page 10 - The Behrend College Beacon - Thursday, April 22, 1999
Out of
“The Great One”:
Ihe Great One." There's no
other way to put it...nothing else
you can call him. It's been that
way since 1 can remember. You
said "The Great One." 1 thought
Wayne Gretzky.
I've never been the biggest
hockey fan, and I can't say as
though I’ve had the pleasure to
actually watch Wayne Gretzky's
greatness more than a handful of
times. For me. I didn’t need to.
I've always seen him as this bigger
than life name.
“Gretzky," the name, didn't hold
a real concrete meaning for me. It
was just the name tossed around
when playing street hockey pick
up games. I can always remember
choosing the name of our team and
naming it after whatever uniform
Gretzky was wearing at the time.
The best player from that team,
then got the pleasure to represent
"Gretzky." We would yell,
"Gretzky Scores!” and “what a
pass by Gretzky!” We all
understood it was in our own little
imaginary worlds, but we also
understood that Gretzky was as big
as you got
Down to the Wire...
Draft Confidential: Williams falls to sth, but is not upset
by Gary Myers
Knight-Ridder Newspapers
The fall was impossible to
forecast when Ricky Williams
finished his career as college
football's all-time leading rusher.
He was the best player in the NFL
draft.
As the off-season progressed,
it became apparent he would not
go in the top three: The Browns,
Eagles and Bengals were locked
in on quarterbacks.
And it wasn't so much he went
fifth Saturday to the Saints -
thrilled to hand the Redskins
eight draft picks in a near
Herschel Walker-type deal - be
cause that was only one spot
lower than predicted. The
shocker was the Colts passed on
him to take another running back,
Edgerrin James.
How can Williams, with 6,279
career yards, not even be the first
back taken and have four other
players go ahead of him? “At the
very beginning I couldn't imag
ine it," Williams said. "It’s not
going to matter in a couple of
months."
The Colts had James rated
higher - they liked his outside
speed and reeehing skills - and
they were not the only team that
did. Also, the word was in the last
lew days, after trading Marshall
baulk, the Colts spoke with Wil
liams' agent and determined he
would he lough to sign.
Williams is represented by No
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Bounds
In a sport that measures you by goals
and assists, saves and save %, Gretzky
proved himself with numbers never
before seen, and likely never to be seen
again. “The Great One” holds a record
61 National Hockey League records
(62 if you include the record for most
NHL records). Sounds ridiculous? It
Just about every single major record
that hockey’s stars try to shoot for, are
held by Gretzky. There could be little
stories told about every record and the
significance in which it holds.
Among these records are goals
(career - 894, season - 92, period -4),
assists (career - 1,963, season - 163,
game -7), points (career - 2,856,
season - 215), hat tricks (50), game
winning playoff goals (24),
consecutive 100-or-more point seasons
(13), and many more.
But just two of Gretzky’s records,
alone, could put the world in awe.
1,962 career assists and 215 points in
a season. The true meaning of these
records can’t be felt inless they are
compared to what other hockey players
have done.
So compare this: Gretzky - 1,963
career assists (20 seasons) vs. Gordie
Limit Sports, which was rapper Mas
ter P’s company. Leland Hardy, who
will negotiate Williams’ contract, said
Master P divested himself of his inter
est because he’s trying to make it in
the NBA - he tried out for the Hornets
in training camp - and is himself now
a client of No Limit Sports.
Still, Hardy said he expected Will
iams to be paid “commensurate" with
what he called his status as the "great
est college player in the history of the
sport"
That could mean a tough negotia
tion, which does not concern New Or
leans. Williams said he didn’t think his
choice of agents was the reason he fell.
“They saw something in Edgerrin
James they didn’t see in me,” he said.
But Williams didn’t impress one
personnel director with the way he
handled himself since the end of the
season. "He turned me off when he
showed up 20 pounds overweight at the
combine,” he said. “It’s like showing
up for a job interview without a coat
and tie. It’s a little bit immature. And
by picking James, it’s not like you are
going from a Cadillac to a Ford.”
Although everybody says Williams
is a good guy, you wonder how the
conservative NFL took to his
dreadlocks and pierced tongue. When
Williams had his long-awaited work
out in San Diego, the personnel direc
tor called it “non-descript.”
But shouldn’t Williams be judged by
what he did on the field in college,
which was better than Tony Dorsett,
Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson, etc.?
“That's 70 percent of it,” the person
nel director said. “The last three
no other way to put
Howe - 1,850 career points (26
seasons). Yes, Gretzky has more
career assists than any NHL hockey
player has career points. Meaning, if
you were to subtract every one of
Gretzky’s record 894 goals from his
total career points, he would still be
the all-time points leader. Amazing!
But that slat isn’t even the one that
hockey fans shout about. Back in the
days of Gordie Howe, 100 points in a
season was the mark to reach. It wasn’t
until 1970-71 that Phil Esposito put the
standard at 152. And it was Gretzky
that made a mockery at all that, scoring
212 in 1981-82, one year after
breaking Esposito’s record with 164.
Breaking 200 seemed like a once in a
lifetime experience. But Gretzky
continued the onslaught. 205 the next
season and 208 following that. In
1985-86, Gretzky broke 200 for the
fourth time with an NHL record 215
season points.
Mario Lemieux is the only player to
come close to the 200-point mark with
199 in 1988-89. Excluding Lemieux,
the closest anyone has come, is Steve
Yzerman with 155.
Wayne Gretzky more than doubled
the mark that “Mr. Hockey,” Gordie
months are important when we are
scrutinizing the guy. Then he hires
Master P for his agent. There is the
whole image: Is this guy showing any
maturity, is he taking this seriously?”
Williams said it would be “unfair to
call it a nightmare.” He displayed no
sign of bitterness and said it was a
dream come true to play in the NFL.
"Why do players drop?” Saints GM
Bill Kuharich said. “Why did Dan
Marino go 27th?”
If the Colts were turned off by the
money, it’s the second time in three
days they let it be a factor. That was a
reason for trading Faulk. Was Will
iams’ signability a factor?
“It might have had something to do
with it,” Colts coach Jim Mora said.
“Because of who Ricky is and the stat
ure he has, he might have been a little
tougher guy to get done.”
If Mike Ditka turns him into the next
Payton, then he will be worth it.
Hail to the Redskins: The Redskins
pulled off one of the slickest draft day
maneuvers. In the end, they moved
down two spots to get Georgia CB
Champ Bailey, the player they wanted
all along, and picked up the Saints’
No. I pick next year and used a fifth
rounder from New Orleans to move up
in the second round to get OT Jon
Jansen.
Here’s what happened: When the
rumors started flying Saturday morn
ing that the Colts were not going to
take Williams at N 0.4, the Saints called
and re-opened talks with the Skins for
the fifth pick. They agreed on a deal,
Sports
JASON SNYDER
Howe himself struggled to reach. 215
points is a record that could be
compared to unbreakables such as Joe
DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak,
Richard “The King" Petty’s 200 career
racing wins, and Wilt Chamberlain’s
100 point game.
Gretzky won nine Hart Memorial
Trophies (MVP), ten Art Ross Trophies
(points leader), three Lady Byng
Memorial Trohies (sportsmanship),
two Conn Smythe Trophies (Stanley
Cup MVPs) and four Stanley Cups.
But more important than that, it was
Gretzky’s emergence on the hockey
scene that put the sport in the spotlight
in the 1980 s. It’s as if he came for 20
years, rewrote the NHL record book,
set a standard of excellence for hockey
greatness, made such a number as 99
famous, gave Canada a national hero,
then left. Every game, he performed
in skates that fit him perfectly, but yet,
nobody else seems to be able to fill.
He is “The Great One.” What else is
there to say?
Snyder is the sports editor for the
Beacon. Out of Bounds appears
weekly on this page.
sending the Saints’ entire draft of six
picks and Nos. I and 3 picks next year
- a near Herschel Walker deal - to
Washington. If the Skins stayed at the
Saints’ No. 12 spot, they were going to
take Florida DE-LB Jevon Kearse.
But they cut a deal with the Bears at
N 0.7: Figuring Bailey might go to the
Colts, they made a contingency deal
with
Chicago to move back up if Arizona
CB Chris McAlister was still available.
It all fell into place when Indy took
James. When the Skins were on the
clock, they had the Saints on hold on
one phone while finalizing the deal
with Chicago. They pulled the trigger
on both.
And when the Rams took WR Torry
Holt at N 0.6,.6, the Skins got Bailey.
“We feel Champ Bailey is going to
be a great player,” Skins coach Norv
Turner said.
Washington GM Charley Casserly
said when the Colts traded Faulk on
Thursday, he just about gave up on
trading with New Orleans. “We thought
the Colts would take a running back at
four,” he said. “We all assumed it was
going to be Ricky Williams.”
The Saints, of course, were thrilled
to get Williams. “We thought he was
the best player in the draft and we’ll
find out,” Kuharich said.
Giant decision: How would Marshall
Faulk and his 2,227 yards total offense
have looked in a Giants uniform?
Imagine if they had a player defenses
actually had to make a game plan
against. They never had an interest.
Best guess is the Giants were scared
BEHREND BRIEFS
Bovaird named
Honorable Mention
All-American
Behrend senior basketball standout Brock Bovaird has just been named
an honorable mention All-American by the Division 111 Basketball News.
Bovaird has just come off a very successful season where he pointed the
Behrend men to and Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference regular
season championship and the Lion's first-ever ECAC Championship. His
Lions won a school record 21 wins.
Bovaird was also named AMCC Player of the Year in 1998-99 in a very
productive season. He averaged 12.9 points. 4.8 assists. 3.5 rebounds and
virtually no turnovers. He shoot 41% from behind the arc.
Bovaird only played two seasons for the Lions after transferring from
Clarion University. In those two seasons, he ranks first all-time in three
point field goal accuracy, making 116-254. He ranks ninth in Behrend history
with 228 assists.
Lisa Fox earns Lions’
third consecutive AMCC
Athlete of the Week
Behrend softball continued their streak of consecutive Allegheny Mountain
Collegiate Conference Athletes of the Week as Lisa Fox added to Mandy
Bodnor’s two-week reign.
Fox is a senior outfielder from Pittsburgh, PA where she attended Carrick
High School. She led the Lions to a 2-0 week, with a sweep of Pitt-Bradford
in a double-header. She went 3-6 with five RBl's, three runs and two total
home runs.
off by dealing for a RB with five years
in the league and prospect of Faulk’s
contract demands. But after giving $5
million bonus to Kerry Collins, should
money be a factor?
FIRST, MICHAEL JORDAN re
tired. Then, Wayne Gretzky. Is John
Elway next? Even though some may
think the longer Elway takes to make
his decision, the better chance he’s
coming back, I still think he’s done
and will make it three sports icons to
say goodbye in ’99.
“His state of mind is he knows it’s
time to make a decision shortly,” said
Marvin Demoff, his attorney for his
entire 16-year career. “I spoke with
John in the middle of the week and
for the first time he realizes it’s time
to make a decision.”
Demoff has been telling Elway that
if he wants to play in '99, he should
do it because he loves to play, not just
to go for a third straight champion
ship. “He sets the bar so high,"
Demoff said.
Revolving door: The Eagles have
had 10 starting quarterbacks in the
’9os. Doug Pederson will make it
No. 11 when he starts Philly’s season
opener and it won’t be long - prob
ably by October - that rookie Donovan
McNabb will be No. 12.... The NFL
moved up the date rookies are allowed
to begin working out with their teams
from June 1 to May 16 as long as they
are finished with exams. It was a big
issue a year ago when Peyton Man
ning, who had already graduated, was
not allowed to report to the Colts un-
til June 1. Most schools are out hy
the middle of May.
THE BROWNS GOT the seven
year $4B million deal done with Tim
Couch at 3:30 a.m. Saturday, 8 hours
before the draft. He gets a $12.25
million signing bonus upfront. The
deal voids after three years with eas
ily reachable incentives. Then the
Browns can buy back the final four
years with a second signing bonus
of $8.75 million, making the total
bonus $2l million - an NFL record.
It is similar in structure to the six
year, $37.8 million deal Peyton
Manning signed last year with Indy
that had an initial bonus of $11.6
million and another $8.4 million af
ter the third year. Manning has al
ready voided out his final three
years. Both deals were negotiated by
Tom Condon...Leigh Steinberg, the
agent for Akili Smith, was not happy
the Browns were also negotiating
with him Friday night, ostensibly as
leverage and as a backup in case they
could not reach a deal with Couch.
"I was emphatic with them that if
they really wanted Tim Couch, that
was their choice, but please don't
engage us in discussions on a con
tract,” Steinberg said. "Please re
member this is a human being we
are talking about and we are not trad
ing furniture here."...Late Friday
night, when Browns negotiator Lai
Heneghan was talking on phone
w ith one of Steinberg's aides in his
hotel room, Condon was in
Heneghan’s room working in
Couch's deal.