Aug 8/Part 2 Gretzky: The Next Magic or Dan Gable?

The word is Wayne Gretzky has decided to take a job as head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes and while Mr. Janet Jones was obviously one of the greatest players to ever play the game, some question whether he will make it as a coach. After all, the relatively recent landscape is littered with guys who were great players in their respective sports but went on to have average or poor coaching careers. You want some failures? How bout these: Ted Willaims, Magic, Zeke, Pete Rose, and Bryan Trottier. Want some more? How about Ray Berry and Frank Robinson? On the positive side, Mike Ditka is a hall of famer who coached a Super Bowl champion, Bill Russell has titles as a player and coach, and both Lenny Wilkens and Larry Bird were competent on the sidelines. In baseball, Joe Torre won an MVP as a player, and Gil Hodges was a borderline hall of famer, but neither was a superstar. So that begs the question: who was the biggest double threat in coaching/playing history? Well, John Wooden is a good place to start. He was a two-time All-American at Purdue before he went on to build a dynasty at UCLA. But he played in the pre-Hoosier days so his basketball skills have to be discounted just a bit. What about Kim Mulkey, an All-American at La Tech who went on to coach Baylor to this year’s woman’s NCAA Basketball Championship? Not too shabby. These two, along with Torre and Ditka are nice candidates, but the guy I am nominating for the crown is Dan Gable, the legendary wrestling coach of the Iowa Hawks. Look at this resume: NCAA wrestling champ, 1972 Olympic Gold Medallist and coach of the 15-time NCAA champion Iowa Hawkeyes. Gable, pure and simple, is wrestling in this country. He was a legend on the mat and he built a college program that is amongst the strongest that any school has ever built in any sport. For that, he gets my double threat award. Gable may not be Gretzky's match as an athlete, but Wayne will have to blow past Scotty Bowman to match Dan as a coach. It ain't going to happen.

Congratulations go out this morning to Morgan Pressel who just wrapped up the best USGA year since the days of Bobby Jones. Check out this resume. The 17 year-old phenom won the U.S. Woman’s amateur yesterday and that comes on top of her second place finishes in the U.S. Woman’s Open and the U.S. Woman’s Jr. Amateur. That is the kind of year that even Jones would admire. Annika Sorenstam has had a remarkable year, but my vote for female golfer of the year goes to Pressel. By the way, am I a pervert because I watched twenty minutes of the tape-delayed U.S. Women’s Junior Amateur this weekend? For those of you who missed it, Tiger’s niece has game and so do Ivan Lendl’s two daughters.

So Ty Law is headed to the Meadowlands to play corner for the New York Jets. Wow, this is just what New York City needs - another pissed off black athlete who plays with a huge chip on his shoulder. Does this sound familiar? Well it should since it is basically a rehash of the Gary Sheffield Story starring John Amos as the Sheff. Don’t get me wrong – I am a fan of Law. Number twenty-four is a warrior who has always come up huge in big games and if you don’t believe me, you should go ahead and ask Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning. Law simply owns Manning and his pick and run basically turned around Super Bowl XXXVI. Moreover, Law is no pussy. He will play hurt and he will lay it all out on the field. Whether it is in coverage or in run support, Law is simply one of the most physical corners in football. As such, Jets fans can be assured they are getting a good player, so long as Law’s foot is healed. But before Jets fans start engraving those AFC East Championship trophies, you should be warned that Law comes with some baggage. First of all, he is much like Sheff in that he has a huge ego and always feels like he is being overlooked. He thrives on the sleight and tends to play worse as his recognition grows. Be warned Jets fans - you don’t want this guy getting too many compliments before a big game. Second of all, Law is a penalty machine and that will surely drive Herm Edwards crazy. Third, Law may not prove too useful against New England since the Pats know his faults and will adjust accordingly. The bet here is we will see Deion Branch stop Law short and beat him deep at least once this year. The morale to this story is Law will help this team, but doesn’t it say something that Belicheck was quick to swap out Law for Duane Starks? Sure, there were some financial considerations, but BB letting go of defenders is a bit like Mazzone getting rid of pitchers. I am not sure you want to be on the other side of that trade.

Lets stick with the Jets for a second and discuss this fight that broke out the other day at a practice the Jets were having with the Giants. The guys are Pro Football Talk, who are usually pretty honest, absolutely tore into the Jets following the fight, running a story that quotes a league source who most likely works for the football Giants. According to this guy, "The Jets act like they just won the Super Bowl. All they are is a bunch of fucking thugs. [There's] no discipline on that team at all. . . . And [Edwards] acts like he is some sort of preacher. He is a fucking phony." Man, those are fighting words, although it’s probably 50/50 they were either made up or came from a pissed off Giants fan who owns seasons tickets and calls himself a “league source.” I never considered the Jets or their fans to be extraordinary talkers – certainly not on par with the Steelers or Eagles. But I guess after going out and winning a playoff game in San Diego and playing the Steelers to a draw a week later, the Jets feel like they have a seat at this year’s adult table. Careful guys, it was just last December that the Pats went into the Meadowlands and pushed the Jets all over the field. By the way, I don’t think Edwards is a phony. I just think he is a danger to himself and his team on game day.