Ball & Order is a weekly podcast where self-proclaimed sports historians/Attorneys Gabe Ibrahim and Alex Lange debate sports and tell historical sports stories. A Sports Drink podcast. Subscribe to our free newsletter: ballandorder.substack.com.
Ball Through The Ages is live! This is the trailer episode, which will briefly describe the show and tell you about us. If you want to know more, check out our About page and our twitter account: @ballthroughages. Thanks for listening. If you like, please forward this on to your friends who need some sports nostalgia in their lives. If you’re getting this emailed forwarded to you, please subscribe to the newsletter and come on this journey with us.As a reward for reading this, here’s a great compilation of Gus Johnson’s best calls: Get on the email list at ballthroughtheages.substack.com
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Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals is remembered for one moment: Willis Reed emerging from the tunnel to play despite tearing his quadricep four days earlier. Reed’s return is said to have sparked the Knicks’s victory and their first world championship. Yet, the story of these NBA Finals reaches far beyond that moment. It includes everyone from Howard Cosell to Richard Nixon. Gabe and Alex explore all of that, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Bradley, and Dave Debusschere in the first episode of Ball Through The Ages. Subscribe to us on substack to get every episode sent to your inbox: ballthroughtheages.substack.com. Follow us on twitter: @ballthroughages. Graphics by @wlohaty. ————————————————————Show Outline Opening-Why are we talking about this briefly Study Hall (background) LakersKnicksSeries leading up to thisThe Skinny Knicks blow out the Lakers from the start. Walt Fraizer finishes with 36 points, 19 assists, and 7 reboundsCrucial moments Willis Reed coming into gameKnicks first 5 minutesFrazier’s second quarter runFrazier 7-9 in the 3rd quarter, really puts the game away Who Lived up to the Hype Willis Reed Walt Fraizer The Knicks and MSGJerry West Wilt ChamberlainTime Machine (what most took you back to that time or what looks the weirdest now)Short shortsWilt’s underhand layups Tip offs at the start of every quarter Names of the guys in this game Playoff format and geographyCivil War tape jobsLegacy This should be the Clyde Frazier game!Bill Bradley and Dave Debusschere Best time ever for Knicks, Jets, Mets fansNixon’s wild night Stuff that didn’t make it Jerry West had an 81 inch wingspan despite being 6’3”The New York Times story on the Lakers was a bit dramatic: WALT FRAIZER HAD 36 POINTS AND 19 ASSISTS. We mentioned that twice but it doesn’t feel like it was enough. SourcesFull game on YouTubeExcerpt from “The Show” by Roland Lazenby where Jerry West complains about Wilt’s free throws Sports Illustrated story on game 7The Atlantic on Nixon’s wild night Get on the email list at ballthroughtheages.substack.com
The Al Horford Phenomenon is something that we have noticed over the course of the All-Star center’s career. Almost every time he is brought up, someone is claiming that he is either underrated or overrated and then calling him trash or a superstar. On this episode, we delve into why both those opinions are wrong. More importantly, we try to figure out why it is happening and what effect the phenomenon has had on Horford’s career. Subscribe to our substack: ballthroughtheages.substack.com. Show Outline What is the Al Horford phenomenon What is Horford’s true value Vital Stats One-Sentence Description Can he be the 3rd best player on a championship team? Player Comparisons The history of the PhenomenonTook shape early in Atlanta and was solidified in 2012-13 Takes off in 2014-15 with Hawks winning 60 gamesThen, it becomes a thing. You can only talk about Al Horford by talking about whether people underrate or overrate him. Why has this happened?Great guy Excels at the little things Casuals vs SmartsPerhaps he’s in the wrong era Other examples Mike Conley Rudy Gobert Stuff that didn’t make it Horford somewhat struggles against Tristen Thompson, especially in the playoffs. Here are their head-to-head stats: Thompson leads the series 26-15 with TT’s 16-4 playoff record. Thanks, Lebron!Horford has out-rebounded Thompson twice in 20 playoff meetings. He has had some of his worst games against Thompson including putting up 2 points and 4 rebounds as the Cavs swept the Hawks in 2015. He’s Dominican and speaks Spanish. I’m extra mad we didn’t bring this up cause it may have been our only opportunity to use my favorite song from Scrubs as a soundbite. Horford has the softest eyes ever. I’m serious: SourcesBen Golliver, Sports Illustrated: The All-Ignored TeamAdam Fromal, B/R: Meet Al Horford, the NBA's Hidden Superstar Zach Lowe, Grantland: The Unassuming, Unknown Superstar Status of Al Horford Tommy Heinsohn says Horford isn’t greatChris Mannix, Yahoo: Celtics' Al Horford making underrated excellence his calling cardNo guy on r/celtics you are not the only one who thinks Horford is overrated Get on the email list at ballthroughtheages.substack.com
The 1960 College Football season was one of the wildest and weirdest seasons in the sport’s history. Ole Miss and Minnesota are the two teams claiming the national championship, which should prove the previous statement. Alex and Gabe get into which team should actually be crowned the 1960 champion and a bunch of other weird stories from this season, including how Purdue finished in the top 15 with a 4-4-1 record, a bribery scandal, and the worst player to win the Most Outstanding Passer award. Subscribe to the podcast at ballthroughtheages.substack.com. Graphics by @wlohaty (Tom Brown featured). *Important note: This episode was recorded two weeks ago so we’ve been in quaratine for far longer than we said.* Show OutlineWho are the challengers for the title and what is their claim? Weirdest thing to happen in this season Kansas plays the #1 team three times A UF-FSU Bribery scheme The winless Sammy Baugh winnerLet’s eliminate some teams. Who didn't play anybody?Who has a disqualifying loss?Two teams eliminatedWho wins the title?Apply PlayoffApply the selection at the time (before bowls) Apply selection after the bowls Stuff that didn’t make it There was supposed to be a new bowl game in this season: the Gotham Bowl in Yankee Stadium. But it was cancelled after Army and Air Force pulled out. The next year, the Gotham Bowl would secure Oregon State only to have no opponent for the Beavers. After a two-year run in ‘62 and ‘63, the bowl folded. Pitt’s Mike Ditka finished 6th in Heisman voting. SourcesTipTop25 re-ranked this season and choose a champion. This site has amazing breakdowns of seasons like this one. This Iowa football hype video from 1960 is an absolute must watch. It’s where we got two of the sounds for this podcast. Get on the email list at ballthroughtheages.substack.com
#2 Kansas vs #4 Missouri playing for a spot in the Big 12 Championship game. The game defied all college football logic and any predictions for the 2007 season. Despite being a seminal moment from the craziest CFB season in recent memory, the game didn’t really effect the outcome of the season. In this episode, Alex and Gabe explain why that is perfectly on-brand for this rivalry and what this game has in common with the actual Border War fought in the 1860s. Subscribe to us on substack: ballthroughtheages.substack.com. Stuff that didn’t make itQuantrill’s raid and the sacking of Lawrence We skated over what got Mark Mangino fired at Kansas, but it’s worth remembering how much of a jerk he is: On the flip side, Gary Pinkel had to step down in 2015 to battle non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Everyone at Missouri still loves him and he seems like a great dude. Pinkel recently started a foundation for cancer research. Sources Full game on youtube The Civil War Podcast on Bleeding Kansas (Warning: this podcast is very much a history podcast unlike us two bozos)SBNation’s Bill Connelly on the gameNew York Times’s Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans on Missouri being #1 Get on the email list at ballthroughtheages.substack.com
Gene Chizik is part of one of the most elite groups in College Football history: National Championship winning coaches. Yet, Chizik got fired just two years after winning the title with Auburn and still hasn’t gotten another head coaching job. He is almost unanimously regarded as the worst coach to get a ring. Gabe and Alex examine Chizik’s legacy, whether he’s a good coach or just lucky, and what his career teaches us. Let us know what you think on twitter: @ballthroughages. Subscribe to our substack: ballthroughtheages.substack.com.Show Notes: The Larry Coker story from the intro A redditor explains the Auburn coaching search when Chizik was hiredWE NEED A LEADER NOT A LOSER videoThe Athletic’s Justin Ferguson breakdown of 2010 AuburnArticle from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier on Chizik being on the hot seat at ISUDes Moises Register on Chizik leaving Iowa StateVideo about following his kids to Spring Break Get on the email list at ballthroughtheages.substack.com
The Jail Blazers and the Nash-Nowitzki Mavs were two of the most interesting teams of the early 2000s. The Nash and Nowitzki pairing with Don Nelson at the helm pushed offense to new heights as the rest of the league lagged behind. The Jail Blazers had one of the most interesting motley crews in league history led by Rasheed Wallace. In 2003, these teams made history as Portland became the 3rd team to ever forced a Game 7 after going down 3-0. Alex and Gabe breakdown Game 7 of that series, the legacies of these teams, and talk a lot about Arvydas Sabonis and Bill Walton. Subscribe to our newsletter on substack: ballthroughtheages.substack.com. Show Notes Here’s the Sabonis video where Alex found the comment about Sabonis being “Nikola Jokic trapped in David Robinson’s body.”Speaking of Robinson, here’s a clip of Sabonis destroying him in 1986.The fat baby named Alex Lange that we mentioned did end up getting healthcare, but there’s a new Alex Lange who is pretty famous and we’re not sure why. CORRECTION: It was actually Ross Perot Jr. who sold the Mavs to Mark Cuban.Read Dirk talk about the Mavs break-up with Steve Nash where Dirk calls him “Nashy” the whole time. Bill Simmons’s preview of the 2003 playoffs is a fun re-read. Get on the email list at ballthroughtheages.substack.com
In 2007, the We Believe Warriors made history. They became just the 3rd 8-seed to ever beat a 1-seed in the NBA playoffs and the first to do so in a 7-game series. Alex and Gabe break down how the Warriors went from 9 games under .500 to an all-time playoff upset in a single month. They also talk about Stephen Jackson’s massive game, Charles Barkley’s sadness over having to watch basketball, and Austin Croshere for some reason. Subscribe to the show on substack: ballthroughtheages.substack.com. Follow us on twitter: @ballthroughages. Show NotesFull game on YouTubeRecap of last regular season game between Warriors and MavericksGreat video of Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes talking about how the team related to the city Story of why the Pacers needed to trade Stephen Jackson We forgot to mention that Don Nelson was feuding with Mark Cuban after leaving Dallas Get on the email list at ballthroughtheages.substack.com
The We Believe Warriors made history on the court by beating the top seeded Mavericks as an eighth seed. Speaking of seeds and eighths, a lot of the players, coaches, and commentators from this game were involved with marijuana in some way. They all had different experiences with cannabis and represent the wide range of outcomes for NBA figures with pot. If you missed our breakdown of the game, check out our last episode. Show NotesEthan Sherwood Strauss’s story about smoking pot with Don Nelson ($)Don Nelson: “I’ve been smoking some pot”If you want to learn more about Al Harrington’s business, watch this video. If you want see him hot box a car, watch his appearance on the smokebox. Article about Matt Barnes being cannabis hero. Matt Barnes’s story about the party after the game. Steve Kerr: MASTER BLUNT ROLLER Get on the email list at ballthroughtheages.substack.com
The Miami Hurricanes came into the 2003 Fiesta Bowl with a 34-game win streak looking to win their second straight National Championship. They (and Gabe) left with heartbreak and anger, in part due to the most infamous pass interference call in college football history. Alex and Gabe talk about the Canes fan’s pain rewatching this game as a Miami fan, what went wrong for Miami and right for Ohio State, and why that pass interference call shouldn’t define this game. Let us know what you think on twitter: @ballthroughages. Subscribe to our substack: ballthroughtheages.substack.com. (There’s some explicit language in this episode.)Show NotesFiveThirtyEight’s ELO rankings which put the 2002 Miami team ahead of the famed 2001 teamSBNation did a good Rewinder episode on this gameAn article from BUCKNUTS breaking down analysis of the game The State of the U article saying the loss broke Miami’s programMore proof that Canes fans should blame Larry Coker for this loss. Get on the email list at ballthroughtheages.substack.com
