Stadiums!

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports November 9, 2020 #821 Up next… Stadiums!

After further review… From the old saw, “I never met a (fill in the blank) I didn’t like,” I can honestly say I never met a stadium I didn’t like. In fact, to be in a stadium as the NFL Referee ready for the kickoff is where I wanted to be on Sunday afternoon.

Today’s 2020 novel COVID-19 pandemic that caused empty stadiums across our country just sickens me. It’s tragic to see stadiums, particularly the new Los Angeles and Las Vegas stadiums, having games without seats filled with fans.

In my 31 years as an NFL referee, I worked in dozens (lost count of the exact number) of stadiums where NFL games were played. Going back in time, my love for stadiums perhaps began when my dad was a football game official and I would carry his officiating bag as we walked through the south-east gate and down that ramp into the official’s dressing room at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. I was 6 or 7 at the time. Later I was able to sit on the Pasadena Junior College bench alongside Jackie Robinson! What’s not to like about that?

The Los Angeles Coliseum was always a favorite. The official’s dressing room was located in the bowels directly underneath the press box and we (the officials) would enter the field at the 50-yard line. Further, I officiated one of my first high school football games in that Coliseum and many college (USC & UCLA) and NFL (LA Rams) games as well. The L.A. Rams abandoned the Coliseum and moved to Angles Field in Anaheim, California, which was never it’s equal.

As an NFL official, I was able to “open” the Kingdome, first home of the Seattle Seahawks as well as the Superdome in New Orleans, although I had officiated several Saints games including Super Bowl VI (Dallas vs Miami) in Tulane University Stadium earlier.

In my home state of California, the Oakland (Raiders) Coliseum was always fun with the “Black-Hole” loud and raucous. My first game with the San Francisco 49ers was in Kezar Stadium with the seagulls on the field. The Niners then moved to Candlestick Point in South San Francisco where I worked many championship games. They now occupy Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. While I have attended NFL games there, the stadium was built after I retired.

It was special for me to travel to New York City to work games in Yankee Stadium where the Giants played their home games. Officials were housed in Manhattan and rode the subway to the stadium in the Bronx, then after the game took the subway back downtown to get to either Kennedy or LaGuardia to fly across the country. I eagerly awaited a return to NYC.

Space prevents me from writing about so many other opportunities provided me by the NFL.

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To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com or email jim@jimtunney.com.

Many of the stories about stadiums as well as NFL players and coaches can be found “On the TunneySide of Sports” – 2 books now bundled at the reduced price of $35. Tax and shipping free!  Send a check to Jim Tunney Youth Foundation (501c3) P.O. Box 1440 Pebble Beach, Ca. 93953.

Thank you!

Jim Tunney

Posted in NFL, Sports, Tunney Side of Sports Columns | Tagged , | 1 Comment

MMQB

Posted on November 2, 2020 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports November 2, 2020 #820 Up next… MMQB

After further review… MMQB (Monday morning quarterbacking) has been an American tradition on Monday mornings following weekend football games. The pundits, i.e., the “experts” criticize coach(es) of their favorite (or sometimes not-so-favorite) T*E*A*M for calling certain plays or failing to W-I-N by making the wrong call. Although I am not familiar with other countries, it may be the same there as well. With our world being globalized, it would be easy to assume that the concept of MMQB has caught-on everywhere. BTW, it is not necessarily Monday morning, since this happens whenever the opportunity arises.

You can count on this criticism happening to Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays manager, whose decision it was to “pull” starting pitcher, Blake Snell, from the mound in the 6th inning of game six of the World Series last week. Cash, whose contract was extended through 2024, said he was “sticking to the Rays managerial process” and that while Snell had done well in the first 5 innings he would be facing Betts, Seager, and Turner for the third time in this game.

Snell said later he was upset and disappointed. He had thrown 73 superb pitches striking out 9 and had the Dodgers guessing on what pitch to expect. He was the Rays dominate force that evening on the Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Twitter “blew up” after Snell was “given the hook” by manager Cash. If you watched that game and saw the faces-of-relief in the Dodgers dugout, you could feel the momentum shift from the Rays to the team in Blue.

The final game won by the Dodgers 3-1 was their first World Series victory in 32 years. While that may not seem unusual for other MLB teams, it certainly was the longest for the Dodgers. It was a most exciting win for Clayton Kershaw, the strength of their pitching staff. Perhaps the only downer was third baseman, Justin Turner who batted third in the Dodgers-lineup with a .320 average, being tested positive for Covid-19 and had to be pulled from the lineup.

Managers make decisions “on-the-spot” with what is their best thinking at that time. Second-guessing from one’s living room couch is always easier.

Will you give coaches and managers credit for putting themselves on-the-line?

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To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com or email jim@jimtunney.com.

Jim’s books take issues from the sports world and transform them into positive messages. Please visit the store at JimTunney.com for product information.

Thank you!

Jim Tunney

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The 2020 World Series

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

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On the TunneySide of Sports October 26, 2020 #819 Up next… The 2020 World Series

After further review… It is and always has been an exciting time for me to watch the MLB World Series — now for some 80 years. Well, can’t say I watched 80 times but listened in during my years as a youth. Then, again, I must hedge, since in my youth the World Series games were played in the daytime and I was in grammar school classes trying to listen to them being broadcast on radio, and well, the nuns would have none of that.

This 2020 novel “bubble-in” World Series is being confined to the Globe Life Stadium in Arlington, Texas with the first 2 games being home games for the Los Angeles Dodgers since they had the better season record. The Tampa Bay Rays are home team for the next three and then the Dodgers return as home team for the last two, if needed. Looks like it will.

With my dad having been a stellar baseball player in college and a brief career at the professional level with the then Oakland franchise, I have always been a baseball fan. In my early years, it would listen on NYC radio with Marty Glickman or perhaps Red Barber (Brooklyn Dodgers). My all-time favorite was the NY Yankees with a dream to pitch for the Yankees. Although I never achieved that I did stand on that mound and imitated throwing a strike (what did you expect?) after P.A. announcer, Bob Sheppard announced me as “starting pitcher.”

My baseball playing-career was shortened by a dislocated right shoulder (college football) but highlighted by a coaching career that included an OXY College freshman T*E*A*M that won the conference championship (1951) and two high school league championships. My real interest in baseball taught me “to think ahead” and to believe in myself. Standing at the plate, you are all alone, and playing your fielding position is “you and only you.” Let me explain.

Although I played high school baseball all 4 years, I was the starting second baseman only in my senior year. We were playing our rival school at their field – it was Friday afternoon – the bottom of the ninth – we were ahead 3-2 – two outs – bases loaded. At  2nd base position, I was thinking “don’t hit the ball to me.” They didn’t. It was hit to 3rd, who tagged the bag — we won.

The next year as the starting first baseman on the OXY freshman team, I’m now thinking on every pitch, “hit the ball to me, I know I can make the play.”

Will you believe in your ability to “make the play” every time?

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To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com or email jim@jimtunney.com.

Jim’s books take issues from the sports world and transform them into positive messages. Please visit the store at JimTunney.com for product information.

Thank you!

Jim Tunney

Posted in Sports, Tunney Side of Sports Columns | Tagged | Leave a comment