Professional Documents
Culture Documents
COACH X ANONYMOUS
The player-coach
bond lasts long
afer guys leave.
Most of the time.
It’s the end of the lIne for a lot of players, and
I’ll admit it, some of them are guys I never want to see leave.
Relationships like the ones between Big John Thompson
and Allen Iverson or Coach K and Steve Wojciechowski,
those are special bonds that don’t happen often. Jim
Calhoun has had that with Kemba Walker—a teacher with
a talented student who wants to know more. Coaches have
a soft spot in our hearts for that kind of player. But we know
we can’t have that connection with every guy. he doesn’t meet the expectations I lay down, I’ll suspend they can jump around to avoid accountability. It’s incred-
I keep in touch with about half of my former players. him from practices or games to show him no one player is ibly important to get a player who wants to be coached.
Usually, they’re the guys who visited my office often when bigger than our program. Some guys have a tough time with Now, I don’t know if you can ever know how much a kid is
they were on the team. Mostly, we e-mail, but sometimes that concept. As stars in high school, they didn’t hear the willing to change. So the question is, Am I willing to find
one of them will stop by practice, for old times’ sake. word “no” much. But if anyone disagrees with me, he is out? Look at Renardo Sidney at Mississippi State; certain
I’d say I have liked 80% of the players I’ve coached. It welcome to transfer. Unfortunately, that’s an increasingly coaches are definitely better at dealing with that kind of
doesn’t happen often, but sometimes there will be a player common occurrence in college hoops these days. situation than others. John Calipari has a rep among
I just don’t get along with. When he leaves school, he knows Blame part of that on the fact that college life can really coaches for being incredible at working with guys who,
sucker punch freshmen. When they arrive let’s be honest, a lot of elite schools wouldn’t recruit. He’s
on campus, they’re just unprepared for a great salesman, but I also hear he genuinely cares.
I Can’t know how MuCh a kId Is the demands put on the student-athlete. And he’s drummed up a reputation among players both
wIllInG to ChanGe. QuestIon Is: Most practiced for only 90 minutes in high for his history of success and for gaining respect from
FOR MORE INSIDE DOPE FROM PROS, HEAD TO THE player X BloG, AT ESPN.COM/INSIDER, WITH INCOGNITO REPORTS FROM THE nfl, nBa, MlB AND nasCar.
When it comes
to the importance
of wins as a stat,
we can all agree
to disagree.
I have been wantIng to take the mound for some
time now. I am willing to make a pitch on behalf of some-
thing I hold dear, but that others dismiss, deride and
detest. I toe the slab for the losing cause of wins.
My opponents are the sabermetricians, that new
breed of baseball execs and readers of The Magazine,
who in our most recent NEXT issue (Jan. 10) voted wins for
pitchers as the most overrated stat in sports. Even my own
sons roll their eyes when I come to the defense of the W, most responsibility for the outcome, the starting pitcher, even agreed that over a career, wins are a good indicator
the same way they do when I sing the praises of Deep gets the credit or blame. Yes, you want a starter with nasty of a starting pitcher’s worth. But Tango says one season is
Purple. All of them seem smug and flush with success now stuff—and numbers reflect that. But you also want a too small a sample: “In a season, things don’t cancel out.
that Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (he of the 2.27 ERA, pitcher with intangibles like heart, brains and poise. For example, the offense, defense and bullpen behind
1.057 WHIP and 13–12 record) is the American League’s I am not alone in that belief, but my team is aging. In my Hernandez are taken from the same 2010 pool. But over a
defending Cy Young Award winner. dugout sit the cranky scribes who once used typewriters 15-year career, he’ll have a varied pool of hitters and
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION REFERENCE, FROM LEFT: MATHEW EMMONS/US PRESSWIRE; KIRBY LEE/US PRESSWIRE; KIM KLEMENT/US PRESSWIRE
Hernandez beat out the Yankees’ 21-game-winner, and the veteran scouts in straw hats who can remember fielders behind him, and a random set of relievers.”
CC Sabathia, and the Rays’ 19-game-winner, David Price, seeing a Hall of Famer while he was still in high school. Good point, but why the vehemence against wins?
for the award. But at the rate he’s going, “The game has gotten less personal, Tango replies, “Those we argue with don’t even want to
King Felix would have to pitch for 38 more numbers-oriented,” says Jim consider the context. They simply say, ‘13–12!’ The
more years to eclipse Young’s 511 victo- It was a Palmer, who was enshrined in Cooper- supporters of wins are in an all-or-nothing mode. If they
ries. Yes, those wins were racked up in a football stown with 268 wins. “These are the would just agree that it is heavily biased at the seasonal
dead-ball era when pitchers routinely
coach who metrics I cared about: If I won 20 games, level, then we wouldn’t have a problem. For some people,
went nine innings and started more than the Cy Young and had an ERA below it’s admitting defeat. For others, it’s an epiphany.”
40 games a season, but it is called the
saId, “you 2.50, I might get a $20,000 raise.” Partially epiphanized, I would now ask both sides
Cy Young Award for a reason. It may have play to wIn The gap between schools, new and to lower the volume. As resistant as the old school is to
been a football coach who said, “You the game,” but old, seems so wide that occasionally algorithms, so too is the new school to concepts like
play to win the game,” but Herm Edwards
herm edwards the sides feel the need to shout at clutch and pressure.
was right. Wins are the meta-stat, the each other. (Google the recent bench- Both sides should listen to Pirates starter Ross
sine qua non of baseball. Every metric
was rIght. clearing brawl between old-schooler Ohlendorf, who went 1–11 in 2010 but still got a
ultimately points to the likelihood of Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco $1.6 million raise by virtue of winning his arbitration case.
scoring or preventing runs, and the team that scores more Chronicle and Sports Illustrated’s Joe Posnanski.) My “I should be the last person you ask to defend wins as a
runs wins. It’s only fair that the player who shoulders the matchup with Tom Tango, a statistical consultant to major stat,” he says. “I went from 11–10 in 2009 to 1–11 even
league teams and the creator of such popular acronymic though my ERA and WHIP were only slightly higher, and I’m
metrics as WAR (wins above replacement) and FIP very grateful to those who realized that. But you know
steve wulf IS the edItor In chIef
of eSpn bookS. (fielding independent pitching), was far more civil. what? Every time I take the mound, I know I have one job:
We agreed that wins are the currency in all sports. We Get us deep enough in the game to win.”
for More InSIGht And opInIon froM the LIkeS of bUSter oLneY, chAd ford And MeL kIper Jr., check oUt eSpn.coM/InSIder. It’s free for mag subscrIbers.
0.6
typical example, over the past five Welcome to Corsi numbers, named per 60 minutes). Of course, any plus/minus-type metric
seasons Chris Mason has had save after Sabres goaltending coach Jim rewards players on good teams while damning guys
clockwise FRoM ToP: HaRRy How/geTTy iMages; jiM Mcisaac/geTTy iMages; bRuce benneTT/geTTy iMages
percentages of .925, .898, .916, Corsi, who developed them. While who soak up combat duty for losers. So some analysts
.913 and .892. Team shooting per- Through March 30, Tampa Bay’s traditional plus/minus looks at the prefer Relative Corsi, which is the shot differential
Steven Stamkos led all NHL
centages fluctuate a lot too, as do difference between how many goals when a player is on the ice minus the differential
centers with 44 goals. But his 0.6
scoring rates on (or against) power Relative Corsi ranked him are scored and allowed while a player when he’s off it; essentially, it compares players with
plays. This volatility indicates a lot of behind Darren Helm (11 goals, 5.4 is on the ice, a Corsi number is the their teammates. Relative Corsi is favorable to Leafs
Rel. Corsi), Kevin Porter (13, 2.3),
randomness behind the numbers. difference between how many shots center MIkHaIl GRabovSkI (22.5), less so to Canucks
Colin Wilson (15, 1.0) and 73
Key Fact No. 2: Hockey is a other players at his position are directed at the opposing goal and forward Tanner Glass (-29.7). Look at either version of
low-scoring game. NHL teams are with at least 50 games played. how many shots are directed at a Corsi, though, and you’ll have a greater appreciation
averaging just 2.7 goals a game this player’s own goal while he is on the ice. for unheralded players such as Islanders wing MIcHael
season, and that means that after Corsi is a valuable metric because it GRabneR and Sabres wing Jochen Hecht. Neither guy
scores resulting from deflections or odd bounces, it can evaluates players against the context of a team stat skates on a first line, but both are on the ice when good
take a long time for luck to even out. Notes Gabriel that is both significant to winning and predictive of it: things happen for his team.
Desjardins of the Behind the Net blog: “A team’s actual shot volume. In any one game, a club can be unusually Hockey fans have long been okay with the concept
goals for and goals against are merely a sample of their efficient or particularly well-positioned or just flat-out of plus/minus, an official NHL statistic since 1963. So
ability to score and prevent goals, and we need a lot of lucky. But to win more games than it loses over the how about we finally start to add and subtract numbers
games to see their actual talent.” course of a season, a team needs to direct a lot more that actually matter?
KEATING TAKEs you dEEpEr INsIdE ThE world of sTATs ANd ANAlyTIcs IN hIs nexT level bloG,oN EspN.com/INsIdEr. It’s free for mag SubScRIbeRS.
NHL PLAYOFFS:
IT’S T TIME
Trash-talking is useless if you can’t be understood through a
mouthful of nachos. Here are some T-shirts that can do your
dirty work once the NHL playoffs start on April 13 (or next
SHARKS FLYERS
October, as the case may be.) $28, adaptclothing.com $24.99, phillyphaithful.com
Photographs by World Picture Service ESPN The Magazine April 18, 2011 23
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: ROSS OBLEY; NOAH GRAHAM/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; FERNANDO MEDINA/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; JOHN RAOUX/AP IMAGES; FERNANDO MEDINA/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES;
Indie supergroup the to protect the vial of cocaine in his back pocket. The icing
Baseball Project has fol- on the cake is his nickname: Rock.
lowed up its rookie effort
Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and 3. “O HOly cOw” My favorite baseball book is O Holy
Dying Quails with a new set Cow. It’s some of Phil Rizzuto’s more bizarre actual
“I was familiar with 12 Angry Mascots when they asked about doing of hardball-themed tunes,
a video, so I knew what I was getting into. They developed the broadcasts in verse form. I could just lay an
Volume 2: High and Inside.
concept for an at-bat music bit, then we bounced ideas around. It E chord behind that stuff and have an amazing song.
That all they have to say
FUNNY was perfect, because I do spend time searching for the perfect song,
although never at 3:45 a.m. I mean, it’s part of our on-ffeld identity.
about the ol’ ball game?
4. “in BeD BeFOre THe ligHTs wenT OuT” Modern
GUYS The video is short, but we spent more than a few minutes fflming;
Nah. Singer-guitarist
Steve Wynn describes players are too damn boring. Bring on the crusty, cranky,
there were a lot of takes. The ffnal product is fun, and I posted it on some as-yet unwritten crazy old guys. Cool Papa Bell not only had a killer
Sports-comedy purveyor
Twitter and Facebook, which some teammates follow. They think cuts we might see on a nickname, he was also described as being fast enough to
12 Angry Mascots
it’s funny. In real life I picked future album.
(12angrymascots.com) switch off the light and be in bed before it got dark.
Busta Rhymes’ ‘Put Your
has produced sketches
Hands Where My Eyes Can
with the likes of Darrelle 5. “MOre BenDers THan cHieF BenDer” Grover
See’ for my Opening Day
Revis and Craig Breslow. Cleveland Alexander allegedly saved Game 7 of the World
at-bat, but the announcers
The star of their latest
COURTESY 12 ANGRY MASCOTS; CALDER FOUNDATION, NEW YORK/ART RESOURCE; COURTESY SUSAN MARTIN MAFFEI
played Rebecca Black’s Series with a hangover. That he was named after one
video, Curtis Granderson president and ended up being portrayed in a film by a
‘Friday,’ because they saw
(http://bit.ly/curtis12am), future one [Ronald Reagan, The Winning Team] is only a
the video. I’m still trying to
talks about the process.
ffgure out who pranked me.” plus. See? These songs write themselves.
Dolce & Gabbana Nike Air Foamposite One Air Jordan XIII Air Jordan IX, For Love
Dec. 7, wizarDs aT laKers FeB. 3, Magic Vs. HeaT MarcH 7, Magic Vs. Trail Blazers of the Game “Unpowder”
MarcH 25, Magic Vs. neTs
TeAmmATe he GOes Lack [John Lackey]. He’s John Lackey. They’re Everyone. There’s coNNEcTIcuT In February, state rep
TO fOr AdviCe? been around. He knows really close. no one person he Matt Lesser introduced a bill to permit pro
how to handle things. goes to. MMA bouts, and it breezed through the
Public Safety and Security Committee.
5 0
Lesser expects the same result with the
fAvOriTe rOAd Yankee Stadium. I like the I’m torn: Anaheim or Texas, because he’s state legislature. “By October, Connecticut
sTAdium TO atmosphere. It reminds New York? I’m going to from there. should be ready to go,” he says.
FROM LEFT: DUSTIN BRADFORD/ICON SMI; FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES; ELSA/GETTY IMAGES; AL BELLO/ZUFFA LLC/GETTY IMAGES
piTCh in? me of Fenway. say Anaheim.
NEW yoRK The biggest impediment?
0 0
Democratic assemblyman Bob Reilly,
besT feATure? My hair. I like his eyes, but he’s Being tall. who has likened MMA to dogfighting and
going to say his hair. I prostitution. Others disagree. “It makes no
can’t get him to cut it. sense to have billboards in Times Square
promoting MMA but not allow a bout in
5 0
Madison Square Garden,” says New York
LeAsT fAvOriTe Running. Running. He always Stretching. assemblyman Jonathan Bing. “I will
bAsebALL ACTiviTy? complains about it when continue my efforts to legalize MMA prior
he gets home. to the end of the 2011 session in June.”
5 0
VERMoNT “We’ve had 11 amateur shows
whAT GAme shOw Wheel of Fortune. Wipe Out. He always The Price Is Right. I in five years and never had a problem,”
wOuLd he GO On? says, “I could do that.” know I’d like to go on it. says Julio Fernandez, head of Burlington
Brawl, Vermont’s top promotional entity.
0 0
Then again, he’s not sure regulation is even
necessary. “I make sure to use the same
TOTAL: 25 0 rules as MMA events in other states.”
Clay is no longer the only Buchholz with a no-no.
WyoMING The Cowboy State hasn’t had
Lindsay goes untouched, 25-0, in this all-time rout.
a boxing commission in over 20 years. But
Steve Alley of promoter Kick Down MMA
has put on over 30 amateur MMA shows
in Casper without a hitch. “Sooner or later,
regulation will happen,” he says. “Until it
does, I’ll keep doing exactly what I’ve done.”
THE
its fete-ready mascot,
Kegasus. Club prez Tom
Chuckas counters the
hubbub. -NEIL JANOWITZ
ROUND
TRIPlE CROwN RACE, NO? You have to
realize it’s just one of two Preakness cam-
paigns; the other focuses on its tradition and
pageantry. The Kegasus is a mascot for the
With Nene , Nuggets center InfieldFest, a party that targets fans aged 21
to 40. It’s a group often overlooked in racing.
Many people wrote off Denver’s team once Melo cut town. But those naysayers, DO YOU CARE IF GUESTS wATCH THE
much like All-Star voters, overlooked the steadying influence that remained. RACES, OR DO YOU JUST wANT TO lURE
THE mOST REVElERS POSSIBlE? Both.
the mag: Why has the team done so well since the trade? We asked some fans if they had any questions. They did. The Preakness is our big event, so we need to
N: We have a deeper bench and a different style. Melo is Kevin Zamell, littletOn, COlO.: How did the Melo maximize revenues. The infield is a huge part
a big talent, but now we have more speed, defense, trade drama affect the team? of that. But regardless of what brings them to
toughness and unity. It’s how I was taught to play. N: Melo is goofy; he likes to make you laugh. So in the locker the track, we’re hoping people have a pleas-
the mag: Melo has been criticized for not playing D. Is room it was fine. But it wasn’t easy for us to be part of that ant experience watching the races and want
your improved defense a case of addition by subtraction? conversation. When someone’s not happy, he has to go. to return. That’s why we’ll have handicapping
N: I can say this: When you try to do your best, you get Melo is where he wants to be, and we’re doing well. experts on hand for novices.
results. I try to do my best on defense. Usually it works. Everybody is happy now.
the mag: What’s a realistic playoff goal for you guys? OKAY, BUT IS THIS A BAND-AID OR A
N: If we continue to play together, we can go far. I know it. ChRiS WagneR, milWaUKee: Are you getting along REVOlUTION? Younger demos want a lot
with your new teammates? of things going on at once. The races are the
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP MIDDLE: GARRETT ELLWOOD/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; MARYLAND JOCKEY CLUB (2); LORENZO BEVILAQUA/ESPN
the mag: You grew up in Brazil. Did you play soccer? N: I like them all. Gallo [Gallinari] tries to speak Portuguese centerpiece, but they’re not enough. So we’re
N: I played a lot of sports: track and field, swimming, because it’s similar to Italian, but he messes up words. And offering bands, restaurant tents and volley-
martial arts and soccer. One year I couldn’t find cleats in they all try to beat me in FIFA. It’s funny: Timo [Mozgov] ball, too. We’re going to program other week-
my size, so my soccer coach gave me basketball shoes. I curses in Russian and Gallo in Italian. ends similarly—such as a Kentucky Derby
started playing that more. It was a good decision. simulcast party and infield wine tastings.
the mag: Any desire to change your name again? JOSh hOUy, Rapid City, S.d.: Do you prefer to play Eventually, we’ll add other entertainment
N: I like Nene. But our strength coach calls me Beast, center or power forward? options in the main building. Purists may
and the guys call me Moose. Those would be fine too. N: I’ve played center for a few years, but my original complain, but I see no downside to a party.
position is power forward. I hope to return to it one day. At
the mag: When you arrived in the States, you had a my size, I can do more damage there.
translator. Now your English is great. What’s the trick?
N: I take it day by day. The locker room is all slang and ben hall, denveR: Are you going to re-sign? Should we
cursing, so you can’t learn good English there. My wife is expect any Nene trade or contract drama?
American. She helps me with the nice words. N: I don’t think there will be drama. I don’t like to be in the
spotlight. I just expect what I deserve. Today I’m happy
the mag: In 2008, you fought testicular cancer. Is the here. Tomorrow I leave to God.
battle won?
N: Yes, and when it happened I realized it was God’s plan
SCOOP JACKSON INTERVIEWS PAST AND
to make me an example. My wife is a survivor too. She PRESENT STARS IN THE NEXT ROUND ONLINE:
had a tumor near her brain. Now we aim to inspire others. HTTP://ES.PN/THENEXTROUND
SHOT
28, professional bull rider
ON HANGING TOUGH
“Other riders keep a looser grip to give
themselves more balance on the bull.
I wasn’t taught to do that growing up
in São Paulo, so I rely more on strength.
I hardly lift any weights because I don’t
want to be too tight. Strong arms have
been passed through generations in
my family.”
6
I spot one, I’ll keep it handy for quick
access later on. I also key on the
highest number of pitches the starters
have thrown that season and in their
careers, and their season- and
game-high strikeout totals.”
making
us the answer [727] in 10 minutes.
Before the Internet, it was much
Broad- harder to get that kind of info.”
rookie
challenge
spurs sub gary neal
took the long road to
the nba.
By Anna Katherine Clemmons
Photograph by Michael Thad Carter ESPN The Magazine April 18, 2011 37
NBA
PRESENTED BY:
1. Cut out Bobblehead Flo. Wall, this season’s top NBA draft pick, was 12.
2. Place her on your desk. Neal led the Explorers in scoring again his
sophomore year and remained on campus over the
3. Log on to espn.com/streak. summer. After a party one night, he and La Salle
4. Make confident choices with teammate Mike Cleaves went back to their dorm
with a female who was a counselor at a basketball
Flo by your side.
camp on campus. The woman would later accuse
Neal and Cleaves of rape.
“It really didn’t register,” Neal says. “In my mind
it was like, ‘That’s a little weird, but not anything
close to what happened.’” Weeks later Neal was
arrested and charged with rape, sexual assault
and other crimes.
Neal’s family drove to Philadelphia and posted bail.
After he got back to Maryland, Neal told his family
that a rape had not occurred. Pending the police
investigation, La Salle put Neal on probation. He
enrolled in Towson and attended classes while the
case plodded through the system. Sixteen months
later, the nine-day trial ended in an acquittal; DNA points and shot 41.6% from behind the arc in 20.8
evidence proved there had been sexual contact, but the minutes of action. But he is scoring 12.5 PPG in 24.7 MPG
jury believed it had been consensual. since the break and ranks first among all rookies in made
Neal played pickup ball to keep in shape while awaiting three-pointers with 117. “The coaches and scouts get
trial, until he scored 78 points one night and the regulars excited about a shooter from the summer league, but the
kicked him out of the game. In November 2005, the past couple of ones weren’t very good, so I didn’t expect
month after his trial ended, he played in his first game for anything,” says Tony Parker. “But he’s been consistent, and
Towson as a junior. By the end of his senior season, he’d he’s hit big shots for us.”
used his head for the game and his deft shooting skills to After all the miles this rookie has traveled, hitting from
become only the third player to score 1,000 points for 24 feet isn’t all that hard.
two D1 schools. And yet, not a single NBA team called.
His father suggested the 22-year-old Neal obtain his
teaching certificate and look for a job. Instead, Neal took The LIsT
an offer with Turkish club Pinar Karsiyaka. After 19 games
he was averaging 23.6 points and was transferred to Euro MOST COVETED
giant Regal FC Barcelona. There he began to hone his skills, BASKETBALL
improving his shot selection, learning both guard spots
CARDS*
FROM LEFT: KYLE TERADA/US PRESSWIRE; FERNANDO MEDINA/NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES
and becoming more patient. In 2008, Neal signed with WhO DOESn’T WAnT A nAT hOLMAn?
Italian powerhouse Benetton Treviso, where he averaged
1. 1948 Bowman George Mikan (No. 69)
15.9 points per game over two seasons.
2. 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Nat Holman (No. 3)
Spurs scouts noticed, and invited Neal to work out with
the team last June—a tryout that turned into a $525,000 3. 1957 Topps Bill Russell (No. 77)
offer. Despite bigger offers on the table from other Euro 4. 1957 Topps Bob Cousy (No. 17)
squads, Neal accepted. General manager R.C. Buford says 5. 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain (No. 8)
that San Antonio’s emphasis on excellent shooters had 6. 1969 Topps Lew Alcindor (No. 25)
suffered since the retirement of Robert Horry and Steve
7. 1961 Fleer Oscar Robertson (No. 36)
Kerr, and in Neal he saw an opportunity to recapture that.
8. 1961 Fleer Jerry West (No. 43)
PLAY NOW FOR FREE AT “He took advantage of the opportunity to play overseas
and kept building on it,” Buford says. “Not many perform 9. 1969 Topps John Havlicek (No. 20)
according To us
of a reduced salary.
The world
never say never
and controlling the game better.”
As a result, Agudelo may well land
a starting job for the U.S. at June’s
CONCACAF Gold Cup, the regional
championship that also serves as a
IS Juan agudelo aMeRICa’S FIRST gReaT STRIKeR? He’S oFF To a good STaRT. qualifying tournament for the 2013
By Doug McIntyre Confederations Cup. Meanwhile, the
Red Bulls are already fielding offers from
EvEn bEforE HE scorEd tHE tying July. “Now everyone expects him to be still has a lot to learn in one-on-one European clubs. “I have to see how I
goal for the U.S. during a high-profile great, and he’ll have to deal with it.” situations,” Backe says. “We tell him, Try to compare with the players over there,”
friendly against Argentina on March 26, Of course, Red Bulls coach Hans Backe hold onto the ball. Don’t just flick it away. Agudelo says. “When I feel ready, I’ll go.”
18-year-old Juan Agudelo seemed too is quick to provide a reality check. “Juan He’s becoming much more involved now MLS fans, catch him while you can.
good to be true.
Just a month after debuting with the
New York Red Bulls last October, the 6'1"
forward became the first graduate of a
Major League Soccer team academy to
start for the national squad. In the game,
an exhibition against South Africa, he
became the youngest player ever to score
for the U.S. And in the Red Bulls’ season
opener against the Seattle Sounders last
month, Agudelo split two defenders and
curled a shot past veteran keeper Kasey
Keller for his first MLS goal, effectively
stealing the spotlight from his legendary
teammate, Thierry Henry.
Heady stuff. “The last six months have
been pretty overwhelming,” Agudelo says.
“I’m really young for this.”
Not that he has to remind U.S. soccer
fans, who have seen unrealistic
expectations beset other prodigies.
Witness 21-year-old Freddy Adu, BIO BLAST
currently toiling in the obscurity of nAME Juan Agudelo
Turkey’s second level. But there’s reason AgE 18
HoMEtoWn Barnegat
to believe Agudelo will live up to the Township, N.J.
hype. Like fellow U.S. forward Jozy fAME cLAiMs Red Bulls starter;
youngest player ever to score
Altidore, he has the size to hold off the for the U.S. national team
toughest center backs. And Agudelo,
who learned the game in Colombia
before moving with his family to New
Jersey at age 8, already boasts sharper
technique and a defter touch than the
21-year-old Altidore. Best of all, he is
a ruthless finisher. “He puts so much
pressure on himself,” says Henry, the
French striker who befriended Agudelo
after arriving from FC Barcelona last
FROM LEFT: RON JENKINS/FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM/GETTY IMAGES; JAKE ROTH/US PRESSWIRE
symbolism in the most routine of of the franchise. The Rangers also let DH turn over the whole club, but we did feel Of course, the division-rival Brewers
exercises, you can’t help but notice one Vladimir Guerrero (29 homers in 2010) like we had to keep things fresh.” added righthanders Zack Greinke (the
partnership that represents the team’s walk and replaced veteran catcher Daniels has spent much of the 2009 AL Cy Young winner) and Shaun
off-season: Michael Young, wearing a first Bengie Molina with free agent Yorvit off-season and spring training dealing Marcum via trades, and many experts
baseman’s glove, throwing to Adrian Torrealba and trade acquisition Mike with the fallout surrounding Young’s have tabbed them as division favorites,
Beltre, his replacement at third base. Napoli. While it’s hard to argue with switch. Among the loudest voices was so the Reds’ laissez-faire approach
The addition of Beltre and the move of these acquisitions—Beltre is an upgrade Young’s, who said he was “misled and could backfire.
Young from third to a utility role is all you over Young defensively, Torrealba is a manipulated” before asking for a trade Similarly, the A’s and Angels were
need to know about the Rangers’mind- good defender and Napoli will help so he could play every day. “We’re aggressive in their attempts to outgun
set this winter after losing Cliff Lee to the replace Vlad’s power—such turnover is coming off a season like we’ve never had the Rangers, with Oakland adding Josh
Phillies. “Not getting complacent was a uncommon for a team that has just before, so this is new ground for us to Willingham, David DeJesus and Hideki
theme we hit on quite a bit,” says GM Jon experienced success for the first time in cover,” says Daniels. “We had a great Matsui, and the Halos trading for Vernon
Daniels. “We think everyone else is going a while. A perfect example is the Reds, group of guys last season. Talented guys Wells, a three-time All-Star.
to get better, so we need to improve.” who last year won their division for the who had success together. And we were And while either of those teams could
To move the needle on a team that won first time since 1996, and whose big forced to make tough decisions. Saying topple Texas, at least the Rangers know
its division for the first time in 11 years move this winter was signing backup you should make those moves without complacency won’t be the reason.
CaTCher 1.7 WAR firsT base 2.3 WAR seCond base 0.2 WAR shorTsTop 0.5 WAR Third base 3.3 WAR
Team Astros Team Orioles Team Indians Team Royals Team White Sox
2011 sTarTer 2011 sTarTer 2011 sTarTer 2011 sTarTer 2011 sTarTer
1 humberto Quintero 2 derrek Lee 3 orlando Cabrera 4 alcides escobar 5 brent morel
Jason Castro, a 2008 Baltimore hopes the With a career OBP of Acquired in the Joe Crede hit 30 HRs
first-rounder, was 35-year-old Lee .320, Cabrera could be Zack Greinke trade, in ’06, but his bad back
supposed to fill this (19 HRs, 80 RBIs in a slight upgrade over Escobar and his has left the Sox in a
void, but his torn ACL 2010) makes up for the likes of Josh Barfield 2010 0.6 WAR could lurch ever since. Morel
means Houston will last year’s disaster (.295) and Luis mean an extra half hit .320 in Triple-A, so
get more Quintero, a known as Garrett Valbuena (.289)—if he of a win this year for there’s hope on the
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MARK ZEROF/US PRESSWIRE; JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR/MCT/GETTY IMAGES; G. FIUME/GETTY IMAGES; KYLE TERADA/US PRESSWIRE; KIM KLEMENT/US PRESSWIRE;
.232 career hitter. Atkins (-1.1 WAR). weren’t 36 years old. the Royals! South Side.
2
7
4 6
LefTfieLd 2.9 WAR CenTerfieLd 7.0 WAR righTfieLd 6.5 WAR dh -1.6 WAR
for a better-tasting mixed drink.
Team Orioles Team White Sox Team White Sox Team Rays
2011 sTarTer 2011 sTarTer 2011 sTarTer 2011 sTarTer
6 Luke scott 7 alex rios 8 Carlos Quentin 9 manny ramirez
The O’s paid Jay Other than Dewayne How could this WAR be Amazing they’ve won
Payton $9.5M for Wise’s catch to save so low with Jermaine the AL East twice in
his .654 OPS in Mark Buerhle’s 2009 Dye in right? His D was three years with this
2007-08. Hopefully perfect game, Pale putrid and the Cell void. With no worries
Scott’s career .857 Hose centerfielders severely inflates about D, Manny can
OPS will make his haven’t given their fans hitting stats. Quentin focus on improving
$6.4 million worth it. much to cheer about. fits the same mold. this mark.
The world
feeling lucky?
More than a few coach-hUnGrY SchooLS hoPe
not to have their bUbbLe bUrSt.
By Elena Bergeron
This year’s postseason coaching search isn’t nearly so pretty as a carousel. It’s more
like that balloon dart throw on the carny midway. And while some prime jobs—
SMART
Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Arkansas—have already been filled, lots of athletic directors
are waiting in line to test their aim. Here’s some advice for them: Don’t let those giant
stuffed pandas—VCU’s Shaka Smart and Butler’s Brad Stevens—mess with your head.
Some smaller prizes will make you happy too, and they’re way easier to lug around.
FROM TOP: RIch Sugg/KanSaS cITy STaR/McT/geTTy IMageS; KevIn c. cOx/geTTy IMageS
interested, Alden might instead pursue “worst best-paying job in America” forward C.J. Leslie returns), games that season) and his market value ($1-2M
Illinois’ Bruce Weber or Cincinnati’s because a lusty fan base won’t stand continually draw more than 13,000 per year, depending on the gig) remains
Mick Cronin. And don’t forget New down until the Triangle is equilateral, fans and those deep pockets. Miller is to be seen.
Mexico’s Steve Alford, who did time at and because AD Debbie Yow famously locked in at Arizona, but Barnes might
Southwest Missouri State in the 1990s. squared off against Gary Williams while take a look. Smart and Texas A&M’s What It WILL get
at Maryland. The Wolfpack’s wish list Mark Turgeon are also possibilities. The old Shaka Smart? Teague’s
uTah starts with Arizona’s Sean Miller and background is in marketing—he bulked
What It WantS Texas’ Rick Barnes (who grew up a State vcu up licensing and network deals at both
A fresh start. The Utes enter the fan). At least they’re aiming high. What It WantS North Carolina and Arizona State—so
spotlighted Pac-12 next year and are Shaka Smart, duh. AD Norwood Teague maybe he’ll hire a coach who reminds
looking for a name that upstages the What It WILL get has said he and the university’s everyone that VCU has been the
one they tossed. That will be tough. More than you’d think. “It’s still a president have already discussed Commonwealth’s best team for a while
Outgoing coach Jim Boylen had 13 years destination job, contrary to what ways to compensate Smart enough now. Jeff Capel is free.
according To us
SNEAK PEAK
well up thinking about an African child
who will grow up to play American
football because of Drake.”
Drake had a normal spring practice
session, with its spring game slated for
April 23. But the contest the players
IN MAY, DRAKE UNIVERSITY’S FOOTBALL TEAM WILL CLIMB MOUNT KILIMANJARO … look forward to most will happen in a
AND TRY TO INTRODUCE FOOTBALL TO 15% OF THE WORLD ALONG THE WAY. revamped soccer stadium the name of
By LaRue Cook which few can pronounce (Sheikh Amri
Abeid Memorial), in front of 20,000
The whole Thing sTarTed abouT spent time in the jungle and in Panama Kilimanjaro for the end of a two-week new fans. “I have a hard time believing
16 months ago, in the middle of the City,” says Creighton. “But what all the mission. Before that, Drake players will this is going to happen,” says DT John
night, in Chris Creighton’s sleeping guys remembered most was farming in team up with members of a Mexican Sawhill. “But we’ve all bought our hiking
head. And on May 21, Creighton’s a remote village with the local people. It all-star football team (players are boots, so we’re ready.”
dream will be realized: The coach’s FCS was something you never forget.” selected from the CONADEIP, a Mexican Is Africa?
program, Drake, will play at the base of Whether you know it or not. In college-sports league) to hold clinics
Mount Kilimanjaro in the first organized January, after a particularly vivid dream, with 1,000 local youths. Then the two
60.5
American football game ever in Africa. Creighton cornered Global Football football teams (about 110 players
But let’s start at the beginning. In president Patrick Steenberge at a total) will construct an addition to the
2003, Creighton was at Division III coaching convention. “I have some- Kitaa Hope Orphanage, a Tanzanian
Wabash College and got involved with thing big—are you in?” Creighton asked charity that cares for children who’ve Buckeye-fans aren’t the only ones
Global Football, a Texas-based Steenberge. lost parents to HIV/AIDS. Then, finally, wondering which of the five other
organization that wants to export Creighton’s dream scene—him and Drake will take on the Mexican all-star OSU QBs (17 total completions)
will replace suspended Terrelle
American football around the world. his Drake players at the top of Mount team on a makeshift field at the foot Pryor, who accounted for 60.5% of
Global Football offered to coordinate Kilimanjaro—required a lot of planning. of Kilimanjaro. “This will be a legitimate the team’s offense in 2010. On his
way to practice on March 24, Pryor
off-season trips for Creighton and his Steenberge, who now has held games game,” says Creighton. “I went to watch
tweeted, “Gotta get my Offense
Wabash team to Austria and Panama, in 18 different nations, booked the the Mexican league’s national ready and find the starting QB!!”
and the latter was a life-changer. “We six-day, 19,298-foot ascent up championship game and came away
has always struck me as bizarre, bordering on ridiculous,” says Browns linebacker Scott
Fujita, a member of the NFLPA executive committee. “It’s probably the most un-American
thing about the NFL: Telling a person where he has to go work.”
CAN’T GET ENOUGH
Since March 11, when the NFLPA decertified and a group of players sued the owners to
DRAFT COVERAGE?
stop an impending lockout, there have been no official negotiations about how to divide the
Well, good, because this preview is only
NFL’s $9 billion annual revenue. Barring a miracle, the 2011 draft will be the first real casualty the beginning of what ESPN has to offer.
of the crisis, with fans and rookies treated like the children in an ugly divorce. Without free > ESPN.com presents mock drafts from
Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, inside
agency, execs in war rooms will have to use their picks to address immediate roster needs scoops from John Clayton, profiles of all
the top prospects and, of course, Kiper’s
instead of taking chances on guys with exciting upside. Draftees can’t sign contracts or Big Board. Once the draft kicks off,
talk with their coaches or use team facilities to practice. And with all the acrimony casting a DraftTracker will provide pick-by-pick
data in real time, plus you’ll get team
pall over the event, we are likely to be deprived of those magical, unscripted moments that reviews from our eight division bloggers,
video breakdowns of every first-rounder,
take place under the lights, like when 295-pound defensive tackle Gerald McCoy wept before and blow-by-blow analysis by Scouts Inc.
embracing Roger Goodell in the tenderest of bear hugs last year. > ESPN TV’s live coverage of the draft
begins on Thursday, April 28, at 8 p.m.,
NFL fans will tolerate just about anything—PSLs, player arrests, years of losing.
continues the next day at 6 p.m. and
But take away their regularly scheduled escapism programming, and things will get ugly hits the homestretch Saturday at noon.
The broadcast will be hosted by Chris
fast, for both sides. “For whatever reason, there’s something sacred about the draft,” Fujita Berman and Trey Wingo, and will feature
says, “and fans don’t want it disturbed.” analysis from Kiper and Jon Gruden.
> ESPN Radio’s live draft show will
The good news? Maybe, just maybe, the backlash after the event will bring the two be hosted by Freddie Coleman, John
warring parties to the table again, to finally find a peaceful resolution. And in time, we may Clayton and Tim Hasselbeck, with
analysis of each first-rounder from Kiper
look back at this year’s draft as one of the best yet. (April 28, 7 p.m. ET; April 29, 6 p.m. ET).
52
spec
tive
A YEAR AGO, JaKe LoCKer WAS PROJECTED AS THE TOP PiCk iN
THE DRAFT. NOW, HE COulD END uP A THiRD-ROuNDER. WElCOmE
TO THE WilDlY SubJECTivE WORlD OF qb EvAluATiON.
bY SETH WiCkERSHAm
PHOTOGRAPH BY
aLan CLarKe
54
Jake Locker
is accustomed to being first. Among the half-
dozen NFL prospects he’s training with on a
mid-February morning in Irvine, Calif., the
former University of Washington quarterback
Locker’s stock
is first to stretch, first to run a 40-yard dash,
fell hard in
first to spin around the three-cone drill. A few September after
hours later, the 22-year-old, with his Marine he completed
just 20% of his
buzz cut and slugger’s arms, is first to arrive at
passes against
Oakley headquarters, a fortress atop a Southern Nebraska, the
California hill, for a tour of the sunglasses third-worst
performance by
company arranged by the prospects’ agents. As
an FBS QB
the players wait in the building’s lobby, someone since 2004.
notices the cathedral-like ceiling and asks, “How
high is that?”
Locker answers first: “I’d say it’s about 30
yards—60 feet.”
Scotty McKnight, a former Colorado receiver
who might not be drafted, turns his head, drops the 56-21 loss. The perception that he could of college scouting (one each from the AFC and
his eyebrows and grins. McKnight loves giving become a franchise quarterback was effectively the NFC) and watched as each broke down
people a hard time, and his fellow prospect has destroyed. His decision-making, footwork and Locker’s best game from last season: a 35-34
provided a rare opening. “Thirty yards is 90 instincts—once seen as wonderfully raw— double-overtime win over Oregon State in
feet,” he says. suddenly became hopeless liabilities. Teams which he completed 21 of 35 passes for 286 yards
“Uh, I didn’t take math,” says Locker, who now grade Locker anywhere from a late first- and five touchdowns. These experts identified a
earned his degree in history. to mid-third-rounder, far behind this year’s variety of flaws, and their evaluations are critical:
This time last year, the thought of the quarter- hottest passers, Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert and Overvaluing a QB could cost their team millions
back’s practicing with and taking crap from a Auburn’s Cam Newton. of dollars and set the organization back years in
grab bag of players who may not be drafted But Locker isn’t really to blame for this down- terms of development. So scouts tend to view
would have been absurd. Scouts saw his thrilling ward spiral. He’s a victim of a very subjective perceived weaknesses in absolute terms,
game (powerful arm, 4.5 40) and perfect pedigree science: quarterback evaluation, which often assuming a QB’s flaws in college always carry
(son of a youth football coach, so athletically reveals as much about the evaluators as it does over to the NFL—and they cover their butts by
gifted that he was a two-time MLB draft pick) about their subject. Because while scouts analyze telling their bosses as much. Which brings us
back to Locker. Hell-bent on proving he can
overcome any perceived shortcomings, he has
54
Locker’s brain waves, blue and red lines rising clean. Next, he considers height. The best QBs, After all, Locker has had two days off since
and falling like stocks. Alpha waves, the blue he says, range from 6'2" to 6'5"; Locker slides in Washington’s season ended in December. “Overkill
line, are produced by the brain when, say, you’re at 6'2¾". Then, he evaluates instinct: that inscru- can set in,” O’Brien says.
relaxing in your backyard. Beta waves, the red table ability to focus downfield yet remain Back in ’83, O’Brien prepped for the draft by
line, are produced when you’re engaged in an acutely aware of the pass rush. “That’s the most spending mornings in class and afternoons
activity like driving. Locker’s goal: sync his alpha important trait,” he says. throwing with his UC Davis teammates. The
54
combine was in its infancy then, hardly the Oregon State game. Unlike the other evaluators, his arm and decided to “not get freaked out over
showcase it is now. NFL coaches might drop by he sees positives. On quick thinking: After Locker where I’m drafted.”
and talk to the players well into the night, completes a deep comeback, the scout says, “See Now Locker is in the strange position of
learning what made them tick. Today, there’s how the ball comes out before the receiver cuts? defending himself against the perception that
less access and even less optimism. QBs speed- That’s quick thinking.” On pushing into pressure: he cost himself the No. 1 slot. He’s weathered
date teams in 15-minute interviews at the Yes, Locker does it, but his arm often saves him. criticism of his play by accepting responsibility,
combine, where flaws tend to be regarded in In the second quarter, for instance, he pushes even when other factors, such as a so-so
finite terms. Anyone whose stock has dropped, into a defensive tackle, but flicks the ball 50 yards receiving corps, were often at fault. Not only
Locker says, “would be lying if they told you for six. On football leadership: The Huskies’ did he play most of the season with a broken
they didn’t occasionally question themselves.” offense often looks out of sorts because Locker rib and bruised quad, he also rebounded from
O’Brien wants his charge to remember that is dodging disasters caused by a questionable the loss to Nebraska by beating the Huskers in
great players find ways to be great at the O-line. “After weeks of getting your ass kicked,” the Holiday Bowl. He’s convinced he’s better
next level. So a few nights a week, he sends says the scout, “you don’t want to sit back there.” prepared for having put up good numbers in a
Locker a supportive text. After one workout,
O’Brien tapped: “I like where you’re at. Keep
spinning it.” In his prefurnished, temporary locker knew he wasn’t ready last year. so
two-bedroom apartment in Irvine, Locker he took out a lloyd’s of london policy on his
smiled at his buzzing BlackBerry and thought,
arm and decided to “not get freaked out
over where i’m drafted.”
Hell, yeah. I like where I’m at too.
54
Max
oCKo
Ut
Up
Date
proteCtIon
AS A lENGTHY lOCkOuT lOOmS, ROOkiES ARE FiGuRiNG OuT
WAYS TO SAFEGuARD THEiR FuTuRES. bY JEFFRi CHADiHA
pL
Is
a
m
Clubs usually host rookies for a three-day To make sure he’s comfortable with the
th
session within two weeks of the draft. They team that drafts him, QB Ryan Mallett
IF
meet coaches and get their playbooks, while (Arkansas) says he’ll “watch whatever game
also dealing with matters like housing and footage I can find.” Fellow QB hopeful
media training. “There are so many little Christian Ponder (Florida State) will take
things that get settled then,” says an AFC his prep a step further. “I’m moving to
quarterbacks coach. “Pushing everything the city where I’m drafted as soon as
into one condensed period later may possible,” he says. “Then I’ll find some
overwhelm a lot of guys.” receivers and start throwing.”
FROM TOP: SAM SHARPE/US PRESSWIRE; RICHEY MILLER/CSM/LANDOV; DAVID J. GRIFFIN/ICON SMI
During the off-season, rookies participate During a lockout, it helps to stick together.
in more than a dozen OTA sessions and at “All of our rookies are going to a training facility
least one full minicamp. Quarterbacks and after the draft,” says Tom Condon, who reps
receivers work on timing, linemen and top prospects such as QB Blaine Gabbert
linebackers hone their technique, and (Missouri), wideout A.J. Green (Georgia) and
coaches start dissecting the playbook. In defensive end J.J. Watt (Wisconsin). “They’ll do
short, it’s a chance for rookies to learn about movement drills and basically the same things
the intensity of the NFL. they did before the draft.”
why are some his eyes downfield on his receivers and know
where they’re going while also reading the
defense. Is that cornerback blitzing or dropping
guys better at back? When will the safety leave the middle?
The QB has fewer than three seconds to make
RTEU
assess every player entering the draft. Basically
a short version of an IQ test, the Wonderlic is
12 minutes long and consists of 50 questions,
which get progressively harder (see page 68). The
underlying assumption is that players with
high scores (read: smarter) will make better
decisions in the pocket. If a quarterback can
T R U E solve pre-algebra problems quickly, then he’ll be
more likely to find his man while getting blitzed.
At first, this seems like a logical assumption.
Just think of all the cognitive skills required to
become a successful QB. He needs to memorize
hundreds of offensive plays and dozens of
I TGR
defensive formations. He has to study game
tape. And, in many instances, quarterbacks are
responsible for changing the play at the line of
BY JONAH LEHRER
ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN STAUFFER
G R I T
65
scrimmage. This helps explain why NFL teams period of time. (Their share prices are displayed big lineman. That ability might not depend on
start to get nervous whenever the Wonderlic on a ticker at the bottom of a TV screen.) If some- real IQ, but it sure takes a lot of football IQ.”
scores of a QB in the draft fall below 24, the unof- body asks you which stocks performed best, How QBs develop a more effective emotional
ficial average for the position. (In comparison, you’ll probably be unable to give a good answer; brain is the question teams should be asking.
the average score for computer programmers is there’s just way too much financial data to keep The simple answer: work. Expertise requires lots
29 while janitors score 15, a point below running track of. But if you’re asked which stocks trigger of effort and repetition. K. Anders Ericsson, a
backs.) Scouts believe a quarterback who isn’t the best feelings—now it’s your emotional brain psychologist at Florida State, studies expertise.
smart, at least by this measure, won’t be able to that’s being quizzed—you’ll suddenly be able to Ericsson acknowledges the role of genetic gifts
handle the mental rigors of the game. identify the top stocks. According to Tilmann (physical and mental skills are not distributed
There’s only one problem with this way of Betsch, the psychologist who performed this equally at birth), but he believes that the over-
thinking: It’s completely wrong. Many of the experiment, your emotions will “reveal a whelming majority of expertise is earned. “There
most successful quarterbacks in NFL history remarkable degree of sensitivity” to the actual is virtually no evidence that expertise is due to
reportedly had subpar Wonderlic results. performance of the shares. The investments genetic or innate factors,” Ericsson says. “Rather,
Donovan McNabb scored a 14 and Brett Favre a that rose in value will be associated with the it strongly suggests that expertise requires huge
22, while Randall Cunningham, Dan Marino and most positive emotions, while those that fell will amounts of effort and practice.” This is because
Terry Bradshaw each scored 15. What’s more, trigger a vague sense of unease. it takes time to train our feelings, to embed
several QBs who had unusually high marks— This exercise captures why it’s so important those useful patterns into the brain. Before a
guys like Alex Smith and Matt Leinart, who for quarterbacks to rely on their feelings and not quarterback can find the open man, parsing
scored 40 and 35, and were top-10 picks in their their analytical intelligence. Open targets are the defense in a glance, he must spend years
respective drafts—have struggled in the NFL, associated with the most positive emotions, just studying cornerbacks and crossing routes. It
largely because they make poor decisions on like those upward-trending stocks. “QBs are looks easy only because he’s worked so hard.
the field. “People obsess over the stuff they can tested on every single pass play,” Hasselbeck “I think the willingness to put in the hours is
measure,” says former NFL quarterback and says. “To be good at the position, you’ve got to the most important thing for succeeding in
current ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck know the answer before you even understand the NFL,” says Gil Brandt, former Cowboys vice
(Wonderlic score: 23). “We spend all this time the question. You’ve got to be able to glance at a president of player personnel and current draft
talking about Wonderlic scores and results defense and recognize what’s going on. And analyst for nfl.com. “When you look at the best
from the combine, but those numbers miss you’ve got to be able to do that when the left QBs—guys like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady,
most of what’s going on.” tackle gets beat and you’re running away from a Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees—what you see is
Consider a recent study by economists David
Berri and Rob Simmons. While they found that
Wonderlic scores play a large role in determining Wonderlic’s Wide spectrum
when QBs are selected in the draft—the only
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: TIM UMPHREy/GETTy IMaGES; BILL NICHOLS/aP IMaGES; RONaLD C. MODRa/SPORTS IMaGERy/GETTy IMaGES; JOE ROBBINS/GETTy
equally important variables are height and the
40-yard dash—the metric proved all but useless Alex SmitH
in predicting performance. The only correlation
40
the researchers could find suggested that higher eli mAnning
39
Wonderlic scores actually led to slightly worse
QB performance, at least during rookie years. In
other words, intelligence (or, rather, measured
IMaGES; RONaLD C. MODRa/SPORTS IMaGERy/GETTy IMaGES; SCOTT BOEHM/GETTy IMaGES; NICK LaHaM/GETTy IMaGES
intelligence), which has long been viewed as a mAtt leinArt
prerequisite for playing QB, would seem to be a
35
disadvantage for some guys. Although it’s true brett FAvre
that signal-callers must grapple with staggering
22
amounts of complexity, they don’t make sense of
questions on an intelligence test the same way
they make sense of the football field. The
Wonderlic measures a specific kind of thought
process, but the best QBs can’t think like that in
the pocket. There isn’t time.
So how, then, do they make their decisions? vince Young DAn mArino
15 15
Turns out, every pass play is a pure demonstra-
tion of human feeling. Scientists have in recent
years discovered that emotions, which are often
dismissed as primitive and unreliable, can in fact
reflect a vast amount of information processing.
In many instances, our feelings are capable of
responding to things we’re not even aware of,
DonovAn mcnAbb
noticing details we don’t register on a conscious 14
level. Let’s say you’re given information about
how 20 different stocks have performed over a
66
that they work harder than anyone else. Their highly selective, about 5% of cadets drop out
work ethic is what makes them great.” after the first summer of training, known as
In recent years, Ericsson has become known Beast Barracks. The Army has long searched for
for his calculation that true expertise in various the variables that predict which cadets will
fields, from QBs to cello players, requires about graduate, but it wasn’t until Duckworth tested
10,000 hours of what he calls “deliberate them using a short questionnaire—consisting of
practice.” And deliberate practice is not fun. statements such as “Setbacks don’t discourage
It’s not casual scrimmages or a game of catch in me” or “I am diligent”—that the Army found a
the backyard. Instead, it’s a disciplined attempt measurement that actually worked. Duckworth
to improve specific skills. For a quarterback, this has since repeated the survey with subsequent
Check out this issue’s might involve spending the weekend throwing West Point classes, and the results are always
hundreds of footballs through an old car tire the same: The cadets who graduate are the ones
NFL Draft Confidential, while moving to the left or working for months with grit.
look for the Tags and on a few steps of footwork. In a new paper, Duckworth and Ericsson
Consider Peyton and Eli Manning. It would be demonstrate that grit doesn’t only keep people
follow the instructions below easy to conclude that the brothers have some from dropping out, but it’s also what allows
to view exclusive content from them to become experts, to put in the hours of
deliberate practice. The researchers tracked 190
ESPN’s draft guru, Mel Kiper Jr.,
THINKING participants at the Scripps National Spelling
directly on your phone. Bee. The first thing they discovered is that delib-
erate practice works. Student spellers who spent
the Wonderlic cognitive
Ability test measures
Also search for the Tags in the
intelligence.
next issue of ESPN The Magazine. “Three individuals form a
The more you scan, the better partnership and agree to divide
the profits equally. X invests
your chance of winning! “Paper sells for 21
$9,000, Y invests $7,000,
cents per pad. What
Z invests $4,000. If the profits
will four pads cost?”
are $4,800, how much less does
Enter to win ESPN gear, X receive than if the profits
a Microsoft Xbox 360 with were divided in proportion to
yet-to-be-discovered quarterback gene, a snip-
Kinect and a VIP trip to a pet of DNA that makes them suited for the the amount invested?”
future ESPN event! pocket. (For what it’s worth, Eli reportedly
scored 39 on the Wonderlic, Peyton a 28.) In
reality, according to Ericsson’s model of expertise, more time studying alone and memorizing
the Mannings have excelled in the pros because words with the help of note cards performed
they began throwing the football as toddlers, much better than kids who were quizzed by
Scan to enter. racking up hours of deliberate practice at an age friends or engaged in leisure reading. Duckworth
Get the free mobile app at when most kids haven’t even touched a pigskin. and Ericsson also found that levels of grit deter-
http://gettag.mobi It also didn’t hurt that their father, Archie mined how much the spellers were willing to
Manning, was a former NFL passer who provided practice. Grittier kids were able to engage in the
them with invaluable instruction. Peyton and most useful kinds of self-improvement, which is
Eli weren’t born with the ability to read defenses why they performed at a higher level. Woody
and throw a perfect spiral. Those “instincts” Allen famously declared, “Eighty percent of suc-
come only from a lifetime of training. cess is showing up.” And grit is what allows you
So, if talent comes from intuition, and reliable to show up, again and again and again.
intuition comes from practice, then the trait “I’d bet that there isn’t a single highly success-
that teams should really be measuring is how ful person who hasn’t depended on grit,” says
recruits practice. And the question they should Duckworth. “Nobody is talented enough to not
be asking is, Why are some quarterbacks so have to work hard, and that’s what grit allows
much better at getting better? you to do. It lets you take advantage of your
This notion of practice led Ericsson to collabo- potential.” For successful quarterbacks, grit is
rate with Angela Duckworth, a psychologist at what allows them to watch hours of game
Sweepstakes Rules.
N O P U R C H A S E N E C E S S A RY. S e e o f f i c i a l r u l e s a t
the University of Pennsylvania. Duckworth is tape on Monday mornings. It lets them remain
http://www.nellymoser.com/ESPN/sweepstakes/rules.html best known for her work on grit, a character in the weight room after everyone else has gone
for entry and prize details. You may enter the sweepstakes trait that allows people to persist in the face of home. It’s why they can practice the right way,
from your PC at http://bit.ly/espn_sweeps. Void where
prohibited. Open and offered only to legal residents of
difficulty. A few years ago, she was commis- not just the easy way. “In order to become a
the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia who are sioned by the Army to measure the grittiness of professional athlete, you need a certain kind of
at least 18 years of age at the date of entry. Sweepstakes cadets at West Point. Although the academy is obsessiveness,” Duckworth says. “You’ve got to
begins at 10:00 a.m. ET time on March 23, 2011, and
ends at 5:00 p.m. ET time on May 21, 2011.
devote your life to the development of this very teams have been looking at all the wrong things,”
narrow expertise. It shouldn’t be surprising that Brandt says. “Just because you can measure it WATCH AS AN ARMY
this takes lots of grit.” doesn’t mean it matters.”
The problem for the NFL is that instead of Measuring grit does matter, but it’s not easy. COMBATIVES EXPERT
measuring grit, teams still subscribe to an anti-
quated model of talent and expertise in which
Grit can’t be evaluated in a single afternoon; by
definition, it’s a metric of personality that
HOLDS HIS OWN WITH
innate gifts are presumed to matter the most. involves performance over long periods of time. AN MMA FIGHTER.
The scouting combine requires players entering People don’t reveal grit at the combine; they
the draft to perform a number of short physical show it when no one else is around. “What
coaches need is a way to test how players will
perform over the entire season,” Duckworth
fEElING says. “Do they have what it takes to make them-
selves better? Will they benefit from criticism
and feedback? If I were a coach, those are the
the Grit scale measures questions I would care about.”
perseverance for
long-term goals.
YES
HE
CAN !
BuT CAn KEmAR SCARLETT
BREAK THE mOLd in
THE nFL, wHERE BLACK
KiCKERS ARE viRTuALLY
nOnExiSTEnT?
71
BY SCOTT OSTLER
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
OLuGBEnRO OGunSEmORE
A GustInG BALtIMORE BREEzE WhIPs AcROss MORGAn stAtE Even in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference,
with its 13 historically black colleges and univer-
unIVERsIty’s fOOtBALL fIELd On A MARch AftERnOOn As A PLAcE-
sities (11 have football programs, including
kIckER And A PuntER BLAst fOOtBALLs tOWARd thE GRAy cLOuds. Morgan State), most kickers are white or Hispanic.
“Hitting satellites,” they call it. The placekicker, In the past decade, Cedric Oglesby and Justin Which is why, when one of Morgan State’s two
Kemar Scarlett, a departing senior who’s prep- Medlock had brief placekicking stints. And two specialists trots onto the field, opponents stare.
ping for the team’s pro day later that week, spins Nigerian-born soccer-style kickers, Obed Ariri “I’ve heard, ‘Man, you’re black, you can’t kick, what
kickoffs deep into the end zone 75 yards away. and Donald Igwebuike, also made the NFL after are you doin’ kicking?’” says the 20-year-old
The punter, Nick Adams, a junior with two years starring at Clemson. Equally few African-American Adams. “Other teams are surprised to see a black
of eligibility remaining, booms tight spirals with punters have secured regular-season NFL kicker. Then to learn I’m actually good at it … ”
hang times approaching five seconds. jobs—most notably Greg Coleman and the late
Both players have NFL dreams and, based on Reggie Roby, who between them kicked for seven A FEW Hours bEForE practice, Scarlett and
raw ability, NFL potential. During one game in different NFL teams over 12- and 16-year careers, Adams walk through the Morgan State athletic
2009, the long-legged, 6'1" Scarlett hit a school- respectively. Currently, though, the NFL’s only complex, giving a tour of the school’s Hall of
record 55-yard field goal, and the burly, six-foot black kicking specialist is Browns punter Reggie Fame. They each point to photos of star alumni,
Adams launched a school-record 79-yard punt. Hodges (his father is black, his mother white). like NFL greats Leroy Kelly, Willie Lanier and
It was an outstanding day all around, one that Given their pro scarcity, it’s no surprise that Roosevelt Brown. Adams, who is steeped in MSU
helped earn them the nicknames DJ Kick and black kickers are nearly as rare in college. Kicking history, knows that almost 70 Bears have gone on
Big Punter around campus. But among pro hope- guru Gary Zauner, an NFL special-teams coordi- to the NFL. Seeing all those players who over-
fuls, Scarlett and Adams stand out for another nator for 13 seasons, holds off-season showcases came the odds to make the big time out of their
reason entirely—the color of their skin. with pro scouts for hopeful kickers. When tiny college, Scarlett and Adams can envision
In the NFL’s 91 seasons, very few African- asked to identify the best African-American their photos up on that wall too.
Americans, or black men of any nationality, have placekicking prospect today, Zauner says, “I’m not But the path to the NFL will be steeper for
earned a living launching the ball with their foot. able to name one.” Scarlett, and eventually Adams. For starters, both
In the 1960s and ’70s, Gene “Golden Toe” Mingo That’s because only one of 120 college teams in are self-taught in what have evolved into technique-
made a career of placekicking (while playing a FBS had a black kicker or punter appear in a intensive arts. Most top kicking prospects have
few other positions) for five AFL and NFL teams. game last season—Arizona punter Keenyn Crier. been specialty-coached for years by the time they
72
an HBCU you have to kick the ball out of the back slotted as emergency kickers. “They would stand
of the end zone to get anyone to notice.” at the 40-yard line in practice and kick 50-yard
The thinning of the pool of black kickers starts field goals, toe-punching the ball,” says Zauner.
long before college, though. “Black kids want to “Two great athletes, playing for Cokes. They
be the guy with the football in their arms,” says probably could have been great NFL punters and
73
72
for a day
76
Rashad
Carmichael
LOCATION
WILLIAMSBURG
(FROM LEFT) On Ridley: Hat by STILL LIFE NYC; suit jacket by HUGO BOSS;
shirt by YIGAL AZROUëL (from Saks Fifth Avenue); jeans by DIESEL;
boots by RED wING; watch by BREITLING. On Kaepernick: Trench by
BURBERRY; shirt by BILLY REID (from Bloomingdale’s); cardigan by THE
MEN’S STORE AT BLOOMINGDALE’S; jeans by DIESEL; shoes by DIOR
HOMME. On Kerley: Leather jacket by DIESEL; shirt by YIGAL AZROUëL
(from Saks Fifth Avenue); jeans by DkNY; belt by DIESEL; boots by RED
wING. On Carmichael: Trench by BURBERRY (from Saks Fifth Avenue);
shirt by IZOD; tie and vest by RAG & BONE (from Saks Fifth Avenue);
jeans by BUFFALO; shoes by ALLEN EDMONDS; belt by DIESEL; watch by
BREITLING. On Sash: Leather jacket by BURBERRY (from Bloomingdale’s);
denim shirt by DIESEL; T-shirt by CALvIN kLEIN UNDERwEAR; jeans by
LEvI’S; boots by RED wING. On Matthews: Coat by wOOLRICH; T-shirts
by CALvIN kLEIN UNDERwEAR; jeans by LEvI’S; boots by RED wING.
LOCATION DUMBo
80
WHERE DO NFL PLAYERS COME FROM? OUR COLORFUL CENSUS REVEALS ALL.
GRAPHS BY ANDREW GARCIA PHILLIPS, CHARTBALL
They range in height from 5'6" to 6'9" and in weight from NFL DRAFT PREVIEW
CAREER VALUE A measure of a player’s overall worth.
For the full explanation, see page 85.
ROOT
150 to 376 pounds. They are as young as 21, as old as 42. CAUSE ROUND DRAFTED BIRTHPLACE
Calif.
NCAA CONFERENCE
Top schools:
LSU
Georgia
44
38
CAREER VALUE
LOWEST (0)
A measure of a player’s overall worth.
For the full explanation, see page 85.
HIGHEST (255)
LOWEST (0) HIGHEST (255)
(251) SEC Florida 36
1st round (292) Drafted in
2,046
2nd round (239) ACC Maryland 29 2nd round
Georgia Tech 25
(278)
players were
on NFL 3rd round (219)
Ohio State
Michigan
42
33 3rd round 1st round
rosters or on Ohio (100) Big Ten
Iowa 30
Penn State 29
the IR at the (256) Purdue 26
Michigan State 24 Terrell Owens
where they
Pa. (65)
Texas A&M
Colorado
17
16
Oklahoma State 16
e
Peyton i
Manning
come from: 5th round (172) 5th round
ably less so. On the pages that follow, you’ll find a graphic 6th round (160)
N.Y. (64)
Mich. (60)
Pittsburgh
39
33
25
22
21
19
21
6th round
Mark Brunell
ru
Tom Brady
(796) Big East Louisville 20
(115)
Thanks to the design whizzes at Chartball for bringing SURVEY SAYS ... The only player whose career was launched
from the No. 247 overall spot is defensive
tackle Brandon Deaderick (2010 draft).
More NFL players were born in Germany (7) than in
Idaho (5) or West Virginia (4). We’re guessing Dad’s
military service has something to do with that.
Of the 292 first-rounders, only 30
attended a non-BCS school.
Jeff Saturday
S
88 89
85
2,046
players were
Wide receivers (219)
3 players: 6'8" Brandon M
Manumaleuna: 295
5
rosters or on
the IR at the
end of the
Offensive linemen (340)
2010
season.
a
Calais Campbell, Ropati Pitoitua: 6'8" Anthony
t Bryant: 376
6
Linebackers (272)
5 players: 6'5" a
Brandon Lang: 266
SURVEY SAYS ... Of the 377 players who stand less than six feet The shortest pro, 5'6" running back Darren
tall, 50% of them are defensive backs. Sproles, still weighs more, at 181 pounds, than
67 other players.
85
Not
drafted
r Favre: 41
Brett 1 8 players: No. 1 Brett Favre
a
a
Tony Richardson: 39 Ronnie Brown,
w Reggie Bush: No. 2 n Tomlinson
LaDainian s
ke Sellers: 35
Mike 5 w Vernon Davis: N
Kellen Winslow, No. 6 a
Tony Gonzalez
Terrell Owens:
T n 37 Calvin Johnson: No. 2 Terrell Owens
David B
Binn: 38 Jake Long: No. 1 Alan Faneca
n
a
Pat Williams: 38 Mario Williams:: No. 1 Jason Taylor
a
Jason Kyle:
K 38 Aaron Curry: No. 4 Ray
R Lewis
r Dawkins,
Brian s Lawyer Milloy:
l 37 Charles
h Woodson: No.
N 4 Ronde Barber
b
Note: Career value is not calculated for kickers and punters.
When Brett Favre made his debut, on Oct. 27, Only 17 of the 103 QBs were undrafted, the Texans WR Andre Johnson and Steelers DB Troy
1991, the NFL’s current youngest player, Patriots lowest rate of any position. But six of them Polamalu, both of whom are 29, have the highest
TE Aaron Hernandez, was 23 months old. started at least two games in 2010. career value (85) of any player below the age of 30.
85
ROOT
CAUSE ROUND DRAFTED BIRTHPLACE
Calif.
1st round (292) (251)
Texas
(211)
2,046
2nd round (239)
Fla.
players were (184)
on NFL 3rd round (219)
rosters or on Ohio (100)
the IR at the
end of the La. (91)
2010
season. 4th round (212)
Ga. (88)
Mich. (60)
6th round (160)
Other U.S. states
(796)
7th round (172) Including:
Ill. 55
Va. 54
S.C. 54
N.C. 53
Ala. 52
Tenn. 44
Miss. 38
Okla. 33
Md. 29
Ind. 26
SURVEY SAYS ... The only player whose career was launched More NFL players were born in Germany (7) than in
from the No. 247 overall spot is defensive Idaho (5) or West Virginia (4). We’re guessing Dad’s
tackle Brandon Deaderick (2010 draft). military service has something to do with that.
88
Top schools:
LSU 44
Georgia 38
SEC Florida 36
Tennessee 35 Drafted in
(308) Auburn 27 1st round
Alabama 26
Mississippi 23
South Carolina 21
e
Peyton i
Manning
Miami 45
Florida State 31
ACC Maryland 29 2nd round
Georgia Tech 25
(278) Virginia 25
Boston College 23
Virginia Tech 23
North Carolina 20 Brett Favre
a
Ohio State 42
Michigan 33 3rd round
Iowa 30
Big Ten Penn State 29
Purdue 26
(256) Michigan State 24 Terrell Owens
Illinois 21
Wisconsin 21
Tom Brady
Pittsburgh 21
Big East Louisville 20
(115) Rutgers 19
7th round
Donald Driver
Notre Dame 27
Fresno State 21
Utah 21
Others San Diego State 16
Brigham Young 14
(641) Central Florida 13
TCU 13
Colorado State 12 Not drafted
Hawaii 12
Boise State 10
S
Jeff Saturday
Of the 292 first-rounders, only 30 Of the vets with zero career value, Ravens QB Brian
attended a non-BCS school. Brohm (No. 56 overall, 2008) is the only one who was
drafted in the first two rounds.
85
CREDIT JUDGING EACH TEAM BY THE PLAYERS IT DRAFTED Wondering why the Browns can never
hang in the AFC North, while the Packers consistently contend in the NFC North? It’s the draft, silly. This chart assigns every player from our survey
to the organization that picked him, then arranges each team’s selections in order of position and career value. From the spoils goes the victor.
QB RB TE WR OL DL LB DB K/P
Career value is a measure of a player’s overall worth. For the full explanation, see page 85.
Larger boxes
indicate players
with greater
career value
Players who were
no longer playing
for the team that
drafted them
Eagles
Bills
Patriots
Jets
Ravens
Bengals
Colts
Jaguars
Titans R. Smith
Broncos
Chiefs B. Croyle
Raiders
Chargers
85
CREDIT
CHECK Each box represents one player drafted by that team
QB RB TE WR OL DL LB DB K/P
Career value is a measure of a player’s overall worth. For the full explanation, see page 85.
Larger boxes
indicate players
with greater
career value
Players who were
no longer playing
for the team that
drafted them
Giants
Eagles
Redskins
Lions
Packers
Falcons
Panthers
49ers
85
HoWARd
GRADING
ON A
CURVE
EVERY DRAFT OFFERS VALUE TO THOSE WHO UNDERSTAND THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME.
BY PETER KEATING
cRoSby
mAUER
When We Watch a just-drafted athlete hug $5.3M and won’t top $10M in the next three sea- NHL | Play It Safe
his mom, put on a goofy cap and smile for the sons. The lesson: Once you get a superstar, build Hockey’s rookie pay scale is even more stringent
camera in anticipation of a multimillion-dollar around him before he bolts for a better situation than basketball’s: Entry-level salaries top out at
contract, it’s natural to wonder how he could and/or more money. Think Dwight Howard and $925K, with a max signing bonus of $92,500. Top
possibly be worth all that money before ever the Magic, not LeBron and the Cavs. players, like Sidney Crosby, can earn up to $2.85
playing a minute in a pro game. million a year in performance bonuses on their
But that’s the wrong way to think about drafts. NFL | Trade Down rookie contract, but that’s still below the overall
The most important thing to realize is this: The Football has lots of impact rookies and no rookie value they produce, and they get the bonus money
players aren’t free agents, which means they salary limits (not yet, anyway). As a result, more only if they play well. Moreover, NHL players
don’t get paid anything close to their value on the money flows to first-year players than in any don’t hit unrestricted free agency until they’re 27,
open market. Remember how Cuban defector other sports, so much so that surplus value actu- so young players are almost purely surplus value.
Aroldis Chapman, an international free agent, ally rises through the first round of the draft Too bad teams aren’t taking advantage: According
from top: fernando medina/nbae/getty images; james guillory/us presswire; mitch stringer/icon smi; kirby lee/image of sport/us presswire
got twice as much guaranteed money as Stephen (see graph), peaking early in the second round. to research by Tom Awad of Hockey Prospectus,
Strasburg, the top pick in the 2009 MLB draft? Whiffing on a top pick like JaMarcus Russell hurts 23% of players taken from No. 11 to No. 30 in
However you convert on-field stats to dollars, more than in other sports, and trading down is the first round since 1990 have failed to reach
the average performance of young players ranks typically the wise play, which is why smart teams the NHL. Surplus value isn’t real unless players
higher than their average compensation. Usually, like the Patriots and Eagles do it so often. produce at least a little on big league ice.
it’s not even close. Of course, different rules and
talent pools combine to create different surplus-
value ratios across the four big team sports. Here
is the key lesson to take from each.
performance was worth an estimated $22 million 6.0 Performance Value 70.0 Value
Cap Charge Compensation
for the Twins, but as a second-year player he 5.0
Surplus
60.0
Surplus
50.0
made just $400K. No matter the signing bonus, a 4.0
40.0
successful draft pick is a boon to the bottom line. 3.0
30.0
2.0
20.0
NBA | Build Around High Picks 1.0 10.0
as Quickly as Possible 0 0
20 60 100 140 180 220 260 25 50 75 100
The league instituted a rookie salary scale in 1995, dRAFT Pick dRAFT Pick
so while Rashard Lewis is making more than $20
NFL chart data from Cade Massey and Richard H. Thaler, “The Loser’s Curse: Overconfidence vs. Market Efficiency in the NFL Draft.” MLB chart
million this year, Blake Griffin is earning just adapted from Victor Wang, “Valuing the Draft,” hardballtimes.com, and Colin Johnston, “Prospect Surplus Value,” beyondtheboxscore.com.
94
BY ALLISON GLOCK
PHOTOGRAPHS BY THOMAS PRIOR
BECOME AN NFL DRAFT
PICK. OR IS IT? MEET
RICH WILLIAMS, WHO
TURNED DOWN MILLIONS
TO PURSUE A MOST
UNEXPECTED CALLING.
96
Instead he sways foot to foot, growls, scowls, other teams, invited him for a visit. An NFL
keeps his eyes on the wall. Finally, it’s time: career was his for the asking; many experts
The grip guys are summoned onstage and intro- projected Williams to be a top-100 pick.
duced to a crowd of thousands. Then the first Then he went to meet the folks in Miami.
event begins. Using one hand, the men must “The city was too hot, too big, too everything,” he
hoist a 163-pound anvil by the horn and walk. remembers thinking. His agent said fine, on to
The first few contestants can’t even loosen the the next team. But that’s when Williams did the
weight from the ground, their palms slipping unthinkable. He took a pass on the entire league,
uselessly as if they were tugging at a tree root. withdrawing from the draft a week beforehand.
Haugen frees the anvil, carries it a little less than “People thought I was stupid, crazy, that I didn’t
three feet and drops it to the floor like a Buick. think it through,” he says. “But I did.”
Now it is Williams’ turn. He approaches the Truth was, football had been dead to Williams
anvil, bends, wraps his right hand around the tip for years. Training was his true love, even as a
and lifts. He waddles the length of the stage, kid. His father, Richard Williams Sr., a retired GE
Size turns and waddles back. He does not rush. He employee who had played high school football,
doesn’t
matter.
That’s one of the first things the strongmen tell
you, even though most of them are large enough
to have their size infiltrate their names. Like “Big
Rich” Williams, 6'3", 410 pounds, the man with
the marvelous hands. The hands themselves are
average looking. Not the sort of things you’d
note from afar, as you would, say, J-Lo’s backside
or Drew Gooden’s beard. And, yet, despite their
ordinary appearance, Williams’ hands are the
strongest in the world. Perhaps the strongest
that have ever existed. And on this March after-
noon, at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus,
Ohio, Williams intends to use those hands to
show the world the power he holds, like a super-
hero, at the ready, in his palm.
It’s just after lunchtime at the four-day expo
of bodybuilding, arm wrestling and strongman
At the recent Arnold Sports
contests, and the 32-year-old Williams is back-
Festival, Big Rich set the
stage, staring into a cinder block wall, head record in every grip event, remembers his son at age 8, dressed as a strong-
inches away. Other strongmen grunt and groan including the pinch pull. man for Halloween: “He wore my weight belt
through warmup exercises, slapping Tiger Balm and stuffed his arms and legs to look muscular.”
onto their sweaty bellies. Williams and six of his carries the anvil like a lunch pail. He lets it slip at Rich Jr. says he joined his junior high football
rivals are up next on the expo main stage, to take 60 feet, eight inches. That nearly doubles the team in Charlottesville, Va., so he could have
part in the second annual Mighty Mitts competi- world record—the one he set last year. The crowd access to the workout equipment. “I was always
tion, a subset of the strongman event that cen- erupts. As they should. Because in all probability, curious,” he says. “How strong could I be?”
ters exclusively on hand strength. Also known they will never see anything like that again. Even as the younger Williams excelled on both
as grip, Mighty Mitts tests the skills of an inti- sides of the line in high school, football was a
mate community of men who lift, hoist, pull, WILLIAMS WASN’T ALWAYS a modern-day means to another end, a way to earn a free ride to
grab and clutch extraordinarily heavy items. It is John Henry. He started, as most large boys do, college. At Gardner-Webb, his ambivalence over
equal parts freak show and athletic feat, having playing football. And he was good: a three-year the sport gave way to hatred. He felt like he had
evolved from the carny tents where grip legends starting left tackle for Gardner-Webb, a Division little control of his situation, and he questioned
wrapped horseshoes into heart shapes and I-AA college in Boiling Springs, N.C. He allowed the motives of agents and scouts. But he couldn’t
passed them out to swooning ladies. only one sack as a senior in 2001. At a predraft afford to quit. And he didn’t want to let his team-
As the minutes tick down to showtime, Mighty workout in March 2002, he ran a 5.36 40-yard mates down. “In a way,” says Williams, “I was
Mitts’ most senior contestant, 61-year-old Odd dash, benched 225 pounds 37 times, broad doing what my family and friends kept telling
Haugen, makes the rounds, catching up with jumped eight feet and squatted more than 700 me was in my best interest. That was why I got
friends. Williams doesn’t join the conversation. pounds. The Dolphins, Bears and Packers, among an agent, set up meetings with teams. But in my
96
966
ESPN (ISSN # 1097-1998) (USPS # 016-356). Volume 14, No. 6, April 18, 2011. ESPN is published biweekly, except monthly in January and July, by ESPN, 19 East 34th St, New York, N.Y. 10016-4310. The subscription price is $26 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at
967 New York, N.Y. and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ESPN, P.O. Box 37328, Boone, IA 50037-0328. For subscription queries, call customer service at 1-888-267-3684. To change your address, log onto www.accountinfo.espnmag.com.