Coaches, like people are all different. The only thing that connects them is winning. One coach may be truly "hands on" while the other coach might be more introspective, cerebral and precise but get the most out of every player by respecting his or her ability to perform and be successful. Enter Bobby Knight and Don Shula. I mean do I really have to tell you which is which ? Despite the differences in personalities both coaches do what Oakland's Alvin Davis considers his mantra - "just win baby"...
Just last night, Bobby Knight gave a light tap on the chin to one of his players during Texas Tech's win over Gardner-Webb (weren't they former owners of the Yankees ?). This hasn't become a major story (yet) so apparently it was a minor event in the life of Knight. That win gives Knight 871 career wins as a coach, placing him 6 wins away from the legendary Adolph Rupp and 9 wins from topping Dean Smith (879) as the winningest Division I college basketball coach in history. Should Texas Tech win the next 9 games in a row, Knight will celebrate a very special New Year's Eve. If not, he'll be celebrating in January...
Don Shula is already in the record books thanks to what happened on this date in 1993 when his Miami Dolphins beat the Philadelphia Eagles 19-14 to give the coach his 325th victory, to move him past Papa Bear, George Halas as the winningest coach in NFL history. Shula would end his career with 347 wins, 173 losses and 6 ties. Both records are not likely to be topped - ever...
To see Bobby Knight's Top Ten Video Moments: http://www.devilducky.com/media/37587/
Correction: Yesterday's blog mentioned 1977 as the debut year for Al Capp's "Li'l Abner" appearing in newspapers. That was the last appearance, not the first...
Ten Timeline Memories...
- [1832] The 1st streetcar goes into service in New York. It was horse-drawn with room for 30 and the ride cost a whopping 12 cents (it ran on Manhattan's 4th Avenue between Prince and 14th Streets - 4th Avenue no longer exists)...
- [1889] New York World reporter Nellie Bly a.k.a. Elizabeth Cochrane begins an attempt to surpass the fictitious journey of Jules Verne's Phineas Fogg by traveling around the world in less than 80 days. Bly does it in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes in January, changing the song to "Around the world in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes"...
- [1943] 25-year old Leonard Bernstein makes his debut with the New York Philharmonic, filling in for the ailing Bruno Walter prior to a nationally broadcast concert...
- [1981] "Roo-mania" invades the U.S. charts with 4 of the top 10 singles done by Australian artists. Olivia Newton-John is #3 with "Physical" and Little River Band, Air Supply and Rick Springfield sharing the rest of the top 10...
- [1986] The Doubleday Publishing Company agrees to sell the Mets to Nelson Doubleday & Fred Wilpon for $80.75 million (the company had purchased the World Champions for a then-record $21.1 million in 1980). Just yesterday the Mets broke ground on their new stadium which will be named "Citi Field" (with Citibank paying the Mets $20 million a year for 20 years for naming rights). Citi Field will open in 2009...
- [1986] A record $100 million penalty is imposed on Ivan F. Boesky for insider trading (lets see if I put aside a million a year, it'll be paid off in 100 years)...
- [1987] Sonny and Cher reunite on the David Letterman Show to sing "I Got You Babe"...
- [1990] The Who's Pete Townshend tells us a bit more than we need to know as he confesses his bisexuality to "Newsweek"...
- [1997] Disney's "Lion King" sets a Broadway record of $2.7 million in one-day sales...
- [1999] The United Nations impose sanctions on Afghanistan for refusing to hand over terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden (we'll show those Afghans. We'll just stop buying their rugs and see how they like that! Puhlese)...
#1 on this date: 1961] "Georgia on my Mind" - Ray Charles...1972] "I Can See Clearly Now" - Johnny Nash...1982] "Up Where We Belong" - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes (the song wins an Academy Award for "An Officer and a Gentleman")...
Released on this date: 1970] "Black Magic Woman" - Santana...
Premiered on this date: 1961] "Blue Hawaii" (the movie starring Elvis Presley)...
Wedding Bells: 1972] Britain's Princess Anne marries commoner, Capt. Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey (they'll divorce in 1992 and the Princess re-marries)...1996] Michael Jackson and mother-for-hire Deborah Rowe make their business arrangement official by making a mockery of marriage...1998] Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman unite for a marriage made in....well, Las Vegas (was it Carmen or Dennis in the bridal gown?) The ink on the marriage certificate is still wet when the marriage ends in 9 days...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Curt Schilling (40), Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (52), Yanni (52), Stephen Bishop (55), Britain's Prince Charles (58) and Buckwheat Zydeco a.k.a. Stanley Dural Jr (59)...
Timeline Countdown: 10 days until Thanksgiving, 31 until Chanukah, 41 days until Christmas, 47 days until 2007, 54 days until the NFL playoffs and 82 days until Super Bowl XLI in Miami...
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