In late June 1979, Bill Madlock was traded in a five-player deal from the San Francisco Giants to the Pittsburgh Pirates. At the time, the Giants were 8.5 games back in the National League West, while the Pirates faced a similar 6.5-game deficit in the National League East. But four months later, Madlock was a World Series champion as the third baseman of the 1979 “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates.
Paul Olden has two championship rings. One is a large, diamond-studded ring encrusted with 113 stones. The other is a smaller ring with one large, single diamond in the middle. On a spring day in the Bronx, Olden, the New York Yankees’ public address announcer, sat in his office in Yankee Stadium and reflected on the journey between the two rings.
Brandon Wright watched Adrian Peterson. The Palo Verde High running back watched Peterson on television playing in the U.S. Army All-American high school football game. A few years later, he watched Reggie Bush and C.J. Spiller, too.
Sixty-four-year-old David Rosen is sitting on a green bench, trying to ignore the wicked wind so he can give a 25-yard stretch of grass his full attention. He knows his turf the way an artist knows his canvas. Rosen is a bocce enthusiast. To the right is his teammate, Faye. “She’ll kill me if I don’t throw a good shot here,” Rosen says. Indeed, Faye is also his wife.
Sacramento River Cats first baseman Chris Carter likes being back home. For proof, just look at Saturday night’s players’ guest list at Cashman Field. “There’s probably close to 100 people on the list,” River Cats manager Tony DeFrancesco said.
After a season that saw the Wranglers make it to the first round of the playoffs, the question now is what will next year’s team look like? “I anticipate there being a bunch of players back, but right now, I just don’t know,” head coach Ryan Mougenel said.
Class is back in session. John Force, the most successful NHRA funny car driver in history, delivered that message to the rest of the motorsports world Sunday afternoon at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Dwight Gooden was Tim Lincecum. Twenty-six summers ago, Gooden exploded onto the Major League scene with the New York Mets, winning a Cy Young Award in his second professional season and consistently baffling hitters to the tune of two consecutive 200-strikeout seasons.
The world seems right again for Ken Black Racing teammates Greg Anderson and Jason Line. Back in Las Vegas, where the KB Racing team has seen its fair share of success, the duo is feeling more comfortable than ever heading into this weekend’s SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, thanks to an appearance by their team owner, Ken Black.
It was a season of momentum. From the drop of the first puck last fall, the Las Vegas Wranglers endured many twists and turns to their season. They started in a swoon, picked up their play near midseason and ended with a flurry of wins, vaulting them into the ECHL playoffs.
