Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2011 > November > 09
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Of Jerry West, the Big O, UT and JoePa
UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave while reading a couple of books that are taking the place of the NBA — and for me it doesn’t take much to replace the NBA.
The first is West by West, a confessional/inspirational book by Jerry West (Zeke from Cabin Creek), one of the NBA’s all-time greats. Most of the book is devoted to West’s personal battle with depression, brought on, he says, by constant unwarranted beatings he took from his father while he was growing up near Cabin Creek, W.Va.
The second is Oscar Robertson: The Big O. Oscar is the best all-around basketball player I ever witnessed. In the 1960s, I was fortunate to cover the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA when Robertson played and what he couldn’t do on a basketball floor hasn’t been invented.
They make a big deal these days over a player performing a Triple-Double in a game — more than 10 points, more than 10 rebound and more than 10 assists — hence, a triple double.
In 1962, Robertson averaged a Triple-Double for an entire 80-game season. AVERAGED a triple double — 30.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, 11.4 assists, and there was no three-point line and assists were not handed out willy-nilly as they are now, when any player who touches the ball before a basket gets an assist.
It is the only time in NBA history a player averaged a Triple-Double and for his career he did it 181 times, still the all-time record.
IN BACK-TO-BACK weeks, the University of Toledo football team lost to Northern Illinois, 63-60, then beat Western Michigan, 66-63.
UT has co-defensive coordinators, Mike Ward and Paul Nichols. Give ‘em a call because they have a lot time on their hands because they certainly aren’t wasting time drawing up defensive schemes.
One wonders how Ohio State only scored 27 against Toledo this year.
THE PENN STATE mess is a clear case of one man being bigger than the system, one man reaching deity status and standing above the masses.
They should be done with it and call the school Paterno State. Joe Paterno should be out of a job. Right now. As soon as it came to light that he knew about assistant coach Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of young boys and didn’t take the necessary steps, Paterno should have been fired. Right now. Period. End of story.
Paterno did the bare minimum. He reported an incident to his immediate superiors and said no more. When his superiors did nothing about it, he let the matter die.
Instead, Paterno is still calling his own shots. He says he will retire at the end of this season and that he will coach Saturday against Nebraska. That should not happen.
They already have a statue of Paterno on campus and it was shocking that 2,000 students and fans showed up in front of his house to show their support.
It is his program. His responsibility. Short of murder, child sexual abuse is the most despicable crime there is and Paterno knew it happened in his program by one of his coaches.
But there he is, making the decision on his future when his football future should be over.
SO ANOTHER icon is tarnished. For sure, Paterno has done wonderful things at Penn/Paterno State, on and off the field. But covering up child sexual abuse is reprehensible, inexcusable, and merits instant dismissal.
First Ohio State’s Jim Tressel is taken down for Tattoogate, failing to report that he knew that some of his players were trading memorabilia for tattoos.
As it turns out, compared to the Paterno affair, Tressel looks like Little Lord Fauntleroy.
WATCHING NFL games on Sunday has made it clear — there is a new A-Rod and he has more influence in games than New York Yankees third baseman Alex (A-Rod) Rodriguez. He is Green Bay quarterback Aaron (A-Rod) Rodgers.
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