During the Colts/Steelers game announcers talked about Manning’s 25 come from behind victories.  He has played in about 125 games and had 25 come from behind victories.  Tim Couch played in 62 games and had 10-12 come from behind victories.  I don’t see how this stat improves on Manning’s greatness.

Are we overrating this stat or underrating Tim Couch?

With all the coaching vacancies in the NFL, it is a same that Art Shell passed away.  Wait, he is still alive and kicking?  A guy with a 54 – 38 career record (and 2-3 in the playoffs) can’t get a job or even interview for one? 

Shell and Martz have a similar coaching record right now; perhaps Davis should hire them as co-coaches.

Wasn’t instant replay supposed to improve officiating in the NFL?  NFL might want to focus on creating rules that leave little interpretation.  For a general idea, take a look at the MLB rules.  Read the infield fly rule.  Long and boring but tell me where there is room for interpretation.  The NFL is becoming more and more about suggestions; not rules.

That is the problem.

Who would have thought at some many calls in football games would make people remember the umpiring in the MLB playoff in a good light.  Did they miss a few calls?  Sure, but at least they didn’t change the rules.  Blown calls are understandable.  Having your officials not apply the rules correctly is insanity.

Even though he plays for the Steelers, I am glad the Bus’ fumble didn’t come back to haunt him.  Of course his fumble make sure Cleveland fans had to watch ``The Fumble’’ over and over again.

I hope one day I can learn to give people hemorrhoids with my mind; so every time that I suffer though that clip, I can will hemorrhoids on the announcers that describe it.

How in the world did Steve Smith not get serious consideration for MVP?  I went back and look at a few of his games this year.  I looked at his stats.  Clearly the people voting for the MVP didn’t.

Finally there is a little restoration of faith in court sentencing.  Fat, Drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life and just might keep you from watching the Super Bowl.

Possible answers to More Touch Trivia from dnkascher's Blog

1.  Confused here because I have heard Bird called a Rightie, Leftie, and a basketball switch hitter ... leaving him out of it.  I have four:  Reed, Cowens, Robinson and Bill Walton ....

2.  I think I remember three .... Steve Reed, Tom Crowder, Bob Ritter

3.  Last switch hitting MVP in the A.L.  1971 -- Vida Blue .. also a pretty good pitcher.  The last pitcher to win the the NL was Bob Gibson ... 1968

4.  Teams that don't end in 's':  baseball, Red and White Sox .... basketball have the Heat, Jazz, and Magic.  Hockey gives us the Lighting, Wild, and Avalanche.

5.  Didn't Dwight Clay make the shot that for ND that ended's UCLA's 88 game run?

6.  I have no idea why I remember this name .. Chaminade, I don't even know if it is right ... but it feels good.

7.  TA ;-> Tiny Archibald lead the NBA in Scoring and Assists in the 1973 season.

8.  While hitting 2 home runs and 76 rbi's Mikey Cocrane of Detroit won in 1934 ... but that is AL.  Rose hit 64 in '73 when he won the NL MVP (I think .. hmm)  ... .Wait for it .... Detriot ... Gibson ... yea ..   Kirk Gibson for the Dodgers in '88!

9.  Austin Carr, who game to the Cavs after his career at ND.

10.  Pitt State Savages, UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs, UC Irvine Anteaters, Southeast Oklahoma State Gorillas

11.  1976 Hoosier team ... May, Benson, Buckner, Aberneithy, Wisman, and Crews ... I believe Crews as the first guy of the bench.  Of course I could be completely wrong after the first three.

12.  Denny McLain of the Tigers won 31 in 1968

13.  In 1971 Palmer, Dobson, Cuellear and McNally all one at least 20 games.

Yes, another Top 10 list but I promise this one will have a twist, based off a bad joke.

Top 10 the Cleveland Indians Have Called Home.

1. League Park.

Originally the home the Cleveland Spiders, the 9,000 seat League Park opened on May 1, 1891.  League Park was, with some of it remaining today, located at E66th and Lexington.  There currently is a possible project to turn the remains of League Park in to a city part.  League Park expanded to a capacity of 21,414 in 1910.  It was the home of a Cleveland baseball team from 1891 through the 1946 season.  The Cleveland Spiders disbanded in 1899, leaving the park empty for one year until the American League placed a team in Cleveland.  Never having lights, League Park played home to Cleveland’s team until 1932.  During the period for 1932 – 1946 the Indians started playing games, and seasons, in Cleveland Stadium.  Mainly night, weekend, and holiday games played on Cleveland Stadium.  Starting in 1947, Cleveland Stadium became the permanent home of the Indians.

Built right into the neighborhood, the dimensions where a bit strange.  Left field was 385 feet with a 5 foot wall (expanded to 375 feet in 1942).  Center field was 420 feet with right field sitting at 290 feet mainly because the owner of the buildings in that area refused to sell their property.  A forty foot wall was place in right field, later expanded to 60 foot.

1920 brought the World Series to League Park and Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run there.

Although League Park was long gone when I started to wreck havoc in the world, I have talked to a few people that went to games there.  They took the trolleys right up to the gate and went to watch games where Babe Ruth and Tris Speaker played.

2. Jacobs Field.

Jacobs Field, a stadium from the sins of Clevelanders.  The voters decided in 1990 to build a new sports complex in downtown Cleveland funded, in part, by a tax on such sins as smoking and alcohol.  The ballpark opened on April 4, 1994 with 43,863 people in attendance.  Located at the corner of E. 9th and Carnegie, Jacobs Field calls Downtown Cleveland home.  A 19 foot wall is in left field, right below the bleachers and a huge scoreboard.

Having a better luck in getting the property, right field is 325 feet.  Center field is 405 feet, with left field back at 325 feet.

Jacobs Field hosted the 1995 All-Star game as well as home games for the Indians in the 1995 and 1997 World Series.

Jacobs Field is a great park to watch a ball game in.  The views of the game and downtown Cleveland are great.  This is also the first, and only park, I have watched a World Series game in.

Q.E.D.

Get the really bad joke yet?

Many people have commented on ways to better the competition but I have been thinking about the rest of the blogers, you know us los^H^H^H, umm… the rest of us.

Why doesn’t Fox Sports, on the FOXBlog’s Blog, offer up topic suggestions for the community?  Not requirements but suggestions.

Perhaps, for next week with the Conference Championship games deciding who plays in the Super Bowl they could have a post suggesting: 

Bloggers, this week four teams will play out for the chance to play in Super Bowl XV in Detroit.  These games have turn in memorable games like the Ice Bowl, games that included ``The Drive’’ and ``The Fumble’’, and introduced football fans to the tuck rule.

Have a favorite memory about a game that decided who went to any championship game or series?  

Let everybody here about it!

Post your story and comment here about it here.

 Just a thought.

Being a born and raised Cleveland sports homer, I am sure early heart trouble will result.  Nearly all of my favorite players have played with Cleveland teams. Many are players that live in relative obscurity outside the Forest City.

Local sports teams always gain a bit more favor with hometown fans.  Even with the coming of the Internet and ESPN, the largest coverage for many players comes from their hometown media.  In the 70s and 80s that was even more pronounced.

The local coverage has always been a great source of interesting history and trivia, otherwise how would I know that Duane Kuiper and Steve Stone are the ideals announcers for the Home Run Derby.

Duane Kuiper was Captain Kipe for the Cleveland Indians in the late 70s.  Rated as one of the Top 100 Indians of all-time in 2000, he is was a good player, not great.  His time in Cleveland was short, coming up to the big leagues in 1974 and leaving after the 1981 in a trade involving Ed Whitson with the San Francisco Giants.  

During his time with the Tribe Duane Kuiper was a known for his defense as a second baseman, averaging around 10 errors a season, and making a respectable double play team with Frank Duffy and Tom Veryzer.

He was great to the fans and all around nice levelheaded guy.

Batting left-handed, he hit .274 in his stay with the Tribe.  Known mainly for the singles he slapped to left field.  

On July 27, 1978 in New York to play the Yankees, Captain Kipe went hitless in the first game of a doubleheader (remember when they played those?).  In the second game, against Bob Kammeyer, he hit two bases load triples.  Two bases load triples in one game, an accomplishment only Emer Valo (in 1949) and Bill Bruton (in 1959) had pulled off before.


In front of 6,236 fans Steve Stone fired a fastball to Kuiper and he knocked the ball into the second row of seats in right field of Municipal Stadium.  That was his 1,382nd plate appearance.

The Indians fought off all the fans, which most likely were still in shock, to get the ball for him.  When they traded him to the Giants, the Indians took the seat where the ball landed and presented it to him as a plague and parting gift.

Kuiper played a few more years with the Giants and has become a well respected announcer for them.  Steve Stone was able to shake off the shame of giving up Kuipers only home run, turning in a 25-7 season for the Orioles in 1980 before retiring with arm troubles after the 1981 season.  Steve Stone, born in the Cleveland area and had Thurman Munson as his catcher at Kent State University, also became an announcer.  Stone served as Harry Caray's color man, for the Cubs,  for many years.

Bob Kammeyer, on the other hand, only appeared in seven games for the Yankees the year he gave up two bases loaded triples to Captain Kipe.  The next year he appeared in one game, and disappeared from baseball.

Come on Major League Baseball, for the Home Run Derby I cannot see a better set of announcers than Steve Stone and Duane Kuiper, perhaps with Bob Kammeyer as the on-field announcer?