Len Bias took the college basketball scene over during the mid 1980’s while at the University of Maryland, and many believed he was just as good as Michael Jordan.  His life was tragically cut short though, and Bias never played a minute in the NBA.  He was drafted second in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, but only two days later he had a cocaine overdose which caused a cardiac arrhythmia and ultimately his death.  Bias, at only the age of 22, was celebrating with friends after achieving his lifelong goal and dream of becoming an NBA player.  Now not to condone cocaine use by any means, but during the early and mid 1980’s cocaine use was much more prevalent and the consequences of using it were not widely known.  It was seen as a glamorous drug, used by Hollywood stars and professional athletes.  Bias’ death was a shock to not only the sporting world, but to the entire country.  His death put the potential deadly consequences of the drug front and center, and it helped to begin a nationwide decline in the use of cocaine.  In 1988 Congress passed a law known as “The Len Bias Law”, which was an Anti-Drug Act that put stricter penalties on drug crimes and also started the D.A.R.E. program for kids.

As a player, Bias was nothing short of extraordinary.  He was a 6′8″ 225-pound forward who could jump out of the gym.  Although mostly known for his athleticism and leaping ability, Bias also had a silky smooth shot, with great touch.  He had a high basketball IQ, and was a strong defender who was a good shot-blocking threat.  In his four-year career as a Maryland Terrapin, Bias improved every year and had career averages of 16.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 32.8 minutes while shooting 53.6% from the field.  He was the ACC Player of the Year in 1985 and 1986, and was a first team All-American his senior season where he averaged 23.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.5 blocks, 0.8 steals, 37.0 minutes and shot 54.4% from the field.  Although Bias’ life was cut short by drug use, Bias was known as good leader and was extremely popular and friendly on Maryland’s campus.  It was very tragic what happened to Bias, and I am sure he would have been a great NBA player who could have helped extend the Boston Celtics’ dominance.

Baseball announcers have been mentioning the Mendoza Line for quite some time without really explaining what it means.  There was a shortstop in the majors who played from the middle seventies to the early eighties who was names Mario Mendoza.  He flat out just couldn’t hit the ball but he hung around because he had a good glove.  Mendoza played in 686 games in 9 years in his major league career and he was 287 for 1,337 (.215 avg, .507 OPS) with 106 runs scored, 4 homers, 101 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.  So an average of about .215 would be the Mendoza Line for the record.  He had a “career” year in 1980 when he played in 114 games in which he was 68 for 277 (.245 avg, .596 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 2 homers, 14 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  Impress your friends when you hear the “Mendoza” line on a baseball broadcast now as you know exactly what the announcer is talking about.

First of all, I am 40 years old so my time goes back to the late 70’s on.  I would rank Steve Carlton right behind Randy Johnson if I were to rank the best lefty starting pitchers that my two eyes have seen.  He was a lot like the Big Unit as he had a good fastball and a outstanding slider.  Carlton pitched 24 seasons in his major league career appearing in 741 games (709 starts) in which he was 329-244, with 2 saves, a 3.22 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.  Carlton won 4 Cy Young Awards with the Phillies in 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982.  But, Carlton was at his best in 1972.  That was the year he won his first Cy Young Award with the Phillies.  He did it by starting 41 games in which he was 27-10 with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.  He threw a stunning 30 complete games that season including 8 that were shutouts.  The most amazing thing about Carlton’s 1972 season was just how bad his team (the Phillies) were that year as they finished up with a 59-97 record!  Carlton led the majors in wins three times (the N.L. 4 times) and he led the N.L. in strikeouts 5 times.  Carlton is #63 all-time in major league history in games pitched (741), #6 in games started (709), #11 in wins (324), #75 in complete games (254), tied for 14th in shutouts (55), #9 in innings pitched (5,217 1/3) and he is #4 in strikeouts (4,136).  Carlton was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.

It wasn’t like Mark McGwire was telling us something we didn’t know last night as Jose Canseco wrote about it so long ago in his first book called Juiced.  Amazingly no player mentioned in that book has ever sued Canseco pretty much confirming my worst fears about baseball in the “Steroid Era”.  Back to McGwire, he was whining like a little baby on T.V. as he tried to convince the fans watching him  that the steroids he took had no effect on his major league stats.  Oh really, so when he cranked a combined 135 homers in 1998 and 1999 that was all because he was such a good hitter…..I think not.  He played in 1,874 games in his major league career and he was 1,626 of 6,187 (.263 avg, .982 OPS) with 1,167 runs scored, 583 homers and 1,414 RBIs.  I will be shocked if McGwire ever gets more than 5% of the vote for the Hall of Fame as his only Hall worthy number is the homers in which he ranks tied for 8th all-time with Alex Rodriguez.  He’s #192 in runs scored and #66 in RBIs (just 7 ahead of Jose Canseco) all time in major league history.  If they had a Hall of Shame that is where Mark McGwire belongs……period!

Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon is not only the best foreign born player to ever play in the NBA, but he is one of the best players ever period.  Born in Lagos Nigeria, Olajuwon grew up playing soccer (mostly as a goalie due to his height) and didn’t touch a basketball until he was 15.  He credits his soccer playing days for his good footwork and balance, something he used extremely well in the post for years.  At the age of 18, Olajuwon came to the United States to play basketball for the University of Houston.  Still very raw, Olajuwon got limited minutes early in his college career, but after spending the off-seasons working out with Moses Malone he rapidly improved.  He went on to be the number one draft pick by the Houston Rockets in the 1984 NBA draft.  That draft was arguably the best draft class ever, including Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton.

Olajuwon was a star as soon as he stepped on the court for the Rockets as a rookie, averaging 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.7 blocks while shooting 54% from the field.  He went on to average similar numbers the rest of his career and finished with career averages of 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and 3.1 blocks while shooting 51% from the field.  His career numbers would have been even better if not for his last three seasons where injuries and age caught up with the 7-foot, 255-pound Nigerian.  Olajuwon used an array of post moves and had a very nice face-up game with quick footwork and a soft touch.  Many have declared Olajuwon as having the best footwork for a big-man ever.  He was a complete force on the defensive end too, always near the top of the league in blocked shots and winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1993 and 1994.  He is also the only center ever to rank in the top 10 in career steals.

When Michael Jordan left the league to pursue a baseball career, Olajuwon completely took over the league, winning the 1994 MVP award and leading the Rockets to back-to-back NBA Titles in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons.  Olajuwon was a true professional and a very humble big man.  He credits his Muslim faith with those characteristics and he never forgot his African roots, constantly donating money in and around his home country of Nigeria.  He even sponsored a pair of Spalding basketball shoes, costing only $35, stating that working parents should not have to spend $100 for their kids’ sneakers.  Named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, Hakeem was a phenomenal basketball player, and has been a great person.