By Scott Morganroth
Now that the Los Angeles Lakers/Orlando Magic mismatch is over, it’s time to reflect on what would have been.
The ultimate choke artists are the Cleveland Cavaliers! This is a team which had a chance to put itself in the record books with the Boston Celtics if they had won its last home game with a 41-1 record but decided to rest its players and settled for 39-2 by losing to the Philadelphia 76′ers 111-110 on April 15TH.
I’ll bet that 41-1 record would have been a nice consolation prize for not winning a championship or at least have the right to face Kobe Bryant and compete for one.
Before the final home game, Lebron James took the microphone and told the Cleveland fans that he was looking forward to snapping the city’s half century championship drought.
The Cavaliers had a false sense of security just by thinking a 66-16 record could coast to the NBA Finals.
Sweeping the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks meant nothing when the Orlando Magic took advantage of their overconfidence. Undoubtedly, home court advantage throughout the playoffs meant nothing since they didn’t make it all the way through to the finals.
When James decided not to show sportsmanship by not shaking the Magic’s players hands after the series was over then refused to speak to the media, this was classless. I’m sure he’s been criticized plenty but I hope he learns from his infamous hat trick of overconfidence, sportsmanship and bad public relations.
I do believe that Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert is the one person who could deliver Cleveland a title. But Gilbert, who is from Farmington Hills, MI and used to advertise with the Pistons and did watch the perfect business model by the late William Davidson, won’t do it with Ben Wallace.
Wallace isn’t the same player former Pistons TV Play-By-Play Announcer Fred McLeod used to broadcast on the 2004 championship team. Wallace’s defensive abilities never took his next two stops the Chicago Bulls and Cavaliers to the promised land. He is on the downside of his career.
I’m sure Coach of the Year Mike Brown knows it. But if one Wallace doesn’t work, Rasheed Wallace is an unrestricted free agent and might come at a reasonable price. Another chance to land a former Piston for Gilbert could be quite tempting. Desperation can do many things especially with a long championship drought.
I’ll bet Brown will attempt to protect Wallace like former Pistons Coach Larry Brown did and channel that intensity. If Rasheed can play some defense and hit few timely three pointers, he might actually get Cleveland fans to like him since he’s had unpleasant things to say about them in the past.
But I guess for the time being, the only way we’ll see a Bryant versus James match up is on video games until we them play on the court next season. We’ll have a year to see if this mega ratings match up ever materializes.
Perhaps then, I’ll watch more than 15 minutes of a finals series. But I’m probably not alone and if James is smart, he’ll take the microphone and speak to the Cleveland fans in June and not April learning from his overconfidence experience.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com
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By Scott Morganroth
If you’re a Detroit er, the weekend of June 12-14 was a tough one to digest against Pittsburgh sports teams.
It was difficult to see the Detroit Red Wings lose the Stanley Cup Finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 as home ice advantage meant nothing.
But to see the Detroit Tigers lose a pair to the Pittsburgh Pirates was harder to deal with. It wouldn’t have bothered me as much if the Tigers lost to a Pirates team which featured players like Bobby Bonilla & Mr. Steroids Barry Bonds.
Those Pirates, managed by current Tigers Manager Jim Leyland from 1990-1992, reeled off three straight division titles.
It wouldn’t have bothered me if the Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente and Dave Parker, etc… of the 1970’s which won a pair of World Series titles, would have defeated the 2009 Tigers.
The Pirates are now an organization which has a new stadium but instead of putting people in it, they’re now known for trading their quality players away with their annual fire sales.
Yet, we’re midway through 2009 and Pittsburgh can still make a legitimate claim to being "The City of Champions."
The Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl on February 1st, while the Penguins won their third Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history on June 12Th.
Pittsburgh wouldn’t have a chance to win an NBA title because they don’t have a team.
The Pirates won’t win this years World Series yet the franchise still has a proud history.
The University of Pittsburgh does have a fine football and basketball programs.
Does anybody remember that Tony Dorsett won a National Championship in 1976 for the University of Pittsburgh, and in 1977, won a Super Bowl in his rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys, thus becoming the first player to accomplish this feat?
The Panthers basketball program is an elite team in the Big East Conference and I wouldn’t be surprised they’d defeat the Los Angeles Clippers.
If for some reason, the Los Angeles Dodgers do win the World Series this year, it would be ironic if all four major sports titles were won by two cities.
Even though the public may not know members of the 2009 Pirates, they’re well aware of Penguins Owner/Hall of Fame Player Mario Lemieux, the Rooney Family, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, Mean Joe Greene, Ben Roethlisberger and Sidney Crosby.
Your economy may be down but it sure seems like your sports teams are doing a nice job picking up the slack.
The best part is the Penguins will be playing in a long overdue arena in the future and we could be looking at a dynasty in the making. The Steelers are a model franchise run by the Rooney’s and their last three coaches have all won Super Bowls speaking of Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher.
The three rivers are nice to watch and your sports ownership appears to be solid for the most part as well as the Pittsburgh Panthers success.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com
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By Scott Morganroth
When my colleague George Eichorn sent me a photo that the remaining portion of Tiger Stadium was now being demolished, there were chills down my spine. That’s the last thing I need at the moment with back surgery scheduled for June 24Th and a hospital stay which figures to last as much as five days let alone a recovery process that could be up to 12 months. On January 1st, I took a few pictures of the last part of Tiger Stadium. It was a snowy, cloudy day with the temperature around 10 degrees. Three days prior, I had lunch with Ernie Harwell on my 46th birthday and asked him what the odds were of saving Tiger Stadium? Like all of us, he was hoping it would get preserved but didn’t appear optimistic. Although I currently live in Florida, when I heard that Harwell wasn’t getting enough cooperation & support from the city of Detroit and decided to no longer work on the committee to save the landmark, this was worse than the Lions 0-16 season. Bad seasons get fixed and franchises get turned around. But when landmarks get demolished as Harwell’s famous home run line, Tiger Stadium is "long gone." This man was loved by Tigers fans for his memorable calls. But when the same people who listened to his broadcasts in the city disrespected him in his efforts to save Tiger Stadium despite the fact that he was willing to donate some memorabilia and use a "Field of Dreams" concept, this was hard to swallow. The city’s Economic Development Corp. board voted 7-1 to finish the demolition. The non-profit group was unable to come up with $33.4 million for the redevelopment project therefore the of Detroit is paying $400,000 to handle the project. What bothers me about this is everybody is in a hurry to demolish the building but they have no plans what to do with the land for the economic development. Now when Metro Detroiters drive on I-75 by Michigan & Trumbull, there will be memories on a vacant piece of property. I have no problem tearing a building down as long as there is something that’s going to be built on the land! The remaining portion of Tiger Stadium could have been used for youth or Wayne State University baseball. The Tarters at Tiger Stadium would have a nice ring to it. While I’m unaware of the maintenance costs to run the facility, if all parties could have cooperated & worked together, something could have been worked out. What was left of Tiger Stadium would have made an ideal minor league baseball venue. When the city of Miami tore down the Orange Bowl which was the site of past Super Bowls, Orange Bowls, College Football National Championships, the Miami Hurricanes, Miami Dolphins, they’re using this historic site to build the Florida Marlins a long overdue new ballpark. If the Marlins keep former Tigers Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin, this is where they’ll have a chance to have productive careers. Now the question remains, what will make the most sense for the Tiger Stadium site? If new Mayor Dave Bing wants to score points with voters as he did with the Detroit Pistons, he’ll address the Detroit Red Wings needs and build another Olympia Stadium. Despite the Red Wings heartbreaking attempt at winning a fifth championship in 13-years to the Pittsburgh Penguins, as much as Joe Louis Arena is a decent facility, it’s 30 years old and is one of the oldest stadiums in the NHL, thus it’s become outdated. It needs more suites and first class press facilities. We all know that accessibility will never be a problem at the Tiger Stadium site. The only way to increase economic development is by building newer restaurants, sports bars and memorabilia stores. Detroit needs to get this decision right! The national perception around the country is negative. With the auto industry in shambles, the casinos struggling due to lack of disposable income, the sports traditions keep the city in the news especially when the teams are winning. On Fathers Day, the Tigers drew over 40,000 at Comerica Park in their three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. Here is some advice to you Bing. Follow the city of Miami’s plan! It’s a good one because the only way to connect the past, present and future generations is by preserving historic sites and creating new traditions. It would be great to see the next Steve Yzerman playing at the Corner of Michigan & Trumbull. Scott Morganroth can be contacted at scottsports33@aol.com
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As told to Raymond Rolak at the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame Induction, June 18, 2009
At the weekly Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association meeting to highlight the 37TH NPASHF induction class, I was privileged to witness the close bond that has developed between Bobby Czyz and author Greg Smith. Czyz chose Smith to be his presenter at the NPASHF induction ceremony.
After Detroit Red Wing radio broadcaster Ken Kal finished the introductions of NPASHF inductee Andy Banachowski and Mary Ellen Verdeur, (the widow of Joe Verdeur), Czyz took over. “I like to talk but I work hard to back it up, I am proud of my Polish heritage. That is why I am here.” said Czyz.
Smith a resident of Cincinnati has chronicled the boxing and living history of Czyz. He has become an award winning journalist for his boxing series. They have a fascinating association. Czyz, is constantly front and center and Smith is in the background creating a narrative.
Czyz, a native of Orange, New Jersey had an impressive 24-2, amateur record. In 1979, he was named to the U.S. National Team. He was scheduled to box in Poland for some Olympic exhibitions. Then he was involved in a serious auto crash. He couldn’t box while he healed. “I couldn’t train because my nose had to set for two months.” said Czyz.
An alternate went in his place. In March of 1980 LOT Airlines # 007, crashed on approach to Warsaw. Everyone with the U.S. National Team was killed. Czyz, home in New Jersey got a new appreciation for life and excelling.
1980 was also the year President Jimmy Carter chose to boycott the Moscow Olympics. Czyz also turned down the Olympics and fought his first pro fight on April 24, 1980.
1980 was also the year NBC created the concept of “Tomorrow’s Champions.” Several talented former amateur stars had just turned pro, and were showcased on broadcast television. Among the stars being touted were Tony Ayala Jr., Johnny Bumphus, Davey Moore, Alex Ramos, and Tony Tucker.
Ironically, the most well known member of “Tomorrow’s Champions” wasn’t initially chosen to be part of that elite group. Bobby Czyz, the articulate and multi-talented middleweight prospect was shunned and excluded by NBC.
Bobby didn’t become part of the NBC marketing plan until 1981 after he tallied an impressive string of wins that attracted the boxing media.
After NBC realized their error, Bobby’s natural marketability took hold. After defeating tough veteran Teddy Mann, in his eleventh pro fight, Czyz became a central figure of “Tomorrow’s Champions” on NBC. Additionally, he played a tremendous role in developing the boxing presentations on ESPN.
In November 1982, his record was 20-0 (15 KOs). He was ranked in the top ten, and it seemed inevitable that he would land a title shot once he acquired professional maturity.
In a gutsy and controversial management move, Bobby was matched with the tough, number three contender, Mustafa Hamsho. Hamsho was known for his strength and merciless resilience.
After losing to Hamsho, Czyz was criticized by the press. He was labeled as an artificial media creation. However, unbeknown to his corner he had broken his hand in the second round.
Bobby’s injury required surgery. A bone graft was taken from his hip, and his hand was in a cast for almost three months. The forced inactivity proved to be the least of his problems.
In June 1983, Bobby’s father, Robert Czyz, Sr., committed suicide. Bobby’s relationship with his father was complicated and ambivalent. The incident had a massive impact on the next chapter in his career.
Nevertheless, Bobby resumed boxing at 162 pounds. Czyz put together an impressive eight bout winning streak. He split with his manager Lou Duvas and the ‘Bobby Czyz’ marketing machine took over.
During this period, Bobby fought some of the best bouts of his career, including a fantastic fourth round technical knockout of Tim Broady.
Despite Bobby’s success, he was left out of the championship loop at 168 pounds. Michigan based Murray Sutherland became the first super middleweight champion in March of 1984.
Ironically, weighing just over the super middleweight limit, Bobby dominated Sutherland in a ten round unanimous decision in July, 1985.
Over a year after defeating Sutherland, Bobby moved to the light heavyweight division and was granted a title shot against IBF light heavyweight champion Slobodan Kacar. Kacar was an Olympic Gold Medalist in the 1980 Moscow Games, and won the IBF title in December, 1985 with a 15 round decision over former WBA champion Eddie Mustafa.
Czyz destroyed and stopped Kacar to win the title on September 6, 1986. Czyz was now an official champion.
He successfully defended his portion of the light heavyweight title three times.
Unfortunately, another bad brake was waiting for the young boxer.
Bobby had hoped to unify the division by facing Thomas Hearns in a super lightweight bout. Hearns had won the WBC light heavyweight title on a tenth round TKO over Dennis Andries on March 7, 1987. In another example of hard luck in landing the elusive mega-fight and pay day, Hearns went back to the middleweight division.
Bobby Czyz was starting over.
In March 1990, Bobby fought as a cruiserweight for the first time, and won a 10 round decision over Uriah Grant. The bout is significant because Grant was a journeyman, but he was a dangerous knockout artist. Of Grant’s 17 wins at the time, 16 were by knockout. Grant hurt Czyz during the fight, but Bobby’s iron will passed the test against a big puncher, and he won a clear decision.
Shortly after the comeback win, he was offered a light heavyweight bout with 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist Andrew Maynard. Maynard was 12-0 at the time, and was managed by Sugar Ray Leonard. In an ironic turnabout, Bobby Czyz, once the darling of the media in the early 1980s, was considered a mere steppingstone for Leonard’s prospect. Czyz was a hardened pro with 40 professional fights under his belt, but was considered past his prime.
To add more difficulty, Czyz suffered a pinched nerve in his neck a few weeks before the fight. Nevertheless, Bobby still agreed to take the fight, but under the condition that it would have to be held over the 175 pound limit because he didn’t have enough time to recover and make the weight.
Weighing 177 to Maynard’s 176, Czyz gradually took charge of the bout in the early rounds, and staggered Maynard several times. In the seventh round, Czyz wanted to close the show. After a combination, Czyz landed a big right to Maynard’s chin, and the Olympian collapsed to the canvas. Maynard took a knee and seemed relatively clear headed, but his will to battle had been crushed. He took a ten count and Czyz jumped in triumph. “That had to be one of my best boxing moments.” said the articulate Czyz.
Still dancing in the ring after defeating Maynard, Czyz motioned to Sugar Ray Leonard who was sitting ringside and briefly discussed a match between the two. In 1988, Leonard stopped Donny LaLonde for the WBC light heavyweight championship and vacant WBC super middleweight title.
In 1989, Leonard fought to a controversial draw with Thomas Hearns in their rematch for the WBO and WBC super middleweight title. Czyz hoped for a fight with either of them.
Leonard ignored the overtures, as did Hearns.
In the months following his win over Maynard, Czyz was unable to secure a title shot in the light heavyweight division. Additionally, Thomas Hearns had defeated Michael Olajide at 168 pounds less than two months before Bobby’s win over Maynard. Most believed that Hearns vs Czyz was a natural match-up, but it never materialized.
Czyz was again on the sidelines after his biggest win in years, and was forced to move to the cruiserweight division to get a title shot.
In a twist, it was Hearns who landed a title shot in 1991 against WBA light heavyweight champ Virgil Hill. Hearns was not favored but he won a twelve round unanimous decision to win a portion of the light heavyweight crown for the second time.
Czyz won his second world title in a separate weight class with a beautiful boxing display against the bigger and stronger Robert Daniels on March 8, 1991 for the WBA cruiserweight title. Bobby successfully defended his title twice. He decisioned Bash Ali over twelve rounds five months later. In May of 1992, Czyz floored and dominated Donny LaLonde in another twelve round decision. A unification title fight appeared to be a likely possibility.
Near this time frame, Czyz started his broadcasting career doing ringside commentary for Showtime. Then fate gave him another curveball.
Czyz was hit by a car, and sustained injuries that kept him out of action until 1994. He was forced to relinquish his title, and had to start all over again.
In February 1994, Bobby won a ten round decision over George O’Mara in a non-title bout. Six months later, Bobby challenged big punching Nigerian, David Izeqwire for the IBO cruiserweight championship. Izeqwire was less experienced than Czyz with a record of 15-0, but the Nigerian had knocked out 13 of his opponents. Izeqwire took control, and knocked Bobby down in the fourth round. Bobby was unable to answer the bell for the fifth round. Czyz announced his retirement after the fight.
Once again, the retirement didn’t last long.
Czyz continued color commentary for Showtime, but re-started his boxing career again.
He won his third title in as many weight classes on December 5, 1995 besting Robert Jackson.
In a controversial decision, Czyz moved up to heavyweight and lost to Evander Holyfield and on June 12, 1998 he had his last fight against Corrie Sanders. Said Czyz, “Right then I knew it was over. He hit me so hard and so often, I knew it was time to be done.”
“Tell Emanuel (Steward) and all the guys at Kronk, hello for me. Manny is still one of the best boxing coaches in the world. Yes, I said world.” continued Czyz.
Most boxing experts agree that Thomas Hearns actually avoided Czyz at 175 pounds because of Czyz’s ability to take a punch and score knockouts.
The square prize fighter from New Jersey ended his career 44-8, with 28 KO’s.
Bobby Czyz is unique. He is not a politician and he tells it like he sees it. He always backed up his talk in the ring.
Smith and Czyz are fortunate to have such a special relationship. They are both ambassadors for Boxing. Czyz is the ‘Champion’, front and center. Smith is the ‘Champion’ behind the scenes. They are both still persevering and punching away in their own styles.
(Raymond Rolak is a past president of the DSBA.)
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Editor’s Note:
The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association has proudly helped the Warren Cousino studnet-run WPHS Radio station with a Grant Fund donation in the past.
FROM WPHS-
Tell the Warren Consolidated School board why WPHS should stay on the air. This should be done in a respectful and honest way. How has WPHS personally affected you in a positive way? There is a regularly scheduled board meeting set for Wednesday, June 17th at 7:30 PM. During the Audience Participation portion of the WCS Board Meeting, board policy guarantees 3 minutes for each concerned member of the public. We know our fans. This could be an awfully long meeting.
Keep in mind that nothing is set in stone, and do check this web page for any updates.
HELP SAVE 45 YEARS OF EDUCATIONAL RADIO
For those of you old enough to remember the classic Roberta Flack song "Killing Me Softly"… or those of you young enough to consider The Fugees version the true classic, we’re starting to get the feeling that somebody up there is trying to do us in.
The word came down last week that the coming 2009-2010 school year will feature a combined Advanced Radio and Television Class, rather than the current structure of two separate classes. Somehow, these classes will be simultaneously run by one teacher. To accommodate the doubling of students (yes, they’re planning to physically combine the class numbers into the 30’s), the parapro will be reassigned to regular school hours. Now, without boring you with the politics of Career Technical Educational funding, one still arrives at an inevitable and startling truth; with the parapro (read Night Manager) working during the day, the after school program will effectively be eliminated.
Whether you’re a longtime listener or one of our many alumni, you surely understand what is at stake. The current WPHS staff- composed primarily of incoming Seniors from around Warren Consolidated Schools- is adamantly opposed to the restructuring of your radio station. From the educational perspective, we are shocked by the idea of loosing the hands-on experience that the after school program affords. The implications for our community are even more disturbing. In a day where most radio stations are faceless, corporate entities, WPHS is a community based radio station, covering the community that we live in. Music programming aside, we are the only live media outlet to cover sporting events throughout the district, DJ school dances at Carleton Middle School, broadcast from Warren’s skating rink, and make important, local announcements that are relevant to our community. And guess what? It all happens after school!
The Administration would have us “tape-delay” our music programming, skip the sports and the news, shut the doors, and boot the kids promptly when the last bell rings. Never mind the fact that they have never invested in the technologies required to run an automated facility, but even programming such a system takes far more time than the proposed schedule would allow.
The students that have composed the diverse collective voice of WPHS over the years have always understood the unique opportunity that WCS has previously championed. Not every student can find him/herself in sports, band, or core academic classes. But the reality is that teenagers need to do something when the school day ends. Radio is a craft, as much art as it is science. WPHS, 89.1 FM has always been a place where young, creative individuals could practice their craft with passion.
Silencing the only student run radio station in Macomb County is not an option.
What can you do?
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