On Thursday February 26, 2009, the Chicago Bulls and their fans lost two of the all-time greats, Johnny ‘Red’ Kerr and ‘Stormin’ Norman Van Lier. Each made a great impact to the Bulls, Kerr as the team’s first head coach and Van Lier as a tough point guard in the 1970’s.
Then, during the Bulls glory days of the 1990’s, each made an impact as broadcasters. Kerr was the color commentator who cheered along with the fans, screaming in awe when Michael Jordan hit the shot over Craig Ehlo to advance the Bulls past the Cavaliers. Van Lier was the studio analyst who was always tough but fair with his opinions of the team, constantly telling the young players to give effort for all 48 minutes.
Each will be greatly missed, and the entire TTCS staff sends our condolences to the Kerr and Van Lier families, as well to Bulls fans everywhere. We invite you to post your favorite memories of each legend in the comments section.
RIP to Norm and Red.
Norm Van Lier
1947-2009
Johnny 'Red' Kerr1932-2009
If Albert Pujols goes 0-for-4 on opening day with four strikeouts, here might be some of the reaction: “What’s wrong with Pujols? Why did I draft him first in my fantasy league again?” If the Orioles beat the Yankees on opening day and rough up CC Sabathia: “The Yankees spend all that money, and they are still the third best team in that division.” If Jerry Owens goes 4-for-5 and steals a couple bases: “Looks like the Sox have found their center fielder of the future.”
The expectations for the Super Bowl are exceedingly high, considering it’s the championship game for the most exciting professional sport. While we’ve been treated to two great games in a row, did the majority of people who weren’t Giants, Patriots, Steelers, or Cardinals fans honestly care about the outcomes? For two weeks, we are forced to listen to the same overanalysis and over-done feature stories. Leading up to this year’s game, how many different times did we hear about how great Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu are?
You can get a gold medal for events so goofy that they could have been dreamed up by a bunch of bored third-graders trying to kill time on a snow day. The Winter Olympics are basically a celebration of unknown amateur athletes competing in frostbite conditions in events that no one really understands (with the exception of ice hockey).
When you combine the annoying presence of Dick Vitale and the fact they play two or sometimes three times a year, this rivalry isn’t nearly as good as ESPN makes it out to be. Maybe part of me is just sick of seeing Duke make Tyler Hansbrough look like God’s gift to basketball these last four years. There might not be two more overrated coaches in college basketball than Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams.
Let’s face it, you can do all the scouting in the world, but the NFL Draft is a crapshoot. No one can predict the success of a player, no matter how good he was in college, how good he looks on film, or how well he tested at the NFL Combine. Just once I’d like Mel Kiper Jr. to actually go out on a limb and risk his reputation by saying something like, “I guarantee this guy will be a major bust.” Finally, outside of when your favorite team is picking, does anyone really watch or care?
Before the BCS, the Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta Bowls all meant something. Now, these four bowls only serve three real purposes; make money, give a couple of the winning teams rallying cries as to why they should have played for the national championship, and help determine next year’s preseason rankings. Also, how did we get to the point where teams like Louisville, Wake Forest, Cincinnati, Kansas, and Hawaii get to play in these “marquee” games?
Wonderlic tests, 40-yard dashes, bench presses, vertical jumps, physical measurements; jeez my head hurts. What’s worse is that every NFL team sends their GM, coaches, and entire scouting departments. Even worse is that the difference between a half a second in your 40-yard dash time could earn or lose you a few million dollars. The worst part though is that the NFL Network covers the weeklong showcase live.
Thank you, ESPN. The teams are going to play each other some 18 times during the regular season, so to attach any importance to a three-game series in May is beyond stupid. It was pretty cool though seeing Don Zimmer get knocked to the ground after charging Pedro Martinez in the 2003 ALCS.
If recruiting analysts really knew everything, shouldn’t Notre Dame have had a lot better than a combined 10-15 record these last two seasons? While the most dedicated evaluators do their best to see as many athletes as they can in person, much of it is still word of mouth and a few looks at some old video. In reality, the rating system is a very subjective educated guess. Besides, there are never really any surprises. The Ohio State’s, LSU’S, Oklahoma’s, USC’s, etc are always going to be right at the top. And, please, can we eliminate the press conferences where the player keeps everyone in suspense before finally putting on his school’s hat while his family cheers in the background?
The amount of ink and air time wasted on this is mind-boggling. More often than not, the best player doesn’t win, and the winner often fails to find success at the pro level. And while we’re at it, why don’t we just call it what it is: the award given to the best quarterback or running back from a powerhouse program.
