There Is No Escape

Sports is supposed to be one of our potential escapes from the bad things that happen in real life. But what happens when real life intrudes on sports?

Tomorrow is April 15, the anniversary of Jackie Robinson's major league debut, and Major League Baseball announced it's going to have a "virtual" celebration, in lieu of being able to do so in regularly-scheduled games, postponed indefinitely by the coronavirus pandemic.

The NFL is still planning on holding its Draft next week, in a "virtual" way, from Las Vegas, and ESPN has been trying to focus on it. The fact that Tom Brady left the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philip Rivers left the Los Angeles Chargers for the Indianapolis Colts, who have now signed him as a short-term replacement for the recently retired Andrew Luck, has made the Draft a little more interesting -- for people who found it interesting in the first place.

With the pandemic finally beginning to recede in Europe, professional soccer leagues there have discussed restarting their games on June 1, although it will likely be in empty stadiums, to reduce the risk to fans. The hope is that the 10 or so remaining games can be completed by July 1, with the 2020-21 season starting in September instead of the usual August.

MLB is also considering a June 1 start, with a condensed season, but the plan to condense it geographically -- keep every team in their Spring Training complexes, thus having a Grapefruit League (Florida) and a Cactus League (Arizona), instead of an American League and a National League -- doesn't make much sense. Either let every team play their home games at home, or don't. And by that, I mean, let every team play at home.

The NBA, the NHL and MLS are still keeping their options open.

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But we can't really escape. Not even through our traditional escapes. Death, whether from the coronavirus or otherwise, has intersected, intervened, and interfered.

Just in the 1st half of this month, we've lost:

* Ed Farmer, 70, former Chicago White Sox relief pitcher and broadcaster, a 1980 All-Star, from kidney disease, on April 1.

* Goyo Benito, 73, a centreback for Real Madrid, who from 1970 to 1980 won 6 La Liga titles and 5 Copas del Rey, on April 2. He had Alzheimer's disease, and was in a nursing home that was hit hard by the coronavirus, and it killed him.

* Timothy Brown, 82, usually known as Timmy Brown when he played football. The running back won an NFL Championship in his 1st season, with the 1960 Philadelphia Eagles, and another in his last season, with the 1968 Baltimore Colts, although they famously lost Super Bowl III to the Jets. He had already begun a singing career, and moved into acting, appearing in both the film and TV versions of M*A*S*H, although playing different characters. He died of complications of dementia on April 4.

* Tom Dempsey, 73, New Orleans Saints kicker who became the 1st man to kick a field goal longer than 56 yards, kicking one 63 yards in a 1970 game. Like Brown, he was dealing with dementia, and died on April 4. Unlike Brown, he definitively died as a result of the coronavirus, Obituary post here.

* Bobby Mitchell, 84, Hall of Fame running back for the Washington Redskins, on April 5, cause of death not released. Obituary post here.

* Ed Biles, 88, head coach of the Houston Oilers 1981 to 1983, and a member of Bum Phillips' staff on the Oilers from 1974 to 1980, of leukemia, on April 5.

* Bob Hermann, 97, a businessman who co-founded the original North American Soccer League, founded one of its teams, the St. Louis Stars, and founded the Hermann Trophy, the soccer equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, given to the year's best U.S. college soccer player. He is a member of the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame, and died on April 5, apparently not due to the coronavirus.

* Al Kaline, 85, Hall of Fame right fielder for the Detroit Tigers, on April 6, cause of death not reported. Obituary post here.

* Radomir Antić, 71, a star centreback for Partizan Belgrade, leading them to the 1976 Yugoslav First League title. He became better known as a manager, and went to Spain, becoming 1 of only 2 men ever to have managed both Real Madrid and Barcelona. But it was at Atlético Madrid that he achieved his greatest success, leading them to a Liga and Copa "Double" in 1996. He died on April 6, with the cause of death not reported.

* Pat Stapleton, 79, defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks, helped them reach the 1971 and 1973 Stanley Cup Finals, and a member of the Team Canada that won the 1972 Summit Series with the Soviet Union, dying this past Wednesday, from a stroke.

* Junzo Sekine, 93, a pitcher and outfielder who was a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, making 5 All-Star Teams with the team now known as the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, dying this past Thursday, cause of death not reported.

* Pete Retzlaff, 88, a teammate of Timmy Brown's on the 1960 NFL Champion Philadelphia Eagles, one of the earliest great tight ends, and a pioneer with the NFL Players' Association, dying this past Friday, cause of death not reported.

* Tom Webster, 71, a right wing who played 2 games for the Boston Bruins in their 1969-70 Stanley Cup season, but not in the Playoffs, and did not get a championship ring, but did win the WHA Championship with the New England Whalers in 1973, and reached the Finals with them again in 1977. He was later the head coach of the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings, leading the Kings to what remains their only regular-season Division title, in 1991. He died this past Friday, of cancer.

* Colby Cave, 25, center for the Edmonton Oilers, this past Saturday, of a brain hemorrhage.

* Peter Bonetti, 78, goalkeeper for Chelsea FC, a member of England's team that won the 1966 World Cup, but considered a letdown in the 1970 World Cup, also helped the St. Louis Stars win the NASL Central Division in 1975. Died on Sunday, from what was identified only as "a long illness." Obituary post here.

* Glenn Beckert, 79, a 4-time All-Star 2nd baseman for the Chicago Cubs, a 1968 Gold Glove winner, and a member of their ill-fated 1969 team that romanticized the franchise forever, on Sunday, cause of death not reported.

* Jim Frey, 88, a high school baseball teammate of Don Zimmer, never reached the major leagues as a player, was on Earl Weaver's coaching staff with the Baltimore Orioles, winning the World Series in 1970 and Pennants in 1971 and 1979. He was then hired to manage the Kansas City Royals, and in 1980, he did what Whitey Herzog failed to do 3 times: Beat the Yankees in the ALCS and win the Pennant. He was next a coach for the Mets, then managed the Cubs to the 1984 National League Eastern Division title, their 1st postseason berth in 39 years. He became the team's general manager, hired Zimmer to manage, and together they won the 1989 NL East title. He died on Sunday, cause of death not reported.

* Tarvaris Jackson, 36, a 10-year backup quarterback with the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks. He backed up Russell Wilson in Super Bowl XLVIII, and remains the last backup quarterback to play in a Super Bowl, although his only pass attempt was incomplete. He had become the quarterbacks coach at Tennessee State University, but was killed in a car crash in Pike Road, Alabama on Sunday.

* Sir Stirling Moss, 90. I don't consider auto racing a sport, but he was one of the very best at it, ever. In a career lasting from 1948 to 1962, he won 212 races, including the 1950, 1956, 1960 and 1961 Grand Prix de Monaco; the 1954, 1955, 1959, 1960 and 1961 International Gold Cup; the 1955, 1957 and 1959 British Grand Prix; and the 1960 United States Grand Prix. He later became one of the sport's foremost broadcasters. He died this past Sunday, of what's been identified only as "a long illness."

* And, today, it was announced that Henry George Steinbrenner III, a.k.a. Hank Steinbrenner, son of George, and operational co-owner of the Yankees with his brother Hal since 2008, passed away today, in Clearwater, Florida, at age 63, after a long battle with a liver ailment.

Prior to the 2009 season, Hank, much more unhappy about the Boston Red Sox' recent success, and the Yankees' lack of it, said not that the Yankees were going to restore order to the universe, but "We're going to put the Yankees back on top, and restore the universe to order." They did, at least temporarily, winning the World Series. How much he, as opposed to Hal, general manager Brian Cashman, and field manager Joe Girardi, had to do with it isn't clear. But we loved that he was showing his father's kind of ambition.

Hank was married, but divorced. He leaves 4 children, including George Michael Steinbrenner IV, who runs Steinbrenner Racing, an IndyCare team.

Top 10 Athletes From North Dakota

November 2, 1889: For the only time in the nation's history, 2 new States are admitted to the Union on the same day. North Dakota becomes the 39th State, and South Dakota becomes the 40th State.

Top 10 Athletes from North Dakota

Honorable Mention to Cliff Cushman of Grand Forks. At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he won the Silver Medal in the 400-meter hurdles. He later enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, and became a pilot, but his plane was hit over Bac Giang, Vietnam on September 25, 1966. Captain Clifton E. Cushman was only 28, and his body has never been recovered.

Honorable Mention to Cliff Purpur of Grand Forks. The 1st North Dakota native to play in the NHL, "Fido" was a right wing for the ill-fated St. Louis Eagles of 1934-35. After playing in the minors, he played 4 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, helping them reach the 1944 Stanley Cup Finals. He later returned to the University of North Dakota, and was their head coach from 1949 to 1956.

10. Steve Myhra of Wahpeton. A guard and linebacker at the University of North Dakota, he probably would have been recruited by a bigger school had he come along now. He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts, and became better known as a placekicker. He kicked a field goal to send the 1958 NFL Championship Game against the Giants at Yankee Stadium into overtime. The Colts won it, and beat the Giants again the next year.

9. Phil Jackson of Williston. Yes, you know him as a basketball coach. But he was a good player, too. What we would now call a power forward, he was a 2-time First Team Division II All-American at the University of North Dakota. Drafted by the Knicks, he made the All-Rookie First Team in 1968.

Back surgery and his recovery from it kept him out of the Knicks' 1969-70 NBA Championship season, but he was a key reserve when they took the 1972-73 title, still the team's last. He wrapped up his playing career with the Nets in 1980.

8. Carson Wentz of Bismarck. He quarterbacked North Dakota State University to the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA) Championship all 4 years, 2012 to 2015. He is now in his 2nd year as the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, and they're 7-1 and leading the NFC Eastern Division.

But he's not Number 1 on this list -- even among Philadelphia Eagles. At least, not yet.

7. Travis Hafner of Jamestown. Known as "Pronk," a combination of "Project" and "Donkey," the 1st baseman hit 213 career home runs, and helped the Cleveland Indians get to within 1 win of a Pennant in 2007. He closed his career with the Yankees in 2013.

6. Dave Osborn of Cando. A veteran of 12 NFL seasons, he helped the Minnesota Vikings win their only NFL Championship, in 1969, although they lost Super Bowl IV. He was named to the Pro Bowl the next season. He rushed for 4,336 yards, including 29 touchdowns, and caught 173 passes for 1,412 yards.

5. Rick Helling of Lakota. Pitching for the Texas Rangers, he led the American League in wins in 1998, and helped them win the AL Western Division title in 1998 and 1999, and the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the National League West in 2002. He was a member of the Florida Marlins when they won the 2003 World Series, but, as a Yankee Fan, I don't like to talk about that.

His career record was 93-81. He now coaches at a high school in the Minneapolis suburbs -- not baseball, but football.

4. Darin Erstad of Jamestown. He kicked a 50-yard field goal in high school, but the University of Nebraska was more interested in him as a baseball player. He won 3 Gold Gloves with the team now known as the Los Angeles Angels, made 2 All-Star Games, and was a member of their 2002 World Champions. He is now back with the Nebraska baseball team, as head coach.

3. Virgil Hill of Williston. He won his 1st boxing title, the WBA Light Heavyweight Championship, in 1987, when he was 23. He held his last, the WBA Cruiserweight title, in 2007, when he was 43. Think about that: He held title belts 20 years apart. Not too many boxers have done that. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

2. Roger Maris of Fargo. He's known for "61 in '61." But he was a terrific all-around athlete, starring in baseball, football, track and swimming at Bishop Shanley High School in Fargo. He was a 4-time All-Star -- 7-time, if you count the fact that 2 All-Star Games were held every year from 1959 to 1962. He won a Gold Glove for right field and the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1960, and won the MVP again in 1961 -- meaning the writers couldn't have been that much against him.

He won Pennants with the Yankees in 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964, and with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967 and 1968. He won the World Series in 1961, 1962 and 1967. Injuries led him to retire at age 34, and limited him to 275 career home runs, so he's never going to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. But the Yankees did retire his Number 9 and give him a Plaque in Monument Park, and they did it while he was still alive to appreciate it.

1. Pete Retzlaff of Ellendale. A star in football and track at South Dakota State College (now University), he was a 5-time Pro Bowler as what we would now call a tight end with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a key figure on their 1960 NFL Championship team, still their last. In 1965, he received the Bert Bell Award as NFL Most Valuable Player.

He had 452 career receptions for 7,412 yards and 47 touchdowns, big totals for the pre-merger era. The Eagles retired his Number 44, and he is a member of their team Hall of Fame -- but not the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

He is 86 years old. What are they waiting for? Is it because he was the president of the NFL Players Association, the players' union? Is that being held against him? That can't be: If it was, the Eagles wouldn't have named him general manager in 1969, a post he held for 4 seasons. Also, former Oakland Raiders guard Gene Upshaw also held that post, and he's in the Hall of Fame. So why not Retzlaff?