The Homecoming Seen Around the World: Brooklyn Is Back
For baseball’s October party crashers, the key to getting to the postseason was going global
Recalling Boise State Circa 2003, Frank Solich has Ohio Ready to Bust the BCS
The Curious Case of Philip Rivers
Falling Short of Expected NFL Success, the 2005 USC Offense Became the Lost Boys of Troy
(NEW YORK – –Four decades after Rick Telander chronicled Brooklyn’s vibrant street basketball scene, he returned to the borough that spawned generations of schoolboy legends (not to mention legendary characters) and finally has an NBA team of its own. On the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated, on newsstands now, is the leader of the next generation, Deron Williams, ushering in the new era of Brooklyn sports while wearing his black and white jersey with retro-fresh logo, designed by Jay-Z himself.
In the issue Telander guides us through the historic streets to the new heart of the town, the Barclays center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. He reminds us that the urban passion for hoops was born here, dubbing it “the cradle of the city game.” The Knicks may have overshadowed Brooklyn as the professional basketball team in a major metropolis, but Telander writes, “Brooklyn has more hoops heritage in its parks than Harlem, the Bronx, West 4th St., Philly, Chicago, L.A., anywhere”(page 64).
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For baseball’s small-market October party crashers, the key to getting to the postseason was going global in the search of out-of-this-world talent. When Dan Duquette took over as general manager of the Orioles last November, he inherited a losing team pinned to the cellar floor of the American League East. As he searched for the fastest way to turn Baltimore into a winner, Duquette identified the international market as the quickest route to relevance. In the last 10 months the club has signed players from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and Venezuela. There are big gambles and there are small gambles when it comes to international signings. For the Orioles, Reds and A’s the gambles have paid off and helped propel them into the postseason (page 34).
Orioles catcher Matt Wieters, who by now is accustomed to the struggle of making himself understood in multilingual mound conversations said, “There are more languages in our clubhouse than in the freakin’ United Nations.”
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SOLICH’S SCHOOL FOR BOISE – LARS ANDERSON(@LarsAndersonSI)
Nebraska castoff Frank Solich, who was fired from the Cornhuskers’ head coaching post in November 2003, has rebuilt once-hapless Ohio University into Boise State circa 2003. Even without a blue field or occasional Wednesday night ESPN game, the Bobcats are unbeaten and poised to become the next great BCS buster (page 50).
In Ohio, Solich found the antithesis of his Nebraska program: No pantheon of pros, no multimillion-dollar budget and no success to speak of. But the lack of notoriety was just what he needed, and his Nebraska method—emphasizing the walk-on program, liberally redshirting and aggressively recruiting players with high GPAs—has lured players to Athens. Now the undefeated Bobcats are looking beyond just a BCS bowl berth to the national title game, and redshirt junior quarterback Tyler Tettleton is ready to lead them there. Tettleton, whose father is former major league catcher Mickey, says, “I’ve been around winning teams all my life. I remember getting sprayed with champagne as a kid with my dad in the Texas locker room after the Rangers clinched their division [in 1998]. I feel like I know what it takes to get the job done.”
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THE CURIOUS CASE OF PHILIP RIVERS – JIM TROTTER(@SI_JimTrotter)
Three quarterbacks were chosen in the first 11 picks of the 2004 NFL draft and two, Eli Manningand Ben Roethlisberger, have won two Super Bowls apiece. The other one, Philip Rivers, is still trying to claim his first ring. With each failed attempt at reaching the Super Bowl, the shadows of Manning and Roethlisberger grow longer over Rivers and the Chargers’ franchise. Particularly because unlike them, the former N.C. State star has yet to put his signature on a memorable playoff win (page 46).
Rivers is just 3–4 in the postseason with losses in three of his past four starts. He has thrown for 300 yards just once in seven career games and has more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight). Retired fullback Lorenzo Neal who teamed with Rivers from 2004–07 said, “Philip Rivers is burning inside. Ben Roethlisberger has gone to three Super Bowls and won two. Eli Manning has gone to two Super Bowls and won both. Philip hasn’t been there.”
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LOST BOYS OF TROY – AUSTIN MURPHY(@SI_AustinMurphy)
Hailed as the greatest college offense of our time, the swaggering 2005 USC Trojans were destined to produce a crop of NFL greats. Yet few found success in the pros, and with the benefit of hindsight, NFL scouts, coaches and general managers have admitted to looking at members of that team through cardinal-and-gold tinted glasses (page 40).
Says one assistant G.M., “You don’t think you’re doing it, but sometimes you subconsciously [escalate a guy’s draft stock] based on the strength of the brand. [USC] won 34 straight games, they were very well coached and they ran a pro-style scheme similar to what you see at this level…. What you had was a lot of guys that played even better than they were.”
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NFL PLAYERS POLL
Who is the most underrated player in the league?
Justin Smith, 49ers DE 6%
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars RB 5%
Fred Jackson, Bills RB 5%
Andre Johnson, Texans WR 4%
Matt Forte, Bears RB 4%
[Based on 198 NFL players who responded to SI’s survey]
FAST FACTS: A whopping 117 players received at least one vote, while only Smith, Jones-Drew and Jackson were named 10 or more times….A fourth-overall draft pick now in his 12th season, Smith got 10 of his 12 nods from offensive players (nine of whom were linemen)….The league’s leading rusher in 2011, Jones-Drew accounts for 48.2% of his team’s offense, the highest share in the NFL….A five-time D-III All-America at Coe College, Jackson went undrafted in 2003 and played two years of indoor ball and a season in Europe before joining the Bills, for whom he had six 100-yard rushing games last year before breaking his leg….Only two quarterbacks—the Giants’ Eli Manning (four votes) and the Bears’ Jay Cutler (two)—were named more than once.
SCORECARD: THE FLOP STOPS HERE – MICHAEL FARBER (@MichaelFarber3)
David Stern and the NBA move to ban the Razzie-worthy acting performances known to most as flopping with an aim to prevent basketball from becoming an indoor version of the other world game. Many of the greats have been known to flagrantly fling themselves, so the question is, Will the crusade to stop the flop prevail, or will the thespians of the NBA go on with their performances (page 15)?
POINT AFTER: THE PLAYOFFS AIN’T BRAIN SURGERY – BRANDON MCCARTHY(@BMcCarthy32)
Oakland Athletics pitcher Brandon McCarthy was sidelined for much of his team’s improbable playoff push after being hit in the skull with a line drive on September 5. He expresses gratitude for his team’s family mentality and support during his recovery and reflects on the bond in Oakland’s clubhouse (page 68).
He writes, “When I had my most recent checkup with my neurosurgeon, I had to ask: If we get to the World Series, can I come back? He said that it’s not impossible—which was all I needed to hear. I have to monitor my concussion symptoms, and if they keep improving, then it’s something I’ll continue to aim for. After all, our team was 13 games behind in the AL West at the end of June and won the division on the season’s last day by beating out teams with way bigger payrolls. Impossible doesn’t mean much to us.”
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THIS WEEK’S FACES IN THE CROWD
- Lexi Smith (Florence, N.J./Florence High) – Field Hockey
- Sean McGorty (Chantilly, Va./Chantilly High) – Cross-Country
- Kealia Ohai (Draper, Utah/University of North Carolina) – Soccer
- Herman Senor II (Springfield, Ill./Southeast High) – Football
- Clare Culligan (Collegeville, Minn./St. John’s Prep) – Soccer
- Nikola Vavic (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./USC) – Water Polo
To submit a candidate for Faces in the Crowd, go to SI.com/faces. Follow on Twitter @SI_Faces.
INSIDE THE WEEK IN SPORTS:
- MLB (page 27): Wash Out – The Rangers built the foundation of a dynasty on the watch of Ron Washington, but his tactical deficiencies exposed him yet again in October.
- College Football (page 32): Campaign Swings – A map shows how America’s ongoing population shift isn’t just a factor in elections this fall – it’s also playing a key role in the Big Ten’s decline.
- NFL (page 33): The Case For…The Stiff-Arm – Few plays in football take away the collective breath of a stadium like the stiff-arm, but it might not be long before it’s a topic broached by the rules committee.
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