Cactus & Grapefruit Leagues

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I lived in South Florida from 1981-1984, the only chance I had to see the Detroit Tigers in Spring Training was in Lakeland.

The Tigers never came to Pompano Beach to play the Texas Rangers, Fort Lauderdale to face the New York Yankees or Miami to meet the Baltimore Orioles.

But that was then because Baseball's Spring Training Landscape has drastically changed!

The Cactus League, based in Arizona, took a page from the Movie "Field Of Dreams." If you build it, they will come.

Five former Grapefruit League Teams made the trek west out to Arizona.

For years, the Kansas City Royals played in Fort Myers, Florida and then moved to the Baseball City Complex Haines City.

The Texas Rangers were in Pompano Beach then moved to Port Charlotte.

For decades, the Cincinnati Reds played at Tampa's Al Lopez Field and eventually moved to nearby Plant City and Sarasota.

The Cleveland Indians were supposed to move to Homestead but Hurricane Andrew sent them to Winter Haven.

Dodgertown in Vero Beach was the home to the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers until just a couple years ago.

Now the Royals and Rangers share a stadium in Surprise, AZ. The Reds and Indians share a complex in Goodyear, AZ. The Dodgers moved to Glendale and are neighbors with the Chicago White Sox.

It's hard to believe that the  Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals are the only Midwest Teams in Florida.

I'm amazed that the New York Yankees ever left Fort Lauderdale since their fan base is off I-95.

But considering their late Owner George M. Steinbrenner lived in Tampa, I understand why the Yankees relocated. The New York Mets once trained in St. Petersburg but they moved to the East Coast of Florida to be near the transplants and fill the void left behind by the Yankees.

As I glanced at the Spring Training schedule two weeks ago,  I was surprised to see the Tigers and Mets playing Sunday, April 1, 2012 in Port Saint Lucie. However, they could have played at two other I-95 locations.

The Washington Nationals are in Viera, while the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins are in Jupiter, Florida.

It's impossible for me to get to away games during the week with my crazy schedule. But this worked out fantastic because I couldn't ask for a better Sunday drive then to see my close cousins Cindy and her husband Peter Spyke in Fort Pierce just 15 minutes north of Port Saint Lucie at 8:30 am, then going to cover the Tigers Vs Mets.

When we made plans, I told Cindy, "How often do I get to cover the Detroit Tigers in your backyard?"

She added, "There was no way I'd miss this opportunity to get together with you."

With gas prices hovering around $4 per-gallon, Port Saint Lucie was a bargain compared to Lakeland. It was a 90 minute drive compared to four hours, plus I was able to spend time with two of the closest members of my family.

All of this was made possible because five teams moved to Arizona and the Tigers had to find new opponents because of the Grapefruit League's decrease therefore, Detroit had to travel Southeast.

But because of circumstances, the Tigers were able to connect with their Gold Coast Fan Base.

This was a win-win situation and from 1981-84, it wasn''t even a thought, just a pipe-dream.

Indeed, the Spring Training Landscape and Times have changed.

During the Tigers and Mets contest, Prince Fielder belted a long homer to right-field as the Mets fans cheered in the fourth inning. Fielder hitting home runs is something Tigers fans should see a lot. This homer run cleared a canopy.

The Mets fans were either happy it was in Spring Training or relieved that he's now in the American League and won't be a headache for them anymore in the Regular Season.

The attendance of 5,836 saw Detroit come away with a 9-2 win.

All in all this was a great way to spend April Fools Day. But this was no April Fools joke.

Just the Modern Day Version of Spring Training, 2012 style.

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

Public Relations Debacles

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The FAU Owls and FIU Golden Panthers have more things in common besides being rivals in the
Sun Belt Conference and being small mid-major schools in South Florida.

Over the past few months, both schools have made changes with their revenue producing sports where each have taken a hit in the Public Relations Department.

On December 1, 2011, Carl Pelini became the successor to Howard Schnellenberger as he hopes to revive a 1-11 program. This is Pelini's first head coaching job and FAU is paying him $375,000 to rebuild the program. When Pelini was hired, his introductory press conference was handled poorly. He told the university's Sports Information Department to hold an impromptu Press Conference and gather as many media as possible regardless of how many didn't make it without knowledge.

I was told later by the FAU Sports Information Department that Pelini's accessibility would be far less then Schnellenberger, who would be extremely accommodating realizing how necessary it was to gain the free publicity to promote his program.

Pelini is due to have his first spring game soon and although I've never met the guy, he isn't going to get much of a honeymoon period if the Owls continue to lose over the next few years.

Schnellenberger is an icon and built the program from scratch while Pelini has more recruiting tools to work with, in addition to the new stadium. It's his job to win and put rear-ends in the seats to pay for his salary.

Speaking of putting rear ends in the seats, down in Miami, Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas averaged 1,071 for the Golden Panthers in three seasons while attendance was four times that amount on the road.

However, Thomas, who was hired in 2009 to a five-year contract, never had a chance to see his rebuilding project through. He was fired after three seasons posting a 26-65 record.

Prior to Thomas arrival, FIU's last winning season was in 1999-2000 and its winning percentage of .315 since, according to STATS LLC, is 329th Out of 344 Division I Men's programs that competed over the last 12 years.

I've known Thomas since the late 1980's and I know that he wouldn't have taken this job if he didn't have a chance to see it through.

This is a guy that loves basketball and didn't take a base salary his first year agreeing to a deal where he would receive nearly half of any gross revenues from ticket sales, commissions collected on food and beverage concessions and sponsorships.

Thomas put FIU on the map and the average college coach usually gets five years to recruit his players and institute his philosophy.

The timing couldn't have been worse for FIU to make this change and I do believe it will backfire. It's not like the university is a cash cow since it's football stadium holds 20,000. There will be a small budget and Thomas controversial firing only puts a stain on the program. What reputable coach would come to FIU with a sub-par basketball stadium?

Thomas will likely land back in the NBA while FIU will go back to being an unknown commodity that is the Miami Hurricanes infant brother.
FIU's Football Program is best known for a controversial brawl that it had with the Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl on October 14, 2006.

As for Pelini, I hope his second impression is better than his first. There is no doubt that both situations are under a major Public Relations Microscope and we'll see how they both play out.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Zumaya Vs Fidrych

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

On February 25, 2012, former Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever Joel Zumaya experienced pain in his elbow after throwing 13 pitches in live batting practice for the Minnesota Twins.

He tore the Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his elbow likely requiring Tommy John Surgery, therefore, ending his 2012 season before it started.

On January 15, 2012, he agreed to a one-year contract worth $800,000--1.7 Million based on possible incentives. Now he is guaranteed to earn $400,000.

After hearing this news, it's sad because he'll always be known for his 100 plus miles-per-hour fast balls. He was a major part of the Tigers run to reach the 2006 World Series appearing in 62 games, 83.1 innings, 97 strikeouts, a 6-3 record with a 1.94 ERA.

In five years, Zumaya has a 13-12 record with a 3.05 ERA in 209.2 innings with 210 strikeouts in 171 games.

I really hope we haven't seen the last of the 27-year old. Careers have been revitalized because of Tommy John Surgery.

Although former Tigers pitcher Frank Tanana never had Tommy John Surgery, he was a left-handed flame-thrower, who re-invented himself by becoming a crafty finesse pitcher that had a 21-year career record of 240-236.

Thirty-years before Zumaya was thrilling fans with his power, Mark "The Bird" Fidrych captured the national spotlight by packing Tiger Stadium in 1976. The Baseball World gravitated to watching him talk to the ball, in addition to his numerous mound antics.

Fidrych was selected to the American League All-Star Team and started the game. He finished the season with a 19-9 record with a 2.34 ERA with 24 complete games in 250.1 innings. He won the American League Rookie of the Year.

He was a two-time All-Star and finished his five-year career with a 29-19 record, 3.10 ERA and 170 strikeouts all with the Tigers.

Fidrych's injury problems began in 1977 when he tore the cartilage in his knee fooling around in the outfield during spring training. He would later hurt his arm against the Baltimore Orioles, that would ultimately be diagnosed as a torn rotator cuff.

If there is a tale of two pitchers that were so different but so similar, then this is it. One was a 100 mph fire-baller while the other was an inning eater.

Nowadays, pitchers would be lucky to complete 24-games in a career, yet these days, it's common to see 100 mph hurlers.

In either case, these two had "Dead Arms" which shortened their careers. Each started and ended their five-year careers sporting the "Old English D" in the Motor City.

Fidrych died April 13, 2009 at the age of 54 which is 27 or half of Zumaya's age. Fidrych was killed working on his truck outside his home in Northborough, Massachusetts. It's hard to believe that it's been nearly three years since Fidrych passed away.

Zumaya can only hope his career does resume. Hopefully, he won't die at a young age.

It's so sad to see a pair of young hurlers with so much potential fail to reach and sustain superstar status. Yet, they both experienced the big stage with Zumaya in the 2006 World Series and Fidrych in the 1976 All-Star Game.

What a difference 30-years makes and hopefully there is a continuation of the Zumaya Story.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

A Super Lesson

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The New York Giants 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots sent shock waves to the rest
of the NFL.

Just get in the playoffs and play your best football in December and January, as they became the first team in NFL history to lose seven games and win a Super Bowl.

The Giants were 7-7 in December and made it to the playoffs by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 to win the NFC East Title in the final week of the season, finishing 9-7.

By winning the division title, New York earned a home game and dispatched the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 in the opening round. Atlanta's only points came off a safety.

The Giants took their act on the road as they defeated 15-1 Green Bay 37-20 in the second game of the tournament in frigid Lambeau Field. They prevented Packers MVP QB Aaron Rogers from leading Green Bay to its second straight Super Bowl Championship.

The NFC Championship Game would be hosted by the 13-3 San Francisco 49'ers. But the Giants wouldn't be affected by the three hour time difference as they earned a 20-17 overtime victory.

What would it take for New York to win the Super Bowl over the 13-3 New England Patriots? It would take an MVP Performance by Giants QB Eli Manning as he threw for 296 yards and one touchdown. Manning became the fifth player in Super Bowl History to win two MVP Awards and he accomplished that twice against the New England Patriots.

This MVP came in the stadium that his brother Peyton built---Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The Giants played good defense. They sacked Patriots QB Tom Brady twice and forced him to throw one interception. Brady had a safety on the Patriots first possession of the game.

Ironically, my good friend Eddy Alvarez, who is my AT&T Dealer in Deerfield Beach, Florida, asked me an hour before kickoff as I was buying my new tablet, if there was going to be interesting play to watch out for.

I told him that there would be a two-point play of some sort. When Brady had that safety, Alvarez sent me a complimentary e-mail after it happened.

In the end, this Super Bowl rematch of four years ago would be decided in the final minute as the Giants got a late touchdown by Ahmad Bradshaw, a play designed to set up a field goal. However, he inadvertently backed in and scored. This play will go down as one of the classic endings in Super Bowl History.

Eli Manning's legacy has now been cemented as a two-time Super Bowl Champion. With two Super Bowl rings, he owns family bragging rights over Peyton and his father Archie.

Following the Super Bowl, the Giants have defeated the Patriots three consecutive times---including two Super Bowl triumphs and a 24-20 regular season win in New England on Sunday, November 6, 2011.

More importantly, the Giants Super Bowl victory sends a message to the entire "Sports World."

"Don't worry about the win-loss regular season record. Just qualify for the post-season."

As long as a team peaks in the playoffs, that's all that matters. You can bet every coach in every sport on all levels will use the Giants improbable underdog ride as motivation to inspire players to win a championship.

That's what will make Super Bowl XLVI stand out for years to come.

Finally, the Green Bay Packers won last years title with a 10-6 record and add the Giants 9-7 mark, and the combined record for both squads is 19-13.

That's incredible.

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

UFC VS BOXING

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

On Saturday Night, I was channel surfing and stumbled onto FOX's presentation of the UFC.

There was a familiar voice from the past as former Detroit Red Wings Play-By-Play Announcer Mike Goldberg was calling the action. Up to this point, my only familiarity with the UFC was meeting legendary fighter Chuck Liddell at the Super Bowl in Miami a few years ago. Otherwise, I knew nothing about this sport.

After watching three matches Saturday Night, I probably still know very little but came away totally impressed with these athletes. To get kicked in the head, choked, head butted and punched in the face, I can understand why the fights were limited from 3-5 rounds and last five minutes.

The punishment these fighters take is amazing. After what I saw Saturday Night, if a boxer were to enter the octagon, I wouldn't give them much of a chance because of the quicker pace and additional skill level of mixed martial arts, boxing and wrestling all rolled into one.

But as impressed as I am about the sport, which is here to stay, the only thing the UFC does lack is the History Of Boxing.

The UFC realizes that as it lacks the tradition and name recognition that boxing has.

Fighters like Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Robinson,  Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Sonny Liston, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, etc... gave the ring plenty of proud moments. I remember when boxing matches lasted 15 rounds before they changed to 12 because of the brain injuries.

I'm amazed how the UFC generates large audiences for their pay-per-view events. Boxing can thank Tyson for his pay-per-view revenues. After watching the excitement Saturday Night in front of a packed United Center in Chicago, I can see how they generate the revenue through pay-per-view.

I would never order a pay-per-view UFC event because I would rather use the $50 for gas to take a trip to Clearwater Beach, Key West, Sarasota, Orlando and Daytona, Florida.

But this weekend, the UFC did earn my respect as a fan and thanks to their relationship with FOX, a free event gave them much needed exposure.

Boxing built it's audience this way for years with ABC, NBC and CBS broadcasting weekly fights on the weekend.

The reason for boxing's demise is there are too many champions in too many weight divisions. Fighters are not as hungry as they used to be because of the large payouts and rarely fight. There aren't many good American fighters for the public to follow. There are not enough major fights to keep the sport in the news plus, the public is looking for the next heavyweight which it would recognize and dominate.

The UFC expects its best fighters to perform regularly and is taking advantage of boxing's decline. More power to the UFC.

Boxing's promoter's let politics and money get in the way of creating the mega fights the public wants to see. That's why the UFC is knocking out boxing and will continue to in the future unless things drastically change.

However, my heart still belongs to boxing since that's what I grew up following my whole life.

My photo portfolio includes Ali, Leonard, James Toney and legendary trainer Angelo Dundee. There are a lot of championships with this group.

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

Get It Accurate!

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

It's hard to believe that a week has passed since the death of legendary Penn State Coach Joe Paterno.

During that entire weekend, I felt extremely connected to this story because of the significant people that I saw throughout.

It began on Saturday January 21, at FAU Stadium during a College Football All-Star Game "The Battle Of Florida" which was an opportunity for players to showcase their skills for Pro Scouts. The contest featured legendary coaches Bobby Bowden and FAU's recently retired Howard Schnellenberger, who was making his final appearance on the Owls Sidelines.

During the post-game joint press conference with the two coaches Bowden and Schnellenberger, they  wondered if Paterno had passed away earlier as earlier reports pre-maturely indicated.

Throughout the evening, writers kept checking with the media outlets on their computers, cell phones, Twitter as CBS Sports and the Penn State Newspaper had to retract their stories. An editor and writer lost their jobs.

Schnellenberger was 2-1 versus Paterno when he was at the University of Miami. Meanwhile, Bowden and Paterno battled for the all-time Division I FBS wins total.

Paterno owns the record with 409 while Bowden finished second with 377. Bowden's total would have been 389, but FSU had to vacate 12 victories due to a March 6, 2009 NCAA ruling requiring Florida State to forfeit the wins "for any games in which an ineligible player participated."

Nevertheless, "The Battle Of Florida" was overshadowed by Paterno's pre-mature death.

Both Schnellenberger and Bowden weren't concerned about Paterno's handling of the Jerry Sandusky Sex Scandal. In the end, they knew college football was far better with Paterno than it would be without him. On this night, positive comments were all you were going to hear from these two legendary coaches.

To this day, I still believe Paterno should have coached Penn State the entire season. There were mistakes made with the university's administrators because he informed them of what transpired and the incident was pushed aside. Seemed like a cover-up that nobody thought would ever explode like it has. Paterno was being punished for something that happened years ago.

Hours later, I drove up I-75 North and saw My former colleague at WXYZ Radio in Detroit, Dick Vitale at The Broken Egg Restaurant in Sarasota (Lakewood Ranch) Florida. The Hall Of Fame ESPN Announcer arrived home during the early morning hours after covering a college game in Pittsburgh and sat in his usual spot at 10:30 am.

Vitale felt Paterno received a "Raw Deal" and his longstanding relationship with Penn State ended poorly. Dick Vitale's facial expressions and body language said it all.

Vitale is currently working diligently to raise $1 Million for the seventh straight year on behalf of the Jimmy V Foundation For Cancer Research in honor of his late close friend Jim Valvano.

When I told Dick about My Grandfather Sidney Morganroth, who passed away at 55 because of Lung Cancer in 1973, we shared a somber moment. I told Dick that I've kept my promise 40-years later to honor My grandfather's memory to not smoke and he smiled. I also told Dick that from this point on that I will promote the Jimmy V Foundation anytime I can.

Like my grandfather, Paterno died of Lung Cancer but at the age of 85. Vitale and I were just hoping that this Sandusky situation doesn't overshadow Paterno's legacy.

But I came away from that weekend proud to be with Bowden, Schnellenberger and Vitale. Yet, I wish the subject matter would have been more pleasant.

The Battle Of Florida saw Bowden's North team crush Schnellenberger's South squad 51-3. During the course of the weeks events, there were 140 scouts, 29 NFL teams, four Canadian Football League representatives and one from the Arena Football League.

Yet, in the end, once again it was overshadowed by Joe Paterno's declining health that resulted in his death Sunday Morning.

Former ABC News Anchor, the late Frank Reynolds was a guy that I idolized growing up. Just because my specialty is sports doesn't mean that you don't learn from those doing the news.

Reynolds would have had a field day with this pre-mature death of Paterno's fiasco.

On March 31, 1981, during the coverage of the Ronald Reagan Assassination Attempt, White House Press Secretary James Brady was erroneously reported by all three networks as having died from a head wound. Another report arrived that Reagan had died.

Reynolds looked at his staffers and angrily told them to get the information straight and accurate.

I know that if Reynolds was on the air, if he lost his composure again that Paterno had pre-maturely been announced as dead, I'd hide for cover if I were his staffers. Frank defines professionalism in every sense of the word.

I've learned a lot of lessons from Frank in 33-years of Journalism and when I visited his grave site at the Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia, I made sure Reynolds heard my words loud and clear.

All I can say is God Bless to Howard Schnellenberger, Bobby Bowden and Dick Vitale!

Rest in Peace to Joe Paterno, Frank Reynolds, Sidney Morganroth and Jim Valvano!


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

Holiday Sports Traditions

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There are just a few hours left in 2011 as we get ready for another calender year.

So what better time to break down the Top Holiday Sports Traditions than now.

Which sports own what particular holidays?

1) New Years Eve in Detroit is big for Red Wings fans that began at the Old Olympia Stadium and carried over to the Joe Louis Arena. When I'm back in Detroit, I make it a point to cover the New Years Eve event but when I'm not at home, then I usually stay inside to avoid the crazy drunk drivers.

One New Years Eve I'll never forget was on December 31, 1990. The Michigan State Spartans defeated the USC Trojans 17-16 and I really enjoyed covering this game. I was in the midst of a cross country drive and it worked out where I could fit this in on the schedule. The Sun Bowl in El Paso Texas has been a New Year's Eve tradition on CBS for many years.

2) When there is no conflict with the NFL on Sunday, New Years Day or January 1 has always been a day to watch College Bowl Games. There used to be several bowl games played including the major ones, The Rose, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Cotton, in addition to the Outback, Gator and Capital One. This year the Rose Bowl and Fiesta are on the same night while the Sugar, Orange and Cotton will be played in prime time on other evenings. Nevertheless, if you're a college football junkie, this is a great day to stay home and have multiple TV's running.

I've had the good fortune to cover a Rose, Capital One and Orange Bowl. I enjoyed covering the Rose Bowl Parade and Game in one day. It was a long day but a lot of fun.

3) A new tradition that is on NBC is the NHL Winter Classic on January 1 or 2 depending on the NFL schedule. These outdoor contests, which features snow falling on the players thus forcing them to make adjustments in their games, are played in baseball or football stadiums. I'm looking forward to the day that the Detroit Red Wings get to host one and hopefully they'll play the game at Michigan Stadium (The Big House) before 100,000 fans to set new attendance records.

4) Christmas Day belongs to the NBA and this year there were five games played on three networks. If a new labor agreement wasn't reached and the Christmas games were canceled then there would have been no regular season because of the amount of money and exposure lost.

5) The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys own Thanksgiving Day. I am glad that the NFL added a prime-time contest to complete the holiday.

6) Sunday, Memorial Day Eve, goes to Auto Racing as fans can enjoy the Indianapolis 500 followed by NASCAR's Coca Cola 600, the longest race of the season. If there is a rain out then the races are run on Memorial Day.

7) Memorial Day Weekend also features the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Finals match-ups, Pro Basketball's version of the Final Four.

8) NASCAR usually has a race at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI., in the Beautiful Irish Hills on Fathers Day. There are also a full slate of Major League Baseball Action.

9) July 4 belongs to Major League Baseball as fireworks shows follow after games. Tennis and Wimbledon usually play around this time, in addition to the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island in New York.

10) Labor Day is predominantly for Major League Baseball as the pennant races begin to reach their final stages. Fans also turn their attention to the start of the NFL Season with fall just weeks ahead.

I want to wish all of My Readers and Followers a Happy and Healthy New Year. Enjoy your sports and may all of your dreams come true.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.