Sportsland, Oregon: New Episode

With the dog days of summer amidst them, Los and the gang go into the different rumors surrounding Chris Paul's possibility of becoming a Blazer. They also break big Timbers news a little early, recap the Beavers' record-setting Sunday, and even discuss the journalistic ethics of reporting on rumors about player's mothers. Check it out in the nifty player on the right or at blogtalkradio.com/oregonsportsradio

This Week in Oregon Sports History: 7/29/1934

On top of all the other terrible things going on in the world (John Dillinger running rampant, Adolf Hitler becoming Fuhrer, The Great Depression, The Dust Bowl), July 29th, 1934 was sad day in the history of Oregon sports. Walter Henry McCredie, considered by many to be the "Founding Father" of the Portland Beavers, passed away in Portland.

McCredie played one year of Major League ball for the Brooklyn Superbas, hitting .324 in 56 games, but it was in the Minors where he would have his greatest impact. After his uncle purchased the Beavers in 1906, McCredie led them to their first ever Pacific Coast League title as a player manager. Portland went 115-60, with McCredie hitting .309 for th season. Michael Mitchell led the league with a .351 average. McCredie would go on to manage the Beavers for another 17 years and two more championships. After his tenure with the Beavers was finished, he managed the Salt Lake City Bees for one season.

Sportsland, Oregon: New Episode

In this week's episode, Los, Cliff, Mike and Jeremy discuss the Blazers' new GM, Richard Cho. They also keep it local with talk of the Timbers' friendly loss to Manchester City and the Timbers' U-23 team's perfect season. Finally, they throw in some judgement on long term sports contracts, the British Open, and Jeremy gives his take on the Miami Heat's franchise. Check out the podcast in the nifty player on the right or at www.blogtalkradio.com/oregonsportsradio.

This Week in Oregon Sports History: 7/23/1984

As it turns out, 1984 was not the dystopian catastrophe George Orwell predicted. Instead, the Russians were boycotting the Summer Olympics in LA, the greatest NBA draft class in history was about to settle in with their new teams, Vanessa Williams renounced her Miss America crown because of Penthouse, and crack began to take the LA underground by storm.

More importantly (for the purposes of this blog), on July 23 of that same year, Northwest native and 3-time NBA All-Star Brandon Roy was born in Seattle, Washington. Roy played his high school basketball at Garfield in Seattle. After declaring for the NBA draft before college, he withdrew his name from consideration and went on to have a very successful NCAA career at the University of Washington, where he would earn Pac-10 Player of the Year and All American Honors his senior year.

After graduating, Roy was selected 6th overall by the T-Wolves and acquired in a draft day trade by the Blazers in 2006. "The Natural" would go on to win Rookie of the Year award, and earn All-NBA second and third team honors in 2009 and 2010, respectively, despite dealing with several injuries. Along with his 3 All-Star selections, Roy is the face of the Portland Trailblazers and has the luxury of having a last name that could pass for a first name.

Rudy

The overpaying of Wesley Matthews pretty much finalizes what many already predicted: Rudy Fernandez will not be with the Portland Trailblazers next year. The disgruntled Fernandez has been frustrated with his role on the team for some time, and while he has the talent and tools to become a Hedo Turkoglu-type player (Orlando Hedo, not Toronto Hedo), it looks like it will not happen in Portland. Rudy does have a 5-team wishlist of where he hopes it will happen: The Knicks, the Bulls, the Nets, the Celtics, or the Heat. On top of those 5, a return to his Spanish homeland will always be at least in the back of the mind of international star.

If what Rudy wants is to get playing time and become a quality rotation guy, the Knicks and Nets would be his best options. Both teams have plenty of cap space and need plenty of help, so he could come in a contribute immediately, instantly earning a spot in the starting lineup. The Knicks reportedly offered a deal earlier in the summer, but don't have enough enticing pieces to make it worth it for the Blazers. They can't even really offer draft picks since Houston has theirs from the T-Mac deal. The Nets also don't have many good trading pieces, and don't seem to be showing as much interest in Rudy. The Blazers could possibly accept the expiring contracts of Kris Humphries or Quenton Ross plus a draft pick, which would then give them two contracts to be able to turn come this February's trading deadline firesale (CP3, anyone?). Rudy in turn would fit in nicely to a starting lineup featuring Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Derrick Favors, and Terrence Williams.

Miami instantly became a prime destination for players wanting to win, but Rudy wants playing time, and at his position that looks like it would be hard to come by on South Beach. On top of the three stars, the Heat also have sharpshooting Mike Miller, Big Z, and Udonis Haslem. They might also be picking up a 39 year old Penny Hardaway. Not that that makes much of a difference, but it's a funny little tidbit to throw in. Rudy would be pretty much what he is now in Portland, a fourth option at best. By all accounts, this is not what he wants. While the weather and night-life would treat the international Rudy quite well, he seems to want more.

Finally, there's Boston and Chicago. Both make sense from a basketball standpoint, as both teams could use him. In Chicago, he would be jumping on to what now looks to be the second best team in the East. He probably wouldn't start over the highly regarded Deng, but he would get quality minutes off the bench while still being able to play with quality teammates. For it to be worth Portland's while, ideally they'd be able to pry away Taj Gibson and a draft pick, but that seems unlikely.

Boston would be the most enticing for Rudy. He would not become an immediate starter on a team with The Big Three, but all three are on the decline. He'd be a potent contributor off the bench and his unselfishness would go great with their team chemistry. It would also better prepare the Celtics for their major overhaul once Allen's and KG's contract are up in 2012, and Rondo and Fernandez would provide a solid nucleus with a role Rudy should be happy with. It's unclear what Boston could throw in to entice Portland, but this is where he should be looking. The sad thing is, with Martell Webster gone, there's room for Rudy on Portland. It just looks like he doesn't want a part of it.

Why Wesley Matthews won’t matter

Would you move to Portland for $1.29 million a day for a week? I know Wesley Matthews would. In fact, when Portland offered Matthews a five-year, $34 million contract, the team reportedly offered more than $9 million during the first week of the contract.
The ploy was to lessen the likelihood that the Jazz would match the Blazers toxic deal. Last year, Matthews made the league minimum $457,588. He will make twenty times that in his first week with the Blazers.
But now that the Jazz have declined to match the offer, the question becomes is Matthews worth it? History says probably not.
In his only season in the NBA, Matthews went from a second round refugee to a started for the Jazz, averaging 9.4 points a game. In ten games of playoff action, Matthews stepped up and averaged 13.2 points a contest. Not bad numbers from a first-year player regardless of his draft position.
However, history shows that free agents do not have long or productive shelf-lives after signing with the Blazers. First, here’s a list of every Blazer all-star and how they ended up with the Blazers.

Clyde Drexler, ten selections total, eight as a Trail Blazer (1986, 1988–1994) DRAFT
Sidney Wicks, four selections total, all as a Trail Blazer (1972–1975) DRAFT
Maurice Lucas, four selections total, three as a Trail Blazer (1977–1979) ABA DISPERSAL DRAFT
Rasheed Wallace, four selections total, two as a Trail Blazer (2000–2001) TRADE
Brandon Roy, three selections, all as a Blazer (2008–2010) DRAFT DAY TRADE
Kevin Duckworth, two selections, both as a Blazer (1989, 1991) TRADE
Jim Paxson, two selections, both as a Blazer (1983–1984) DRAFT
Geoff Petrie, two selections, both as a Blazer (1971, 1974) DRAFT
Terry Porter, two selections, both as a Blazer (1991, 1993) DRAFT
Bill Walton, two selections, both as a Blazer (1977–1978) DRAFT
Lionel Hollins, one selection as a Blazer (1978) DRAFT
Cliff Robinson, one selection as a Blazer (1994) DRAFT
Kermit Washington, one selection as a Blazer (1980) TRADE

Out of the 13 Blazer all-stars, ten were acquired on draft night and three were traded for. Not one free agent signing has ever been named an all star for the Blazers. Now just because a player doesn’t make an all star game, it doesn’t make him a bust.
However, only two Blazer free agent signings have ever averaged more than ten points per game for their Portland careers. Rod Strickland had a productive five-season tenure with the Blazers averaging 16.2 PPG and 8.2 APG, while Billy Ray Bates poured in 12.3 points per game off the bench in two seasons in the early 80s.
After doing the research, I believe the three best FA signings ever by the Blazers are Strickland, Ruben Patterson, and Steve Blake. Those three are the only free agent signings to be in the top-45 in points scored in a Blazer uniform. All three played five seasons with the club and none of them have or will finish their careers as Blazers.
When it comes down to it, free agents have not been able to find success in Portland. For Matthews, matching his rookie season numbers would actually be an improvement over almost every FA ever to sign with the Blazers. However, for $34 million, he might be expected to perform a little better. Like, maybe, 11 points a game.

Portland's Next GM Should Be..

With Kevin Pritchard having been deposed and LeBron James moving on to bigger and better things, the Trail Blazers must still find a replacement for their open GM position. Three candidates have already interviewed, and a fourth name has floated around the rumor mill but is yet to be contacted. While Danny Ferry, Randy Pfund, and Richard Cho have interviewed for the position, Kiki Vandeweghe appears to be the best candidate for the job when you look at the resumes and their relationships to the Portland community.

The early favorite for the position was Danny Ferry, who recently resigned from the same post for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After spending most of his mediocre playing career in Cleveland and San Antonio, he then moved on to the Spurs' front office, where you would think some of the front office success would have rubbed off on him before he took the GM job for the Cavs in 2005. Instead, he managed to waste the ability of the most talented player of his generation for 5 years.

Since joining Cleveland, he was faced with the pressure of getting LeBron James a ring, and figuring out how to bring in the proper personnel to allow him to succeed in the playoffs. The major moves that transpired during his era were not enough to bring Cleveland a championship. All that paying Larry Hughes $11 million per year and re-signing Drew Gooden and Donny Marshall brought the town was a 4 game sweep out of the 07 Finals. Ferry then managed to turn these three role players into an over-the-hill Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak (who's expiring contract he would fail to deal later on) and Delonte West (who would supposedly go on to bang LeBron's mom. Of all the women in Northeast Ohio at his disposal, he went with the King's mother). He also managed to pick up Mo Williams, the only All-Star (dubious) LeBron ever played with.

For Ferry's last two blockbusters, first he flipped Wallace and the athletic Sasha Pavlovic into Shaq. Shaq went on to clog the middle and change the whole Cleveland offensive dynamic. For his second blockbuster, he managed to land Antawn Jamison for practically nothing (since he got Big Z back a month later) at the trading deadline. Danny Ferry seems to be the opposite of the kind of GM the Blazers would need. While he was saddled with "Win NOW!" pressure from the very beginning, he still overpaid for mediocre players and did not use contracts properly. And then there's this, from his basketball reference page, sponsored by a fan:

An Extremely Ticked Off Cavs Season-Ticket Holder sponsor(s) this page.

Danny Ferry was a colossal failure, both as a bad NBA player and as an atrocious NBA general manager. He will forever be known in the annals of professional team sports as the first person in history to have destroyed the same sports franchise twice.

A bit much, but you get the idea.

The next candidate, and also the one with the best resume, is Randy Pfund, former Miami Heat GM. This resume comes with a huge asterisk, due to the fact that the legendary Pat Riley was head coach during much of this tenure and president through all of it. It's been Riley who receives the credit for Miami's run the past 15+ years, from all those Atlantic Division titles in the late 90's, to the drafting of D-Wade and subsequent championship after he landed Shaq. Now, it's been Riley as the de facto GM since Pfund resigned in 08. The Heat don't even list a GM on their executive page.

For argument's sake, give Pfund the benefit of the doubt, since he held the title. If it was indeed him masterminding these moves, then he did a tremendous job building a perennial contender and a champion. Since signing on to a talented Heat team that featured Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning in November of 96, he managed some great acquisitions that began with landing 23 ppg scorer Jamal Mashburn for essentially nothing (underachieving Kurt Thomas, Pedrag Danilovic, and Martin Muursepp). He then traded away his rival GM Chris Wallace (of Gasol trade fame) and a second round pick, landed Terry Mills and Veshon Leonard through free agency, and made a deal for a young and promising Brent Barry that only forced him to give up Ike Austin and Charles Smith. He then turned Leonard into All-Star Chris Gatling and Eddie House, then turned those two into Brian Grant (who, if you don't remember Portlanders, was a potential All-Star on an extremely deep Blazers team that was a blown-17-point-4th-quarter-lead-in-Game-7-on-the-Road from going to the NBA Finals and probably winning a championship).

Over the next few years, Pfund managed to keep the Heat afloat after their championship window had essentially closed by landing Anthony Mason and Eddie Jones for an (at this point) injury-plagued Mashburn, picking up Lamar Odom, and drafting Udonis Haslem, Caron Butler, and a guy named Dwyane Wade. With all these pieces in place, he then turned Odom, Grant, and Butler in Shaq, except unlike Ferry, he brought in Shaq when he still had something left in the tank. Now, with two superstars like Shaq and Wade, Pfund brought in quality supporting members like Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, and an old Gary Payton which ultimately brought Miami its only title in 2006. It probably would have been two titles if it weren't for timely injuries to Wade and O'neal in 2005. After the glory days were gone, he turned Shaq into Shawn Marion, and drafted Michael Beasely and Mario Chalmers after the Heat bottomed out in 08. The unwritten fact throughout all of this is that Riley receives all of the credit, and rightfully so. It's difficult to say no to a figure as legendary as Riley. Just ask Shaq in 04, or James, Wade, and Bosh in 2010. While it may have said GM on Pfund's letterhead, the real one managing the situation was Riley.

The latest candidate to interview for the postion is Richard Cho, the assistant GM for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Cho has been involved with the organization for 11 years, going back to their days as the Seattle Supersonics, so he has a little Pacific Northwest awareness in him. Before he worked for the Thunder, he worked as an engineer for Boeing in Seattle, and then (like many others in NBA front offices) went on to get his law degree. He's been a part of a very exciting up and coming team, and Sam Presti has done an amazing job acquiring the perfect personnel to support his superstar Kevin Durant as well as been very economically savvy, and now has the Thunder in a position to be very successful for a very long time. Although he doesn't have much experience in the limelight, Cho has been learning behind the scenes at one of the smartest and best run front offices in the league. While in theory this is a good thing, examples have shown in the past (see: Ferry, Danny) that working for a well run organization does not mean you've learned anything.

Finally, there's former Blazer Kiki Vandeweghe. Although he has yet to be officially contacted by the Blazers, his name has come up in conversations over the past few weeks. First, his track record shows he can turn around a franchise. Since he took over the Nuggets in 01-02, he turned them from a cellar dweller to a perennial playoff team that has been favored to win the West. His major moves have been landing free agents Andre Miller, Veshon Leonard, and Juwan Howard, landing Kenyon Martin (for late draft picks), trading on draft day for Nene and Marcus Camby, and drafting Melo. After the 06 season his contract was not renewed, thought it is not his fault the team underachieved.

His next GM stop was a messy New Jersey situation, that again he made the best of. By the time he took over, Jason Kidd had already left, Vince Carter wanted out, and the Nets were in rebuilding mode. Still, he made the best of the 08 draft, picking up Brook Lopez (who has now become the cornerstone of the franchise) and Chris Douglas-Roberts, who was a serviceable reserve.

The key things to focus on are his tenure in Denver, his draft record, and ultimately his connection to the Blazers. He played his entire career in Portland with an injured back and still averaged over 20 ppg. He scored 47 in his first game ever as a Blazer. He's #17 on The Oregonian's top 40 Blazers of all time. He played an integral part in the development of Clyde Drexler. He's even been used as an excuse for why Portland drafted Sam Bowie (they had just traded for Kiki a few weeks earlier). If you look at the players he got in Denver, all for next to nothing, you can see he knows how to assemble the missing pieces of a team. If he can get free agents to come to a place like Denver, then Portland shouldn't be such a leap. Now that he already has a decent team assembled, he will be able to plug in the missing pieces without much fuss. Based on his track record, and his connection to the organization, Kiki Vandeweghe would put the Blazers in the best position to continue to develop and succeed.

Sportsland, Oregon: New Episode

In this week's episode, Mike Donovan returns, and the ensuing celebration gets so big the gang has to split it up into two parts. In Part 1, the gang wraps up the World Cup with their favorite moments and analysis of the Final. They also catch up on some much needed Timbers talk.

In Part 2 of this extended podcast, Los, Cliff, and Mike talk a little Home Run Derby, and then get into their thoughts on the LeBron James signing. They also talk about the Blazers offseason, other free agent signings, What they Wannna Watch, and give you your weekly Oregon Sports History Lesson. Check it out using the nifty player on the right or at blogtalkradio.com/oregonsportsradio.

This Week in Oregon Sports History: 7/14/1915

In 1915, during the time of the War to End All Wars, baseball had many things going for it. A guy named Babe hit his first of many career home runs. Notorious racist Ty Cobb led the majors with a .369 batting average. Teams had names like the Robins, the Tip-Tops, and the Buffeds.

More importantly (for the purposes of this blog), young prospect Ken Williams of Grants Pass, Oregon debuted in the outfield for the Cincinnati Reds on July 14. Williams would go on to become one of the greatest hitters ever, finishing with 1,552 hits, a .319 batting average, and 196 home runs in 14 seasons with the Reds, St. Louis Browns, and Boston Red Sox. Williams managed to break up Babe Ruth's streak of 12 consecutive seasons leading the AL in homers. Williams also went on to become the inaugural member of the 30/30 club, hitting 39 homes and stealing 37 bases in 1922. This feat would go unmatched for 44 years, until the great Willie Mays came along. Ken Williams would not live much beyond then, passing away in Grants pass in 1959, at the age of 68.

Did Something Happen Last Night?

Apparently, the music scene, beer scene, and strip clubs were not enough to bring LeBron James to Portland. Although I guess South Beach has a lot of those also. Ultimately, whether or not this is the right decision will not be clear for another 5 years, at least. For now, it looks to be the right choice out of only a few intriguing options. You could write a book on the unnecessary drama this summer, and how legacies have been tarnished, and who has embarrassed themselves (Dan Gilbert, LeBron) and who (teams, players, and images) has come out on top. In basketball terms, the Miami Heat afford LeBron James the best opportunity to win championship rings with his friends.

Regardless of what word you would choose to describe the free agent situation this summer (Horrendous, fiasco, debacle, and circus all come to mind), LeBron made the choice that benefits him the most. If you were 25, and had a chance to move to a cool city with your best friends and live it up, wouldn't you do it? Maybe not. Maybe loyalty and career aspirations and a level head would get in the way. What if your best friends were two of the most talented in your desired field, whether it be anything from rocket science to hair styling? Now you're all in the same city, having fun, and bringing out the best in each other and giving each other a crutch whenever needed. One friend fills in the right variables you don't see in the giant math equation on the chalkboard. The other friend evens out the bangs on the sassy girl's hair you've just finished cutting. LeBron gains something he has never had before: good teammates. Not just good, but great. Wade and Bosh can help clean up math equations and hair cuts.

As far as basketball goes, this is the smartest option for him if he only cares about rings. Cleveland may have been better from a family/loyalty point of view. In Chicago, the obvious MJ comparisons would have been a daily reminder of the standard he would have to uphold. The Bulls were a nice second option, but Wade/Bosh > Rose/Boozer. For those that worry about chemistry being an issue, there really should be nothing to worry about (I feel ethically obligated to inform you at this point that I think the 03-04 Lakers and 2004 US Men's Basketball teams should have won their respective championships. Flukes, poor coaching, and once in a lifetime ego discrepancies brought those dreams crumbling down). Bosh knows he's number 3 on this team. Wade and LeBron have both proven in the past they know when to defer (Olympics, 2006 Heat). All three possess an incredible ability to pass. As far as crunch time concerns go, there should be no question about who takes the last shot of a game on this team: Whoever is open. But they should look for Wade first.

Then there are questions about the supporting cast. Right now, the only other player on South Beach is Mario Chalmers. They also have a few competent second round draft picks in Da'Sean Butler, Dexter Pittman, and Jarvis Varnado who will gladly play for the rookie minimum to be a part of this All Star team. It really shouldn't be that hard to find willing role players to join this march to basketball immortality. Guys like Mike Miller will be happy to be key components to a championship contender. Guys like Juwan Howard will be happy to get a chance at a ring so late in their careers. There are plenty of players around the league willing to be a part of this historical situation.

Make no doubt about it, this is indeed a historical situation. Never before, in any sport (not even the Yankees), have there been players this talented in the primes of their careers playing on the same team. Wade and James are two of the top three in the league, and Bosh is in the top 10. Anytime you've seen more than two future Hall of Famers on the same team, they've all been at different stages of their career (97 Rockets, 04 Lakers, 69 Lakers, 77 Sixers, etc). Maybe the Celtics in the 80's were at the same stages in their career, but McHale and Parish were not top 3 guys, let alone top 10. This will be intriguing to watch from a basketball standpoint just to see how they play together, and how teams adjust to playing them.

It would be easy to say the Heat will be the favorites to win the NBA Championship for the next 5 years running. However, there are other teams out there. The Bulls are young and improving. As are the Thunder. The Celtics are old and looking to prove doubters wrong again. The Magic are talented. As are the Nuggets. The Blazers are young and hopefully healthy. And of course, the Lakers are the defending champs. And talented. And have Kobe. Whether or not going to Miami was the right choice, it looks like it gave LeBron (and Bosh and Wade, for that matter) the most potential to win the most championships for the next few years. Their most difficult year will be this year, getting through the potential chemistry issues and if they make the finals, a hungry LA team looking for a threepeat. However, even if they don't get one this year, it is safe to say you can pencil them in for 2-3 in the next five years. And that's the point. With this many young and outstandingly talented guys on one team, in their primes, it would have been stupid to go anywhere else.

Another Reason LeBron Should Sign With Portland

The moment has finally arrived. After two years of speculation, anticipation, and, more than anything, hype, the world will know where LeBron James will play the next few years in a few measly hours. There will be a television special. There will be an announcement. There will be hats on a table, or logos on a dartboard, or some assortment of a bull, a fire, a boat, a colonial dutchman, and a man on a horse in order to visually aid The Decision. I have no idea which one he will choose, but I know which one he should choose, and it's none of the above.

In a last second effort to get LeBron to join the Blazers (Salary caps and complications be damned!), Portland should play up one of its most interesting industries: Strip Clubs. Union Jack's, The Viewpoint, The Landing Strip, and The Acropolis. There's a myriad (actually, closer to 50) more where that came from. Portland has more strip clubs per capita than everywhere except Springfield, OR. Luckily, Springfield does not have a professional basketball franchise.

When you combine the reasons we've already covered with this tantalizing tidbit, it becomes a no-brainer. Sure, New York and Miami have beautiful women, but are they all as scantily clad as the gals of Portland? Doubtful. Ok, maybe Miami. And Chicago? Contrary to popular belief, Joakhim Noah is a guy, so don't play that card. Cleveland? Too much family and friends around, it might get awkward were he to run into someone he knows. That's why the best locale for LeBron to announce tonight, from both a social and a basketball standpoint, would be here in Portland.

What's better than having a cold one with the guys after a long day at the arena? Following it up with nudity.

Sportsland, Oregon: New Episode

In case you haven't heard, it's free agent season in the NBA. After discussing an insignificant event like the World Cup semis, Los and Cliff talk free agent landing spots and predictions. The guys also try and figure out who the best candidate available is for the open GM position in Portland: Ferry, Pfund, Vandeweghe, or James. Check out the episode in the nifty player to the right or at blogtalkradio.com/oregonsportsradio

Another Reason LeBron Should Sign With Portland

Time is winding down for LeBron James and his advisors to realize the Portland Trailblazers are the ideal situation for him to join. On the podcast, we've covered 4 other reasons why he should come here. In no particular order, they are as follows:

1 - The weather.

2 - The music scene.

3 - Nate McMillan.

4 - The open GM position.

After all the cities have made their presentations with everything from Family Guy animations to a blank slate roster, it's time for Portland to get down to brass tacks. What does the city of Portland do best? Aside from coffee, hikes, and being green, the Portland has another rep to protect: "Beervana." With 28 breweries within city limits, and many others in the surrounding region, Portland is a great place for a young superstar to come enjoy a delicious culture. From Widmer Brothers to the Lucky Lab breweries, King James can choose whichever beer he fancies.

What goes hand in hand with kicking back with Brandon Roy, Marcus Camby, and a nice cold one after a long, hard day at the Garden? Check back tomorrow for one last ditch effort to convince LeBron.

This Week in Oregon Sports History: 7/11/1892

For this week's Oregon sports history lesson, we have to go back to the go-go 19th century. The year was 1892. Ellis Island had recently begun accommodating immigrants to the New World, a young gym teacher by the name of Dr. James Naismith first published the rules to his new game, "Basket-Ball," Lizzie Borden was about to take a hatchet to her father and stepmother, and Grover Cleveland was well on his way to to being elected president for a second, non-consecutive term.

More importantly (for the purposes of this blog), Walter Edward "Jiggs" Parrott, a young upstart infielder from Portland, gained the distinction of becoming the first Oregonian called up to the Big Leagues. On July 11, 1892, Jiggs debuted for the Chicago Cubs. He would go on to play four years for the long-suffering franchise (which back then was just a franchise), hitting for a career-high .294 in 1894. Jiggs unfortunately passed away from tuberculosis at the young age of 26.