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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Apr 25, 2007 16:38:57 GMT -5
Wow, I'm surprised the Red Sox are this low. Yes they had a giant World Series drought but they had great teams. If they were in the National league, they'd have as many rings as the Yanks. Sure, they've had some good teams, but you can't ignore that drought. It was over 80 years.
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Post by Sharpy Snow on Apr 25, 2007 16:41:49 GMT -5
By law, they should be on every top 50 team lists.
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Sajoa Moe
Patti Mayonnaise
Did you get that thing I sent ya?
A man without gimmick.
Posts: 39,683
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Post by Sajoa Moe on Apr 25, 2007 16:48:54 GMT -5
Wow, I'm surprised the Red Sox are this low. Yes they had a giant World Series drought but they had great teams. If they were in the National league, they'd have as many rings as the Yanks. Sure, they've had some good teams, but you can't ignore that drought. It was over 80 years. But then again, there's an AFL team which has only been around for three years and won no titles that is on the list.
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Post by kitsunestar on Apr 25, 2007 21:07:46 GMT -5
Holy Crap, a Pennsylvania team made the list. I didn't think that was possible O.o
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Post by Drillbit Taylor on Apr 25, 2007 23:53:48 GMT -5
#31 The National Hockey League announced that Minnesota has been awarded an expansion franchise to begin play in the 2000-2001 season. The six finalists named for new NHL franchise were: Minnesota Blue Ox, Minnesota Freeze, Minnesota Northern Lights, Minnesota Voyageurs, Minnesota White Bears and Minnesota Wild. Jac Sperling was named Chief Executive Officer of the Minnesota Wild and Martha Larson was named Chief Financial Officer, the first female in that position in NHL history. 1998: The new NHL team is officially named the Minnesota Wild. The unveiling occurred in front at Aldrich Arena. The Minnesota Wild announce its first major sponsorship agreement with the Minnesota Wild Mastercard card from First USA. It was the earliest that First USA has ever signed an agreement in advance of a team beginning play (31 months). The State of Minnesota agreed in legislation to fund $65 million of the $130 million project costs for Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. the Saint Paul Civic Center deconstruction began soon thereafter and the Xcel Energy Center design was announced. a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Xcel Energy Center was hosted in Saint Paul, Minnesota. 1999: The Minnesota Wild announce a 26-year partnership agreement with the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission (MASC). The Minnesota Wild-MASC partnership is the first partnership of its kind between a private professional sports team and a public amateur sports organization. Doug Risebrough was named executive vice president/general manager of Minnesota Wild and The Xcel Energy Center is completed and ready for use. 2000-01 — The Minnesota Wild First Season Officially starts, The Wild name Jacques Lemaire the first-ever head coach and the team picks Marian Gaborik third overall in Round 1 of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. The team wasn't very successful on the ice, but showed promise for future seasons. The most notable game of the year, however, was the first visit of the Dallas Stars, formerly the Minnesota North Stars. The Wild rode an emotional record crowd of over 18,000 to a six to zero shutout in Dallas' first regular season game in Minnesota since 1993. 2001-02 — The Wild would get off to a strong start by getting at least 1 point in their first 7 games. However the Wild would finish in last place again with a record of 26-35-12-9. Along the way there were signs the Wild were improving as second-year speedster Gaborik had a solid season with 30 goals, no sophomore slump, and Andrew Brunette led the team in scoring with 69 points. 2002-03 — Gaborik spends much of the season vying for the league scoring crown, and the Wild, in their first ever playoff appearance, make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals before being swept 4-0 by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Previously, the Wild had beaten the favored and third-seeded Colorado Avalanche in the first round in seven games, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit and winning both Game 6 and 7 in overtime. Andrew Brunette scored the series clinching goal. In the Western Conference Semi-Finals, the Wild beat the fourth-seeded Vancouver Canucks, again in seven games, and again after being down 3-1 in the series. In the process, the Wild became the first team in playoff history to capture a seven-game series twice after facing elimination during Game 5. 2003-04 — When this season started the Wild were short-handed with both Pascal Dupuis and Gaborik holding out. After struggling in the first month the Wild finally got their two young star left-wingers signed but both struggled to get back into game shape as the Wild struggled through much of November. In a deep hole the Wild could not climb back into the playoffs despite finishing the season strong with wins in 5 of their last 6 games as they finished last in the competitive Northwest Division with a record of 30-29-20-3. Along the way the Wild began to gear up for the future trading away several of their older players that were a part of the franchise from the beginning including Brad Bombardir and Jim Dowd. 2004-05 — Season cancelled due to lockout. Former Wild player Sergei Zholtok dies from a heart condition during a game played in Europe. Zholtok died in the arms of Minnesotan and former Wild player Darby Hendrickson. 2005-06 — Finished in last place in Northwest Division, eight points behind Vancouver; along the way Gaborik set a new franchise record for goals in a season (38) and Brian Rolston set a new highest point total by a Wild player in a season (79). The goaltender controversy between Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson ended when Roloson was traded to Edmonton for a first round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. 2006-07 — Signed veteran Free Agents, Kim Johnsson, Mark Parrish, and Keith Carney. On the day of the NHL Entry Draft, they traded the 17th overall pick and prospect Patrick O'Sullivan to the Los Angeles Kings for veteran Slovakian Pavol Demitra. Niklas Backstrom has been the Starting goalie for the Wild since starter Manny Fernandez initially sprained his knee on Jan. 20, Fernandez played for the first time since the sprain on Tuesday, March 6th and was removed after allowing three goals in two periods in the Wild's 3-0 loss to San Jose. Josh Harding, was brought up from the Wild's minor-league affiliate, the Houston Aeros, when Fernandez was hurt, and will remain on Minnesota's roster for the rest of the season as the backup goalie. All-Star winger Marian Gaborik returned from a groin injury in January of 2007 and made an immediate impact, bringing a new spark to a lacking offense. The Wild made the playoffs in 2007 for the second time in team history but were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in the opening round. Coincidentally, the same Anaheim franchise eliminated the Wild in their first playoff year, in the conference finals, in 2003. Retired numbers * 1 Wild Fans, number retired on October 11, 2000 * 99 Wayne Gretzky, number retired league-wide February 6, 2000 Stanley Cups none Conference Championships none Division Championships none #31 team Minnesota Wild
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Post by KingPopper on Apr 26, 2007 6:43:30 GMT -5
Never heard of them.
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Apr 26, 2007 12:22:07 GMT -5
How in the hell did a hockey team that hasn't been around for a decade and hasn't won a Stanley Cup get on the list?
Also, how did some AFL team that hasn't been around for five years and hasn't won a title get on the list?
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Post by Drillbit Taylor on Apr 26, 2007 16:23:02 GMT -5
#30 By the early 1960s, the NBA's Nationals were struggling. Syracuse was the last of the medium-sized cities, but it too was too small for a professional team to be profitable. Paper magnate Irv Kosloff bought the Nationals from Biasone and moved them to Philadelphia in 1963. The NBA thus returned to Philadelphia one year after the Warriors had left for San Francisco. A contest was held to decide on their new name and the winner was the late Walt Stahlberg. Their name was changed to the "76ers," after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776. The nickname was quickly shortened to "Sixers" by headline writers, and the two names soon became interchangeable for marketing purposes. For their first four years in Philadelphia, the Sixers played mostly at the Philadelphia Arena and Civic Center-Convention Hall, with an occasional game at The Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania. In the 1964-65 season, the 76ers acquired the legendary Wilt Chamberlain from the Warriors. The 76ers would push the Boston Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, with the 76ers trailing 110–108 in Game 7. After Hal Greer's pass was stolen by John Havlicek — an infamous blow to 76ers fans, rubbed in by fabled Celtics announcer Johnny Most when he yelled into the microphone "Havlicek stole the ball!" — the Celtics went on to beat the 76ers and win another NBA Championship. The 1976-77 season would be memorable for the 76ers as they acquired Julius Erving from the New York Nets, while the team was purchased by local philantrophist F. Eugene "Fitz" Dixon, grandson of George Dunton Widener and heir to the Widener fortune. With them, the 76ers began an exciting ride for the fans of Philadelphia, beating their long-time nemesis from Boston in a seven-game playoff slugfest to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. There, they defeated the Houston Rockets, led by future Sixer Moses Malone, in six games to advance to the NBA Finals. It was there that they would lose to former coach Jack Ramsay and the Bill Walton-led Portland Trail Blazers in six games, after building a commanding 2–0 series lead. That led to the motto being used in 1977-78 of "We owe you one," which would ultimately backfire when they lost in the playoffs the following year to the Washington Bullets, who went on to win the NBA championship that year. In the next four seasons, the Sixers would fall short of the NBA Championship, even after changing coaches to former Sixers great Billy Cunningham. In the 1980 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, they lost, four games to two. In Game Six, rookie Magic Johnson played center for the Lakers in place of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who was out because of a sprained ankle suffered in Game Five) and scored 42 points. In the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals, the 76ers opened a big 3–1 series lead over the Celtics only to see Boston come back and win the series in seven games. The following season, the 76ers again faced the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, and again jumped to a 3–1 series lead only to see Boston forge a 3–3 series tie. The 76ers were given little chance of winning as they faced the Celtics in Game Seven at Boston Garden. This time, they played angry but inspirational basketball, pulling away to a 120–106 victory. In the game's closing moments, the fans at Boston Garden began chanting "Beat L.A., Beat L.A.", an incredible moment in basketball history, and although they lost in the NBA Finals, the 76ers began the 1982-83 season with great momentum. All they needed now was Moses to lead them to the promised land of the NBA championship. Harold Katz bought the 76ers from Dixon in 1982. On his watch, the final piece of the championship puzzle was completed before the 1982-83 season when they acquired center Malone from the aforementioned Houston Rockets. Led by Hall of Famer Julius Erving and All-Stars Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones they dominated the regular season, winning 65 games in what is still the second most winning year in franchise history. Malone was named League MVP, and when reporters asked how the playoffs would run, he answered, "four, four, four" — in other words, predicting that the Sixers would sweep all three rounds to win the title, with the minimum 12 games. Malone's deep voice made his boast sound like "fo', fo', fo'." However, the Sixers backed up Malone's boast. They made a mockery of the Eastern Conference playoffs, first sweeping the New York Knicks and then beating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. The Sixers went on to win their third NBA championship (and second in Philadephia) with a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, who had defeated them the season before. Malone was named the playoffs' MVP. The Sixers didn't quite fulfill Malone's prediction, as their run was actually "fo', fi', fo" ("four, five, four"). Nonetheless, their 12–1 playoff record is the second-best in league history after the 2000-2001 Lakers, who went 15–1 en route to the NBA Title coincidentally beating the 76ers in the finals. The Philadephia-based group Pieces Of A Dream had a minor hit in 1983 with the R&B song "Fo-Fi-Fo", which title was prompted by After a disappointing 1983-84 season, which ended with a five-game loss to the upstart New Jersey Nets in the first round of the playoffs, Charles Barkley arrived in Philadelphia for the 1984-85 season. For the next eight seasons, Barkley brought delight to the Philadelphia fans thanks to his humorous and sometimes controversial ways. The 76ers returned to the Eastern Conference Finals, but lost to the Boston Celtics in five games. Following the season, Matt Guokas replaced Billy Cunningham as head coach, leading the Sixers to the second round of the playoffs in 1985-86, where they were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games. On June 16, 1986, Katz made two of the most controversial and highly criticized personnel moves in franchise history, trading Moses Malone to Washington and the first overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft (which had been obtained from the San Diego Clippers in a 1979 trade for Joe Bryant) to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In return, the Sixers received Roy Hinson, Jeff Ruland, and Cliff Robinson, none of whom played more than three seasons with the team. Cleveland, meanwhile, turned their acquired pick into future All-Star Brad Daugherty. The 76ers returned to the playoffs in 1986-87, but were defeated in the first round by Milwaukee, three games to two. In 1987-88, with the team's record at 20–23, Guokas was fired and replaced by assistant Jim Lynam. Lynam finished the season 16-13, but overall Philadelphia finished 36-46, failing to reach the postseason for the first time since 1974-75. Philadelphia selected Charles Smith with its first pick in the 1988 NBA Draft, then traded his rights to the Los Angeles Clippers for their first pick, Hersey Hawkins. In five seasons with the Sixers, Hawkins would average 19 points per game, and left the team as its all-time leader in three-point field goals attempted and made. Lynam relinquished his head coaching position to become general manager following the 1991-92 season, and hired Doug Moe to fill the vacancy. Moe's tenure lasted just 56 games, with the Sixers posting a 19–37 record. Popular former player and longtime assistant coach Fred Carter succeeded Moe as head coach in March of 1993, but could only manage a 32–76 record at the helm. Following the 1993-94 season, the 76ers hired John Lucas in the dual role of head coach and general manager. The enthusiastic Lucas had been successful as a head coach for the San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia hoped he could breathe new life into the 76ers. It proved disastrous, as the team went 42–122 in its two seasons under Lucas. The acquisition of unproductive free agents such as Scott Williams and Charles Shackleford, players at the end of their careers such as LaSalle Thompson, Orlando Woolridge, and Scott Skiles along with disappointing high draft picks such as Shawn Bradley and Sharone Wright were also factors in the team's decline. In fact, Wright played in only 4 NBA seasons while Temple product Eddie Jones — drafted 4 slots below Wright in 1994 by the L.A. Lakers — is in his 14th year as a productive NBA player. Starting with the 1990-91 season, and ending with the 1995-96 season, the 76ers had the dubious distinction of seeing their win total decrease each year. The nadir was the 1995-96 season, when they finished with an 18–64 record, the second-worst in franchise history. It was also the second-worst record in the league that year, ahead of only the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies but behind the Toronto Raptors, who were also in their inaugural season. Katz, unpopular among fans since the 1986 trades, sold the team to a consortium led by Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider and Comcast Corporation at the end of the 1995-96 season, with Pat Croce, a former trainer for the Flyers and Sixers, taking over as president. Many 76ers fans call these years "The Dark Ages." However, after many years of misfortune, there was a bright spot. The team won the lottery for the top pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. Questions remained, but with the first pick, the Sixers found their "Answer": Allen Iverson. As of Tuesday, December 19, 2006, Allen Iverson, along with Ivan McFarlin, has been sent to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for guard Andre Miller, forward Joe Smith, and two first-round draft picks. On Thursday, January 11, 2007, Sixers GM Billy King announced that the Sixers and aging forward Chris Webber have agreed to a buyout of the remainder of his contract. The Sixers will be paying Webber $36 million over the next 1 1/2 seasons, which is $7 million less than he would have been paid to play. After the buyout, the Sixers waived Webber, making him a free agent. Webber signed with the Detroit Pistons shortly thereafter. In the midst of these major changes, the 76ers have looked to their younger players who must now take on greater responsibilty for the team's success. Rising stars Andre Iguodala and Kyle Korver have proven their worth by rewriting their career highs in points on different occasions. Throughout this season of transition, Philadelphia will look to build on their young team and, thereafter, to benefit from their three first-round picks in the 2007 NBA Draft, which many believe is the best draft pool in the last 10 years with players such as Ohio State's Greg Oden and Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant supposedly looking to make the jump from college to the NBA. Basketball Hall of Famers * Charles Barkley * Wilt Chamberlain * Billy Cunningham * Julius Erving * Hal Greer * Bailey Howell * Earl Lloyd (inducted as a contributor, not as a player) * Moses Malone * Dolph Schayes Retired numbers * 2 Moses Malone, C, 1982–86 & 1993-94 (never officially retired, but taken out of circulation) * 6 Julius Erving, F, 1976–87 * 10 Maurice Cheeks, G, 1978–89 * 13 Wilt Chamberlain, C, 1965–68 (also Philadelphia native, and Philadelphia Warriors, 1959–62) * 15 Hal Greer, G, 1963–73 (1958–73 if Syracuse Nationals service is included) * 24 Bobby Jones, F, 1978–86 * 32 Billy Cunningham, F, 1965–72 & 1974-75; Head Coach, 1977–85 * 34 Charles Barkley, F, 1984–92 * Microphone - Dave Zinkoff, public-address announcer, 1963–85 (also Warriors, 1946–62) Championships 2 (1966-67, 1982-83) Conference Titles 5 (1976-77, 1979-80, 1981-82, 1982-83, 2000-01) Division Titles 8 (1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1982-83, 1989-90, 2000-01 Your #30 team as voted on by you, Philadelphia 76ers
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Post by KingPopper on Apr 26, 2007 16:24:58 GMT -5
How in the hell did a hockey team that hasn't been around for a decade and hasn't won a Stanley Cup get on the list? Also, how did some AFL team that hasn't been around for five years and hasn't won a title get on the list? Because a few people Minnesota voted for them. Unlike some of the other lists on this board wiether it be tagteams, video games, or comicbook villians. For as big as major sports are, they are still very local. Everyone can list 25 tagteams, but listing 25 sports teams is a tad bit harder. People list their personal favorites, then fill up the lists with teams of jerseys they had when they were kids, or I even filled mine out with teams I hated, just because they played such great villains to some of my favorites. Maybe if this was a ESPN forum the list might be a little better. But people mainly cheer for their local favorites. Wait till it gets down to the top 20 or so and it look a lot better.
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Post by Drillbit Taylor on Apr 27, 2007 18:53:32 GMT -5
#29 The Detroit Lions are an American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, the team began play in 1929 as an independent professional team [3], one of many such teams in the Ohio and Scioto River valleys. For the 1930 season, the Spartans formally joined the NFL as the other area independents folded because of the Great Depression. Despite success within the NFL, they could not survive in Portsmouth, then the NFL's smallest city. The team was purchased and moved to Detroit for the 1934 season. The Lions have won four pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships, the last in 1957, and have yet to qualify for the Super Bowl. Contents Detroit enjoyed its greatest success in the 1950s. Led by quarterback Bobby Layne, they won the league championship in 1952, 1953, and 1957. They defeated the Cleveland Browns in each of those NFL Championship Games, but also lost to the Browns in the 1954 Championship Game. In 1958, after leading the Lions to 3 NFL Championships and providing Detroit nearly a decade of Hall of Fame play, the Lions traded Bobby Layne. Bobby was injured during the last championship season and the Lions thought he was through and wanted to get what they could for him. According to legend, as he was leaving for Pittsburgh, Bobby said that Detroit "would not win for 50 years." Since this time, the Lions have not won another championship and have only a single playoff game win. Some have attributed the Lions' subsequent 49 years of futility to the "Curse of Bobby Layne." Notably, the Lions succeeded in one of the greatest comeback victories in NFL post-season history. Trailing the San Francisco 49ers 27-7 in the 3rd quarter of the 1957 Western Conference Playoff game, Lions quarterback Tobin Rote rallied the team back with 24 unanswered points to beat the 49ers 31-27 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. The Lions have experienced only one postseason win since. Motown soul singer Marvin Gaye made plans, after the death of duet partner Tammi Terrell, to join the Lions and go into football. He gained weight and trained for his tryout in 1970, but was cut early on. He remained friends with a number of the players, particularly Mel Farr and Lem Barney, who appear as background vocalists on his 1971 classic single "What's Going On." On Thanksgiving day, November 28, 1974, after over 35 years, the Lions played their final game in Tiger Stadium, where they lost to the Denver Broncos 31-27 in front of 51,157, amidst snow flurries and a 21 point Broncos 3rd quarter. The football field ran mostly in the outfield from the right field line to left center field parallel with the third base line. The benches for both the Lions and their opponents were on the outfield side of the field. The Lions have played their home games indoors ever since. The Lions made the playoffs only once in the '70s, losing a defensive struggle to the Dallas Cowboys, 5-0, in 1970. The team went through a string of average seasons, finishing 2nd or 3rd in the division in every season from 1970 through 1978. Finally, in 1979, the team finished with a 2-14 record, and thus earned the first pick in the following draft. In 1980, the Lions drafted running back Billy Sims with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. The Lions made the playoffs in 1982 and 1983, winning the division in the latter season. However, Sims suffered a career-ending knee injury in 1984, and the team would not finish with a record above .500 for the rest of the decade. The 1990s were "The Barry Sanders Show" in Detroit. During his first season after being drafted in 1989, Sanders missed the NFL rushing title by 10 yards...because he chose not to go back in to gain the yardage. According to Wayne Fontes, when he offered Sanders the chance to gain the yardage and the rushing title, Sanders declined, reportedly saying, "Coach, let's just win it (the game) and go home.[5]" In 1991, the Lions started the season by being shut out on national television, 45-0, by the Washington Redskins. The Lions then rebounded, winning their next 4 games. They went 12-4 for the season, They won their first division title in eight years, capping the regular season with a win over the then-defending AFC Champion Buffalo Bills. They were inspired late in the season by the loss of guard Mike Utley, who sustained a career-ending paralysis injury against the Los Angeles Rams on November 17, 1991. As Utley was carted off the field in that game he flashed a "thumbs up" to his teammates and the Silverdome crowd. It became a rallying symbol for the remainder of the season. In the playoffs, the Lions got their first (and to date, only) postseason victory since 1957, when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 at the Silverdome. They lost to the Redskins in the NFC Championship Game, 41-10. This was the first time a team that had been shut out in its opener had reached the conference title round. Two teams have since matched this feat: The Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots did it in 2003. The Lions also made the playoffs in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1999, making the 1990s one of the most successful decades in team history. In 1993, they went 10-6, first in the NFC Central Division, but lost to the Green Bay Packers. In 1994 they lost to the Packers in the playoffs again. In 1995 they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, in embarrassing fashion, 58-37 (entering the fourth quarter, they were down 51-7). In 1997, Detroit lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round. In 1999, The Lions closed out the decade reaching the playoffs for the sixth time in a ten-year span, which is a franchise record for playoff appearances during a decade. However, they lost yet again in the first round, this time to the Washington Redskins. Detroit's 1999 playoff berth also marked the second time in Bobby Ross's first three years as head coach that he led the Lions into the post season. The last Lions' head coach to accomplish that feat was Buddy Parker, in 1952-53 during his second and third seasons at the helm. In 1997, Barry Sanders ran for 2,053 rushing yards. Sanders was one of the greatest running backs ever to play in the NFL. At the time, his career total rushing 15,269 yards was second only to Walter Payton's 16,726 yards and he joined Jim Brown as the only players among the NFL's 50 all-time rushing leaders to average 5 yards a carry, so when he retired abruptly after the 1998 season, his absence left a hole in the roster that may never be filled. After finishing the 2000-2001 season at 9-7, and missing the playoffs by a field goal in the season's last game, Lions owner William Clay Ford, Sr. hired Matt Millen, a former player and broadcaster, as president and CEO of football operations. Millen had no previous business experience or any experience in running a football operation. Ever since Millen's hiring, the team has had considerable difficulty remaining competitive. The Lions went the entire 2001, 2002 and 2003 seasons without a road victory, thus becoming the only team in NFL history not to win on the road for three consecutive entire seasons. The streak, encompassing 24 games (also an NFL record) came to an end on September 12, 2004, when the Lions defeated the Bears 20-16 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Millen has also received tremendous criticism for his draft failures. Two in particular stand out: quarterback Joey Harrington, chosen third overall, was traded to the Miami Dolphins for a conditional late-round draft pick after an unremarkable four seasons in Detroit (ironically, Harrington would come back to haunt the Lions in 2006). Wide receiver Charles Rogers, chosen second overall and a caution on many pre-draft reports for his fragile physique, played sparingly in his three injury-plagued seasons, and was cut before the first game of the 2006 season. Millen's fourth first round draft pick, Mike Williams (10th overall - 2005 draft), played only a handful of snaps in 2006. Over the period of Millen's leadership as team CEO, the Detroit Lions own the NFL's worst winning percentage (24-72, .250). Despite the team's poor record under Millen's leadership and widespread discontent among fans, the media, and even some players, Millen received a five-year contract extension at the start of the 2005 season, and following a dismal 2006 season, owner William Clay Ford declared Millen's job safe for at least another season. Pro Football Hall of Famers * 7 Dutch Clark, QB (1963) * 35 Bill Dudley, HB (1966) * 22 Bobby Layne, QB (1967) * 50 Alex Wojciechowicz, C, LB (1968) * 14 Jack Christiansen, DB (1970) * 56 Joe Schmidt, LB (1973) * 81 Dick "Night Train" Lane, DB (1974) * 28 Yale Lary, DB, P (1979) * Frank Gatski, C (1985) * 37 Doak Walker, HB (1986) * John Henry Johnson, FB (1987) * 20 Lem Barney, DB (1992) * 76 Lou Creekmur, G/T (1996) * 20 Barry Sanders, RB (2004) * 88 Charlie Sanders, TE (2007) Retired numbers * Dutch Clark (7) * Barry Sanders (20) o Note: The #20 was retired specifically for Sanders, but most people recognize the retired number as also representing RB Billy Sims and DB Lem Barney, both of whom are also among the top all-time Lions at their positions. * Bobby Layne (22) * Doak Walker (37) * Joe Schmidt (56) o Note: The #56 was unretired with Schmidt's blessing when the Lions acquired linebacker Pat Swilling from the Saints. No player has worn it since Swilling left. * Chuck Hughes (85) League Championships (4) * NFL Championships (4) 1935, 1952, 1953, 1957 Conference Championships (4) * NFL National: 1952 * NFL Western: 1953, 1954, 1957 Division Championships (4) * NFL West: 1935 * NFC Central: 1983, 1991, 1993 Your #29 Team, Detroit Lions
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Post by KingPopper on Apr 27, 2007 20:23:39 GMT -5
Go Lions?!
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Post by gsguy on Apr 27, 2007 20:27:47 GMT -5
The f***ing Lions Blade must have voted....at least 20 times.
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Post by Redface: Dispenser of Justice on Apr 27, 2007 20:43:23 GMT -5
At this rate, the New Britain Rock Cats are going to be #1. Nah, Man! BLUEFISH!
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Post by Drillbit Taylor on Apr 28, 2007 1:58:19 GMT -5
#28 The franchise was founded as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, a National Basketball League (NBL) team, playing in the gym of North Side High School. Owner Fred Zollner's Zollner Corporation was a foundry, manufacturing pistons primarily for car, truck and locomotive engines. In 1948, the team became the Fort Wayne Pistons, competing in the Basketball Association of America. In 1949, Fred Zollner brokered the formation of the National Basketball Association from the BAA and the NBL at his kitchen table. From that point on, the Fort Wayne Pistons competed in the NBA. Led by star forward George Yardley, the Fort Wayne Pistons were a very popular franchise and appeared in the NBA Finals in 1954 and 1955, losing both times. Though the Pistons enjoyed a solid local following, their city's small size made it difficult for them to be profitable. In 1957, Zollner moved the team to Detroit, a much larger city which had not seen professional basketball in a decade. In 1947, they had lost the Detroit Gems of the NBL, who moved to become the Minneapolis Lakers (now the Los Angeles Lakers), and the Detroit Falcons of the BAA, who folded. The new Detroit Pistons played in Olympia Stadium (home of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings at the time) for their first four seasons, then moved to Cobo Arena. The franchise was a consistent disappointment, struggling both on the court and at the box office. During the 60s and 70s, the Pistons were characterized by very strong individuals and weak teams. Some of the superstars who played for the team included Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing and Bob Lanier. At one point DeBusschere was the youngest player coach in the history of the NBA. Unfortunately, an ill timed trade was made during the 1968 season which sent the popular home grown Debusschere to the New York Knicks for Howard Komives and Walt Bellamy both who were in the later stages of their career. DeBusschere became the key player that then led the Knicks to two NBA titles. The Dave Bing and Bob Lanier era did have some solid and exciting years but they were handicapped by being in the same division as the Milwaukee Bucks which had a young Lew Alcindor and The Chicago Bulls which had some very strong teams. In 1974, Zollner sold the team to Bill Davidson, who remains the team's principal owner. Displeased with the team's location in downtown Detroit, Davidson moved them to the suburb of Pontiac in 1978, where they played in the mammoth Silverdome, a structure built for professional football (and the home of the Detroit Lions at the time). The Pistons stumbled their way out of the 1970s and into the 1980s, beginning with a 16-66 record in 1979-80 and following up with a 21-61 record in 1980-81. The 1979-80 team lost its last 14 games of the season which, when coupled with the seven losses at the start of the 1980-81 season, comprised a then-NBA record losing streak of 21 games (since broken). The franchise's fortunes finally began to turn in 1981, when it drafted point guard Isiah Thomas from Indiana University. In early 1982, the Pistons acquired center Bill Laimbeer in a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers and guard Vinnie Johnson from the Seattle SuperSonics. The three, along with later acquisitions Joe Dumars (a 1985 Draft pick), Rick Mahorn, Adrian Dantley, and Dennis Rodman, formed the core of a team that would rise to the top of the league. Initially the Pistons had a tough time moving up the NBA ladder. During the 1984 season, the roof of the Silverdome collapsed during a snowstorm. Because of this, the Pistons played their home games at Joe Louis Arena in downtown Detroit. In 1984, the Pistons lost a tough five-game series to the underdog New York Knicks, three games to two. In the 1985 semi-finals, Detroit would contest the defending champion Celtics to a six game series. Though Boston would prevail, Detroit's surprise performance promised that a rivalry had begun. After losing in the first round of the 1986 playoffs to the more athletic Atlanta Hawks, Coach Daly and team captain Thomas realized that their only hope to gain Eastern dominance would be to construct a more aggressive game-style. They adopted a very intense and physical style in 1987 that quickly gained them the nickname "Bad Boys." It took them to the Eastern Conference Finals, the farthest the team had advanced since moving from Fort Wayne, against the Celtics. After pushing the defending champions to a 2-2 tie, the Pistons were on the verge of winning Game 5 at the Boston Garden with seconds remaining. After a Celtics' turnover, Isiah Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball and missed Coach Daly's timeout signal from the bench. Larry Bird stole the inbound pass and passed it to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup. While the Pistons would win Game 6 in Detroit, they would lose the series in a tough Game 7 back in Boston. Motivated by their loss to the Celtics, the 1988 Pistons fine-tuned their "bad boy" style and avenged their two previous playoff losses to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating them in six games and advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since the franchise moved to Detroit. The Pistons' first trip to the Finals saw them face the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. After taking a 3-2 series lead back to Los Angeles, Detroit appeared poised to win their first NBA title in Game 6. In that game, Isiah Thomas scored an NBA Finals record 25 points in the third quarter while playing on a severely sprained ankle. However, the Lakers won the game, 103-102, on a pair of last-minute free throws by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar following a controversial foul called on Bill Laimbeer, referred to by many Piston supporters, and Laimbeer himself, as a "phantom foul." With Isiah Thomas unable to compete at full strength, the Pistons narrowly fell in Game 7, 108-105. Prior to the 1988-89 season, the Pistons moved to Auburn Hills to play at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The 1989 Pistons completed the building of their roster by trading Dantley for Mark Aguirre, a trade that Piston fans would criticize heavily initially, but later praise. The team won a then-franchise-record 63 games, and steamrolled through the playoffs and into a NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers. This time the Pistons came out victorious in a four-game sweep to win their first NBA championship. Joe Dumars was named NBA Finals MVP. The Pistons successfully defended their 1988-89 title. After cruising through the regular season and through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the team played a tough Eastern Conference Finals series against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls before winning in seven games. [1] Advancing to their third consecutive NBA Finals, the Pistons faced the Portland Trail Blazers. After splitting the first two games at the Palace, the Pistons went to Portland, where they had not won since 1974, to play Games 3, 4 and 5. The Pistons summarily won all three games in Portland, clinching the title in Game 5 when Vinnie Johnson sank an 18 foot jumper with 00.7 seconds left in the game (this shot earned Johnson a new nickname in Detroit, 007, along with his original moniker, The Microwave). Isiah Thomas was named NBA Finals MVP. The Pistons' championship run came to an end in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, when the team was defeated by the eventual NBA champion Chicago Bulls, 4 games to 0. After this, the franchise went through a lengthy transitional period, as key players either retired (Laimbeer in 1993 and Thomas in 1994) or were traded (Edwards, Johnson, Salley, and Rodman among others). The team quickly declined, bottoming out in the 1993-94 season when they finished 20-62. The team's fortunes improved after that season, but the rebuilding process soon sputtered. As a result of the poor finish in the 1994 season, the Pistons were able to draft Grant Hill, a promising small forward. However, this period also saw the team make numerous questionable personnel decisions, such as the 1994 trade of Dennis Rodman to the San Antonio Spurs for Sean Elliott, the loss of free agent Allan Houston to the New York Knicks [2] after the 46-win 1996 season ; the signing of free agent wash-outs Christian Laettner, Loy Vaught, Cedric Ceballos, and the late Bison Dele; and head coaching changes from Ron Rothstein to Don Chaney to Doug Collins to Alvin Gentry to George Irvine in an eight-year span. Of those coaches, only Collins had any sort of success with the Pistons, winning 54 games in the 1996-97 season. The franchise even changed its team colors from red, white, and blue to teal, maroon, and white in 1996 in what proved to be a highly unpopular move with fans, known derisively as the "teal era." Basketball Hall of Fame members * Dave Bing * Larry Brown (head coach) * Chuck Daly (head coach) * Dave DeBusschere * Joe Dumars * Bob Lanier * Earl Lloyd (inducted as a contributor, not as a player or coach) * Bob McAdoo * Isiah Thomas * George Yardley * Fred Zollner (contributor) Bing, Daly, Davidson, DeBusschere, Dumars, Johnson, Laimbeer, Lanier, Thomas, Yardley, and team founder/owner Zollner have also been inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Retired numbers * William Davidson, Team owner since 1974. Banner raised to honor his 30+ years with the team. * 00 Paul Osterberg, Mascot, 1999-2003 (never played in the NBA; was elected to the 2002 and 2003 All-Mascot Team). * 2 Chuck Daly, Head Coach, 1983-92 (never played in the NBA; number represents the two NBA championship teams he coached). * 4 Joe Dumars, G, 1985-99; Team President, 2000-Present * 11 Isiah Thomas, G, 1981-94 * 15 Vinnie Johnson, G, 1981-91 * 16 Bob Lanier, C, 1970-81 * 21 Dave Bing, G, 1966-75 * 40 Bill Laimbeer, C, 1982-94 Championships NBL: 2 (1944, 1945) NBA: 3 (1989, 1990, 2004) Conference Titles 5 (1988, 1989, 1990, 2004, 2005) Division Titles NBL: 4 (1943, 1944, 1945, 1946) NBA: 10 (1955, 1956, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 #28 Team, Detoit Pistons
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Post by Drillbit Taylor on Apr 28, 2007 11:54:00 GMT -5
#27 The North Carolina Tar Heels are the athletic teams for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ("UNC"). The name Tar Heel is also often used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the Tar Heel State. Being the flagship institution of the University of North Carolina system, Chapel Hill is referred to as "University of North Carolina" for the purposes of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The University of North Carolina has won 38 team national championships in five different sports, 9th all-time, and 51 individual national championships. The women's soccer team has won 19 national championships since 1981; the men's soccer team won the national championship in 2001; the women's basketball team in 1994; the men's basketball team in 1924, 1957, 1982, 1993, and 2005; the men's lacrosse team in 1982, 1986, and 1991; the women's field hockey team in 1989, 1995, 1996, and 1997; the women's team handball team in 2004; and the men's team handball team in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The men's crew team won the 2004 ECAC National Invitational Collegiate Regatta in the varsity eight category [1]. The men's baseball team is also a perennial power, and in 2006 made it to the championship round of the College World Series. In 1994, the University's athletic programs won the Sears Directors Cup which is awarded for cumulative performance in NCAA competition. Notable graduates from the athletic programs include Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Mia Hamm, Davis Love III, Eddie Pope, Roy Williams, B.J. Surhoff, Jeff Reed, Andrew Miller, Daniel Bard and Marion Jones. UNC's most heated rivalries are with Duke (See UNC-Duke rivalry), North Carolina State (See UNC-NCSU rivalry) , and Wake Forest (i.e. Tobacco Road). In recent years, the UNC-Duke basketball series has attracted the most attention. UNC also has a rivalry with Virginia( Basketball North Carolina has enjoyed long success as one of the top basketball programs in the country. Overall, the Tar Heels have won five men's basketball titles: four NCAA championships and one Helms title. In 1924 the team went 26-0 in an era with no official national championship. In the mid-1930s, the school was retroactively awarded a national championship by the Helms Athletic Foundation, an independent organization founded around that time in Los Angeles. Under coach Frank McGuire, the team won its first NCAA championship in 1957. After McGuire left, legendary coach Dean Smith established the team as a powerhouse in college basketball. While coaching for UNC for over thirty years, Smith set the record for the most wins of any men's college basketball head coach, a record broken in 2007 by Bob Knight. Under Smith, the Tar Heels won two national championships and had numerous talented players come through the program. More recently, the Tar Heels won the national championship in 2005 under coach Roy Williams. NCAA Tournament Champions 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005 NCAA Tournament Final Four 1946, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005 Conference Tournament Champions 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2007 Conference Regular Season Champions 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2005, 2007 Your #27 Team, UNC Tar heels
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Post by Drillbit Taylor on Apr 28, 2007 23:36:15 GMT -5
#26 The Chicago Bulls are actually the third NBA team in Chicago, after the Packers/Zephyrs (now the Washington Wizards) and the Stags (1946-1950). Today, the Bulls occasionally wear the throwback blue and red jerseys from the Stags. The team began play for the 1966-67 season, and immediately posted the best record by an expansion team in NBA history, qualifying for the playoffs. During its first two seasons, the Bulls played a majority of their home games at the International Amphitheatre, before moving all of their home games to the Chicago Stadium. Over the next few years, the Bulls assembled the pieces to be competitive, though they never quite reached the top. During the 1970s, the Bulls were known as a tough, defensive-minded team, built around hard-nosed defender Jerry Sloan, forwards Bob Love and Chet Walker, point guard Norm Van Lier, and center Tom Boerwinkle. Nevertheless, the team only won one division title, and never made it to the Finals. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the team had hit the cellar of the league. The Bulls fortunes would have been forever changed were it not for a simple coin flip. In 1979, the Bulls lost a coin flip for the right to pick first in the NBA draft (Rod Thorn, the Bulls General Manager, called "heads"). Had the Bulls won the toss, they would have selected the great Magic Johnson; instead, they selected David Greenwood with the second pick. Artis Gilmore, acquired in the ABA dispersal-draft in 1976, led a Bulls squad which included guard Reggie Theus, forward David Greenwood, and forward Orlando Woolridge. After Gilmore was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for center Dave "Mean" Corzine, the Bulls employed a high-powered offense centered around Theus, and which soon included guards Quentin Daly and Ennis Whatley. However, with continued dismal results, the Bulls decided to change directions, trading Theus during the 1983-84 season. In the summer of 1984 the team's fortunes changed when it received the third pick of the NBA draft, after Houston and Portland. The Rockets selected Hakeem Olajuwon and the Blazers jumped on Sam Bowie, the Bulls grabbed shooting guard Michael Jordan out of the University of North Carolina. Before the draft Michael Jordan was almost sure that he was going to the Philadelphia 76ers.[citation needed] The team, with new management in owner Jerry Reinsdorf and General Manager Jerry Krause, decided to rebuild around Jordan. Jordan set franchise records during his rookie campaign for scoring (3rd in the league) and steals (4th in the league), and led the Bulls back to the playoffs, for which he was rewarded with a berth on the All-NBA second team and NBA Rookie of the Year Award. In the offseason, the team acquired point guard John Paxson and drafted power forward Charles Oakley. Along with Jordan and center Dave Corzine, they provided much of the Bulls' offense for the next two years. After Jordan suffered a broken foot early in the season, the team also acquired NBA legend George Gervin to help with scoring, which he did, finishing second on the team to Woolridge in scoring. Jordan returned for the playoffs, and took the 8th-place Bulls up against the 67-15 Boston Celtics, led by Larry Bird. Though the Bulls were swept, Jordan recorded a playoff single-game record 63 points in Game 2, prompting Bird to call him 'God disguised as Michael Jordan.' In 1986-87 Jordan continued his assault on the record books, leading the league in scoring with 37.1 points per game and being the first Bull named to the all-NBA first team. However, the Bulls were again swept by the Celtics in the playoffs. In 1987-88 Krause selected center Olden Polynice 8th overall and power forward Horace Grant 10th overall in the NBA draft, then sent Polynice to Seattle in a draft-day trade for the 5th selection, small forward Scottie Pippen. With Paxson and Jordan in the backcourt, Brad Sellers and Oakley at the forward spots, Corzine anchoring center, and rookies Pippen and Grant coming off the bench, the Bulls made major noise, winning 50 games and advancing to the Eastern Conference semi-finals, where they were beaten by the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Detroit Pistons in five games. However, for his efforts Jordan was named NBA Most Valuable Player, the first of five such awards. The 1988-89 season marked a second straight year of major off-season moves. Popular power forward Charles Oakley, who had led the league in total rebounds in both '87 and '88, was traded to the New York Knicks for center Bill Cartwright and a draft pick which they used on center Will Perdue. The new starting lineup of Paxson, Jordan, Pippen, Grant, and Cartwright took some time to mesh, winning fewer games than the previous season, but making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were subdued in six games by the eventual NBA champion Pistons. In 1989-90, Jordan led the league in scoring for the fourth straight season, and was joined on the all-star squad for the first time by Scottie Pippen. There was also a major change on the sidelines, where Doug Collins was replaced by assistant Phil Jackson. The Bulls also picked up rookie center Stacey King and rookie point guard B.J. Armstrong in the 1989 draft. With these additional pieces and the previous year's starting five, the Bulls again made it to the Conference Finals, and pushed the Pistons to seven games before being edged out for the third straight year by Detroit. By the 1990-91 season, the Bulls had run out of excuses, and charged through the year with a mission. They recorded a then franchise record 61 wins, and romped through the playoffs, where they swept the Pistons in the conference finals and won the Finals in five over the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers on June 12, 1991. Michael Jordan won regular season MVP and Finals MVP to go with his fifth straight scoring title. The Bulls won their second straight title in 1991-92 after racking up another franchise record for wins with 67. They prevailed over the Portland Trail Blazers and Clyde Drexler in six games. Jordan once again won regular season MVP and Finals MVP, to go with his sixth straight scoring title. In 1992-93 the Bulls did what no team had done since the legendary Celtics of the 60's by chalking up the three-peat over regular season MVP Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns, with John Paxson's shot that gave them a 99-98 victory in Game six at Phoenix. Jordan was once again the Finals MVP after setting a Finals record for points per game (41.0 ppg). He also tied Wilt Chamberlain by winning his seventh straight scoring title. During the summer, Jordan shocked the basketball community by announcing his retirement, only months after learning of his father's murder. The Bulls were led by Scottie Pippen, who had established himself as one of the top players in the league by winning the 1994 All-Star MVP. He received help from Horace Grant and B.J. Armstrong, who were named to their first all-star games. The three were assisted by Cartwright, Perdue, shooting guard Pete Myers, and Croatian rookie forward Toni Kukoč. Despite the Bulls' amazing run during the regular season, where they won 55 games, they were beaten in seven games by the Knicks in the second round, after a controversial foul call by referee Hue Hollins in game 5 of that series. The Bulls opened the 1994 season by saying goodbye to their home of 27 years Chicago Stadium and moving into their current home (as of 2007) the United Center. In 1994, the Bulls lost Horace Grant, Scott Williams to free agency and Bill Cartwright and John Paxson to retirement, but picked up shooting guard Ron Harper and small-forward Larry Krystkowiak. The Bulls sported the look of Armstrong and Harper in the backcourt, Pippen and Kukoc at the forward spots, and Perdue at center. They also had sharpshooter Steve Kerr, whom they acquired via free agency before the 1993-94 season, Myers, and centers Luc Longley (acquired via trade in 1994 from Minnesota Timberwolves) and Bill Wennington. However, they were slumping during the season, when on March 17, 1995, they received the best possible news: Michael Jordan was coming out of retirement. He was soon among the best in the league again, scoring 55 points against the Knicks in only his fifth game back, and led the Bulls to the fifth seed in the playoffs, where they upset the Charlotte Hornets. However, Jordan was too rusty, and the Bulls were unable to overcome the eventual Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic, which included Horace Grant, Anfernee Hardaway, and Shaquille O'Neal. When Jordan returned to the Bulls, he initially wore No. 45 (which was his number while playing for the Birmingham Barons, a minor-league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox). He chose the No. 45 because his older brother Larry wore that number in high school. Michael wanted to be half as good as his brother so he chose 23 which is half of 45 (22.5) rounded up. This was because during his first retirement, his jersey had been retired. However, Jordan switched back to the familiar 23 before game 2 of the Orlando Magic series. (There is also a rumor that his 23 jersey had been stolen before Game 1.) In the offseason, the Bulls lost B.J. Armstrong in the expansion draft, but Krause pulled off a masterful deal by trading Will Perdue to the San Antonio Spurs for the aggressive and often controversial rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman, who had won the past four rebounding titles. With a lineup of Harper, Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and Longley, and perhaps the league's best bench in Kerr, Kukoc, Wennington and guards Randy Brown and Jud Buechler, the Bulls posted one of the best single-season improvements in league history and the best single-season record, moving from 47-35 to 72-10,[1] which remains the best record in the league for an 82-game season. Jordan won his eighth scoring title, and Rodman his fifth straight rebounding title, while Kerr finished second in the league in three-point shooting percentage. Jordan garnered the elusive triple crown with the regular season MVP, All-star Game MVP, and Finals MVP. Krause was named Executive of the Year, Jackson Coach of the Year, and Kukoc was the Sixth Man of the Year. Both Pippen and Jordan made the All-NBA First Team, and Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman made the All-Defensive First Team, making the Bulls the only team in history with three players on the All-Defensive First Team. In addition, the 1995-96 squad holds several other records, including the best road record in a standard 41-road-game season (33-8), the all-time best start by a team (41-3), the longest home winning streak (44 games, 7 from previous season), the best start at home (37-0). The Bulls also posted the 2nd best home record in history (39-2) and the 2nd best point differential in history, trailing the 1972 Lakers by a mere 3 points over the course of an entire season. The team triumphed over Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and the Seattle SuperSonics for their fourth title. The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls are widely regarded as the greatest team in the history of basketball.[citation needed] In the 1996-97 season, the Bulls narrowly missed out on a second consecutive 70 win season after starting out 69-11 by losing their final two games to finish 69-13.[2] The Bulls capped the season by winning their fifth NBA championship over John Stockton, Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz. Jordan earned his second straight and ninth career scoring title, while Rodman earned his sixth straight rebounding title. Jordan and Pippen, along with Robert Parish, were also honored as members of the 50 greatest players of all-time with the NBA celebrating its 50th season. Parish was nominated for his stellar career with the Boston Celtics. They achieved the repeat three-peat by winning 62 regular season games and the 1998 NBA Finals. Jordan bagged his third straight scoring title and tenth overall, and his second triple crown with his fifth MVP award, third all-star game MVP, and sixth Finals MVP award. Rodman earned his record seventh straight rebounding title, as the Bulls upended the Jazz for the second straight year. In the sixth and final game of the championship series, Jordan stepped back, pushed off and buried a game winning jumpshot over Utah Jazz forward Bryan Russell with five seconds left on the clock - his final shot as a Chicago Bull. [edit] A dramatic dismantling The summer of 1998 brought an abrupt end to the championship era. Krause felt that the Bulls were on the verge of being too old and unable to compete. He decided that the team's only choices were to rebuild or endure a slow decline. His plan was to sink the team and acquire high draft picks while clearing salary cap space to make a run at several promising free agents in two years' time. After having been vetoed in a previous attempt by owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Krause traded Scottie Pippen for cast-offs from the Houston Rockets, none of whom made the Bulls' roster. He also declined to resign Dennis Rodman, and traded Luc Longley and Steve Kerr for draft picks. He hired a new coach with no professional experience, Tim Floyd, who had run a successful program at Iowa State University. Upon Phil Jackson's departure, Michael Jordan made his second retirement official. With a new starting lineup of point guard Randy Brown, shooting guard Ron Harper, newcomer Brent Barry at small forward, power forward Toni Kukoc, and center Bill Wennington, the team began the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. Kukoc led the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists, but the team won only 13 of 50 games. Starting Lineup Introductions The Chicago Bulls was the first NBA team to dim its lights during the starting lineup introductions of home games. Other teams around the league soon followed suit. During the Bulls' run of dominance, the player introductions became world famous. The organization found the perfect public address announcer in Ray Clay to match the music, Alan Parsons Project's "Sirius", for all six championship runs. The lights are first dimmed during the visiting team introduction, which uses the song On The Run by Pink Floyd. Then essentially all lights are shut off for the Bulls introduction. Coincidentally, Alan Parsons wrote Sirius for his own band and was the sound engineer for On the Run from Pink Floyd's album Dark Side of the Moon. As a tradition, Scottie Pippen was always the first Bulls player introduced, and Michael Jordan the last. Although internal disputes eventually led to the dismissal of Clay, a modified version of "Sirius" is still used. To this day, the Bulls' starting intro is regarded as one of the best in professional sports along with the Detroit Pistons' (due in most to their PA announcer Mason Black shoe tradition The Bulls have an unofficial tradition of wearing black shoes (regardless of being home or away) during the playoffs, which dates all the way back to 1989 when they debuted the tradition. It was noted when the Bulls made their first playoff appearance during the 2004-05 season after a six year hiatus, they went back to the tradition and sported black shoes. They were also the first NBA team to outfit the black socks with black shoes when they made their championship run during the 1996 playoffs. Starting with the 1999 playoffs, this fashion became the norm around the NBA. Headband Rule The team also has a rule that all players must not wear a headband, which is very rare for an NBA team to have. This rule was broken by Ben Wallace when he wore the headband in a game. Basketball Hall of Famers * George Gervin * Robert Parish * Nate Thurmond Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were members of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, and all members of that team who are eligible (retired at least 5 years) have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Retired numbers * 4 Jerry Sloan, G, 1966-76 * 10 Bob Love, F, 1968-76 * 23 Michael Jordan, G, 1984-93 & 1995-98 * 33 Scottie Pippen, F, 1987-98, 2003-04 * Phil Jackson, Head Coach, 1989-98 * Jerry Krause, General Manager, 1985-2003 Records * Hold the best overall win-loss season record with 72-10 in 1995-96 * Hold the best overall win-loss record, start of season, with 41-3 in 1995-96 * Hold the record for most consecutive home games won (44 from 1994-95 through 1995-96) * Hold the record for most consecutive home games won, start of season, 37 in 1995-96 * Hold the record for most road games won and best overall road record in standard 41 road games, 33-8 in 1995-96 * Hold the record for the fewest points per game in a season after 1954-55 (81.9 in 1998-99) * Hold the record for the fewest points in a game after 1954-55 (49, April 10, 1999) * Hold the record for largest margin of victory in a NBA Finals game (42; defeated the Utah Jazz 96-54) * Hold the record for fewest points allowed in a NBA Finals game (54 against the Utah Jazz) * Share record for most players with 40 or more points in a game (Michael Jordan with 44 & Scottie Pippen with 40 on February 18, 1996 against the Indiana Pacers) * Share lowest free throw percentage by two teams in one game (.410 with the Los Angeles Lakers, February 7, 1968) * Share record for most personal fouls by two teams in one game (87 with the Portland Trail Blazers, March 16, 1984) * Hold the #2 best overall win-loss home record with 39-2, achieved in both 1995-96 and 1996-97 * Michael Jordan, most consecutive games with 10 or more points (840 with the Chicago Bulls) * Michael Jordan, most free throws made in one quarter (16 twice; vs. the Miami Heat in 4th quarter on December 30, 1992, vs. the Utah Jazz in 4th quarter on November 15, 1989) * Michael Jordan, most free throws made in one half (20 vs. the Miami Heat in 2nd half on December 30, 1992) * Michael Jordan, most free throws attempted in one half (23 vs. the Miami Heat in 2nd half on December 30, 1992) * Michael Jordan, most points in a playoff game (63 against the Boston Celtics, April 20, 1986) * Michael Jordan, most field goals attempted in one half of a playoff game (25 vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1st half on May 1, 1988) * Michael Jordan, most consecutive playoff games with 20 or more points (60 from March 2, 1989 to May 11, 1993) * Michael Jordan, most playoff games with 50 or more points (8) * Michael Jordan, most free throws made in one quarter of a playoff game (13 against the Detroit Pistons, May 21, 1991) * Michael Jordan, most free throw attempts made in one quarter of a playoff game (13 against the Detroit Pistons, May 21, 1991) * Michael Jordan, most three-point field goals in one half of a playoff game (6 against the Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992) * Michael Jordan, most three-point field goals in one half of a NBA Finals game (6 against the Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992) * Michael Jordan, most points in one half of a NBA Finals game (35 against the Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992) * Michael Jordan, most field goals made in one half of a NBA Finals game (14 twice; vs. the Portland Trail Blazers in 1st half on June 3, 1992, vs. the Phoenix Suns in 1st half on June 16, 1993) * Shared record: Will Perdue for fewest minutes played by a disqualified player in a playoff game (7 against the New York Knicks, May 14, 1992) * Michael Jordan, most points per game in a NBA Finals series (41.0 ppg vs. the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals) * Michael Jordan, most points in a three-game playoff series (135 against the Miami Heat in 1992) * Michael Jordan, most points in a five-game playoff series (226 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1998) * Michael Jordan, most field goals in a three-game playoff series (53 against the Miami Heat in 1992) * Michael Jordan, most field goals in a five-game playoff series (86 against the Philadelphia 76ers in 1990) * Michael Jordan, most field goals in a six-game playoff series (101 against the Phoenix Suns in 1993) * Dennis Rodman, most offensive rebounds in a NBA Finals game (11 twice against the Seattle Supersonics in the 1996 NBA Finals) * Shared record: Two teams with the fewest players to score more than ten points in a playoff game (4 with the Miami Heat, May 24, 1997) * Highest defensive rebound percentage in a playoff game (.952 against the Golden State Warriors on April 30, 1975) * Shared record: Highest free throw percentage by one team in a playoff game (1.000 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 19, 1992) * Ben Gordon, Most consecutive three pointers in a game without a miss (9, shared with Latrell Sprewell) Championships 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) Conference Titles 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) Division Titles 7 (1975, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) YOur #26 Team Chicago Bulls
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Post by KingPopper on Apr 29, 2007 6:50:10 GMT -5
Would have thought they would have been higher.
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Post by Drillbit Taylor on Apr 29, 2007 9:37:57 GMT -5
#25 The original name of Pittsburgh's National League franchise was the Pittsburgh Alleghenies. Some contend this is from the county in which Pittsburgh is the seat of government. Others say that it was named after the mountain range in the region. Others maintain that Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which became Pittsburgh's northside after a 1907 annexation, was the tale behind the moniker. It is also one of the three major rivers in the city (the river of that name joins the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River). In the 1890s, the club was referred to as the Pittsburgh Innocents before the Pirates name stuck by the end of that decade. When the renegade Players League dissolved after the 1890 season, most of the league's player contracts were assigned to National League and American Association clubs, mostly to their previous clubs provided they had been "reserved" by their former teams' owners. Highly-regarded second baseman Lou Bierbauer, who had previously played with the Philadelphia Athletics of the Association, was awarded to the Pittsburgh team on the grounds that the A's had not reserved him. This led to loud complaints by the Athletics that the Pittsburgh club were "pirates". This incident (which is discussed at some length in The Beer and Whisky League, by David Nemec, 1994) quickly accelerated into a schism between the leagues that contributed to the demise of the A.A. The colorful epithet stuck with the Pittsburghers, and eventually became the club's official nickname. It was first acknowledged on the team's jerseys in 1912, but even by the 1903 World Series, "Pirates" was in common usage. (Years later, the "Mr. Yuk" poison warning was developed due to the traditional skull-and-crossbones being associated with the Pirates baseball team.) Slugger Willie Stargell became a fixture in the Pittsburgh lineup in the late 1960s, and the Pirates returned to prominence in 1970. Murtaugh returned as manager and the Pirates' home field, Forbes Field, was demolished in favor of the multi-purpose Three Rivers Stadium. In 1970, the Pirates won their first of five division titles over the next six years, and won their fourth World Series in 1971 behind a .414 Series batting average by Clemente. They also thought they had a genuine superstar pitcher (historically rare for the Pirates) in Steve Blass, who pitched two excellent games in the World Series and had excellent seasons in 1968 and 1972. In 1971, the Pirates also became the first Major League Baseball team to field an all-black starting lineup. [1] That lineup, on September 1, was Rennie Stennett, Gene Clines, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Manny Sanguillen, Dave Cash, Al Oliver, Jackie Hernandez, and Dock Ellis.[2] Clemente died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972 while accompanying a shipment of relief supplies to the victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. He had reached the milestone of 3,000 career hits, a standup double, just a few months earlier, on September 30, 1972, in what would prove to be his last regular season hit. The Baseball Hall of Fame waived its usual waiting requirement and inducted Clemente immediately. Pittsburgh would eventually erect a statue and name a bridge and park near the stadium after him. In 1973, Blass suffered a mysterious breakdown in his pitching abilities and posted an outrageous 9.85 ERA. To this day, pitchers who suddenly lose the ability to throw strikes are said to have "Steve Blass disease". Some speculated that the emotional shock of his friend Clemente's death contributed to his breakdown. He retired soon afterwards; he has now been one of the Pirates' radio and TV announcers for almost two decades. Stargell, speedy Omar Moreno and power-hitting but ostentatious and unpopular Dave Parker became the cornerstones of the Pirates as Murtaugh left and Chuck Tanner took over as manager in 1977. Adopting the popular disco anthem "We Are Family" as their theme song, the Pirates won a fifth World Series, again in seven games, on October 17, 1979. Following was a period of decline until the Pirates were regarded as the worst team in baseball during the mid-1980s. Jim Leyland took over as manager, and the Pirates gradually climbed out of the cellar behind young and exciting players such as "outfield of dreams" Bobby Bonilla, Barry Bonds, and Andy Van Slyke; infielders Jay Bell, Sid Bream, and Jose Lind; and pitchers Doug Drabek and Stan Belinda. As a rookie in 1982 Johnny Ray played in every game and was named the Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News. In 1988, the young team finished 85-75 and seemed ready to compete for a pennant. The Pirates would indeed win the division three straight times in 1990–92, but the 1989 season was a major setback, with injuries depleting the squad and leading to a 5th-place finish. Among the low points of the season was a game on June 8, 1989, where the Pirates became the first team in major-league history to score 10 runs in the first inning and nevertheless lose the game.[3] Pirates broadcaster (and former pitcher) Jim Rooker famously vowed that if the team blew the lead, he would walk home from Philadelphia—a vow he fulfilled after the season while raising money for charity.[4] The Pirates would win the first three division titles of the 1990s, but failed to advance to the World Series each time, the second two losing closely contested seven-game series to the Atlanta Braves on questionable calls at the end of the final games. The Pirates opened a new stadium, PNC Park, in 2001. Due to its simple, unpretentious concept and strategic usage of the remarkably beautiful Pittsburgh skyline, it is frequently regarded (as in a recent ESPN article) as currently the best park in baseball. Despite this, the Pirates' performance has translated to subpar attendance figures. With the end of the 2006 season, the Pirates had failed to compile at least a .500 winning percentage in 14 straight seasons. This streak is the longest in any of the country's four major professional sports leagues. [5] Their overall lack of success in the last decade have been blamed partly on former general manager Cam Bonifay, who gave large contracts to players such as Derek Bell while failing to identify, develop, and retain numerous young potential star players. Despite poor play in 2001, Bell announced that he would begin "Operation Shutdown", a passive-aggressive ploy in which he would fail to play effectively in response to losing his role as a starter. Current general manager Dave Littlefield was installed midway through the 2001 season and began overhauling the team to comply with owner Kevin McClatchy's dictum to drastically reduce the payroll. Enigmatic but talented third baseman Aramis Ramírez was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2003 for a fairly minimal return under pressure to dump his $6 million salary for 2004, and he proceeded to become a star for the Cubs. Brian Giles was one of the National League's best hitters for several years, but he and his $9 million salary were also traded in 2003 to the San Diego Padres for youngsters Oliver Pérez, Jason Bay, and Cory Stewart. Pirate fans found this trade much more palatable in the short run, as Pérez led the majors in strikeouts per inning and Bay won the Rookie of the Year Award award in 2004, while Giles put up a subpar season by his standards. After the 2004 season, Jason Kendall went to the Oakland Athletics in a cross-exchange of high-salary players. Though this rash of trades has not been popular in Pittsburgh, it is generally accepted that it can mostly be attributed to the aforementioned "small market syndrome." Illustrating the Pirates' rebuilding efforts, at the close of the 2005 season, the team fielded the youngest roster in baseball, with an average age of 26.6. (The next youngest team was the Kansas City Royals, with an average age of 27.1.) During the course of the season, 14 players were called up from its Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, 12 of whom made their first major league appearance. On September 6, manager Lloyd McClendon was fired after 5 losing seasons as manager. On October 11, Jim Tracy was hired as the new manager. The 2006 season got off to a slow start with the Pirates losing their first six games. Manager Jim Tracy earned his first win as the new Pirate's skipper on April 9 against the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates hosted the 2006 All Star Game at PNC Park. The Pirates went into the game with a disastrous and disappointing 30-60 record. During the second half of the season, the Pirates made a successful turn around and finished the second half with a 37-35 record. This is the first time the Pirates have finished the second half of the season with a winning record since 1992. Third baseman Freddy Sanchez won the National League batting title for the 2006 season with an average of .344. On Oct. 1, 2006, after 51 years, Newsradio 1020 KDKA AM broadcasted its final Pirates game. The Pirates won the game over the Reds 1-0 . As part of a five-year deal between the Pirates and Clear Channel Communications, the Pirates games will air on WPGB FM Newstalk 104.7. On Jan. 12, 2007, Robert Nutting replaced McClatchy as majority owner. Nutting is currently the sixth majority owner in Pirates history. On Jan. 18, 2007, the Pirates landed first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Atlanta Braves for closer Mike Gonzalez, plus a minor league transaction[6] giving them the left-handed power hitter they had long coveted. The Pirates also unveiled a new red alternate jersey to be worn during Friday home games throughout the 2007 season. Trivia * 100 Wins in a Season. There has been only one Pirate manager who has recorded more than 100 wins during a single season with the team. Fred Clarke did it first in 1902 with a 103-36 record, and a second time in 1909 with a 110-42 record. The Pirates won the Pennant in 1902, but went further in 1909 with a World Series victory over Detroit. * 100 Losses in a Season. There have been six different Pirate managers who have suffered more than 100 losses in one season. Guy Hecker in 1890 (23-113), Jim Callahan and Honus Wagner in 1917 (51-103), Billy Meyer in 1952 (42-112), Fred Haney in 1953 and 1954 (50-104, 53–101), Chuck Tanner in 1985 (57-104) and Lloyd McClendon in 2001 (62-100). * First franchise to win a World Series on a home run (1960 World Series) in the decisive 7th game. The only other team to meet this feat is the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 though they accomplished it in the 6th game of the series. * The first ever Major League Baseball game broadcast on the radio, a game between the Pirates and the host Philadelphia Phillies aired August 5, 1921, on KDKA-AM Pittsburgh. The Pirates won the game 8-5. * The Pirates originally played in Recreation, Union and Exposition Parks, all in what was then Allegheny City. Allegheny City was annexed by Pittsburgh in December, 1907. Accordingly, the Pirates did not play their first major league game in Pittsburgh until 1908—over 25 years after their founding.[7] * At one point scouted Hip-Hop artist Nelly who is apparently a very good baseball player[citation needed] * The Pirates play the song "A New Pirate Generation" by the Buzz Poets before every game at PNC Park and after wins. Followed by intense criticism, the decision was made to pull the song after the inaugural season at PNC Park in 2001, but, because of the work of fans like Jonathan Dodd, the song was returned to official "Theme Song" status later. The chorus of the song says: "Root root root for our home team/A new Pirate generation, everybody shout/Let's go Bucs!" World Series titles (5) 1979 • 1971 • 1960 • 1925 1909 NL Pennants (9) 1979 • 1971 • 1960 • 1927 1925 • 1909 • 1903 • 1902 1901 Central Division titles (0) None East Division titles (9) 1992 • 1991 • 1990 • 1979 1975 • 1974 • 1972 • 1971 1970 Wild card berths (0) None Your #25 Team, Pittsburgh Pirates
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Post by KingPopper on May 1, 2007 1:15:19 GMT -5
Any more on the way?
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HoagieWithPastrami
Dennis Stamp
Enroll now in the Ben Roethlisberger motorcycle safety course!!!
Posts: 3,665
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Post by HoagieWithPastrami on May 1, 2007 1:56:59 GMT -5
What in the hell?
The f***ing Lions, one of the sorriest teams in NFL history, the Wild, an expansion hockey team that has never won jacksquat, and the Pirates, a team I love... but GOD DO THEY SUCK, are on the list AHEAD OF the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Steelers, two legendary franchises with MASSIVE fanbases.
Wrestlecrap is officially Bizarro world.
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