Wake up motherfuckers, it’s Gemini season.
What does this mean, in practical terms? Honestly, I don’t know and I’ve never known, but if you expected a joke here, I’m going to disappoint you. I’m not an astrology hater for reasons including but not limited to that it’s always been the low-hanging fruit of easy jokes to make, and, also, none of my astrology people have never plucked the low-hanging fruit of everything in my life, so I ain’t about to take potshots. I will allow that I share a birthday with Joe Montana, but I don’t think he has any complicated thoughts about astrology and/or the Zodiac. Besides, there isn’t a less witchy name in all of Christendom than Joe Montana. Dude is probably related to Charlemagne or some shit.
All this aside, let me tell you something: the recent behaviour of some NBA fans has led me to miss last year’s playoffs bubble. Honestly and truly and fully and completely (RIP Gord Downie). Sure, the games didn’t feel as electric without the fans there, but at least no one was throwing popcorn and/or bottles at the players, nor were they being unbelievably racist, disgusting, or stupid. I don’t know, friends… I’d like to think the pandemic has given us perspective on the world and our lives and led us to treasure the moments we couldn’t experience when the world shut down, but I’m not sure that’s the case. I think there are people out there for whom the hardest part of the panny was not having the ability to be a fuckhead in public. I know I’m not speaking to anyone here, and I’d like to think I’m not speaking to any of their friends, but, like, the reason we’re still in some chapter of our long international COVID-19 cauchemar is related to how people seemingly decided a long time ago that they weren’t interested in being part of a community as much as they were interested in being apart of a community. And that’s just sad. Sports are so unique in their power to connect people and build relationships. That people will use them as a pretext to behave badly is, among other reasons, why people don’t think sports are for them.
I’m jigging and ambling now, so I’m going to cut it here, but seriously, everyone hither and yon, let’s come back to the damn golden rule every now and again, shall we? Or let’s at least pray that the next fan who acts badly runs afoul of Tristan Thompson.
Deeeeeeeeeep breath in.
This week’s issue of Oddball features some good-as-hell trivia and we hope you enjoy it because a lot goes into making this thing week after week. If you want to help us out, and we’d like to think you do:
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Yours in sports,
— DJ
Answers from last week’s issue
There are 13 players who are in the NBA's all-time top 100 in points, rebounds, and assists. Name the four players who are former Celtics.
The four Celtics on all three of those Top 100 lists are Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, and Paul Pierce.
Who is the only pitcher in MLB history to both throw a complete game no-hitter and earn the save in a no-hitter? Both no-hitters were with a team where he is fourth all-time in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts — a team that has changed its name twice since his time there.
On September 30, 1984, Mike Witt threw a perfect game for the California Angels against the Rangers. In 1990, Witt was moved to the bullpen and finished a hitless start by Mark Langston to get the save.
The last pick of the 1991 NHL expansion/dispersal draft was a Hall of Fame player (who was already a member at the HOF at the time), who was traded back to the team he was drafted from, promptly retiring and taking a front-office job with that club. Who was the player?
Guy Lafleur retired in 1985, was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, and returned to the ice the next season. By 1991 he was ready to retire again and had arranged with the Nordiques to move into the front office, so the Minnesota North Stars drafted and traded him back to the Nordiques.
Among the top ten placekickers who have made the most NFL postseason field goals, two played for only one team in their careers. One played in the 1990s but did not win any Super Bowl championships. The other is a current player, made the playoffs 11 out of his 14 seasons, and has won a Super Bowl. Name the kickers.
Mason Crosby has the fifth-most postseason field goals, all with the Green Bay Packers. Steve Christie is tied for ninth in postseason field goals, all of which he kicked as a Buffalo Bill.
#quizlashjalmarsson
During the 2010s, there were twelve NHL players with 20+ playoff games that were played in the month of June. All of them, except for one, played all of those games with one team — either the Boston Bruins or Chicago Blackhawks. This other player appeared in four Stanley Cup finals during the decade, winning two. Who is he?
Which member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has scored the most career points, free throws, and three-pointers during the month of June without ever winning an NBA championship?
In the era of the five-man pitching rotation, three starting pitchers have had a month of June where they logged six wins and a sub-1.00 ERA. Name the two pitchers who did this as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in 1995 and 2014 — both historical seasons for different reasons.
Not surprisingly, Tom Brady leads all NFL sixth-round draft picks with fourteen Pro-Bowl selections. Who is in a distant second place, with seven selections? Like Brady, he is an alum of a Michigan-based college, and has played for both the Patriots and Buccaneers.
#postscript
RIP Mark Eaton, one of the NBA’s good guys if ever there was one.
Many thanks to Niklas Hjalmarsson for being named his name and to you for being named your name, unless your name is Will Craig, because you should know there’s no c̶r̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ rundowns between home plate and first base in baseball.
Until next week, be the Ezequiel Carrera you wish to see in the world.
— DJ/JY