It would be an understatement to say that Carew experienced a rough childhood. Carew grew up in Panama and his alcoholic father constantly abused him and his mother. Even though she was physically attacked and tried her best to protect her son from being harmed, Carew’s mother Olga preached to him that God always has a plan and works in mysterious ways. Olga’s unrelenting faith and regular Sunday church outings with the young Rod Carew convinced him that there would be better days ahead.

Although his home life was a nightmare, Carew had a natural knack for baseball. Carew played above his age group and over time became one of the most highly touted players in Panama. Nevertheless, once Olga found a way to move to New York with her youngest son, his focus shifted to schoolwork and adjusting to life in a completely different world. Fortunately, Carew found his way back to baseball, excelled in adult amateur leagues, and was signed by the Twins after putting on a power display at Yankee Stadium. 

One of the book’s biggest themes was how Carew’s family and friends inspired him throughout his life. Carew entered the Major Leagues as a star contact hitter but struggled with hardships along the way. Carew was bullied in Class A ball and was immensely worried during a short slump in his second season. At times, Carew did not encounter his problems head-on, as his struggles warranted a “flight” response most likely hailing from his horrible childhood. As a result, Carew left the team without notifying them, but Twins Owner Calvin Griffith and Twins Manager Billy Martin persuaded him to stay. 

Besides those two executives, Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew both took Carew under their wing. His two teammates became some of Carew’s first friends at the professional level. Carew spent so much time with them that he was finally able to open up about his childhood trauma to other people, thus signaling how much Carew’s life improved since leaving Panama. No longer was Carew a scared kid with little hope of escaping his father’s wrath. His success as a baseball player, and healthier relationships in his life, allowed him to cope with his time spent in his home country.

Carew continued to grow as an individual after his playing career too. Unfortunately, Carew’s daughter Michelle died at 18 from Leukemia, but his daughter wanted nothing more than to help the other patients. Therefore, in Michelle’s final days and after she died, Carew took initiative and began to raise awareness about the various transplants that helped his daughter. Carew was not very fond of the media and for the most part, was a reserved person. Nonetheless, Carew broke down the proverbial walls that he placed on the outside world, did everything from interviews to speaking with strangers to ask for donations, and provide funding. Indeed, many lives were saved because of Carew’s campaign to popularize bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants.

Sadly, Carew’s relationship with his first wife and children was strained by Michelle’s death. Even with his difficult family situation, Carew eventually met his second wife and her children became part of his family. Carew’s new family stayed by his side when he had a massive heart attack in 2015, which took years of recovery. After surviving the heart attack, Carew had to undergo intensive physical therapy,  several transplants of his own, and a return of his “flight” response, yet Carew continued helping others. Carew partnered with the Twins, Angels, Major League Baseball, and the Hall of Fame to ask others to get screened before any heart problems occur.

Carew faced incredible hardships but went on to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, a rarity among the best players enshrined in Cooperstown. His family life, both as a child and as an adult were challenging and traumatic for him. Yet, Carew continued to fight off life’s curveballs and did not let any of these adversities stop him from helping others, or using his platform to raise awareness. Furthermore, Carew’s autobiography has added to his legacy. Besides his philanthropic work and amazing performance on the diamond, Carew’s eloquently told story can inspire nearly anyone to overcome their own individual struggles.

The post Rod Carew Shares Triumphs And Adversities In His Autobiography appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Zolecki continues to highlight Halladay’s supernatural abilities by transitioning to his baseball career before the Major Leagues. Halladay was the perfect teammate; he led his team to state, was an absolute workhorse on the mound, and at the same time thought of his teammates first before himself. The Colorado native eventually was selected by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 1995 draft. He quickly passed through each minor league level and made his MLB debut in 1998; Halladay had the world in the palm of his hands and nothing appeared to get in his way.

Yet, Halladay never faced adversity. He was a people pleaser that hated to disappoint others and did not know how to bounce back from failure. Despite impressing in his first cup of coffee at the big league level, Halladay’s jump to the majors hit him like a truck. “Doc” always faced pressure growing up. He feared disappointing his caring, yet no-nonsense father who acted as both his mentor and coach, as well as the plethora of scouts, coaches, and teammates who believed he would be a Major League star. However, the pressure at the highest level was too much for young Halladay. 

For the first time, Halladay has an Achilles heel. The team expected him to put the city of Toronto on his back and help them return to postseason baseball. Unfortunately, Halladay was too focused on the results, and since he was not performing well, his confidence wavered. In 2001, the Blue Jays forced Halladay to reset and demoted him to Single-A ball to rebuild his delivery and his mind. Halladay, with all his natural, god-given ability, and a relentless desire to win was filled with embarrassment, shame, and even suicidal thoughts in Single-A ball. He was lost.

Halladay was a selfless man who just wanted to live up to the endless expectations that everyone has for him. The reader pulls for him to get out of his funk; even when Superman encounters kryptonite, he still somehow saves the day. The rollercoaster of events where Halladay goes from his peak to rock bottom in a span of three years draws the reader in with one burning question: how does Halladay return to greatness?

A lowered arm slot and a book called The Mental ABC’s of Pitching by Harvey Dorfman saved Roy Halladay’s career. The new arm slot allowed Halladay to develop insane movement on his fastball, which helped him develop his dependable sinker, cutter combo. Meanwhile, the book taught Halladay to focus not on the results, but just one pitch at a time. Dorfman’s philosophy demanded that Halladay be aggressive in the strike zone and pitch to contact but at the same time miss barrels. This incredible piece of literature convinced Halladay to become the most prepared player in the game. He took endless notes on every batter he faced, developed an unmatched workout routine that he was constantly adding to, and had a fierceness on the mound that was comparable to Randy Johnson. Halladay found a system that worked for him, and thus began a decorated Hall of Fame career.

Even with his rise to stardom, Halladay remained loyal to everyone who helped him along the way. The eight-time All-Star always made room to help his fellow teammates, oftentimes handing out copies of Dorfman’s book, and speaking about the values it taught him. He was incredibly grateful to the organization and even bought watches for every member of the Philadelphia Phillies major league team after his perfect game. Despite all the ongoing pressure, Halladay spent the next decade receiving accolades nearly every season and was an ideal teammate.

Nevertheless, good times don’t last forever. Following the 2011 season, Halladay’s immense workload took a toll on his well-being and led to horrific back problems that knocked him out of the game by 2013. His addiction to painkillers to remove his physical pain towards the end of his playing career eventually led him to rehab. He also struggled with depression and social anxiety. Halladay found himself in another obstacle with seemingly no hope of escaping.

Luckily, rehab, finding the right medication, support from his family, and a new sense of purpose eventually led Halladay to the right track. Halladay was devastated by the loss of Harvey Dorfman, his dear friend, and mentor, but knew he could pass on his teachings. Halladay began working as a mental skills coach for the Phillies towards the end of his life and was a reliable mentor to countless prospects. Halladay was beginning to find peace in his life.

Sadly, Halladay’s redemption ark was cut short as he accidentally crashed his private plane in 2017, which led to his untimely death. He had some of his prescribed medication in his system, but hard drugs were also found in his autopsy report. Halladay was facing his demons before he passed, but he was trying to turn a corner. In a cruel twist of fate, he was never able to fully redeem himself.

The success and tragedy of Roy Halladay remind others to constantly go after their dreams and to cherish the time you have with their loved ones. Halladay modeled his success after healthy habits, a tireless work ethic, and depending on others for help, which are all defining traits that make his story so inspiring. Above all, though numerous interviews, anecdotes, research, and stories, Zolecki preserves the legacy of Roy Halladay; a man with unbelievable talent, but still human. 

The post Book Review: “Doc: The Life of Roy Halladay” perfectly encapsulates the Hall of Famer’s legacy appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Famous for their high-flying moves, superkicks and hilarious videos, Matt and Nick are an inspiration to fans worldwide due to their message of resilience and determination.

“Nearly 20 years ago, our father built us a wrestling ring in our back yard. Our journey to become professional wrestlers began here,” said Matt Jackson. “Then after years of hawking T-shirts out of duffel bags at independent shows across the U.S., documenting our lives on a web series filmed on our phones, and performing at the biggest events in Japan, we’d eventually land the dream job of a lifetime.

“We’re excited to share the story of how we got there, after overcoming past failures, and finally deciding to play by our own rules, ignoring traditions, earning us the reputation by critics as two wrestlers who were ‘Killing The
Business.’ This memoir is yet another milestone in our career, all thanks to the support of our amazing fans.”

The Young Bucks write endearingly about their sport, while sharing personal reflections and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Alternating between each brother’s perspective from chapter to chapter, the entertaining memoir is a deep dive on what it means to grow into, and give back to, the sport and profession they embody and love

The post YOUNG BUCKS: Killing the Business From Backyards To The Big Leagues appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Horwitz published his memoir, ‘’Mr. Met: How a Sports-Mad Kid From Jersey Became Like Family to Generations of Big Leaguers’’ (Triumph Books) in May 2020. It is only fitting that Horwitz tells the story of his life through the headlines he’s written in his career. Doing what any PR man does best, Horwitz is able to sell his humanity through the words of print media.

Horwitz began his career as a sportswriter for the Herald News. Horwitz gives us a glimpse into what the world was like at the time in the late 1960s through headlines and quotes from his articles (the Kennedy assassinations play a large role in Jay’s early life). He covered the New York Jets after they won the SuperBowl that January.

After sportswriting briefly, Horwitz got a job as Sports Information Director for NYU in late 1969 and especially loved covering NYU basketball (back when they had a basketball program). He later joined Fairleigh Dickinson in 1972 to be the SID there.

After eight years at Fairleigh Dickinson, Horwitz joined the Mets as PR man after Fred Wilpon took over ownership of the team. Horwitz provides a fascinating look into the early 80’s Mets and the team’s ascent from mediocrity at the beginning of the decade to World Series champions by 1986.

Horwitz has witnessed four decades of Mets history (bless his soul), and has managed to not shrivel up from too much contact with Mets baseball. Horwitz has seen it all, from Mets manager Joe Torre to Bobby Valentine to 9/11 to Terry Collins.

Nobody has more stories to tell than Jay Horwitz, which is fitting for a PR man. Throughout the book, Horwitz tells story after story, behind the scenes anecdote after behind the scenes anecdote. What makes Horwitz so good at his job and so good at telling his own story is that he understands what makes a good human-interest story.

Throughout the entire book, Horwitz constantly mentions the phrase “human-interest story.” Even if the team stinks, Horwitz always manages to find a way to tell an interesting story. Horwitz could make a story about paint drying engaging to readers.

Jim Lampariello, former SID at Seton Hall and friend of Jay, said in the book that, “Jay just understood the media and what the public wanted to see, and what was a good story. He was like a great assignment editor who could really snoop out that good story that people could really relate to. He’s just a genuine person. There are few people that are more genuine than Jay. He relates to the common athlete and the common person. He just loves athletics.”

It’s Horwitz’s impeccable awareness of the human being that has made him so good at his job in PR. Horwitz would not have had a 50-year career surrounded by famous athletes, sportswriters, broadcasters, musicians, and actors if he wasn’t a special person who brings out the best in humanity.

Any life-long diehard Mets fans from the tri-state area would love Horwitz’s memoir- which is simultaneously a history of the Mets and a history of his life.

This excerpt from Mr. Met: How a Sports-Mad Kid from Jersey Became Like Family to Generations of Big Leaguers by Jay Horwitz is reprinted with the permission of Triumph Books. For more information and to order a copy, please visit Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookshop.org, or www.triumphbooks.com/MrMet.

For more MLB content, check out Zachary’s author page or Twitter.

The post Nobody Has More Stories To Tell Than Former New York Mets PR Man Jay Horwitz appeared first on Back Sports Page.

The book sets the tone of Zito’s journey by opening with the 2010 playoff run. The 2010 World Series title run for the San Francisco Giants was extraordinary to say the least. The Giants  made the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and then won the World Series for the first time since 1954. They entered the playoffs by winning the Wild Card, and few expected them to win it all.

For many Giants players, even any baseball player, making the playoffs is one of the most exciting moments of their career. Not for Barry Zito. Shortly after the Giants clinched the playoffs, Zito was left off the postseason roster. As the Giants fans and players partied, Zito vanished into the background and fled from the stadium. As Zito iterated multiple times in his book, he was not worth the seven year, $126 million contract he signed back in 2007. 

Shockingly, Zito later reveals that he wanted the Giants to lose the 2010 World Series. At the apex of his baseball career, Zito was a broken man, wracked with grief. What led to the former Cy Young award winner’s downfall? How did he bounce back from such a low moment? Barry Zito holds nothing back as he writes about his demons. 

Zito starts at the beginning with his childhood, and the very unique relationship he had with his father Joe Zito. Playing professional baseball was not only Barry Zito’s dream, but also his father’s dream. Barry Zito and his father were intertwined in the pursuit of the glory of being the best baseball player imaginable. Joe Zito constantly inserted himself into his son’s life. He sheltered his son from making childhood friends, dictated his love life, turned down contracts that could support the family financially, took him away from his happy life at college, and his approval depended on how well his son pitched in a game. Although Joe Zito created one of the best pitchers in the early 2000s, he also created what Barry Zito calls a “monster”. All these repressions came out in a nightmarish form for a large part of Zito’s life. 

For a long time, Zito had a pretty irresponsible friend group, and had trouble with the ladies. He tried all sorts of drugs as a teenager and even got arrested too. During his playing career, many days when he was not scheduled to start, Zito stayed up to the early hours of the morning after partying all night. Despite the constant partying, Zito never partied the night before he started a game; baseball was always his main focus. Barry Zito was not always this type of person. He was not the typical baseball player in the 2000s; instead of a big burly ballplayer with no emotion, Zito played his guitar, surfed when he could, and was very much in touch with his feelings. However, Zito writes about his need to fit in, whether as a teenager or a MLB teammate, which led him to caving in and losing himself in order to become one of the boys. 

The lack of a traditional love life growing up turned Zito to hookup culture. He writes about breaking women’s hearts left and right, oftentimes feeling terrible in the process, but not stopping either. He even cheated on women he relationships with in the off season, and usually by the baseball season had dumped them to have his head in the game. Nevertheless, every time he broke someone’s heart, he felt horrible. He even wished that one day he could feel the pain of being dumped. While Zito was turning into a “monster,” deep down he was still a good person just acting out against the prohibitions he had growing up. When reading Zito’s book, it might seem like he is justifying his own poor behavior, but his willingness to confess and to try to put the pieces together makes it clear he is going deeper than that. He was still a quiet intellectual who loved baseball but fell victim to his desire to conquer both the baseball world and the drama of Hollywood.

Continuing in the book, Zito searches for the source of his internal pressure, most evident in how he lived and died with every start. He always doubted himself, and even when signed the $126 million contract, Zito did not think he was worth the money. Talent was never an issue for Zito, it was his state of mind that held him back from a Hall of Fame career. After winning the AL Cy Young award, Zito was on top of the world, but felt pressure to live up to his prior dominance. In short, he was never satisfied. Rather than facing his problems, Zito kept looking for external answers.  

Thus began quite an incredible redemption ark. It took him eight or so grueling years to finally change himself as a person. He ignored so many signs to change himself for the better that the reader has to hold back from yelling in anguish to demand that Zito take the necessary time and effort to find himself. Finally, it is a relief for both Zito and the reader when he begins his journey of inner peace through religious conversion, largely thanks to his mother and his wife. Zito’s conversion was not easy, but he translated the diligent work ethic he had for baseball into his newfound religious devotion. He started to make this transition during the 2011 season, and the next year, he pitched very well. As a result, he was included on the postseason roster, and the rest is history. He pitched well in an NLCS elimination game, before starting and winning Game 1 of the World Series.

Although Barry Zito was ecstatic at winning the World Series, he was more proud of the fact that he had changed his character—his growth as a person was his true redemption. Zito’s autobiography might be the best baseball book I’ve ever read. His uncanny ability to go into great detail about his thought process throughout his entire career makes the book a must read. Additionally, the dichotomy between a man chasing his childhood dream and his mental struggle that sabotaged his career, creates a story that goes beyond baseball and regular sports memoir. Zito shows that even hundred plus million dollar superstars are human; they too go through their ups and downs, but his hard work and discipline can inspire anyone to change themselves for the better.

The post Barry Zito’s Autobiography Throws His Audience a Curveball appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Selig takes us on a trip to his childhood in Milwaukee where we learn about his passion for baseball at a young age. Selig tells us about his role in bringing a professional baseball team to his hometown to create the Milwaukee Brewers. Readers get a behind the scenes look at Selig’s impact on the 1994 labor strike, the creation of the World Baseball Classic, and the steroid era.

The biggest thing that stands out in the memoir is Selig’s consistent bitterness and displeasure towards performance-enhancing drugs. Selig dramatically disapproves of the chemical enhancement of the 1990s and the 2000s while taking any opportunity he can to trash Barry Bonds.

Selig begins his memoir by saying, “This wasn’t the Bataan Death March. Nobody was going to die or be forced into hard labor. But the summer of 2007 was unpleasant for me.”

The Bataan Death March was a World War II war crime where 60,000-80,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to march over 60 miles which killed many of the soldiers. Selig compared this to him having to do a few weeks of traveling to different ballparks to witness Bonds breaking the home run record in person.

Selig sounds incredibly petty to compare Bonds breaking the home run record to a WAR CRIME. It is a borderline insult to veterans of World War II as well as to Barry Bonds himself. This statement sets the tone of memoir- petty, crotchety, and defensive.

Within the first seven pages of the book, Selig manages to say a negative statement about Bonds on every single page. When regarding the best player in baseball during Selig’s tenure as commissioner, he flatly says “I didn’t like Barry Bonds.” Selig calls Bonds a “self-absorbed slugger” who “simply wasn’t likable” and refers to Bonds breaking Hank Aaron’s home run record as some great travesty and stain on the sport.

The commissioner of Major League Baseball spent the entire first chapter of his memoir smearing the best player of his era. Plus, every dig at Bonds was contrasted with praise for Hank Aaron. For whatever reason, Selig thought the success of Bonds meant the deterioration of Aaron’s legacy. For Selig, the two players couldn’t exist simultaneously- Aaron and Bonds were opposing forces whose existence were at odds with each other.

Selig makes it very clear that he loves Hank Aaron. “I have called myself a friend of Henry’s since 1958 and burst with pride every time I speak to him.” Selig offers nothing but praise for Aaron and refers to him breaking Ruth’s home run record with great pride.

However, when it came to Barry’s home run record, Selig thought, “What I was experiencing on the Bonds Watch was not making me proud.” When Bonds tied Aaron’s record, Selig did not go into the clubhouse to congratulate him.

Selig explained that “I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes and act happy about what he’d done. I don’t exactly have a poker face.” The level of disgust which Selig feels towards Bonds is so dramatic and overdone. The best player in his sport tied a major record, and Selig didn’t even have the decency to walk from the owner’s box to the clubhouse to congratulate him.

To Selig, Hank Aaron represented the integrity of some golden age of baseball where no players would chemically enhance their bodies to gain an advantage. Bonds taking Aaron’s record meant that the character of the MLB during Selig’s youth was gone and replaced by ‘roided up muscular buffoons who cheated and brought shame to the game of baseball.

Selig is trying to go back to a time that never actually existed. He thinks that the players from the “steroid era” who sought out chemical enhancement are an aberration from the way baseball players used to behave. Selig ignores the chemical enhancements that players from prior eras participated in.

MLB players have been using amphetamines or “greenies” since at least World War II and there is an abundance of accounts from players and Hall of Famers who claim to have participated. Taking greenies has been a league-wide practice that has been apart of the MLB for decades. Yet, no player has ever been prevented from entering the Hall of Fame because of greenies nor are any statistical achievements considered artificial.

According to former BBWAA member and ESPN writer T.J. Quinn, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Mickey Mantle all admitted to using amphetamines during their careers. These legends chemically enhanced their bodies but are not treated the same as the legends who chemically enhanced their bodies during the “steroid era.” Nobody questions their integrity and especially not Selig.

Why are Hall of Famers allowed to take amphetamines and have that not considered cheating but the legends from the steroid era who got caught are not getting voted into the hall? Why is there a double standard for contemporary players who chemically enhanced their bodies but not for players from history who did the same?

In Selig’s memoir, he says, “I do not believe that players who are known to take steroids should go into the Hall of Fame.” Well, Bud, that means that many players from the past who took amphetamines should be removed from the Hall of Fame. Yet, we know that isn’t going to happen. So why punish recent PED users?

“Those players who took PEDs hurt the game. I don’t see how anyone can argue the other side on this one,” says Selig. Well, from 1995 to 2001, attendance rose 44 percent at MLB games and revenue rose from $1.4 billion to $3.7 billion. Some could argue that PEDs SAVED baseball from going under.

Bud Selig, instead of embracing the best players of his era, has helped ruin their reputation and turned them into villains. By using his memoir as an opportunity to continue to bash the character and integrity of the league during the “steroid era”, Selig has failed as commissioner to represent the league positively.

While Selig’s memoir was an interesting behind-the-scenes look into the history of Selig’s tenure as commissioner, he spends way too much time speaking negatively about the legends who dominated his era. You won’t find too many commissioners of sports leagues to bad-mouth their stars so frequently and openly as Bud Selig.

Calling your best players illegitimate is way more hurtful to the sport than any PED taken in the name of playing baseball. While Selig clearly possesses a deep love for the game of baseball and may have been acting in what he thought were good intentions, the way the MLB handled the “steroid era” brought more harm to the game than good. Bud Selig will never understand this.

The post What Bud Selig Gets Wrong About Steroids appeared first on Back Sports Page.

This interview was conducted at the end of 2015 as he was promoting his book.

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Still doesn’t ring a bell? Let me give you a little bit of background on him. He’s best known for being a 3x three-point contest champion and playing alongside Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls during their first three-peat as NBA champions. He was a solid role player who came off of the bench as a sharpshooting threat to whatever team they were going against. During his time with the Bulls, he won two championships with them. However, despite contributing to two out of their first three championships, the Bulls did not view him as an important enough piece to re-sign him once the 1991-92 season ended.

Interestingly enough, this was eight months after the Bulls visited President George Bush at the White House after winning the championship the year before. It is worth noting however that this was no ordinary visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. While everyone else was wearing their finest suits, Hodges wore a dashiki to embrace his African-American culture. In addition to his garb, he handwrote a letter and brought it with him, intending to give it to the president. The letter targeted the plight of Black and other minority communities. By bringing these issues to Bush’s awareness, Hodges simply hoped that this would speed up the process of bettering those communities.

“When you have an opportunity like that, you want to make the most of it,” said Hodges. “Winning championships, the birth of your children, those are standout moments and I’ve been blessed to have a couple of them and I think the White House is up there.”

Unfortunately, Hodges was the only one who viewed his actions that day as an innocent gesture.

From that point on (10 years into his career) he would never play another game in the NBA.

Might I remind you that the Bulls were just coming off of an NBA-best 67-15 season, after winning their second championship in a row, which Hodges contributed to. Therefore it was out of the ordinary that another team didn’t pick him up. Even his last coach, Phil Jackson thought so.

“He was a great team player, never caused any problems and I respected his views,” said Jackson. “But I also found it strange that not a single team called to inquire about him. Usually I get at least one call about a player we’ve decided not to sign. And yes, he couldn’t play much defense, but a lot of guys in the league can’t, but not many can shoot from his range, either.”

To thicken the plot, reportedly it wasn’t just the letter that put a bad taste in the NBA’s mouth when it came to Hodges. In a lawsuit that Hodges eventually filed against the NBA, the league referenced Hodges work with Minister Louis Farrakhan as one of their grievances against him. The former sharpshooter partnered with Farrakhan to empower African-American communities across the nation. Hodges’ particular interest was to challenge NBA players to uplift impoverished minority communities, especially if it is their own hometown. He even challenged the likes of his former teammate, Michael Jordan (who is from Brooklyn).

Needless to say the league took offense to this, due to Jordan being the NBA’s biggest moneymaker.

At the time Hodges had no clue that this would cost him his NBA career. However, despite him facing the consequences of speaking out, he has no regrets about the ordeal.

“For me I think the lessons are priceless,” said Hodges. “It wasn’t anything different or anything out of the ordinary. I didn’t feel crazy about going to the White House and writing a letter to the President. I felt like it was absolutely natural.”

Nowadays, both you and I (if we’re being honest) are more likely to run to our Twitter feed if we want to voice our opinion on any type of injustice. During his time, just think about how determined to be heard you have to be in order to handwrite a letter with the intention of handing it over to the leader of the Free World. Not to mention, to do this during a visit that not many people get to have.

Though according to Hodges, the importance of speaking up on his beliefs was something that was instilled in him at a young age.

“My mom and a brother by the name of Robert Lowe who was the president of the Civil Rights Organization. I was blessed to grow up watching him organize and see how passionate he was about getting civil rights issues done and organizing boycotts. I was right there in the midst of it as a five, six, seven [and] eight year old and it did something to me,” said Hodges. “I don’t really look at it as being outspoken as much as it is just speaking forthright between issues.”

Fast forward 25 years later, to 2017, with Colin Kaepernick facing the same exact struggles for speaking his mind on racial injustices, you may want to ask yourself one thing. What has changed?

Here we are as NFL training camps are already underway and today news broke that Kaepernick has reportedly agreed to sign a one-year deal with the New York Jets, 140 days into free agency, which began on March 9.

Hodges spoke on uplifting impoverished minority communities. Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem and spoke on the repeated instances of police brutality against minorities. Neither had the league that they played for (or even the team) get behind them to support their beliefs. Nor did they initially draw interest from other teams once speaking out.

Sure guys within each league liked to point out the on the court/field flaws of each player as the reason for their not being signed to another team. Let’s look a little closer though, shall we?

Hodges was coming off of back-to-back NBA championships as well as winning three consecutive three-point contests at All-Star weekend. The latter was something only he and Larry Bird had accomplished throughout NBA history.

Last season Kaepernick completed the season with 16 TDs and four interceptions. He also finished with more passing yards than Brian Hoyer, Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Foles and Jared Goff (all who have contracts) just to name a few. Lastly, he had the second most rushing yards for a quarterback, only behind Tyrod Taylor of the Buffalo Bills.

While neither player was the best in the league at their position, one can make the argument that to disregard the talents that they had compared to others is an injustice in and of itself.

Hodges mentioned that people have told him that he should have waited until he got a larger contract to speak on his beliefs. If you hear Kaepernick’s name mentioned in your local barbershop, I’m sure you hear the same advice being given.

However, as any great activist will tell you, keeping quiet about injustices does more harm than good. For that very reason, Hodges hates when people make the cliché argument that athletes should just “stick to sports.”

“I would ask that same person what type of causes do they stand up [for] outside of their job? If you’re standing up for wildlife, whatever it may be, I think we all have a right to stand up for what we are passionate about,” said Hodges. “I don’t know if anyone would ever say or acknowledge the fact that the same people who are telling us not to stand up for human rights issues because you’re an athlete or whatever, whatever business they’re in they’re taking their charity and doing something with theirs and nobody’s captivating them about it.”

So there you have it, before you jump to the assumption that Hodges’ and Kaepernick’s situation are much ado about nothing, take a closer look. You are bound to see some double standards at some point.

If you would also like a closer look into the life and trials of Craig Hodges, go purchase his book that he wrote about his NBA career, including its abrupt ending, called Long Shot: The Triumphs and Struggles of an NBA Freedom Fighter.

What’s next for Hodges? He currently coaches basketball at his alma mater, Rich East High School, in Park Forest, Illinois.

Contrary to what you may think, he is not sitting around fretting about the past, but instead is proud and perfectly content coaching at his old high school.

However if the right opportunity presented itself, Hodges said he wouldn’t be opposed to coaching in the NBA again. He once served as an assistant coach on the Lakers from 2005-2011. Also surprisingly, although the Chicago Bulls were the last team that cut him, he thinks it would be cool to coach for them and turn that organization around.

Whether or not this is his next move, we’ll see.

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Joe Buck: Well I think they end up getting a better picture as to who I really am, you know, I certainly don’t think that people are laying awake at night in their beds going “I wonder who joe buck really is” but I think it’s a worthwhile book and a good read and it’s a way for people to kind of make me a little bit more three dimensional and know that I’m willing to laugh at myself, to be honest about things that have happened in my life, to show the Worts of which I have many and be real.  You know, it’s hard in the course of play by play of a football game or a baseball game to show who you really are and this was my opportunity to do that.  So I’m thrilled with the response so far, I think its hit people on a lot of different levels and talking about the death of my father and the relationship that we had away from baseball stadiums and football stadiums, going through divorce, almost losing my career, these are things that people deal with in their lives and so maybe they can identify with pieces of it and take something to apply to their own struggle and, ya know, were not all very different and this is my offering to entertain and maybe have people understand more about me.

BK: That’s certainly what I’ve gotten from the book as well, speaking of your father, I am really curious with a guy like your father, aside from the all the advice he gave you on broadcasting, what advice as a person did your father give you that sticks with you today?  Maybe as a husband or a father?

JB: Yea, that is the most important question that you can ask.  And I saw a guy that have every reason in the world to put himself in a cocoon or think he was better than the game or better than someone else, at least in the city of St. Louis.  I mean, he was kind of St. Louis royalty.  Not only when I was a little kid but by the time he passed away he had built up a lot of goodwill in this city but the answer is how to treat people and how to treat the person operating the elevator at Busch Stadium the same or even better than you would the commissioner of baseball, if he were to show up at a Cardinal game or, ya know, how to do things for others when the camera’s not on or nobody’s there to record it and, ya know, you don’t come home… he passed away there were stories that came out about things that he did for people, that those of us in our family, we had no idea he had ever done.  And he wasn’t doing it so at the dinner table he could say “guess what great deed I did today” he did because it made him feel good and it helped somebody out.  And so, I learned how to be a good person from my dad and that’s way more important than how to call a homerun or a touchdown or whatever it may be.  And that’s a living example is what I’m trying to do for my own kids and I don’t that I’ve always done it perfectly but I’ve certainly tried.

BK: You wrote about the divorce in the book, how does your first marriage bleed into your second marriage and has that made you a better husband now, going through the divorce and dealing with your daughters, has that made you a better husband and I guess what lessons can you take from that?

JB: yea, I think, first of all when you write about something as personal as divorce, ya know, you have to take into consideration everybody’s feelings.  And so, I made sure my daughters were ok with every word I wrote in this book and every word that had to do with divorce.  That’s something that’s more traumatic for them but I married my high school sweetheart, we were married, I guess, by the end of it for 19 years and we, I think, did our very best but grew apart and thankfully there was no one else involved and we came to an understanding that we were going to part ways and the most important thing for us was to raise our daughters the best way we could.  And that’s what we’ve done from the minute they were both born and so you don’t ever go through something like that and don’t learn and not get better and I think I’m a better husband and I think I’m in a marriage that is more understanding.  I married a woman who’s at ESPN, who’s on air, who gets the business, who has a huge heart and thankfully everybody has moved on and probably come out better for it, but going through that was a difficult thing and writing about it was just as difficult.

BK: How was their reaction to the book, your ex-wife’s and your daughter’s?

JB: It’s been great and I’m so thankful for that.  Like I said, if my daughters were not ok with one word in that book I would change it and I gave them both the manuscript before it came out and they both read it, front to back, they loved it and they said go, this is a good representation of what we all went through and my ex-wife is fine with it.  We’ve talked about it, it’s something I said to her that I would say to anybody, I’m 47 writing about my life, there’s no way I can not talk about my failed marriage and it’s something I think a lot of people go through. The divorce rate is over 50% and so it would be disingenuous and an incomplete story if I didn’t put it in so thankfully everybody’s ok with that and I think it’s pieces of the book like that so many have identified with and that’s what’s made me so happy with it.

BK: As a guy, I’m in my early 30’s, so I worry about losing my hair also but I found it therapeutic that you admitted it was vanity, was it helpful to you to admit and what was the general response to that part of the book?

JB: It’s been great, ya know, it’s kind of like I’ve become the hair loss whisperer because now that this book has come out so many people have come to me like “oh my god, I had no idea, I feel the same way and I’ve gone through the same procedures” and so yea, it was therapeutic and I’m sure all of us who have lost hair have had the same thoughts, like there’s something about your virility that you feel like is taken away or maybe it’s a sure sign that you’re getting older and you don’t like it.  So, it’s not unique and was it therapeutic?  Absolutely and I loved being able to go on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show and say to the crowd and say to the audience “hey, so I had this hair plug procedure and I almost lost my voice” and that gets people’s attention because nobody really talks about that stuff, so I figured why not?  Let it all hang out and if you’re going to write a book then write a book.

BK: Right and be honest as possible, understood.

JB: Mmhmm

BK: so my last thing is just a statement, something that I’ve wanted to tell you for a while because I admire your work and on February 3^rd, 2008 you called the Giants Patriots Super Bowl, Super Bowl 42, on that date I had just gotten to Baghdad, Iraq and there’s something about that game, me being a Giants fan since I was as little as I could remember and at the point that was the biggest moment of my life and to spend it in Iraq and sort of have you as the backdrop to that moment, to getting me out of being scared and being depressed I just wanted to thank you so much for that

JB: Oh man, that makes my… oh… thank you.

BK: I mean, no thank you, I’m tell you, what you guys do is fantastic and just for that three and a half hours it was good to hear your voice so I just wanted to thank you and that’s all I had Mr. Buck.  Thank you so much.

JB: And thank you, thank you so much for that and I appreciate that more than you know.  So, thanks

BK: Alright, thank you

JB: Ok, take care

The post Interview with Joe Buck appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Throughout his storied career, Chris became more then just a wrestler a he became a rock and roll star with his band “Fozzy”. Chris started his own podcast called “Talk is Jericho” which airs twice a week at Podcastone.com. After two successful autobiographies, Chris has written a third to share his stories on the road with both WWE and Fozzy.

Recently Randy Zellea of Back Sports Page recently caught up with Chris to discuss his new book “King of the World, of What I Have No Idea”, his podcast and some of his career highlights in the ring.

Q) Thanks for the time. Your podcast is awesome and fun to listen to. Can you discuss your podcast, what was the initial idea for it?

A) Thanks man, I really appreciate it. It’s fun to because I am not really trying to have an interview but more like a conversation. It’s fun to sit down with people who I have been friends with for years. My friend Chris Harwood has been a friend for years and we have seen each other backstage a lot but never really have an hour to sit down to talk. It’s a rare thing to do and fun weather its friends like the Triple H and Edge or famous names that I don’t know personally such as the William Shatner. It is a lot of fun to have conversations with them.

Q) While doing podcasts you conduct a lot of interviews, how is it different is it with your book tour? Do you do email interviews? Phone interviews?

A) I won’t do email interviews. It’s a waste of time and very stale. When you are able to interview someone over the phone and or in person is better but it’s the whole conversation. Look I’m doing a book tour, I could do 10 minute interviews and that would be great but when you are able to have an extended interview for like 30 minutes you are able to get some solid information and some great stories.

Q) Was it hard for it not to be just a wrestling show? Other Wrestlers seem to focus on just wrestling; did you find it hard to branch away from it just not being a wrestling show?

A) I’m not just going to do that. The first thing is I am an entertainer and I have a lot of different interests. The first few shows were built as wrestling shows to help draw in downloads. After a while I was more interested in making this different. The thing was the company was not too sure because the non wrestling shows didn’t do well. I told them I don’t care; I’m not doing this to spark ratings. I’m doing this to grow a fan base. People have to start trusting me that I will have someone on my show that I feel fans will like. That’s why if I bring on a director, an actor, a wrestler, anybody who I think is interesting. The audience will like it because they are a fan of the show.

Q) Can you talk about the process of writing the book? Did you have a co-author?

A) I don’t have a co-author. I did all the writing, every word. I did work with a collaborator as like a guide. They gave me some guidance, feedback and a certain direction. The first book I did, I had no idea what I was doing. I had been in contact with a few people who helped give me guidance on the process until I got comfortable with it. Then there are parts when I handed in the first draft of the book, then the follow up drafts of the book. The Book wrapped up eight or nine months before the book came out. Out of the three books “Best in the World” is the best of the trilogy in my mind because its the best of my whole career not just the wrestling aspect. I think it is definitely the Return of the Jedi of the Chris Jericho books.

Q) In the Beginning of Undisputed you stated there was a delay because of a disclaimer of Chris Benoit. Can you talk about that decision and the process of writing King of the World?

A) No, it was chosen by me personally. There was no real push back from the book company. It was all me. I had to put a little bit of a forward in there because Chris (Benoit) is talked about so much in the book in a favorable way. I had to put a little something in. This wasn’t a major thing to hold the book back. When book one did well, we got the offer from them to do book two and when book two did well then we got an offer for book three. There is no way I can begin the process for another two years for a fourth book. When I wrote the “Best in the World” I could tell you that I just didn’t have enough stories to write within the year time frame. Then I realized I have too many stories and I have to put some aside for a fourth book. That’s why I am so proud of book three because it happened in the shortest of time. It’s the most suffice and story wise the strongest because of things that happened in that time frame.

Q) In the book you had a chapter entitled the Joker. You talked about getting lost in your character and your experiences with Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio and how dark you became. Can you go back and describe rehashing that time frame.

A) Yeah, people don’t understand we play characters on TV and it is acting. When you become very good at what we do, you become attached and into the character you play. I was such an evil role on TV and was doing it so well that I felt I was the best on the planet . I felt I was the best I the world at what I did and a lot of people agreed. Not all the time, but on certain nights and at certain times. Listen you do drop into a character and it is very dark and it’s the type of character that people attacked on the streets for real. People were literally attacking me on the street. People knew that wrestling is a show, but they pointed at me and said that guy was real. When you look at how Heath Ledger passed away with the pills and he couldn’t get out of the darkness of the Joker character. If you are not an actor or performer you might think that it’s a little crazy, but as a performer you drop down so far it’s like inception and you are not really sure how to get back to the real person. It was a really a dark time for me on screen and off as I really started acting like this person. Not completely but elements of that character remained in me at all times.

Q) I don’t know if you realized that you worked with Austin, Hogan, Rock, Angle, Edge, Cena, Triple H, HBK, and Goldberg. How does it feel knowing that the company has that much trust in you and you were able to produce stellar matches with different styles?

A) That has a lot to do with longevity. When Vince bought me in 1999, I was even as close as good as I would have been. That didn’t happen until 2008 when I became that Jericho with the suit and tie character. There has been diversity and versatility because I came to the business unlike anybody else that exists now. I started in Canada training in a very difficult manor and then going through different small time promotions like Mexico, Germany, Japan, Smokey Mountain, ECW, and WCW. You talk about the different guys I have wrestled, name a guy who has wrestled in all of places that I have in this day in age. That is why I enjoy coming back and that is why I feel I am a valuable asset to the company. I still wrestle at the peak of my ability. I can wrestle with anybody and I have wrestled with everybody. Name somebody from 1999 to now and I have worked with them… Everybody. I have had good matches with them too because of my training and background. I really didn’t realize that until you pointed it out but I have been in the ring with them

Q) If you use that on Raw do I Get credit for that?

A) That will only work if I am a heel I can’t do that if I am a baby face. There are a lot of rules if you’re a good guy.

Q) How involved are you with your creative and the material you are involved with on TV?

A) You could read about that in “Best in the world”. When you read it you could see how much involvement and input I had with my programs with Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. I was involved with the creative aspect as they used my ideas, not all of them but I was very involved with them. When I came in to the WWE in 1999 I helped write my own stuff, but over time we bought in more writers. I work with the writers in collaboration. Nobody ever gives me a piece of paper and tell me to say things on the air. For other guys they do that and it works for them. They have to gain a trust on what they do between them and the company. You are able to work out and gain the experience to know what you are doing and know who you are. It takes experience on what you can get across as a performer in your promo and the storyline . Sometimes the boss will go with your suggestions and sometimes he won’t and if he doesn’t want to do it then there is not thing you could do. The more I could interject more of my ideas into my character and add my own personality into my storyline and in my promo the better it’s gonna be. Everybody is in their own case by case basis but in my case everything is in collaboration and it has to be. I cannot do any other way.

Q) Do guys have the option to be hands on and have input?

A) Some guys don’t have that option because they don’t have the experience. You pretty much have to do what they are told. I am not doing it because I am such a visionary, I do it because I have the experience and the trust and it takes a while to earn that and get that. When you do get the trust then you can branch out on your own. Until you do get that then you have to do what you are too told do like you would at any job. Certain guys will break free and figure it out and become bigger characters and the own that become Hall of Famers.

Q) What is the difference between the WWE and WCW ring style?

A) Once again there is a certain WWE style which is taking your time and learning what you’re doing, it takes some time to figure it out when you worked in some other organizations a little bit of time to figure it out for yourself. I figured it out in 2008 with the suit and tie Jericho. I know people think there is a mythical WWE style but it is a real thing. It’s not one of those things that hold you down, or chains you down. It teaches you how to work properly, and how to have the best match you could possibly have and I didn’t learn that until I got to the WWE because I was never taught that way.

Q) Was it a tough adjustment for you?

A) I think it was for me, I know it was for Chris, for Eddie, also Sean Waltman went through it. I think it is the learning part of the business. Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins went through it when they came into the WWE from other places. There is a certain way to do things in the WWE. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from. You have to adjust and fall in line and figure it out. As long as you do, you will become a better worker and a brighter star in this business.

Q) What about some of your favorite matches. Any stick out?

A) I really liked the ladder match with Shawn Michaels back at No Mercy 2008 for the world title. I felt like that was one of the best matches ever due to the circumstances that lead up to it. The fact that we were supposed to do have a one time match. Eight months later, we working for the world title in the main event of a pay per view and that is a testament to how good that storyline was. I love the cage match I had with Bray a few months back. I think it’s a testament after being in the business for 24 years that I could still go out and have great match like that it. I feel better than I have and still feel I could accomplish these types of matches. I also loved my matches with Rey Mystero that we had in 2009. If you watch any of those matches you could see we had amazing chemistry together. There are so many of them but those are some of the recent ones.

Q) I had the Memory of one great match between X-Pac Vs Eddie Vs Benoit and yourself. Any memories of that match from 2001?

A) I do remember that match. I do not think that I have ever watched it. I just remember it was really good. I also remember we were on second on that show, but someone showed up late or something got changed so we ended up putting the match together on the fly. Putting a match together on the fly is easier when it’s just two people.. When its four people it is pretty much walking a tight rope of trust. I remember really enjoying it, but how could it not be a great match when you have the caliber of the four guys in the match? It was a really cool moment but something that made it even more special was that we didn’t have the time to plan it. Sometimes when you have four good workers and put them all together it has no choice but to be a really good match.

Q) How has the business changed and how do you stay motivated?

A) Back during that time period we took the attitude of you work with who you work with and you do your best to make it good. I had nine years experience before I came to the WWE and that’s something a lot of people seem to forget about. No matter what obstacles are thrown at me, I have been through it before so I know how to make it good. So even though it took a while in my mind I had nowhere to go but up. Things were going to be good because that was the way I was trained. I was never given anything in the wrestling business from the day I started. When you don’t have things handed to you, you have to work harder to get the spot. I just did my thing and sometimes it went my way and sometimes it didn’t but I knew in the long run it was going to be good because that is how I was trained.

Q) Do you feel that there is not enough experience now in the WWE locker? You have guys that are in and out. Is it difficult to build new talent?

A) There is a bunch of young guys now. You can’t just bring in guys who have experience anymore. It’s not the way it used to be. They have guys training these kids from the inside but things have changed. It’s not their fault it’s the way it is. It was a very magical time in the early 2000’s because you had guys who had ten to twenty years experience in this industry all together in the same place. That made it so magical because of guys who had been through trenches already. Sadly you are not going to have that anymore so you have guys learning as they go. They have to create new guys, new stories, new situations but it will take time. The company is in the right direction and in good shape as new talent is currently being developed.

Q) Can you discuss the legendary tag match from Raw in 2001, Triple H and Steve Austin vs. You and Chris Benoit? Did you guys want to show you can hang with those guys at the time?

A) It wasn’t showing that we could hang at that point. People knew we could hang. Around that time it was you had two very over heels and two young baby faces. You look at the crowd that night, it was just amazing how they were reacting and things were different then. They hadn’t seen anyone hand Triple H and Steve Austin there asses like we did that night. That was a special match that night and with Hunter getting hurt that night it made it more of a legendary match. The fans were amazing which created an awesome atmosphere. It was a shame we couldn’t go in the back and toast each other afterwords because Hunter got hurt. It sucks even more now that match gets buried because of Benoit’s involvement but at the time and still is one of the greatest matches in Raw history.

Q) Final Question: With your busy schedule do you find it difficult to spend time with your family?

A) No, because you have to make time for it. It might seem like I have a lot going on and I do. There is time where all I do and want to do is spend time with my family. I make sure I drop the kids off and pick them up from school. Unfortunately because of my job and what I do I travel a lot and it’s what I do but when I am home. I always know family is the number one priority.

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