Legendsport.com

JOE GORDON RECEIVES A LONG OVERDUE ELECTION TO BASEBALL'S HALL OF FAME

He began his career in the shadow of such luminous stars as Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio, yet Joe Gordon was a star in his own right, even if he was the second-most famous "Joe" on his own team. Gordon, nicknamed "Flash" because of sci-fi hero Flash Gordon, lived up to that nickname with defensive excellence that was sometimes overshadowed by his feats with the bat. Gordon passed away in 1978 but received a long overdue honor last week when the Veteran's Committee named him as its only choice for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2009. 

A native of Los Angeles, Gordon began his professional career as so many of his fellow Californians did in the 1930s, by playing in the Pacific Coast League. Joe joined the Oakland Oaks as a shortstop in 1936 and had himself a fine first season as a pro, hitting .300 with 33 doubles, 4 triples and 6 home runs. He also made 42 errors in 136 games at shortstop. Two moves - one geographic and the other on the baseball diamond, would put Gordon on the road to baseball immortality.

NFL FOOTBALL: O.J. SIMPSON AND THE 2,000-YARD SEASON, 35 YEARS LATER

On December 16, 1973, Orenthal James Simpson became the first player in football history to pile up 2,000 yards rushing. Today, he's remembered by most for his starringl role in the trial of the century, which became the most highly-covered criminal case of all time. But if you forget the "glove," the "Naked Gun" movies and airport runs for Hertz, and turn back the clock to the early 1970s, O.J. was simply the "Juice" - and he was the best running back to hit the NFL since Jim Brown hung up his cleats in 1965.

O.J. had been a two-time All-America while playing for the University of Southern California and was drafted with the first overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in 1969. At 6-1, 210-pounds, Simpson possessed size and speed, attributes which would serve him well in his pro career. In his first three pro seasons, first under John Rauch and then under Harvey Johnson, the Bills struggled mightily with Johnson overseeing a dismal 1-13 season in 1971, and Simpson never getting the carries necessary to put him over the 1,000-yard mark.

Things took a turn for the better in 1972 when Lou Saban took over as coach of the Bills. Saban had made the Bills into one of the AFL's greatest teams during his first stint as coach in Buffalo (1962-1965). When he returned to Buffalo, the Bills were the doormats of the AFC with not much upside. Saban took the 1-13 team and improved them to 4-9-1 in 1972, and he did this mainly by building his offense around number thirty-two. O.J. saw his carries increase from 183 (which had been a career-high) to 292 and his yards from 742 (also a career-best) to a league-leading 1,251. O.J. made his second trip to the Pro Bowl (he had gone as a rookie in 1969 more for his kick returning than his rushing) and the stage was set for a breakout season in 1973.

In 1973, Saban rode his star back to a 9-5 record, good for 2nd place in the AFC East behind Don Shula's star-studded Miami Dolphins who posted a 12-2 mark and handed Buffalo two of its five losses. The Bills didn't make the playoffs (only four teams per conference did in those days), but they were a solid team nonetheless. And O.J. Simpson served notice right away in week one that this was going to be a special season.

WHO'S THE BEST TO EVER PLAY IN BIG D?

I'll confess: I'm not a Cowboys fan. But that team has had as much success as any NFL franchise. You can't argue with those five Super Bowl rings (matched only by Pittsburgh and the 49ers). As I watched the current Cowboys team down the Giants Sunday night in as close to a must-win as possible and then seeing the postgame "love fest" between Tony Romo, Jason Witten and T.O., I started thinking: just who was the greatest QB in Cowboys history?

They've had some really, really good ones. I'd say it's way too early to anoint Romo with that mantle, and "Dandy" Don Meredith never won the big one (he had some guy named Bart Starr standing in his way), so that kind of boils it down to one of two men, both Hall-of-Famers: Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. Both were great quarterbacks, possessing strong physical skills, toughness and savvy. And they both proved they could win the big games. Let's take a look at both of these superstar signal callers.