfect innings. Not only was he throwing the fast ball everyone knows he possesses, all night long but he had a very effective curve, often sneaking it across for called first strikes.

As any baseball fan knows, the seventh inning is when the whispers of a no-hitter begin. One place those whispers were not heard was from the voices of Kruk and Kuip (as the Giants announcers are affectionately known). Not once before the end of the game did they utter the words "Sanchez no-hitter."

In the eighth inning a perfect game was broken up when Chase Headley reached first on a Juan Uribe error. He would be the only base runner for the Padres on the night.

With one out in the ninth this did not seem to be the case as Edgar Gonzalez launched one to deep center field. Aaron Rowand retreated and made another one of his spectacular grabs, a moment before crashing into the wall.

The last batter Sanchez would face on this historical night was Everth Cabrera. Appropriately the game ended with him not even getting the bat off his shoulder as strike three passed him by.

In the first game Sigfredo Sanchez had seen his son start, as a major leaguer the younger Sanchez had thrown a no-hitter.

Jonathan Sanchez is the first in the major leagues to throw a no-hitter this season and the first Giant to throw one since John Montefusco did it in 1976 against the Atlanta Braves.

The Dave Stewart Story: On and Off the Field

Raymond Mullan — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:18:11 -0400

I grew up in a home where the vast majority of the time one of two things was being watched on television: the news or sports. By the age of 10, I easily knew more about the Giants and 49ers of San Francisco than whatever the most popular cartoon of the era was.

In this environment I learned how to be a good sports fan. I was taught to be fanatical about my team and at the same time to appreciate the talents of athletes regardless of who they played for.

The reasoning behind me being a Giants fan instead of an A's fan escapes me all these years later, but that is how it was. My favorite team was (and is) the San Francisco Giants, yet, somehow, my favorite player was Oakland's Dave Stewart...go figure.

Being the analytical person I am today, it strikes me that the only players who shared my race and excelled at the pitcher position at the time, that I was aware of, were Dwight Gooden and Dave Stewart. My loyalty is too deep to root for some guy in New York over a West coast player, so that limited the field to one.

David Keith Stewart is a native of Northern California, as well. He was born in Oakland, Calif. in 1957.

Ironically, Stewart started his career with the most hated rivals of my beloved Giants. The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the 16th round of the 1975 amateur draft.

Although the right-hander had a short glimpse of the pros in 1978 (one game, two innings, to be exact), he would not reach the major leagues to stay until 1981.

From 1981 to '85, Stewart pitched for Los Angeles, Texas, and Philadelphia—at times starting, other times relieving.

In 1985, while a member of the Rangers, the most embarrassing episode of Stewart's career occurred.

The hurler was arrested for solicitation (reportedly receiving oral sex) of a "lady of the night." More surprising than the charge was the fact the prostitute was not a lady at all, but rather a transvestite nicknamed Lucille. His real name was Elson Tyler. Many Texas fans never quite got over the incident.

On a personal note, I was not privy to any of this as my admiration grew.

The 1986 season started with Stewart as a Phillie. He did not live up to expectations and was cut. The biggest knock on the pitcher at the time was his lack of an effective off-speed pitch.

He was signed by the Oakland Athletics the same year, his fortunes soon changed, and he officially appeared on my radar.

Between 1987 and 1990, "Smoke" (as he was then called) was one of the best pitchers in baseball.

During this span, he pitched over 250 innings and won 20 or more games in each season.

In 1989 Stewart reached the pinnacle of his career. He was named an All-Star, and in the Athletics' second of three consecutive trips to the World Series, Dave started two of the four games. He pitched a complete game in one of the starts, had an ERA of 1.69 in the Series, and was named the World Series MVP.

Guess who he ate alive in that World Series? My favorite team, of course—the Giants. Talk about mixed feelings.

As I sat with my step-dad watching the pregame show for Game Three of the 1989 World Series, my television shook as did the camera trained on Al Michaels and Jim Palmer. The infamous Loma Prieta earthquake postponed Game Three for 10 days and had a direct effect on Stewart's stats and MVP award.

Smoke would not have pitched a second game if there had been a sweep and no quake. Only the 10-day layoff allowed him to pitch both Game One and Three.

In the last of Stewart's four consecutive 20-plus-win seasons, 1990, he not only had 22 victories, Smoke also no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the first no-hitter by an African-American pitcher in 17 years.

He went on to win the American League Championship Series MVP the same year and received the honor again four years later while playing for the Blue Jays.

Stewart spent two years in Toronto before returning to his home town to play his last major league season in 1995 for the A's.

Today, Stewart resides in San Diego, Calif., and is quite active in his community as he has long been. Recently, he teamed up with Matt Kemp of the Dodgers to host a fundraiser benefiting autism research.

Dave Stewart remains my favorite pitcher.

Top Five Fantasy Picks, Pt. 7: Defenses

Raymond Mullan — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:30:05 -0400

Since there are far fewer defenses drafted then the skill positions I have previously handicapped I am going to change the format to include both leagues in this top five list. Once the top six or seven defenses are gone it becomes a crap shoot when choosing a defense so if the teams on this list are gone I would suggest waiting until as late as possible to draft a defense. When drafting your fantasy defense keep in mind the fact that the biggest numbers come from teams that create turnovers, stack up sacks and get in the end zone. This may sound like a no brainer, yet imagine there is a solid defense that limits big plays and "bends but does not break". This team may limit opponents to 10-17 points a week. Then you have a defense that gives up occasional big plays because thy are aggressive and that same aggressiveness results in a number of turnovers, a few of which get returned for touchdowns. This team could give up 14-24 points on any given Sunday. The latter would not be the more impressive defense statistically, yet they would be more benificial for fantasy owners over the long haul. The top five defenses for fantasy owners in 2009 are...

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A Juan Marichal Memory: July 2, 1963

Raymond Mullan — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:22:27 -0400

In my humble opinion, baseball, more than any other sport, lends itself to historical analysis and the reliving of its greatest moments. Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier and the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" immediately come to mind.

Record breaking moments, amazing streaks, and heroic postseason plays are often times retold to the point they become legendary.

The game played between the San Francisco Giants and the Milwaukee Braves on July 2, 1963, was simply a mid-season game that surely would have been long ago forgotten if not for the pitching performance that would ensue.

There were only 15,921 fans in attendance at Candlestick Park for the Tuesday-afternoon affair as over 26,000 seats were unoccupied.

Warren Spahn took an 11-3 record to the mound for a Braves team that had split their first 76 games, both winning and losing 38 games.

The amazing young Dominican, Juan Marichal, came into the game boasting a 12-3 record for the Giants, who were 45-33.

To put the game in perspective, a total of seven future Hall of Famers would play in the match up. The Braves fielded future Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, and Warren Spahn while the Giants were stacked with Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Willie Mays, and Marichal.

The 42 year-old Spahn ended up pitching 15.1 innings and giving up one run. Yes, you read correctly, 15.1 innings.

San Francisco's 25 year-old right hander outdid him. Marichal tossed 16 innings of shutout ball including holding Aaron hitless in six at-bats. I can imagine Braves' hitters trying to pick up the pitch out of his hand and being distracted by the famous high-kick delivery the Dominican Dandy possessed.

All told, the future Hall of Famers mustered five hits and a run in 38 at-bats. Surprisingly, one of the five hits was a two-out double to right field in the top of the seventh inning by Spahn that would have driven in a run if Del Crandall had not been caught attempting to steal second earlier in the inning.

Through 15 innings of baseball, a run did not score, and both starting pitchers were still in the game.

With one out in the bottom of the 16th, the great Willie Mays came to the plate. I'm sure you have an idea how the story finishes. One pitch, a screwball from Spahn, and Mays ended the game. He had hit one of his 660 home runs. This one was a game-winner over the left-field wall. The Giants won 1-0.

Marichal would get the victory and go on to win 25 games in 1963 while posting an ERA of 2.41.

That night in July, as is always the case in baseball, all that mattered was that the Giants had won. In hindsight, we can appreciate the amazing pitching exhibition Marichal and Spahn put on 46 years ago.

It is challenging to fathom what these two men would do in an era when pitchers are coddled, and more attention is paid to pitch counts than a pitcher's performance at a specific point within the game.

I, for one, simply wish I had been alive to see Marichal beat Spahn.

Top Five Fantasy Picks Pt. 6—AFC Wide Receivers

Raymond Mullan — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:01:27 -0400

The American Football Conference has an addition to their strong list of receivers this year. The arrival of Terrell Owens, pictured above, promises to alter the balance of Power. Another move in the conference that fantasy owners should be mindful of is Jay Cutler's departure from Denver. The Broncos are weakened at the quarterback position and it is very likely Brandon Marshall's numbers will reflect it. The departure of T.J. Housmandzadeh could result in more opportunities for Chad OchoCinco dependant upon how the chemistry develops between Carson Palmer and Laveranues Coles. Enough of the teasing, here are the top five receivers in the AFC, in terms of fantasy football, for 2009.

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Top Five Fantasy Picks—Pt. 5: NFC Wide Receivers

Raymond Mullan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:14:59 -0400

The wide receiver position is nearly as deep as the Pacific in the National Football Conference and just as perilous to dive into for fantasy owners. Some notable receivers have changed teams (T.J. Houshmandzadeh), or coaches (Calvin Johnson). Others have a quarterback coming back from off-season surgery (Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald). Then, in the case of Roy Williams (pictured), there are just too many question marks to make it worth gambling on him anywhere near the top of the draft. There is much guesswork involved in forecasting this conferences receivers. The constants, facts, projections and a fantasy crystal ball have led to the unveiling of 2009's top five fantasy picks in the NFC. Make sure they are on your board.

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Unexpected Success: The 2009 San Francisco Giants, Thus Far

Raymond Mullan — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:27:25 -0400

With 14 games remaining for the San Francisco Giants before the All-Star break, they are in position to be the biggest surprise of 2009.

Before the season began, it would have been essentially impossible to find an analyst, expert, or common baseball fan who would predict the Giants would be a .500 team. Conversations of a playoff berth were nonexistent.

All of that has changed.

San Francisco has a record of 40 wins to 34 losses. They are in second place in the National League West and trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by seven games.

What are the keys to San Francisco's success?

Who's hot and who's not on the club?

What adjustments must be made for the Giants to win the division?

These are the questions that will be answered as we take a look at the 2009 San Francisco Giants, thus far.

The success of the Giants can be attributed to strong pitching coupled with timely, though not abundant, run scoring. Their pitching staff entered the day with the third-best ERA in baseball. San Francisco is in the middle of the pack with the 16th-best batting average in the league, but they are a more respectable 11th-best with runners in scoring position and two outs.

The Giants exhibited the talent of this year's club during interleague play. They have gone 9-6 against American League teams, including sweeps of the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers. During the 15 games San Francisco's talented arms were on display, as the pitching staff posted a team ERA of 3.02.

Make no mistake, all has not been rosy for the G-men. There have been some players who have underachieved during the first 74 games of the season.

For starters, while the pitching staff has been the highlight of the organization, the No. 5 starting spot has not been a bright one. Jonathan Sanchez went 2-8 with a 5.45 ERA as the fifth starter in the Giant's rotation.

Today, for the first time this season, someone other than Sanchez took the mound as the fifth starter. His replacement, Ryan Sadowski, pitched six shutout innings as the Giants went on to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-0.

Giants fans had high hopes for what they would see from outfielder Fred Lewis this year. They have been disappointed. His batting average is lower than it has been in any of his four years in the big leagues. Lewis is batting .253 with only 11 RBI and four home runs. His defense has been less than stellar as well.

All things considered, there has been more to cheer about than jeer about in the City by the Bay.

Something that may be surprising to those who don't follow the Giants closely is that the pitcher having the most success in San Francisco this year is not the Cy Young winner from a season ago. Tim Lincecum is doing well with seven wins. The hottest pitcher on the club, though, is Matt Cain. He has a 9-2 record and the exact same ERA as Lincecum—2.57.

The bullpen for the Giants, for the most part, has held up its end of the bargain. The closer, Brian Wilson, has been consistent and has the second most saves in the National League.

While batting is not the team's strong point thus far, there are some guys swinging hot bats. Nate Schierholtz has finally started getting some regular playing time, and he has repaid manager Bruce Bochy by hitting the ball hard and often. In just 114 at-bats, he is hitting .316 with 11 extra-base hits and 12 RBI.

The hottest and hands-down most exciting player for San Francisco is Pablo Sandoval, affectionately known as Kung Fu Panda by the Giants faithful. Amongst players in the National League with over 150 at-bats, his .340 batting average is third best. He has 38 RBI and has shown off his pop with 11 home runs. He can hit any pitch in or near the zone and has added some much-needed charisma to the team.

Overall, team fielding has not been bad for the Giants. They rank 10th in fielding percentage and have some Gold Glovers playing most every day in Bengie Molina, Aaron Rowand, and Edgar Renteria. There have been some issues in the infield—most notably, Sandoval has had a fair share of miscues when playing first base—and Fred Lewis has not been stellar in the outfield. These are things to watch as the season progresses.

It is generally agreed that for the Giants to make a strong run, the organization must add a legitimate cleanup hitter. The Los Angeles Dodgers have played extremely well, the absence of Manny Ramirez notwithstanding, and the Colorado Rockies are the hottest team in baseball. The Giants can't sit on their hands and expect to have a chance in the National League West. Management must address this need.

If the power bat is added to the lineup, it is reasonable to predict the Giants will be in the hunt for a division title come October.

Regardless of what happens from this day forward, the Giants have given their fanbase hope when the season started with little. Even with mediocre batting, they have been an exciting club, and there is the feeling before every first pitch they have a very good chance of winning. That is about all any fan can ask for.

The San Francisco Giants have been a surprising success, thus far.

Top Five Fantasy Picks, Pt. 4: AFC Quarterbacks

Raymond Mullan — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:52:29 -0400

The time has come to look at the AFC quarterbacks and the impact they will have on 2009 fantasy rosters. It is interesting how you have to make that distinction when talking fantasy. These are not neccesarily going to be the five winningest quarterbacks in their conference, yet having them on your roster as a fantasy owner greatly increases your chances of winning your respective fantasy league. This has proven to be the most enjoyable part of playing fantasy football, for me personally. As fantasy players we must stay abreast of each and every move, trade, gripe and injury within each of the National Football League's 32 organizations. With that information in mind here are the top five quarterbacks, in terms of fantasy production coming out of the AFC in 2009.

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Top Five Fantasy Picks, Pt. 3: NFC Quarterbacks

Raymond Mullan — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:44:00 -0400

Heading into the 2009 season there are seven or eight quarterbacks who were in the discussion to make the "top five" list in the National Football Conference. That is one of the reasons 2009 sets up as a very interesting fantasy football season. One mistake I often see from fantasy owners is relying to heavily on numbers from the year before to analyze what a player will do in the season to come. Beware to not miss the forest, for the trees. One of the strongest quarterback's not to make my top five is Jake Delhomme, who is pictured above. Without going into a full blown analysis and explanation of his merits I will simply state, any time Steve Smith is your number one target you have a good chance of putting up healthy numbers against any opponent. Without further ado here are the top five NFC quarterbacks for 2009, let the discussion begin.

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Top Five Fantasy Picks, Pt. 2: AFC Running Backs

Raymond Mullan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:21:40 -0400

Compiling a list of the top five best running backs in the AFC is a little more involved then when doing so in the NFC. The American Football Conference is stronger at the position. In predicting this seasons performance I, of course, take into account past performance. What I also consider are the changes around a specific player that will effect him positively or negatively in 2009. This is not limited to just offensive line changes, or quarterback moves for that matter. One of the most important moves I look at is coaching changes, as this may signal philosophical changes within an organization. An example of this analysis is the Indianapolis Colts, where not only is Tony Dungy gone, but Tom Moore as well. The question is with a new head coach and offensive coordinator will Indy be more dedicated to the run this season. In this case probably not. The replacements for both of these coaches comes from within the organization. Jim Caldwell, served as both assistant and associate head coach before getting the top job. He started with Indianapolis as their quarterbacks coach. Similarly, Clyde Christensen was previously the receivers coach. With this information we can surmise, their will be more of the same this year from Peyton and company. For this reason, the very talented Joseph Addai (pictured above), does not make my top five. These are the crucial tidbits that seperate successful fantasy owners from the rest of the pack. With that, here are the top five running backs coming out of the AFC in 2009.

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Top Five Fantasy Picks, Pt. 1: NFC Running Backs

Raymond Mullan — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:55:32 -0400

For those of us who have become fantasy football fanatics the next couple months will become so full of conversation and arguments over the merits of our particular predictions that wives across the country will be yearning for September 10th to arrive, if only to shut us all up. The exception is those of you blessed enough to have a wife as equally fanatical. This series is my contribution to the crescendo. To make my predictions digestable I will disect one position and conference at a time. First up is 2009's top five running backs from the National Football Conference.

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Giants-Rangers: San Francisco Utilizes The Long Ball In Victory Over Texas

Raymond Mullan — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:03:46 -0400

When Randy Johnson got back-to-back strikeouts of Michael Young and Andruw Jones to get out of the first inning, you couldn't help but to feel optimistic about the what lied in store, if you are a San Francisco Giants fan.

After Aaron Rowand led off the home half of the first inning with his seventh home run of the season, you could just feel that it was the Giant's night.

Before the first pitch, any analytical baseball mind would have predicted a tough evening for the Giants.

San Francisco, in their last series, were swept by the American League West's second place team, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Tonight the Giant's welcomed into town the A.L. West's first place team for a three-game weekend set.

The Texas Rangers came into the day with the third best record in baseball, 37-28.

The starting pitcher for Texas, Scott Feldman boasted a 5-1 record with a 3.70 ERA.

The Rangers lineup is quite intimidating. They have the third and fourth most productive home run hitters in the American League, Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler. As a team, only the Yankees have more big flies.

So, when Michael Young led off the fourth inning with a no-doubter, Giants' fans hearts collectively skipped a beat.

This despite the fact the Giants lead was 3-1 at the time, thanks to the two runs they had tacked on in the third inning.

If it skipped a beat before, hearts nearly stopped at AT&T Park when the first batter Brandon Medders faced in relief of Johnson, Marlon Byrd, drove the first pitch he saw into left center field.

With the double Byrd drove in two. This gave the visiting Rangers the lead, 4-3.

In the bottom of the same inning the Giants took back control of the game for good.

Bengie Molina led off, followed by Pablo Sandoval, and they both did what they have been doing a great deal of lately—getting themselves on base.

Bengie doubled and then moved to third on Sandoval's broken bat single into shallow right field.

After a double play, slumping Fred Lewis came to bat.

Bengie Molina was still on third. Lewis had already struck out twice and had made a poor defensive effort on a foul ball in the deep left field corner earlier in the game.

Lewis made everyone forget about the rest of his evening, though, when on a 2-0 count, with two outs, he turned one around and deposited a souvenir in McCovey Cove.

The two run homer gave the Giants a 5-4 lead.

Travis Ishikawa added an insurance run for San Francisco in the eighth, with a long ball of his own.

Brandon Medders, Merkin Valdez, Jeremy Affeldt, and Sergio Romo all worked in relief before the Giants closer came in for the ninth to secure the win. It was save No. 18 on the season for Brian Wilson.

The San Francisco Giants now have 35 wins to 31 losses and are in second place in the National League West, eight games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Why Wayman Tisdale Is My Favorite Sacramento King

Raymond Mullan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:55:33 -0400

Since I grew up in Stockton, Calif., 45 minutes south of Sacramento, I guess it's not surprising I was, am, and will always be a Kings fan.

When Wayman Tisdale was acquired by the Kings from the Pacers in 1989, I was 12 years old. Over the next five years, he quickly became my favorite basketball player. He would have been my hero, hands down, had it not been for a guy named Joe playing for my favorite football team during those same years.

But Wayman's story began long before he came to play for the Kings and became my favorite player.

The son of a pastor, Tisdale was born on June 9, 1964, in Fort Worth, Texas. Surprisingly enough for those of us who loved him for his forward and center play, basketball was not his first love; as a matter of fact, Wayman did not even like the sport until he learned how to dunk in the eighth grade.

Tisdale himself said many times that music was his "first love."

An oft-told anecdote from his college career was that Wayman's coach at the University of Oklahoma, Billy Tubbs, moved the time of Sunday practices to later in the day to allow his young star to perform music at his father's church in the mornings.

Tisdale's performance on the court justified the coach's accommodations. He became a three-time Big Eight Player of the Year for the Sooners, and in his three years at the school, he scored 2,661 points, had 209 blocks, and grabbed 1,048 rebounds.

Although he did not stay for his senior season, Tisdale is still first in University of Oklahoma history in points, points per game, rebounds, free throws attempted, and free throws made. The Sooner standout finished his college career as the Big Eight's all-time leading scorer, and for his accomplishments, Tisdale was elected to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

The Indiana Pacers picked Tisdale second overall in the 1985 NBA Draft. In hindsight, his professional career was overshadowed by his years as a Sooner, though he did put up impressive numbers in the NBA. In his best year, 1989-90, he averaged 22.3 points and 7.5 boards per game for the Kings.

But eventually, Tisdale's love of music won out. In 1997, he retired from the NBA to put all of his focus towards his music.

Luckily for me, I am a big jazz fan and was thus able to continue following one of my favorite people.

Predominantly playing bass, Tisdale released eight albums. His 2001 release Face to Face hit No. 1 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart. In addition to all of his other accolades, in 2002 Wayman was awarded the Legacy Tribute Award by Oklahoma's Jazz Hall of Fame.

On Feb. 8, 2007, things took a traumatic and unexpected turn for the worse. Tisdale fell in his home, breaking his leg. During treatment for the injury, it was found the great athlete and musician had osteosarcoma, or cancer in his knee.

By August of the same year, the cancer led to the necessity of amputating a part of Tisdale's right leg. But the detection of the problem, extensive chemotherapy, and many other hardships related to the illness were unable to erase his room-warming smile. He continued to share his soul with his fans: His last album, Rebound, was both written and released after the diagnosis.

On May 15, 2009, Wayman Tisdale passed away. I can only imagine he was called home to be with the Lord he had served since his childhood.

Wayman is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 27 years, Regina, and his four children.

For all who followed and loved him, he lives on as an inspiration to share your soul through the gifts you have been given and to push on, even when circumstances do their best to deter you.

For me, he lives on as my favorite King.

Michael Crabtree: Reason for Elation in Ninerland

Raymond Mullan — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:45:52 -0400

Most fans of the San Francisco 49ers approached this year's NFL draft with guarded optimism, thanks to the finish Mike Singletary led the team to last year.

More accurately stated, the optimism stems from the fact that it is Singletary leading the team.

Many among us are old enough to clearly remember the '85 Bears.

The "Monsters of the Midway" were led by the linebacker with intimidating eyes and the fierceness of a kamikaze. He was called Samurai Mike.

Before any further digression, let's fast-forward from those frigid Illinois Sundays 20-plus years ago to Week Nine of last season. This was the first time Singletary led the 49ers onto the field at Candlestick Park as interim head coach.

The coach's first two games were losses. Not a huge surprise, taking into account that the team had only won two of the seven games played before Singletary took over.

The second of the losses showed a change in the attitude of the team, though. It was a heartbreaking Monday night loss to the Cardinals. A game in which San Francisco had the ball 1st-and-goal at the Cardinals' 1-yard line with 21 seconds remaining and a five-point deficit.

Although the 49ers did not pull out the Cardinals game, they went on to a strong finish, winning five of their last seven, the first time that had been accomplished by a 49er team since the 2001 season.

Singletary was rewarded for the turnaround by being named the San Francisco 49ers 16th head coach on the same day his team finished the season by edging out the Washington Redskins, 27-24.

Hence, with great hopes for better seasons ahead, the 49er faithful went off into the drudgery of long months devoid of football.

For a football fan whose team fails to make the playoffs, the wait for spring and the NFL draft can be interminable.

Thankfully, though, like salmon returning to their place of birth to spawn, the calendar finally made its journey around to the long-awaited date.

It did not take many hours on April 25 for fostered optimism to turn to elation.

There were, as is always the case, numerous trains of thought on which way the 49ers would go with their first-round draft pick.

A popular prediction, due to the coach's roots, was that it would be a pick on the defensive side of the ball. The name of Rey Maualuga, a linebacker from USC, floated around in many analysts' conversations.

Not many times was it predicted the 49ers would grab a wide receiver in the first round.

Then again, nobody this side of Al Davis could have foreseen the No. 1-ranked receiver on nearly the whole planet's board would fall into the hands of the team picking 10th.

The Raiders were going to take Michael Crabtree, said all the "experts" directly before Oakland picked.

Once the Raiders picked Darrius Heyward-Bey with the seventh pick in the first round, I called a friend and simultaneously prayed to the football gods that the Jags and Packers looked anywhere but the direction of the Texas Tech star.

The football gods answered!

For any 49er fan who follows even the least bit of college football, elation poured forth.

Into town rides a 6'2", 215-pound winner by the name of Michael Crabtree.

All the receiver did in two years at Texas Tech was catch 231 passes, an NCAA record for a two-year span. He grabbed 41 touchdowns.

At one point, he went 13 straight games with one or more touchdowns and five or more receptions per game. This tied an NCAA record.

Did I mention Michael Crabtree won the Fred Biletnikoff award both years he played college ball? He is the only player to receive the honor as a freshman.

Crabtree is a playmaker. The most clutch play in college football last year was the 28-yard winning touchdown he caught with less than eight seconds to go against rival Texas.

With the quarterback competition in San Francisco, it is yet to be seen who will be throwing passes Crabtree's way. I tend to lean in the direction of Shaun Hill.

Regardless, the 49ers have the biggest receiving threat the Bay Area has seen since Terrell Owens.

Speaking of T.O., if there are any worries the rookie will exhibit any of the same traits or behaviors as the Bills receiver, be reminded...Samurai Mike is at the helm of this ship.