July's Sports Shorts

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Although Father's Day was June 18, 2017, there are a couple interesting story lines that are worth mentioning.

Both of these actually originate from Los Angeles, CA.

Let's start with the antics of LaVar Ball, the father of Los Angeles Lakers Guard Lonzo Ball.

Throughout the past several months, LaVar Ball has had a war of words with everybody on the basketball planet in college and in the pros as well as in the media.

Even legendary ESPN Announcer Dick Vitale took a shot at LaVar Ball.

Thanks to the luck of the lottery, Lonzo Ball, formerly of UCLA, did get drafted by his hometown Lakers as the No.2 Pick overall

How well Lonzo plays is anybody's guess.

But it won't be an easy task for Lonzo as Magic Johnson pointed out to him in the Lakers introductory press conference.

Johnson reminded Lonzo, with his father watching, of the Lakers rich championship tradition and also referenced how many numbers have been retired.

He told Lonzo that he expects more championships and to have his number retired one day.

If there is a pressure cooker, then this one is it!

LaVar Ball knows that Johnson and Larry Bird turned around the NBA's downtrodden near bankruptcy situation, which saw it's Finals games on Tape Delay in the late 1970's.

You can rest assure that before Lonzo was drafted, that Magic made it clear to LaVar that his actions and antics won't be tolerated in Lakerland.  Magic is one individual who won't tolerate any distractions.

Magic Johnson belongs on My Mt.Rushmore List of NBA All-Time Great Players.

He saved the league from being dissolved and going broke.

The players of today are getting paid a lot of money because of what Johnson, Bird, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and many others did to grow the game.

When the NBA Draft concluded, you can rest assure that everybody was glad that they were tired of hearing from LaVar Ball.

I realize LaVar did everything in his power to promote his kid's abilities and I commend him for doing that. He's an excellent father.

When the draft was over, LaVar Ball starred on WWE's Monday Night Raw on June 26, 2017.

More power to him.

He has a shoe deal that sells sneakers for $495.00 a piece.

Good Luck LaVar if anybody with any financial sense pays for these shoes.

If you can get that price, more power to you.

I wouldn't spend that kind of money!

But now that LaVar Ball his built his son up to be the next superstar, this will be a huge pressure cooker.

All I'll say is Lonzo will have the biggest Bullseye On His Chest than any prospect that I've seen in years!

Players will be hard fouling him and I'll be curious as to how many calls he gets early in his career.

The pressure is really on Lonzo Ball to not become a bust! I'll say this again, not to become a bust! I've covered the NBA for years and my gut feeling is he'll become a good player, not a great one.

I welcome the kid to prove me wrong because if I am wrong, the Lakers will once again become an elite organization.

If I'm right, and Ball struggles, and LaVar is loud and obnoxious, then Magic will make him disappear into the highest levels of the Staples Center.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This next Father's Story is an Excellent One.

Former NFL Star Wide Receiver Keyshawn Johnson Sr. recently pulled his son Keyshawn Jr. out of Nebraska because his son was getting involved with Marijuana.

Johnson Sr. didn't want his son to hang around the wrong peer group and brought him back home to LA.

By taking away his son's opportunity to play big-time college football, this sent him a message that Johnson Sr. was protecting his son from himself.

In an ESPN interview, Johnson said his son is at home training hard and hopes to return to Nebraska one day.

Cornhuskers Coach Mike Riley has said that when the time is right that Johnson Jr. will be welcomed back into the program and get another opportunity.

Johnson Sr. has won a Super Bowl and was mentored by Hall of Fame Coach Bill Parcells.

Evidently Johnson Sr. has learned his lessons well.

I've always thought very highly of Johnson Sr. as a player but considering the way he's handled his son, now I've gained an enormous amount of respect.

Johnson Sr's actions should set an excellent example for all father's out there as to how to handle their son's and save them from self destructing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please find me Bobby Bonilla's agent. It's been 16 years since Bonilla last played in the Big Leagues, yet the six-time All-Star is collecting a paycheck.

The New York Mets have been paying the 54-
year old Bonilla just over $1.19 Million Annually on July 1 since 2011. The Mets will continue to do so until 2035 as part of deferring $5.9 Million they owed him for the 2000 season.

Bonilla's agent worked out the deferred payment deal which came with an annual interest rate of 8%.

When it's all said and done, Bonilla will end up making $29.8 Million on the deal/$23.9 Million more than $5.9 Million he was originally set to make.

Best of all, Bonilla lives in Sarasota, FL., where there is No State Income Tax.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, I'm not losing any sleep that Mike and Mike In The Morning on ESPN2 will be coming to an end later this year.

Mike Greenberg will be getting his own show while Golic will be paired with Trey Wingo on another ESPN Station.

It's a shame that this duo is breaking up after an incredible 18-year run. Their 6-10 am time slot was ideal for my schedule.

I have now decided not to watch the program and have replaced it with Morning Walks. The mornings are cooler on Deerfield Beach.

Over the past three months, I've lost around 44 pounds and am working to lose more weight to get even healthier hoping that the long term outcome ultimately leads to getting rid of diabetes.

I'm currently weighing around 215 and hope to lose another 10-15 pounds by the time My wife and I depart for Hawaii for our Honeymoon, in addition to being at My Niece Brooke Morganroth's wedding to Jake Schifko on August 26, 2017.

I am currently working on other business interests that I will disclose when the time comes.

But I do wish Greenberg and Golic well in their future endeavors and enjoyed watching them through the years.

As they have moved on from their loyal followers, I've moved on from Greenberg and Golic.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of The Detroit Sports Media.

Long Overdue

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As I watch Mike Greenberg & Mike Golic, the hosts of Mike & Mike In The Morning on ESPN 2, debate whether NY Yankees Pitcher Andy Pettitte would be a future Hall of Famer, their discussion infuriated me as to which players should be immortalized in Cooperstown, NY.

Pettitte's current career record is 229-135 with a 3.90 ERA, 2,142 strikeouts, 2,926.1 innings pitched and 25 complete games.

He is a two-time All-Star, has six post-season clinching wins and has won five World Series titles.

I know that six more wins over .500 would put Pettitte at a point where he will have won 100 games more than he lost. At the moment every hurler that is 100 games over the .500 mark is in the Hall of Fame.

Pettitte's 18 post-season wins are the most ever and two more would put him at 20. Granted the post-season format has been extended to enhance these numbers, but to his credit, it takes thick skin to win in the clutch. Pettitte also led the Houston Astros to their lone World Series appearance in 2005.

Last season, he finished 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA during the Yankees World Championship season.

To his credit, Pettitte did own up to using performance enhancing drugs and in this forgiving society, the public perception he has might not take as big of a hit especially with his contributions in this years post-season.

As 300 game winners decline due to relief specialization, pitch counts and fewer complete games, the question remains, what will the new number be in order to be considered for enshrinement into Baseball's Hall of Fame?

I'd say the number should be between 250-275 wins, plus the post-season should be factored into the equation. I'm sure the baseball writers look at Cy Young Awards and All-Star Games.

Down the road, I'd say that Pettitte's body of work should get him major consideration to land in Cooperstown. There is plenty of time to wonder whether Pettitte should get in and a player is allowed to stay on the ballot 15 years to get in.

Last year, former Boston Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice made it in his final year of eligibility.

But instead of talking about Pettitte, there are two players that Greenberg an Golic should be talking about that are "Long Overdue" and that's Bert Blyleven and Andre Dawson.

Blyleven fell 67 votes short last year while Dawson missed out by 44, shy of the 75 percent needed for election.

I'd like to see a pitcher in todays game come close to Blyleven with these numbers. He was 287-250 with a 3.31 ERA. Blyleven had 242 complete games and 3,701 strikeouts. How many pitchers would even reach 50-75 complete games in this era? I could probably use my fingers and toes to get that answer.

Blyleven is the only player in the 3000 strikeout club not in the Hall of Fame and is fifth all-time in that category. He won a World Series in 1979 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and another in 1987 with the Minnesota Twins.

If he's not elected by 2,012, then the Veterans Committee will have to select Blyleven.

Meanwhile, Dawson played on a lot of bad Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs teams.

When he signed with the Cubs the first time, he wanted to play baseball at Wrigley Field because he felt the grass would be better for his knees than the artificial surface that he left behind at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. Dawson issued a blank check and told Cubs management to fill in that year's salary. He played for that amount but would see increases in pay as time progressed.

Dawson won an MVP for the last place Cubs in 1987. His resume includes a .279 batting average, 2,774 hits, 438 HR, 1,591 RBI, 314 stolen bases, was an eight time All-Star, plus has eight Gold Gloves.

He is one of only three members in the 400 HR and 300 Stolen Base Club with Barry Bonds and Willie Mays being the other two. These guys weren't too bad. Had Dawson played for the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox, he'd already be in Cooperstown.

As we approach the holiday season, I can only hope that by next Christmas Blyleven and Dawson will have made their induction speeches in beautiful Upstate New York where their careers should reach their final conclusion.

As for Greenberg and Golic, both of you should spend future shows talking about the "present" and not the "far future."

I know you'll be taking time off to be with your families during the holiday season but when you come back to work, those Hall of Fame announcements will be made the week you return to work on Jan 6th. I would hope your shows leading up to this day include Blyleven and Dawson, in addition to some of the other worthy candidates that should be considered.

A few worth mentioning but will be discussed in detail at a later date include Barry Larkin, Alan Trammell, Don Mattingly, Jack Morris, Dave Parker, Dale Murphy, Fred McGriff, Roberto Alomar and Andres Gallaraga.

Instead of spending quality time debating on Pettitte, it's time to mention the players careers that have been "Completed" rather than those that are currently "Incomplete" because it's all common knowledge that when a player retires, we'll have five years on your program to continue the debate.

For now, the candidates on this blog and on the ballot should be the primary focus.

I enjoy watching and listening to your radio show and some of your research is outstanding plus I've learned a lot!

But you guys are fortunate enough to be paid to do a radio show, where it takes advertising and sponsorship for the average individual to get on the air.

I can only hope that you use your airtime on meaningful timely subjects. If you do, I can just imagine how many more e-mails you'll get from all sports fans from all generations which as we know enhances your ratings and allows you to further your job security unlike everyone else in this day and age with the lackluster economy.

Scott Morganroth's blog appears on www.scottsports33.com and can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.