Joey Cora

Position: Second Baseman

Teams:

• Vanderbilt University
• San Diego Padres (1987-1990)
• Chicago White Sox (1991-1994)
• Seattle Mariners (1995-1998)
• Cleveland Indians (1998)

Notables:

• 1997 All-Star
• Drafted in the first (23rd pick) of the 1985 amateur baseball draft by the San Diego Padres

Beaumont Golden Gators

As a member of the Beaumont Golden Gators (now there’s a random forgotten team for you) Cora received national attention when on June 22, 1986 he was stabbed after a game in San Antonio, TX. Cora was stabbed by two men while waiting for the team bus after the game. He was stabbed once in the stomach and once in the arm. Cora was quickly rushed to the hospital and later made a full recovery after spending six weeks on the disabled list. A man named Jose Puente, 29, was caught at the scene and was later charged with attempted murder. No motive was ever given for the crime. (Wikipedia)

Here are two famous ex-Beaumont Golden Gator Players that you might know:

Pat Casey (Led Oregon State University to two College World Series titles)

Ozzie Guillen (Most Memorable Blowups)

Cora spent his first three seasons with the Padres averaging .274 batting average. In 1991, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox where he hit .276 in 1994. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners on April 6, 1995.

Cora is perhaps best remembered for his time in the Seattle Mariners organization where he hit .297, .291 and .300 in 1995, 1996 and 1997 respectively. Cora was a key piece of the Seattle Mariners 1995 ALCS run. Cora was an All-Star in 1997 hitting 11 home runs, 54 rbi’s and 105 runs in 1997.

1995 Mariners is a good blog to check out for memorable stories from the Mariners’ 1995 Playoff run.

Cora was nicknamed “Little Joey” by the Mariners fans because of his hustle, grit and good nature. (Wikipedia). Marty from Marty’s Mariners Blog notes:

“What he didn’t have in physical ability, he made up for in shear determination.” –Marty’s Mariners

After being eliminated by the Cleveland Indians in game 6 of the 1995 American League Championship Series, Cora broke down into tears while Alex Rodriguez draped his arm across Cora’s shoulder and consoled him. This image was memorialized the following year with a very humorous promotional ad. The sensitivity and emotion Cora displayed made him particularly popular with young women in the Pacific Northwest, who would often hold signs at Mariners’ home game saying “Marry me, Joey!” (Wikipedia)

You can watch Arod and Cora take infield together back in 1995 on MLB.com.

PF’s blog on FoxSports.com put together a lineup of the greatest Mariners of all-time. Joey Cora didn’t even make it as a backup. Who did? Bret Boone and Harold Reynolds. Who made that bogus list?

Cora spent most of the 1998 as a Mariner, but with the team falling out of contention he was dealt to the Cleveland Indians for David Bell. After being injured he signed a free-agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season, but retired without playing a game.

For Cora’s complete career statistics see the Baseball Almanac.

After retiring, Cora became a manager in the New York Mets minor league system. In 2003 he was hired by good friend Ozzie Guillen as a third base coach. He occasionaly serves as an interim manager when Guillen is suspended or ejected from a game. He also managed the Venezuelan Winter League baseball team Tiburones de la Guaira in the 2005-2006 season with a record of 31-31 (.500). Cora has been a finalist for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals managerial positions, suggesting that one day we will see Joey as a manager in the big leagues.

Joey won a World Series ring in 2005 while coaching the Chicago White Sox.

In 2005, Jermaine Dye lined a foul ball off of Joey Cora.

Joey’s younger brother Alex Cora is a middle infielder for the Boston Red Sox.

In 2006, while coaching the American League All-Star game, Joey Cora accidently hit Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano with a Fungo Bat. According to MLB.com, Zambrano backed into the bat while Cora was warming up the American League All-Stars.

Ever wonder how much Joey Cora’s baseball cards are worth? You’re not alone.

“King” Rex Chapman

Position: Shooting Guard

Teams:

• Apollo High School (Owensboro, Kentucky)
• University of Kentucky
• Charlotte Hornets (1988–92)
• Washington Bullets (1992–95)
• Miami Heat (1995–96)
• Pheonix Suns (1996–2000)

Notables:

• Mr. Basketball State of Kentucky 1986
• Parade High School All-American
• McDonald’s High School All-American
• 1986-87 All-SEC First-Team 1986-1987 (Coaches)
• 1986-87 All-SEC Freshman Team 1987
• 1986-87 All-SEC Second Team (AP & UPI)
• 1987-88 3rd Team All-American (NABC, Basketball Times)
• 1987-88 All-SEC First Team (AP, UPI & Coaches)
• 1987-88 SEC Tournament MVP
• 1987-88 Academic All-SEC
• Drafted #8 Overall in the 1st Round of the 1988 NBA Draft by Charlotte
• First player ever signed by the Charlotte Hornets in the franchise’s history
• NBA All-star Slam Dunk competition participant (Finished 6th and 2nd)

Chapman was a star at Kentucky. He was named All-SEC during his freshman and sophomore years and scoring 1,073 points in only two years (Wikipedia). He averaged 16 ppg in his first year and 19 ppg in his sophomore season with Kentucky.

Check out Big Blue History for Chapman’s complete statistics at Kentucky.

After his sophomore year, Chapman declared for the NBA Draft. Chapman said scrutiny of his private life by athletics department officials, boosters and others hastened his departure from Kentucky. He left after two seasons and entered the NBA Draft in 1988.

In 2005, Chapman told The Courier-Journal that school officials tried to stop him from dating black women or at least “hide it” rather than inflame fans when he played at Kentucky.

Once, someone took a key and scrawled a racial epithet on his car door, he said. He said he also was the subject of obscene jokes.

“It’s the climate of how things were,” he was quoted as saying. “People were bothered by the fact that sometimes I dated black girls. Most preferred that I keep it confidential and hide it.” – USA TODAY

Ex-Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton was Chapman’s coach at Kentucky.

Note that Chapman also had an awesome mullet at Kentucky:

The Starting Five even rated Rex Chapman as the 34th greatest college basketball player of all time.

NBA

In his rookie season with the expansion-Hornets, Chapman averaged 16.9 points per game. Though, the Hornets went 20-62.

Chapman finished 6th behind Dominique Wilkins during his first NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Chapman would finish second in the 1989-90 Slam Dunk Contest, losing to Dee Brown after performing a two hands-two balls dunk stunt. (Remember Dee Brown?)

Chapman is remembered by many as one of the greatest Caucasian dunkers of all time, and is one of only five whites to participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, the others being Tom Chambers in 1987, 1996 Champion Brent Barry, Bob Sura in 1997 and Chris Andersen in 2004 and 2005.

He was the Hornets MVP in 1990-91.

Chapman was traded to the Washington Bullets for Tom Hammonds in the middle of the 1991-92 NBA season. Chapman battled injuries with the Bullets for four straight seasons playing in limited games.

In the 1995-96 season, He had his second major injury during the latter season before being traded to the Miami Heat.

Interestling enough, he was noticibly losing his hair, and opted to shave his head completely and sport a bald look. Chapman had a what started out as a great season, and averaged 14.8 points per game that year, but he was placed on the injured list again and only participated in 56 games and eventually signed with the Phoenix Suns for the 1996-97 season.

Chapman was a fan favorite for the Suns and he hit a game tying shot in game four of the 1996-97 first round playoffs against the Supersonics. With the Suns up two games to one, they trailed the Supersonics in Game 4 by three points with seconds to go in Phoenix. Chapman saved an errant pass from going out of bounds and hit a game-tying three-pointer while falling out of bounds to send the game into overtime with 2.2 seconds left.

What the video doesn’t tell you is that the Suns ended up losing the game and eventually lost game 5.

Chapman played 68 games during the 1997-98 season for the Suns, scoring almost 16 points per game. But he would be injured again during the strike shortened 1999 season, playing 38 games.

Chapman retired from the NBA during the 1999-2000 season after being re-injured.

Chapman played a total of 666 regular season NBA games, scoring 9,731 points for an average of 14.6 points per game, with 1,798 assists for an average of 2.7 assists per game, and 1,645 rebounds, for 2.5 rebounds per game.

Once again, we’re not the only ones wondering what happened to Rex Chapman.

Rex Chapman’s house can be seen from the sky via Virtual Globetrotting.

Unfortunately no one has reviewed Chapman’s movie (Rex Chapman Teaches Basketball’s Jump Shot) on Rotten Tomatoes.

How about a tribute to Rex Chapman?

Rex Chapman and his wife also own a restaurant. (Location) And we found a site where you can read all about the violations of Rex’s restaurant.

Rex was one of the original spokesmen for AND1, who gave Rex his own shoe. In a commercial, Rex stated “My opponents will get to see a lot of (the shoes)… right at eyyyye level!!!!” (Wikipedia) No word yet whether there is a Rex Chapman AND1 mixtape out there.

It’s also nice to see people still rocking Chapman’s jersey.

After retiring from active play Chapman remained with the Suns, first as a scout and later as Director of Basketball Operations. For the 2004 and 2005 NBA Playoffs, he served as a color commentator on TNT. In 2005, he became a personnel scout with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2006, he became the vice president of player personnel with the Denver Nuggets. Though I’m not too sure why anyone would hire him as a scout. Here’s what he said about Sebastian Telfair back when Telfair was drafted by the Blazers:

“As far as court vision goes, he compares to Kidd, Nash and Lebron.”

(Ummmmmmm………………This guy has a hard enough time deciding between Earl Boykins and Telfair )

Youtube:

Rex Chapman in college:

Dunk on U of L:

The closest thing you will find to a Rex Chapman AND1 mixtape:

Dunk:

Showtime (he is also compared to Mohamed Ali)

Carlos Baerga

Due to my very busy schedule right now, blog writing is taking a temporary back seat. Baerga’s blog entry is gonna be late. It’s just something you’re gonna have to deal with.

Andre Rison

QUICK HITS

Position: Wide Receiver

Teams:

• Flint Northwestern High School
• Michigan State University
• Indianapolis Colts (1989)
• Atlanta Falcons (1990-1994)
• Cleveland Browns (1995)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (1996)
• Green Bay Packers (1996)
• Kansas City Chiefs (1997-1999)
• Oakland Raiders (2000)
• Toronto Argonauts (2004-2005)

Notables:

• First round draft pick in 1989 (Indianapolis Colts)
• 5x Pro Bowl selection (90, 91, 92, 93, 97)
• 4x All-Pro selection (90, 91, 92, 93)
• Won the 1996 Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers (scored the first points of the game on a 54-yard touchdown catch)
• Won a Grey Cup championship with the Toronto Argonauts (2004)
• Holds an NFL record for scoring a touchdown with 7 different teams

• caught 52 passes for 820 yards including 4 touchdowns in his rookie season with the Colts.
• He was traded to the Falcons as part of the infamous Jeff George block-buster deal.
• Led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 15 in 1993.
• After the 1994 season, Rison signed a free agent contract with Cleveland, where he was expected to bring his flashy playing style and become the featured receiving threat for the Browns, who had made the playoffs the year before.
• Played one season with the Browns and had career lows in receptions (47), yards (701), touchdowns (3), receptions per game (2.9), and yards per game (43.8).

Due to Rison’s poor play, he developed a feud with the Cleveland fans, who were angered over the announcement that the team would be relocating to Baltimore and tired of his incredibly disappointing play.

After a home loss to the Packers, Rison, who had been booed by the fans throughout the game, lashed out, stating, “We didn’t make the f***ing move. So, for all the booers, f*** you too. I’ll be glad when we get to Baltimore, if that’s the case. We don’t have any home-field advantage. I’ve never been booed at home. Baltimore’s our home. Baltimore, here we come.” [Cleveland.com]

In his final NFL season, with the Raiders in 2000, Rison caught 41 passes for 606 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Rison finished his NFL career with 743 receptions for 10,205 yards and 84 touchdowns, along with 8 kickoff returns for 150 yards and 9 carries for 23 yards.

Rison was also well known for things aside from his play on the field.

In 1994, Rison’s Atlanta mansion was burned down by his then-girlfriend, the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes of the R&B group TLC, resulting in the loss of all his possessions.

He has also been arrested several times for failing to pay child support to Raycoa Handley, the mother of his two sons. This ultimately led to Rison getting sentenced to jail by an Atlanta court on December 8, 2004 for neglecting to pay the $127,000 in child support Handley claimed he owed her. On January 3, 2005, Rison was released from DeKalb County Jail after making a $10,000 payment.[Metro News, Wikipedia]

He was given the nickname “Bad Moon” Rison from ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman (aka “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival).

While playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, Rison tried to popularize the nickname “Spider-Man,” reflecting his touchdown celebrations where he posed like the superhero flinging spider webs…but the nickname never really stuck.

Rison was also sometimes mocked as “Smokey”, “Fireman”, and “Flamer” in reference to the infamous Lopes arson incident, as well as Brock Middlebrook, after his attempt to deceive police after he threw a man through a window at the Bo’s and Mine, a local River establishment near the site of the Chiefs training camp. For the incident he makes the Chiefs Hall of Shame.

Add Rison to the RFP Pro’s vs. Joe’s Hall of Fame. During one episode, TNA wrestler Abyss gave Rison his finishing maneuver, the Black Hole Slam (kayfabe) when Rison offered Abyss a handshake. Rison had to be helped from the ring during the commercial break.

Watch the show here.

Andre Rison frequents a Tiki Bar called The Bamboo Beach Tiki Bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Looks like he is making the most of his retirement.

Rison even has an official website, along with a myspace (also official).

Back in 2007, Ladies Love Sports asked us to remember Andre Rison.

Apparently, there might even be an Andre Rison reality show coming soon to your television:

Youtube:

Touchdown catch:

Chris Miller to Andre Rison in Techmo Bowl!:

More TNA wrestling with Andre Rison:

Jim Rome: Baby Mama Drama (Andre Rison):

And just because I am SUCH a HUGE TLC fan, I had to throw this in the blog (Though I’m sure Rison may not be a fan anymore):

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Byron “Bam” Morris

QUICK HITS

Position: Running Back

Teams:

• Texas Tech University (1991-1993)
• Pittsburgh Steelers (1994-1995)
• Baltimore Ravens (1996-1997)
• Chicago Bears (1998)
• Kansas City Chiefs (1998-1999)

Notables:

• Rushed for 1,752 yards in his final season at Texas Tech (1993)
• 1993 Doak Walker Award winner (best RB in college football)
• 3rd round selection in the 1994 NFL Draft
• Best year in the NFL was as a rookie, when he rushed for 836 yds and 7 TDs
• Started 39 games over his 6 year career
• Was the the starting running back for the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX (73 yds on 19 carries and 1 TD)
• Had numerous legal problems which contributed to his demise

COLLEGE

Bam won the 1993 Doak Walker Award after rushing for 1,752 yards for Texas Tech. He beat out San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk for the award. Bam’s 1,752 yards broke a Southwest Conference record for single season rushing yards previously held by Earl Campbell, and was the second highest mark in the nation that year. Bam, who’s real name is Byron, was one of two Byron’s from Texas Tech to win the Doak Walker Award in a span of 4 years. The other? Byron Hanspard, who we featured on this site earlier this month.

NFL

Morris left school after his junior year to enter the 1994 NFL Draft and was selected in the 3rd round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He peaked early, rushing for 836 yards and 7 TD’s as a rookie, then starting in Super Bowl XXX in his second year, where he rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The next two seasons he played for the Baltimore Ravens, where he rushed for a little over 700 yards each year. He played for the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs in his final two seasons, rushing for less than 500 yards in each. He was out of the NFL by age 27. (Bam Morris’ career statistics)

LEGAL TROUBLES

Morris’ career was hampered by his problems off the field:

• 1996- Police found 4 kilograms of marijuana and 1 gram of cocaine in his car during a traffic stop. Fined $7,000, sentenced to 200 hours of community service and 6 years probation. He was cut by the Steelers after he pleaded guilty.
• 1997- Arraigned in Baltimore after a woman accused him of assaulting her
• 2000- Pleaded guilty to two counts of Federal drug trafficking (distributed 100 kg of marijuana in Kansas City area from 1998-2000). Sentenced to 30 months in prison.
• 2001- Convicted of violating his parole from his 1996 plea bargain, sentenced to 10 years in prison. Released on July 31, 2004.

(List compiled from Morris’ Wikipedia page)

Bam Morris makes the list of the Biggest Jokes in Pittsburgh Sports History

He also joins past RFP of the Day Elvis Grbac on George Blowfish’s list of Players Who Really Sucked.

In 2006, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Morris was trying to make a comeback in the NFL. He had recently signed with the Katy Copperheads (now the Texas Copperheads) of the National Indoor Football League to restart his professional career.

Most recently, Bam popped up in the news in January 2008 when he offered advice about prison to Michael Vick, who is serving time at the same place that Bam did.

YOUTUBES

Bam Morris scores the game winning touchdown in the 1995 AFC Championship:

Can’t embed the video player on this next one, but here’s the link:

KDKA Pittsburgh interviews Bam Morris in 2005

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Bill Cartwright

QUICK HITS

Position: Center

Teams:

• University of San Francisco (1976-1979)
• New York Knicks (1979-1988)
• Chicago Bulls (1988-1994)
• Seattle Supersonics (1994-1995)

COLLEGE

Cartwright played at the University of San Francisco where he led the Dons to 3 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including 2 Sweet Sixteens. He was a 2-time All-American and finished his career as USF’s all-time leading scorer. Here are his complete collegiate statistics (courtesy of Wikipedia):

Year	W-L	G	FG	FGA	FG%	FT	FTA	FT%	RBs	Avg	Pts	Avg
1976	22-8	30	151	282	53.0	72	98	73.5	207	6.9	374	12.5
1977	29-2	31	241	426	56.6	118	161	73.3	262	8.5	600	19.4
1978	23-6	21	168	252	66.7	96	131	73.3	213	10.2	432	20.6
1979	22-7	29	268	443	60.6	174	237	73.4	455	15.7	710	24.5
Total	96-23	111	828	1406	58.9	460	627	73.4	1137	10.2	2116	19.1

Note the monster senior year statistics (24.5 ppg, 15.7 rpg) and the incredibly consistent free throw percentage. I can only imagine the consistency at the line came from his picture perfect form:

NBA

Cartwright was selected #3 overall in the 1979 NBA Draft, behind Magic Johnson and Dave Greenwood. He got off to a fast start in the NBA, averaging 21.7 points and 8.9 rebounds in his rookie season for the New York Knicks. He was named to the 1979-’80 NBA All-Rookie Team alongside Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Calvin Natt, and the aforementioned Dave Greenwood. He also made the All-Star Game as a rookie, the only All-Star appearance of his career. His rookie season ended up being his best season statistically. His second year he averaged 20.1 ppg, but he never again reached the 20 ppg mark. (Cartwright’s career statistics)

After the 1988 season he was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Charles Oakley. Cartwright was the starting center for the Bulls when they won back-to-back-to-back NBA championships in 1991, 1992, and 1993.

Cartwright ended his career with one uneventful year with the Seattle Supersonics and retired in 1995.

POST-CAREER

Cartwright eventually won two more championships with the Bulls, this time as an assistant coach in 1997 and 1998. He also served as head coach for the Bulls from 2001 to 2003. He was replaced just 14 games into the 2003-2004 season. He is now an assistant for the Phoenix Suns.

He has a very hoarse voice that is the result of an elbow to the throat that damaged his larynx in a game against the Indiana Pacers.

In case you care, Cartwright is one of 5 players Tirico Suave “sort of still wishes were in the NBA”

YOUTUBES

Bill Cartwright has no tolerance for child abuse:

Watch Cartwright drain 3’s on Tecmo Basketball (starts about 25 sec. in):

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Anthony Peeler

QUICK HITS

Position: Shooting Guard

Teams:

• University of Missouri
• Los Angeles Lakers (1992–1996)
• Vancounver Grizzlies (1996–1997)
• Minnesota Timberwolves (1998–2003)
• Sacramento Kings (2003–2004)
• Washington Wizards (2004–2005)

Notables:

• 15th overall draft pick in the 1992 NBA Draft
• Known for his 3-point shooting and “Tomahawk” Jam
• Averaged 9.8 points per game over his 13-year NBA career.
• Led the league in three-point field goal percentage during the 2003-04 season with the Sacramento Kings (.482)
• Threw an elbow at former teammate Kevin Garnett during the Kings’ 2003-04 playoff series. He was suspended for the rest of the series.

Though he wasn’t a huge scorer (he topped out at 14.5 ppg for the Grizzlies in 1996-97), Peeler was a valuable shooter who could get hot in a hurry.

Give Me The Rock advised fantasy basketball owners to take a strong look at Peeler as a valuable option for deep leagues that counted three point field goals and three point percentage. Or, more importantly, because “he does look like a thugged out baller in his league photo.”

Aside from shooting 3’s, Peeler was also famous for elbowing Kevin Garnett in the side of the head during the 2003-04 playoffs. Peeler was suspended for the rest of the playoff series and Garnett was fined $7500 for a retaliation elbow thrown at Peeler during the incident.

You know you were special at one time when you have a song named after you. MC Radiation pays homage to Peeler in his song titled “Anthony Peeler“. The lyrics are too NSFW for our blog, but you can find them here. Oddly enough MC Radiation is from Portland, Oregon. Shouldn’t he be rapping about headbands or Oden? This blog profiles and interviews MC Radiation, calling him a “highly respected artist in the Southeast Portland underground hip hop community.”

That Southeast Portland hip hop scene must be out of control.

If you live in Oklahoma City you can attend the Anthony Peeler Basketball Camp. And if you live in Oklahoma City, you just stole the Sonics from Seattle. Do you feel dirty?

YOUTUBES!

Peeler highlights from his college days:

Peeler dunking for the Lakers:

This guy is NOT an Anthony Peeler fan:

But you know this guy is. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. MC Radiation:

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Andy Benes

Position: Pitcher

Teams:

• University of Evansville
• San Diego Padres (1989-1995)
• Seattle Mariners (1995)
• St. Louis Cardinals (1996-1997, 2000-2002)
• Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-1999)

Notables:

• #1 pick in the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft (by the San Diego Padres)
• His brother Alan Benes also pitched in the Major Leagues, and was his teammate in 1996-97 and 2000-01.
• 1x All-Star (1993)
• Third in Cy Young Award voting in 1996 (went 18-10 with a 3.83 ERA)
• First player in Diamondbacks history when he signed as a free agent prior to the 1998 season. He also threw out the first pitch in the franchise’s history.

In case your wondering how the heck Andy Benes was a #1 overall pick, just look at his junior year in college at Evansville. He was 16-3 with a 1.42 ERA, struck out 188 and walked just 36. In addition, he threw 13 complete games and 8 shutouts. He was named the 1988 College Player of the Year.

RFP Trivia: Benes was the first player selected in the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft. Can you name the #1 picks from both 1987 and 1989?

Benes had an up and down Major League career. For example, in 1993 he went 15-15 and was an All-Star. The next season he led the Majors in losses, but also led the Majors in strikeouts. He had seasons such as 1996, where he went 18-10 with a 3.83 ERA and finished 3rd in NL Cy Young voting, but also had a season (2001) in which he had a 7.38 ERA in 27 games (including 19 starts). (Benes’ career stats)

In 2005, The Bad Beat Baseball Blog would not let us “forget” Andy Benes by pointing out some of the more amusing box score lines of 2001 for Andy:

 IP  H  R ER K BB HR
2.7  9 10 10 2  0  2
5.7  7  7  7 2  3  4
3.7 10  9  6 8  2  2
3.7  6  6  6 4  5  5

In a 2004 column for The Sporting News, pitcher Todd Jones mentioned that Benes had a habit of gritting his teeth when preparing to throw a slider. I’m sure every hitter in the league knew of this. I’m gonna make a read that Benes wasn’t a good poker player.

Andy Benes is nominated as an “Unconsidered Hero” by these bloggers.

Virtual Globetrotting even lets you view Andy Benes’ house from the sky!

Benes is only tagged on one video on youtube. WARNING: It may be as disturbing as looking at sky-view pictures of his house:

Trivia Answer: Ken Griffey Jr. (1987), Ben McDonald (1989)

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Elvis Grbac

QUICK HITS

Position: Quarterback

Teams:

• University of Michigan (1989-1992)
• San Francisco 49ers (1993-1996)
• Kansas City Chiefs (1997-2000)
• Baltimore Ravens (2001)

Notables:

• Led Michigan to two Rose Bowls
• Was the quarterback during WR Desmond Howard’s Heisman Trophy season in 1991
• Left Michigan as the school’s all-time leader in passing attempts, completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns (all have since been broken)
• Drafted in the 8th round (219th overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft
• Was a starting quarterback for 5 seasons in the NFL (4 with Kansas City, 1 with Baltimore)
• Made the Pro Bowl in 2000
• Retired after the 2001 season

COLLEGE

Grbac played at the University of Michigan from 1989-1992. He finished his college career with 522 completions for 6,460 yards and 71 touchdowns, becoming Michigan’s all-time leader in all 3 of those categories (his records were eventually broken by John Navarre in 2003 and then Chad Henne set new records in 2007).

Grbac also led Michigan to back-to-back Rose Bowls. In 1991, Grbac’s top receiver was Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard, and the team went 10-1 in the regular season before falling to Washington in the Rose Bowl. In 1992, Grbac led the Howard-less Wolverines to an undefeated season (9-0-3), which culminated in a Rose Bowl victory over the same Washington team that had beat them the previous year.

Many Michigan fans say Grbac is the best quarterback they have ever had. Here is a thread from a Michigan forum asking fans to rank the top Michigan QB’s of all-time.

Grbac to Howard (vs. Notre Dame, 1991):

NFL

Despite his success in college, Grbac wasn’t selected until the 8th round of the 1993 NFL Draft. Out of 224 total picks, he was taken 219th. Amazingly, the 8th round of the ’93 draft produced 6 Pro Bowlers, and Grbac wasn’t even the lowest Pro Bowl quarterback selected. Trent Green was taken 3 picks later, at #222, and went on to make two Pro Bowl appearances (2003 & 2005). Here is a list of the 8th round selections in the ’93 draft who went on to become Pro Bowlers (* denotes number of Pro Bowl appearances):

• Troy Brown, WR, New England (*)
• Craig Hentrich, K, Green Bay/Tennessee (**)
• Jessie Armstead, LB, New York Giants (*****)
• Blaine Bishop, S, Houston/Tennessee (****)
• Elvis Grbac, QB, Kansas City (*)
• Trent Green, QB, Kansas City (**)

Speaking of Jessie Armstead, how intimidating is this picture of him in college?

Back to Grbac…..

He spent the first 4 years of his career in San Francisco backing up Steve Young. He saw playing time in 43 games for the 49ers and started 9 times before going to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1997 to be their starting quarterback. Grbac started for 4 seasons in Kansas City and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2000 after throwing for 4,169 yards and 28 TD’s. After the Pro Bowl he became a free agent and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens (coming off a Super Bowl win) placed high expectations on Grbac, but he was unable to fulfill them. He threw more interceptions (18) than touchdowns (15), and was constantly taunted and criticized by fans and the press. To make matters worse, the Ravens cut him after the season in a salary cap move and refused to renegotiate his contract. As a result, Grbac decided to retire, much to the surprise of the rest of the league.

(Buy this poster here)

NFL fans can be ruthless when players disappoint them. This guy puts Elvis Grbac on his extensive list of Players Who Really Sucked. And here is an entry for “Elvis Grbac” on Urban Dictionary. According to the entry, the term “Elvis Grbac” is defined as “The state of sucking at any given activity. To perform terribly.”

Collectible Elvis Grbac gear: Action Figure, Jersey, Autographed Photo, Autographed Mug (?)

Grbac is a member of the Terrible Jersey Hall of Fame. This kid doesn’t care though:

He knows Grbac was a solid 8th round pick.

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Travis Fryman

Position: Third Baseman

Teams:

• Detroit Tigers (1990-1997)
• Arizona Diamondbacks (1997)
• Cleveland Indians (1998-2002)

Notables:

• Drafted in the first round (30th overall) of the ’87 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers
• 5x All-Star (1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000)
• Silver Slugger Award (1992)
• Gold Glove Award (2000)
• Career .274 average with 223 HR and 1,022 RBI in 13 seasons
• Retired in 2002 at the age of 33 due to injury
• Now manages the Class-A Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Indians organization)

A shortstop to begin his career, Fryman made the full-time switch to 3rd base in 1994, but he didn’t have the hitting statistics you typically see from today’s all-star 3rd basemen. Over his 3 all-star seasons at 3rd base (note: his other two all-star appearances were as a shortstop), he averaged a .284 batting average with 21 home runs and 97 RBI. For comparison, if Fryman put up those stats in 2007, he would have been 9th among 3rd basemen in home runs and batting average, and 8th in RBI’s. Would Fryman be an all-star 3rd baseman in today’s game? Maybe not, but he would still be a very valuable player. One of the things that made him so valuable was his consistency. He never put up gigantic numbers, but year-in and year-out he put up solid numbers. You could always count on him to hit in the upper .200’s, knock out around 20 homers, and put up 80-100 RBI. (Fryman’s career stats)

He complemented his bat with a solid glove in the field. He won the AL Gold Glove Award for 3rd basemen in 2000 after committing only 8 errors all season, including a 60-game errorless streak. He also had his best season at the plate that year, hitting a career high .321 with 22 HR and a career high 106 RBI.

Given that he had such an outstanding season in 2000 (at the age of 31), it seems odd that he only played two more seasons in the MLB. Injuries got the best of him, however. In 2001 he tore a ligament in his right elbow, and the tear led to shoulder problems which required surgery. As a result, Fryman spent a lot of time on the DL, and when he did see the field, he struggled. Fryman announced in August 2002 that he would retire at the end of the season. In conjunction with his retirement, he issued this statement:

“I’ve always considered myself a blue-collar type of player and an overachiver. I only hope that people thought I gave my best effort out there. If I was not able to play at an acceptable level, I would walk away. This season has been really long, but the 13 years went by really fast.” (recovered from this source) 

 

Here’s a big Travis Fryman fan who makes a case for Fryman to be in the Hall of Fame. His reason? Everyone else in his era cheated. Here’s another article on Fryman and the Hall of Fame, but this one cites his intangibles as a qualifying criteria for his entry into the Hall. He was on the ballot in 2008, but received only two votes, which was 406 votes shy of what he needed to get in.

Here’s a Detroit Tigers blog that ranks the Tigers’ 1987 draft as their 5th best in history, solely because of Travis Fryman.

After working as a spring training instructor for the Indians for a few years, Fryman was hired as manager of their short-season Class A team, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, in Novemeber of 2007. In his inaugural season of managing, Fryman’s Scrappers currently sit at 13-15. Apparently, he’s already been ejected from a game.

I’m guessing the Scrappers’ players don’t do too well with the ladies:

Here’s some more evidence supporting the above statement:

A warning from Travis Fryman:

 

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