Year in Review	Quirky Sports Stories of 2005 by Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell

Bill Clinton and Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, taken in the Sabres dressing room prior to the game against Dallas on December 14.

(photo: Bill Wippert)

The cool thing about covering sports is one can always tap into some unexpected and unusual stories, and this past year was no exception. Here are some of our favorites; enjoy them, and Season’s Greetings to all of our readers. See you at HSBC Arena and Dunn Tire Park in 2006!

NHL season cancelled… then it isn’t… then it is...

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman somberly announced on February 16 that he was canceling the season, because the warring labor and management sides could not come to an agreement on a salary cap and revenue sharing formula. In the aftermath of all this came the stunning announcement—hockey icons Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky were going to ride in on their white horses and join the negotiations to save the day. So the two sides convened yet one more time to hammer out an agreement. The only problem was that players and owners’ reps both assumed that the other side was coming to the table to accept their version of the deal. The end result was an embarrassing staredown, and for the second time in a week Bettman had to announce that the season was indeed lost.

Some redemption for Niagara University legend Calvin Murphy

Always known for his dapper wardrobe, Calvin Murphy was quite the celebrity, decked out in his purple suit in Tucson this past March, as his Purple Eagles made their first appearance in the NCAA basketball tournament since 1970. Just months earlier, the 56-year-old Hall of Famer and broadcaster was acquitted of sexual abuse charges brought on by five of his daughters. The trial often focused on Murphy’s unusual family tree, which included 14 children by nine different women. The five daughters who accused Murphy were all born outside his marriage, while the two daughters born to his ex-wife rallied to his defense and testified on his behalf.

In 2004, Murphy took a leave of absence from his job as a member of the Houston Rocket broadcast team to focus on the trial. This past July the team made it official —Murphy would not be coming back.

Washington Nationals new ballpark hits a snag

Now playing at the venerable but old RFK Stadium, the Nationals unveiled plans in spring to build their new venue on a site bordering the Anacostia River just blocks from the US Capitol. But the plan came under fire from the District’s local gay community, whose message to baseball was “build elsewhere.” It turns out that the gay-friendly business district is located—you guessed it—right in the projected left field power alley. And for the record, this neighborhood is hardly the urban chic of Toronto’s Church Street or NYC’s Greenwich Village. More like a collection of tumbledown bars, adult establishments, cement plants and some very spooky dark alleys. The tug-of-war for ownership rights to the team and financing schemes for the ballpark are ongoing. In the meantime—see you at RFK!

Kobayashi does it again at Nathan’s

On July 4th weekend, Takeru Kobayashi of Japan successfully defended his title at Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island by consuming 49 Nathan’s hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. Sonya Thomas, who ended with 37, was on Kobayashi’s heels throughout the first half of the contest and clearly pushed him harder than any American ever has.

What is most incredible about this event is the coverage and attention that it receives. Thousands of fans descend onto Coney Island in Brooklyn to watch the competition, ESPN provides extensive live television coverage, and the Fuji blimp rides high in the sky to give viewers at home the entire panorama of this human spectacle.

“It wasn’t a choke job,” says Eric Wedge

OK, just to be fair, the Cleveland Indians weren’t even supposed to be in contention for the pennant chase this season. But as September wound down, the improbable was unfolding down the I-90, as the Indians were mowing down all opponents and dared to dream of a division pennant or at least a wild card berth. The team was a collection of many former Buffalo Bisons, and anchored by pitching stars Kevin Millwood and closer Bob Wickman. With a week remaining in the season a spot in the playoffs seemed assured, but the Tribe lost six of their last seven games against a brutally inferior Tampa Bay Devil Rays club and a Chicago White Sox team who threw loads of minor leaguers on the field with their division title locked up. Afterwards Tribe manager Eric Wedge refused to refer to it as a “choke job.” Oooooooookay Eric!

The ongoing saga of the Buffalo Rapids

When the ABA Buffalo Rapids raised the curtain on their franchise on November 3 at ECC’s Burt Flickinger Center, the occasion saw long lines and stifling security checks, major game day operations gaffes and a packed house trying to make the best of a bad situation. After just one more home game ECC booted them, with rumors of financial problems dogging the team’s owners, Gary and Sara Nice. Since then, the team has played their home games at various high school venues to dwindling crowds. The latest bombshell reveals that the Nices are out as owners, and the ABA has announced that the new owner is “Santa Claus.” So just who might this Santa be? Here are some possibilities: Mark Hamister, wannabe sports czar; Hamister’s partner-financier Todd Berman, who has plenty of time on his hands while doing time in jail for securities fraud; John Y. Brown, of course he’d promptly move the Rapids to San Diego; Paul Snyder, former Braves owner turned casino mogul; any unindicted member of the Rigas family, ‘nuff said!

UB football nearly has perfect season… then blows it with a win While UB Men’s basketball had a magical run in ’05, on the other end of the UB sports scene was the football team’s continued ineptitude. Since joining Division I-A in 1999, the Bulls have won just ten games and lost a whopping 69 times with many contests becoming early blowouts. The 2005 edition of the Bulls would live up to the standards that previous teams have set for them by losing their first nine games on their way to a 1-10 season. Worse yet (if that’s possible), they went the entire month of September without so much as scoring a touchdown! As the season dragged on, there remained but one question: could the UB Bulls achieve “perfection”? Well, that all came crashing down on November 12 when the team traveled to Ohio and beat the equally woeful Kent State 10-6. In a “stunning” move, the athletic department fired head coach Jim Hofher effective at season’s end. Good luck to new head coach and former Nebraska QB Turner Gill.

TARO SEZ

(Bill Clinton edition)…

• Former President Bill Clinton’s visit to the Sabres/Stars game at the arena on December 14 prompted numerous extraordinary security measures, though few affecting the fans. “We’ve had the Secret Service here for four days,” reported Sabres Managing General Partner Larry Quinn.

• Clinton’s introduction to the crowd started innocuously enough—a shot on the Jumbotron during a TV timeout in the first period. Once fans saw it was him, the applause grew, and grew to a thunderous ovation. Clinton got up and waved to the crowd, with the strains of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop,” the anthem of Clinton’s 1992 campaign, playing in the building.

• Coach Lindy Ruff was asked if he’d accept any coaching tips from Clinton. “Let’s see what he has to offer,” quipped Ruff. When reminded that President Nixon often called Washington Redskins coach George Allen to impart advice, a member of the media shouted from the back of the room, “Who the hell would want advice from Nixon!”

• D Jay McKee said that the players enjoyed the chance to meet with a former President. “When he addressed the team, he spoke of his love for hockey, told us he often attended Caps games as President, and suggested that more games be broadcast in high definition. Coach offered him a job in our marketing department!”

• Buffalo’s 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars makes the team 1-1 in Clinton’s presence. Clinton was in attendance at game 2 of the 1998 conference finals at the MCI Center, won by Washington 3-2 in overtime.