Bad Boys Reunion?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I heard reports on ESPN that former Bad Boys Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer were being considered as possible replacements for the fired John Kuester, as I was tossing and turning in bed, I warmed up to the idea.

When the Pistons won their titles in 1989-90, these two policed the locker-room and made sure that there would be no distractions to reach their goal. Just ask Thomas' best friend Mark Aguirre, who was acquired in a trade that sent Adrian Dantley to the Dallas Mavericks. Aquirre had a track record for being outspoken in the locker-room but Thomas and Laimbeer made sure that wouldn't occur in Detroit.

As executive of the New York Knicks, Thomas thought about the possibility of hiring Laimbeer as his head coach, but wound up luring Larry Brown to coach in Madison Square Garden. This move turned out to be a major disaster.

But if either of these guys gets selected as coach, lets make it clear that it should be based on their performance on the sidelines.

Thomas did a fine job as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 2000-2003 by leading the franchise to three consecutive playoff appearances. He helped develop Jermaine O' Neal, Jalen Rose and Ron Artest into stars.

The 50-year old Hall of Famer, who is regarded as the greatest player in Pistons history, has done a solid job the past two years with Florida International University. I have watched Thomas' teams the past couple years and his records of 7-25 and 11-19 are very deceiving.  Last season, the Golden Panthers lost several close games due to poor free throw shooting and Thomas quipped during his press conferences that he'll take suggestions from the media to fix the problem.

FAU Coach Mike Jarvis told me that the Golden Panthers are loaded with talent and if Thomas returns for a third season at FIU, they'll be one of the best teams in the Sun Belt Conference.

As for Laimbeer (54), he is responsible for five of the six championships at the Palace of Auburn Hills. He won two as a player and three more as head coach of the Detroit Shock of the WNBA. He was WNBA Coach of the Year in 2003 and took a franchise that was on the brink of extinction and talked late owner William Davidson into allowing him to save it.

Three titles later, it's safe to say the move worked out. I don't care what level of sports you're in. To win a championship is something to be proud of so Laimbeer can take pride in that. On the court, he was a hard-nosed player that was hated by all.

Yet one of his biggest rivals Charles Barkley has always endorsed him as a possible head coach and went on ESPN's Outside The Lines and expressed his support wondering why the former Bad Boy never received more consideration for other positions. This attention enabled Laimbeer to land an assistant coaching job with former Los Angeles Lakers rival Kurt Rambis of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Laimbeer has been instrumental in the development of Kevin Love and is working with Pistons draft choice bust Darko Milicic to make him a better player.

The commonality between Thomas and Laimbeer is the fact that they have worked with younger players and the Pistons are indeed a young team. When these players look up in the rafters and see their jersey's retired, they'll know the men teaching them to be professionals have excellent credentials.

Even if one were to get hired, the other should be the lead assistant.

In Arizona, former Tiger Kirk Gibson has led to the revitalization of the Diamondbacks. The fiery Gibson reminds me so much of Laimbeer. Both were hated by the media in their playing days but I remember seeing Gibson as a coach during spring training and he toned down and was enjoyable to deal with. I hope for Laimbeer's sake, he's mellowed because he needs the media to put people in the stands.

Nonetheless, Gibson has his Diamondbacks in second place in the National League West a game behind the World Series champions the San Francisco Giants with a 33-28 record. His bench coach is former Tigers Manager Alan Trammell. The roles were reversed when Tramnell and Gibson were running the Tigers earlier this decade. Yet, the lessons learned by Trammell working with Lou Piniella had to only enhance Alan's development in the dugout. Now the two have fans in cactus country talking about a return to the post-season. The Diamondback players know that their manager has two memorable World Series home runs and titles on his resume.

There is no reason that a Thomas and Laimbeer reunion can't produce similar results. Do you think Pistons Owner Tom Gores was a passionate fan during the Bad Boys era? Gores does live in Los Angeles and has watched the Pistons defeat the Lakers in the NBA Finals on two occasions.

If Thomas didn't burn his bridges with Davidson, who knows, perhaps we could have seen this tandem together much sooner. But Dumars did manage to win an NBA title on his own and is smart enough to know that the slate is clean between Thomas and Gores. Dumars sees there are some intriguing possibilities here. Dumars also knows that his next hire better be a good one because he know longer has the safety net of the Davidson's to cushion his next fall. Even though he was retained by Gores doesn't mean that he won't be under a more intense microscope that falls under the category, what have you done for me lately?

With the Pistons set to pick eighth in this month's draft, Greg Monroe, Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko are a good foundation, but there is little margin of error to make more roster mistakes. It's time to get it right so that the team can finally work it's way back into the playoffs.

More importantly, with the NBA heading towards a hard salary cap, Detroit could land a player or two in free agency because there will be more available as Commissioner David Stern watches his league become more balanced. There is talk that a hard salary cap could force the Miami Heat to break up their big three of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. If that happens, one of these players is going somewhere.

With Gores in charge, I'll be curious to see what indeed transpires with the Pistons. If Thomas and Laimbeer don't return to the Palace either together or individually, at least the thought of it happening was enough to get me out of bed during the middle of the night to just examine the possibilities based on the developments in Arizona with Gibson and Trammell.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Tribute To Tom McEwen

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I heard the news that My Former Boss Tom McEwen died on Sunday Night, there were several things that entered my mind.

I am glad that I can write this story electronically and not worry if an editor would cut out a very important point. It would be sad to not give McEwen the tribute he rightfully deserves.

Over the years, I've had the privilege of working with some of the greatest people on the planet.

It began in 1979 when George Eichorn of the Detroit Monitor and WXYZ Radio and I began a friendship and brotherhood that's lasted a lifetime.

In 1982, I was fortunate enough to come across the late Peter Bluesten of the Hallandale Digest, who was the publisher of a weekly newspaper, but his staff sold so many ads that the publication was the size of a daily newspaper.

I had so many wonderful times with Peter and as I've written time and time again, you'll never meet a nicer and more loyal person to work with. He was a father to me and treated me like his son.

The only downfall of my experience working for the Digest was the typesetting of the newspaper and production occurred at the Hollywood Sun Tattler.

Therefore, when you're a young aspiring writer trying to get experience, I had to go to the paper and re-check my work to minimize the mistakes that would make me look bad. Peter was fine with this but his son Dan and I had numerous problems. If Peter didn't buffer the conflicts between his son and I, then I was prepared to move on to another newspaper that cared about my work.

My old Journalism instructor David Merves at Broward Community College was also critical of the Digest finished product and saw it every week since he lived in Hallandale.

Thankfully, I had enough good clips and in 1984 and I landed a job at the Tampa Tribune. On weekends off and holidays, I would return to South Florida and visit the Bluesten's. I would do some free-lance writing for events that took place in Central Florida and the Tampa Bay Area.

It would take me awhile to get established at the Tampa Tribune.

Once I got established, then I was able to land work with the heads of the respected bureaus. I would go downtown and work the desk with the rest of the staff especially during football and basketball seasons.

When I met Tom McEwen, he was very nice to me. Whether you were a full-time writer or a part-time correspondent, he treated you with class and always offered pointers and gave advice if you needed it. I stayed at the Tribune until 1986 and nearly landed a spot working for the Lakeland office. But unfortunately, I couldn't survive on their offer and decided to move back to Detroit where I would eventually work for My Father's Home Improvement Company.

Back in 1989, I began covering the Detroit Lions on a regular basis and at the time, they would play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice a year because they were in the same division. It was neat seeing McEwen twice a year and on several occasions. We would talk about my returning to the newspaper again. By then, however, I had found my niche in the Home Improvement Industry and the writing was more of a hobby and passion.

Yet, every time we spoke, there were times that I pondered the possibility and wanted to return to the Tampa Tribune. When I did travel with the Lions, I used to eat lunch with McEwen before the game. We would talk about what was wrong with the Bucs and Hall of Fame Running Back Barry Sanders used to have some of his best games against Tampa Bay, including one contest where he ran for a pair of touchdowns that were both over 80 yards and had the press box cheering.

But as I mentioned before while our relationship was good, it was even better when I began covering the NFL because now we were both in the big leagues. We continued to remain close over the years. I'll never forget the time when the Lions were routing the Bucs and there was talk that if the Bucs didn't build a new stadium, the team would move. We were on the Tampa Stadium field near the end of the game wondering what would happen.

For awhile, things didn't look good because the Bucs were perennial losers and the crowds were in major decline. McEwen was actually nervous that the team would indeed leave town, but thankfully, things did work out. When the Bucs left the Lions division, this stung because I used to enjoy returning to Tampa at least once a year.

But thanks to the man upstairs, on December 19, 2010, the Lions took an NFL record 26-game road losing to Raymond James Stadium. For myself, there were a lot of highlights this afternoon.

Once again, I had the chance to talk about old times with McEwen.

But this time, I took things a step further and introduced my good friend and colleague Jennifer Hammond to meet him. She had a smile on her pretty face that would burn through rubber. The two enjoyed a couple nice minutes.

The Lions snapped their losing streak with a 23-20 overtime win and that would be a major step toward their season ending four-game winning streak.

But as I spent time with my former boss, this was a much different feeling. He seemed like he was in declining health and I had a real weird feeling that this would be the last time I'd ever see him again.

That feeling became a reality when he died on Sunday Morning at the age of 88 at 3 a.m. at his Davis Island home. The Lions were supposed to play the Tampa Bay Bucs on September 11 if the NFL season started on schedule.

I was hoping to see McEwen again. Now I know that will never happen.

According to his wife Linda of 41 years, McEwen had been battling an aggressive form of Cancer with chemotherapy. He had suffered several strokes, most recently in May of 2002. He had a pacemaker implanted in May of 1999 and had a leg amputated that confined him to a wheel chair and lost the sight of his eye.

It was tough seeing him like this.

While I was working at the Hallandale Digest, I was gaining great experience working with all kinds of major sporting events and features despite horrible editing.

The Tampa Tribune editing staff was excellent. I loved the deadline pressure and felt that I became a much better, disciplined writer. To this date, I am extremely proud of my time at the Tribune because I grew in so many ways covering a lot of high school sports, the Florida State League plus different human interest stories. The professionalism at that place was tremendous and I know that was attributed to the Sports Editor.

McEwen was a Sports Editor for at least 25 years. His Column "The Morning After" was must read material. He won the Red Smith Award in 1993. He was a Florida Sports Writer of the Year 19 times---a record.

He wrote more than 10,000 columns and supervised a sports staff that grew from seven to 61 at one point. It earned numerous national and state awards. His Final Column in the Tampa Tribune appeared on February 4, 2001.

He set the example for every writer that worked there to follow and if you didn't leave the paper better than you were when you started, there was something wrong with you.

I once joked around with McEwen that one of my fellow correspondents named David Kaminski told me on a Friday Night during football season that I had won an award in 1984 where I finished in second place for in the State of Florida for a USFL story that I wrote.

As it turns out, when I contacted my Department Head of Journalism Betty Owen at BCC, she said that I finished first and not second. I went back to South Florida during that Thanksgiving and she presented the award to me. I reecived the award six weeks after the Detroit Tigers defeated the San Diego Padres to win the World Series.

McEwen said to me that all the writers were pleased with my hard working attitude and he was pleased to have me on his staff. He did smile when he felt it was a coincidence that I found out at his newspaper, but hugged me and shook my hand.

Coming from a man whose accolades are endless, that made me feel real good.

The Press Box at the St.Pete Times Forum bears his name as did the Press Box at the old Tampa Stadium. After the Bucs new home was built, Raymond James Stadium, the street just south of the new venue was renamed "Tom McEwen Boulevard."

Rightfully so, because McEwen was the driving force in the Tampa Bay Bucs landing a franchise in 1976. At least he can say that he was alive to see them win a Super Bowl as well especially since he had to write a lot of columns during the Bucs lean years that looked more like obituaries.

This is a real sad day for me but like Peter Bluesten, Tom McEwen was a mentor for me as well and I'm proud of the association with these classy individuals.

When I do return to see the Lions and the Bucs, there will be a real void when I step in that press box again, especially when I see my old colleagues from the Tampa Tribune.

But Tom, it was a privilege to work with you over the years and thanks for the memories. When I see all the health problems that you experienced, I hope you do indeed, rest in peace.

Because of  you and the rest of your outstanding staff, I will always be grateful of the experience, knowledge and kindness you gave me that I proudly use everyday in so many ways.

Thanks for the memories and God Bless.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.

NHL Border Wars

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The Borders Wars in hockey are getting hot and heavy as Canada has a chance to jam it to the United States twice in the month of June.

Should the Vancouver Canucks defeat the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals, it will be the first championship for a Canadian based team since the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.

The City of Winnipeg, Manitoba., failed in its efforts to get back the Phoenix Coyotes, who were formerly the Jets, but NHL Hockey will be played in their new MTS Arena (15,015) and I'll bet this will be an Expensive Ticket.

While NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has fought hard to keep teams from moving out of Major USA Cities, there was no way he could stop this one from happening.

The Atlanta Spirit claimed that they have lost $130 million and the team ranked 28th in attendance drawing less than 14,000 fans a game. There was no serious local owner that came forward to keep the team in Georgia.

So who are the winners in this decision and will Winnipeg see a Stanley Cup Championship anytime soon?

Now that Bettman has seen his league lose the Atlanta Metro Area of more than 5 Million, plus a large TV Market, to a city with a population of less than 700,000, the only gain is the $60 Million relocation fee which gets split for the rest of the teams.

The Thrashers were sold for $110 Million and the only time you'll see them on NBC is during the Stanley Cup Finals.

But I have to admit that history works well for the new Winnipeg team. Five of the last six teams that relocated did eventually win Stanley Cup Championships in their new homes.

Ironically, the first team that won a title was when the Atlanta Flames moved to Calgary in 1980-81 and celebrated their title in Canada. You can bet after two failed attempts at NHL Hockey,  Atlanta won't ever get a third chance!

In 1981-82, the Colorado Rockies became the New Jersey Devils and this franchise has won multiple titles.

In 1993-94, the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas and the Stars won the championship. The Stars were the second major sports team to win a championship in what is known as Dallas Cowboys territory.

In 1995-96, the Quebec Nordiques moved to Colorado and Denver made the most of its second chance as the Avalanche took over a football town and led by goaltender Patrick Roy, then won two Stanley Cup titles. The Avalanche won their first in 1996 before legendary Broncos Quarterback John Elway won his first Super Bowl.

Finally, the Hartford Whalers departed Connecticut in 1997-98 and the Carolina Hurricanes would give their region their first major league sports championship by hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2006 when they defeated the tradition rich Edmonton Oilers.

While there will be no realignment next season, there is talk that Winnipeg is headed to the Western Conference in two years. The likely teams that could headed to the Eastern Conference are the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets or the Detroit Red Wings.

The Detroit Red Wings want to join their Original Six rivals the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers because it would be less demanding with their travel schedule in the regular and post-seasons.

For some reason, I have a feeling they will get shafted because there are too many Red and White Winged Wheel Jersey's in California, Arizona, Texas and Tennessee. The NHL will want to keep one Original Six rivalry intact when these two I-94 squads meet.

While I'm glad that the folks in Phoenix won't have Winnipeg hanging over their heads, unless the Coyotes solidify their ownership situation, markets like Kansas City which has a new arena without a winter tenant, Las Vegas and if Seattle ever builds a first class facility could be future NHL homes.

Bettman has worked diligently to keep NHL Hockey in Phoenix but even Morris only had Nine Lives.

As I wished My Friend Bettman a Happy Birthday on Facebook, I wonder if his cake had a sour taste to it because of the failed Atlanta debacle.

Losing Big Markets is a tough pill to swallow but he knows his hands were tied.

But for future Canadian markets like Hamilton, Ontario, Quebec City and others that may emerge, he won't be an easy sell the next time North of the Border.

The only way I could see Canada adding another team is if Toronto gets a second one.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's watching other cities struggle so he can find a reason to move them to the USA to make up for Atlanta's loss.

But for now, the fans of Winnipeg can be pleased that the past moves have turned out to be Greener Pastures.

According to an ESPN SportsNation Poll that had 18,606 voters, there were 79% that said the move was going to be a success while 21% said it wasn't going to work out. You can rest assure that the diehard Atlanta Thrashers fans contrubuted to that 21%.

As for Atlanta, I've never thought highly of that area as a SportsTown and now that it has been reduced to three major sports teams, the Hawks now own the winter sports market. Good Riddance to Atlanta on the Frozen Pond.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.

Great Puerto Rican Athletes

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Due to the overwhelming response and popularity of her four-part series of the Life and Times of Puerto Rico debating of Statehood and becoming No. 51, I feel a certain obligation to complete Gladys Echevarria's (Puerto Rican Pistol) Mission and talk about the Best Athletes that have represented this island.

But there is no way that I couldn't write this blog without two humorous points.

First of all, my mother is anything but a history buff when she wanted to know if Gladys needed papers to be in this country; have no fear ma, she's legal.

Second, when Gladys and I played tennis for the first time, she admitted after spending more time outside of the court chasing the balls she hit over the fence, that this isn't her sport. While I certainly didn't expect to be hitting tennis balls with legend Chris Evert, a few nice volley's would have been nice. But to her credit, week two was better and there hasn't been a week three yet. I would find out in later weeks that archery and swimming were not her bag, but she definitely is looking to make amends playing baseball.

With that said, Puerto Rico's Baseball's history has a tremendous amount of exposure for the island.

Before the Montreal Expos moved to Washington and became the Nationals, they played some of their home games in Puerto Rico.

The Baseball Hall of Fame is now the proud home of a pair of legends.

Here is my list of players and I encourage feedback if I've omitted some of the most notables.

1) Roberto Clemente---There will never be a player bigger then him. I have always believed that his No. 21 uniform should be retired by MLB because of his off the field humanitarian efforts that saw him get killed in an aviation accident in 1972 at the age of 38. He played all of his 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, led them to two World Series titles, had 3000 hits, was a 15-time All-Star, won 12-Gold Gloves, is the first Latin Player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and due to his tragic death bypassed the five-year waiting period to be elected. There is a stadium complex named after him in Puerto Rico.

2) Roberto Alomar--- was elected to the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility with 90% of the votes. The 43-year old is a lifetime .300 hitter, compiled 2,724 hits, 474 stolen bases, is a 12-time All-Star, has 10 Gold Gloves and is a two-time World Series Champion for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993. Need I say more.

3) Bernie Williams---played his entire career with the New York Yankees and amassed 2,336 hits. While he may never get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the 42-year old will get his plaque into Yankee Stadium's Monument Park. He played there from 1991-2006 and is a five-time All-Star and led the Bronx Bombers to four World Series titles. He was invited to play for Puerto Rico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

4) Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez---is a 39-year old Future Hall of Famer and also played on the 2009 World Baseball Classic team with Williams. He is a lifetime .297 hitter, has 311 home runs, is a 14-time All-Star, has won 13 Gold Gloves and as of May 25, 2011 has amassed 2,832 hits. The current Washington National has won a World Series with the Florida Marlins and also appeared in the Fall Classic with the Detroit Tigers. On June 17, 2009, Rodriguez set the MLB record by catching his 2,227 game and passed Carlton Fisk.

5) Carlos Beltran---is one of the most exciting players and at 34-years old is still going strong with the New York Mets in his 14th season. The right fielder has a lifetime .282 average with 288 homers, 289 stolen bases, is a five-time All-Star, has won three Gold Gloves and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1999 with the Kansas City Royals.

6) Carlos Delgado---holds the All-Time Home Run and RBI records among Puerto Rican Players with 473 and 1,512 respectively. The retired 38-year-old first baseman left the major leagues with 2,035 games played, a .280 average and 2,038 hits.

7) Alex Rios---of the Chicago White Sox played in the 2006 World Baseball Classic as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Compared to the other players in this story, time will tell if the center fielder ever achieves the incredible success that they all have. But at 30-years old and now in his eighth season, thus far he's a two-time All-Star that has played in 1,050 games, has amassed 1,107 hits, 109 home runs, 505 RBI, has 155 stolen bases and is a .278 hitter. Rios has a combination of power and speed.

8) Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodriguez---is the most colorful character of these Puerto Rican athletes and instead of swinging a bat, he swings a golf club. The 75-year old is the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He has 38 Pro Wins, including eight on the PGA Tour and 22 on the Senior PGA Tour. His best finish at a major tournament was at the 1981 U.S. Open when he finished tied for sixth place.

9) Hector "Macho" Camacho---was not only known for his mouth but also his hands. Now 49-years old, he competed in 87 fights, won 79, lost five and had three draws. He held the following titles: WBC Super Featherweight, WBC Lightweight, and on two occasions the WBO Light Welterweight. My most vivid memories of Camacho was when he was featured on CBS with legendary announcers Tim Ryan and the late Gil Clancy calling his fights.

10) Felix "Tito" Trinidad---is considered is one of the best fighters in Puerto Rico's history. In 2000, he was named Ring Magazines Fighter of the Year. During his career, the 38-year-old fought 45 times, won 42, 35 came by knockout and had three losses. He held the following championships: IBF Welterweight Title, WBC Welterweight, WBA Super Welterweight, IBF Junior Middleweight and WBA Middleweight Championship. Now that's versatility!

This is an interesting group of athletes and as I did the research for this, it's safe to say that while Golf and Boxing have always been American Favorites, The USA and Puerto Rico can both say that Baseball is their common Pastime as well.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.

Echevarria & Earnhardt Jr. Go Dry

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

What do Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Gladys Echevarria have in common?

Memorial Day Weekend 2011 will be remembered as one that will be known where the "Gas Gauge" caused them to fall short of their Final Destinations.

As I was watching the 100th Indianapolis 500, I got a very interesting call from My Partner In Crime that she ran out of gas in our Jeep Liberty just as she entered the gate of her sisters condominium complex. She quickly called me and another friend, who had a gas can and we put $5 in to get them back home. Thankfully, I got back in time to watch the thrilling end to the Indianapolis 500.

But I warned her prior to going out that we needed gas, but that comment went in one ear and out the other. Then again, that always seems to happen with us and we're still crazily together driving each other nuts!! This time aside from listening me, her excuse was she simply was having a great time with her sister Aida Porter and niece Kathy Echevarria, but weren't laughing at the end. They were lucky that her niece's infant son was sleeping through all of this insanity.

When I told Gladys that I bought a gas can and the proper place for it is in the car and not the garage, again, she countered that there was no place for it in the Jeep, thus the next time she runs out of gas and I'm not readily available, good luck getting AAA, unless we become members in the near future.

What will stink more, a drop of gas in the can in the back of the Jeep or being stuck?

It's for Gladys to find out and me to laugh.

The one thing I do know about this woman is that every time that I confront her with a situation, she has a quick answer. I've told her this many times and I'll reveal this to my readers. When My father and brother once owned a large window company back in Michigan, Gladys would have easily have been one of the top five sales people. She overcomes objections brilliantly and would have made my dad and brother millions of dollars.

But on this Memorial Day Weekend, she Pitched and Missed when it came to giving me a good explanation that she wasn't warned about getting gas before she was stuck. In the end, the ladies did an outstanding job with the meal, and that was the most enjoyable $5 I've ever spent watching the Puerto Rican Pistol eat Humble Pie!!!

As for Earnhardt Jr., his story is far more depressing. He was out in front for the first time in 105 races, and the only thing standing in the way was the gas, or lack of it, in his tank.

He ran out of gas on the back stretch at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and as he tried to coast the rest of the way, Kevin Harvick blazed past him to steal the Coca-Cola 600, the longest and most demanding race of the NASCAR Season.

Earnhardt's blunder cost him points in the race for the NASCAR Playoffs, lots of money and he wound up finishing in seventh place. Earnhardt's last win was at Michigan in 2008.

But for the two E's, Echevarria and Earnhardt's in my eyes they will be connected on May 29 by the two G's, "Gas Gauge."

But life goes on for these individuals who know that they did entertain the people they came in contact with.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/

Pistons New Coach?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As we get set for a Dallas Mavericks rematch with the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, Pistons fans are very familiar with the man running the show in Texas.

Remember Rick Carlisle?

All he did was guide Detroit to a pair of 50-32 records (100-64) and two playoff berths from 2001-2003. Carlisle wasn't out of work long as he landed with division rival Indiana and he guided the Pacers to a 181-147 record in four seasons as they reached the playoffs three times. Now he's led the Mavericks to the playoffs in all three of his seasons in "Big D."

Even though the Pistons won the 2004 NBA Championship with Larry Brown as Carlisle's successor, how many Detroit fans would love to have Rick back now? I know I would.

But as it stands now, the man roaming the sidelines is John Kuester. He has a 57-105 record in two seasons marked by clashes with several players. He is owed the final season of a three-year contract he signed in the summer of 2009.

Will new Owner Tom Gores keep him around for a third season? If the Pistons are smart then Gores will bite the bullet and fire him even if it means there will be two coaches on the payroll. I do believe that even though Gores is new to the basketball business, he'll get another coach.

One coach he won't get is former Cleveland Cavaliers Boss Mike Brown, who is on the verge of being hired by the Los Angeles Lakers.

What type of coach do the Pistons need? One that commands respect and has a winning track record but most of all is experienced.

Unless there is a mystery candidate that I don't know about, here are the veterans that I would like to see as My Top Choices.

1) Mike Dunleavy Sr. has a record that is interesting because he was able to win with both Los Angeles' franchises. He led the Lakers to the NBA Finals in 1990-91 and coached there for two years. His next stops were four seasons apiece with the Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers then took on a position in the NBA "Coaching Graveyard" with the Clippers for 6.5 seasons. Dunleavy Sr. is the last coach to lead the Clippers into the playoffs in 2005-2006 season and guided them to a 7-5 mark. His overall record in the playoffs is 38-33 and in the regular season is 613-716. The 57-year-old Brooklyn, NY., native who played his college ball at the University of South Carolina, still has the fire to make his fifth stop his final one.

2) Rick Adelman was the opposing coach when Chuck Daly defeated him during the Bad Boys era in 1989-90. Two years later, Adelman would lose to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals. During his coaching career that has taken him from Portland to Golden State, Sacramento and Houston, he has compiled a 945-616 mark and is 79-78 in the playoffs. The only drawback with Adelman is he turns 65 on June 16.

3) The most obvious choice would be Mike Woodson, who was a Pistons assistant coach under Larry Brown during the championship season in 2004. This success led Woodson to the Atlanta Hawks where he would lead them to a 206-286 mark. He led the Hawks to the playoffs in his final three seasons in Georgia compiling an 11-18 mark. But do Dumars and Gores want another former Brown assistant since Kuester came from that "Coaching Tree?"

4) Will the Pistons be able to pluck Jeff Van Gundy from the cozy microphones of ABC and ESPN? Van Gundy is a defensive coach and while his brand of basketball may not be the most entertaining, all he does is win. The 49-year old native of Hemet, CA., who went to Nazareth College, compiled a 430-318 regular season record and is 44-44 in the playoffs. He has had plenty of time to recharge his battery since the last time he was on the sidelines was in 2006-07 with the Houston Rockets. Any guy that is on the bottom of a pile during a fight in a Miami Heat/New York Knicks series has enough fire to energize my team.

While there may be other good coaching candidates out there that have been assistant coaches such Brian Shaw and Chuck Person, I still prefer to go the experienced route.

Maybe Gores will encourage Dumars to interview Bill Laimbeer. I really believe that Laimbeer will be a good head coach with his successful tenure with the Detroit Shock. He has been instrumental in the development of All-Star Power Forward/Center Kevin Love as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

If Laimbeer does get a head coaching job, his attitude will have to be much better towards the media than it was as a player since he'll need them to promote his team to sell tickets.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Baseball's Amazing Records

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

On Monday, May 16, 2011, Kansas City Royals Reliever Vin Mazzaro made Major League Baseball History, but for all of the wrong reasons.

It cost him his spot in the big leagues.

The Royals 25-year-old reliever gave up 14 runs and got just seven outs against the Cleveland Indians, who thrashed Kansas City 19-1. He was sent to the minors after the game. His ERA is now 22.74.

No Pitcher has allowed 14 runs in fewer innings than Mazzaro, according to STATS LLC, whose data goes back to 1919.

There are times to set records and times not to. This story will feature the Best and the Worst and in the majority of the cases, I doubt they'll ever get broken.

There is one record that I refuse to acknowledge. That's the All-Time Home Run mark. Since the baseball record books refuse to put an asterisk by it, I will, and I have a feeling that many purists would do the same.

Despite Barry Bonds 762 homers, to me Hank Aaron's 755  is still the number because he didn't use steroids, but integrity.

Babe Ruth's 714, is No. 2 on my list. Don't expect to see Bonds in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He gets my vote to go to the Hall of Shame.

There is another record that only gets acknowledged when a pitcher throws a no-hitter. In 1938, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Vander Meer pitched two consecutive no hitters. To break it, a pitcher would have to throw three which is impossible!

Since baseball history is based on numbers, here are the ones which stand out, starting with the pitchers and then moving to position players mainly hitting.

1) Wins---Cy Young 511, Walter Johnson 417.
2) Losses---Cy Young 316
3) Complete Games---Cy Young 749
4) Innings Pitched---Cy Young 7,356
5) Games Started---Cy Young 815
6) Shutouts---Walter Johnson 110
7) Strikeouts---Nolan Ryan 5,714
8) No-hitters--- Nolan Ryan 7
9) Base-on-Balls, Walks---Nolan Ryan 2,795
10) Hit-By-Pitch---Gus Weyhing 277
11) Hits---Pete Rose 4,256
12) Hitting Streak---Joe DiMaggio 56
13) Most Seasons 200 + Hits---Ichiro Suzuki 10
14) Most Hits Season---Ichiro Suzuki 262
15) Career Batting Average---Ty Cobb .366
16) Season Batting Average---Nap Lajoie .426 (1901)
17) Stolen Bases---Rickey Henderson 1,406
18) Career Stealing Home---Ty Cobb 54
19) Season Stealing Home---Ty Cobb 8 (1912)
20) Hit-By-Pitch---Hughie Jennings 287
21) Strikeouts---Reggie Jackson 2,597, Active Minnesota Twins--Jim Thome 2,395
22) Intentional Base-on-Balls---Barry Bonds 688
23) Runs Batted In (RBI)---Hank Aaron 2,297
24) Games Played---Pete Rose 3,562
25) Consecutive Games Played---Cal Ripken Jr. 2,632

As amazing as these records are, for better or for worse, what's always amazed me is that for as slow paced as baseball is, this is the most difficult of the four major sports because of the mental aspect.

It's a huge Chess game amongst all involved as managers and coaches who try to outsmart the other, and hope the players can do the same while all of us media and the fans try to figure out what's going to happen.

The pitching records will never be touched for several reasons.

Nowadays, there are five man starting rotations, middle relievers, closers and pitch counts. The price is too high for a pitcher since the salaries are huge, therefore, front offices act with extreme caution when protecting their investments.

How difficult is baseball?

Consider the fact that the last player to hit above .400 was Ted Williams back in 1941 when he batted .406.

The greatest player of all-time Cobb only succeeded 36 % of the time.

Michael Jordan, who played for the Chicago White Sox Double-A Minor League Affiliate the Birmingham Barons in 1994, had a tough time with the grand old game.

In Jordan's lone season, he hit .202, with three home runs, 51 RBI, 30 stolen bases and committed 11 errors. He returned to the NBA a year later and won three more championships.

Even the greatest athletes get humbled playing their "Field of Dreams."

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.