Sports' Forgotten Heroes Warren Rogan

Jim Bottomley played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1922 to 1933. During his 11 years with the Redbirds, Bottomley just might have been the best first baseman in the National League. If he wasn't you'd be hard-pressed to find another first baseman who was better. During that 11 year span, Bottomley hit .325, whacked 181 home runs and knocked in 1,105. In 1928, he won the National League MVP. Four times, he helped the Cardinals win the pennant and in 1926, he helped St. Louis to a magical World Series Championship over the juggernaut that was to become the New York Yankees. He again, helped the Cardinals to a World Series Championship in 1931 over the Philadelphia Athletics. Bottomley is one of the only players in Major League history to twice have 6 hits in a single game and he once had 12 RBI in a game. Yet, when baseball fans are asked about Jim Bottomley, most have never heard of him. That could be because Bottomley played with Rogers Hornsby who was winning triple crowns while Jim was just going about his business. On this episode of SFH, Kent Krause, the author of "Sunny Jim Bottomley" joins the show as we explore Jim's career and just how magnificent a baseball player he was during a career that also saw him play for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns.

Sid Gordon broke into the Majors in 1941 with the New York "baseball" Giants, bounced back-and-forth between the minors, served for two years during World War II and then made it back to the big league club in 1946; and proceeded to put together a terrific career. In fact, from 1948 through 1952 he established himself as one of the game's best by averaging 27 home runs a year, over 97 RBI a year, and during that 5-year span he hit .292 with his high, for that stretch, coming in 1950 when he hit .304. Gordon was a Jeff McNeil type of ballplayer. He could play the infield (3B) or outfield and even asked to play catcher. Over the course of his career, he played 809 games in left, 454 at third, 108 in right, 42 at first, 6 in center and 3 at second base. He clubbed 202 home runs, knocked in 805 and had a career batting average of .283. Gordon, a favorite of Leo Durocher, was reluctantly traded by the Giants to the Braves prior to the 1950 season. The native of Brooklyn, New York, was the one player the Boston Braves wanted in exchange for Alvin Dark and Eddie Stanky - catalysts for the Giants 1951 run to the NL Pennant. And that's one of the knocks against Gordon's popularity. He never played for a championship. He languished on teams that were rarely in a pennant race. Nonetheless, Gordon still had a terrific career and on this episode of SFH, Steve Cahn, Gordon's young cousin, who also authored the book, "Sid Gordon, An American Baseball Story", joins to talk about Gordon's career.

He is the only quarterback - ever - to only play for 10 seasons and lead his team into the championship game every year of his career. He won the championship seven (7) times. And, yet, when the discussion about who is the greatest QB of all-time comes up, very few football fans mention the name Otto Graham. He played for the Cleveland Browns when they were "born" as an AAFC (All America Football Conference) team. The Browns, simply stated, were the best team in the league. In fact, Graham led the Browns to the AAFC title every year of the league's existence: 1946, 47, 48, 49. When the Browns (along with the San Francisco 49'ers and Baltimore Colts) moved into the NFL, most thought they had no chance to compete. Well, not only did the Browns compete, Graham led them to the NFL Championship in 1950. Graham played with the Browns, NFL-style, in 1950, 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55. He won the Championship withe Bowns three times. The four years he didn't win the Championship, the Browns made the title game, but lost. Graham won the NFL MVP in 1951, 1953 and 1955. In his six years in the NFL, he led the league in passing yards twice, QBR twice and completion percentage three times. Yet, Graham is one of the most overlooked superstars in the history of the game. On this episode of SFH, Ken Crippen from the Football Learning Academy, a football historian, author and expert on the AAFC joins the podcast as we discuss the career of Otto Graham and so much more.

In 1967, a new basketball league was born, the ABA (American Basketball Association) with teams in 11 cities including Indianapolis, Oakland, New Orleans, Denver and Dallas. The ABA also put a team in Pittsburgh, the Pipers. After a slow start, the Pipers got it going and twice won as many as 14 games in a row. In fact, the Pipers finished the season with a record of 54-24. They won the Eastern Conference and then worked their way through playoffs. In the first round, they swept the Indiana Pacers 3-0. In the Eastern Finals, they took out the Minnesota Muskies 4-1 and in the championship, in seven games, the Pipers outlasted the New Orleans Buccaneers 4-games-to-3. The Pipers were good. real good. In fact, they might have been good enough to qualify for the NBA playoffs. They were led by a budding superstar - Connie Hawkins. Blackballed by the NBA for his alleged involvement in a point shaving scandal, Hawkins was named the ABA's regualr season MVP and playoff's MVP. He averaged 26.8 ppg during the regular season and 29.9 ppg in the playoffs. Of course, later in hi career, he was finally granted entry into the NBA where he continued to excel and was ultimately elected into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame. Back to the Pipers. Despite winning the East, the team's fanbase was minimal at best. So, the Pipers, after just one year in Pittsburgh, packed up and headed north to Minneapolis. The Muskies left for Florida. Ironically, the Muskies couldn't draw fans and the Pipers, after relocating to Minnesota, couldn't draw fans in Minneapolis either. So, they packed up and headed back to Pittsburgh. Without a doubt, the Pipers had quite a unique history and on this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, basketball historian and author Mark Whited stops by for a lively discussion about the Pipers, the ABA and Connie Hawkins.

Steve Wright played 12 years in the NFL as an offensive lineman with the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders and a two detour into the USFL with Oakland Invaders. His story is quire remarkable considering how he wound up a starter despite being undrafted out of the University of Northern Iowa. But his determination and persistence not only helped him make the Cowboys in 1981, but become a fixture on the O-Line. He played with and against some of the game's greatest and played under three unique coaches: Tom Landry, Frank Kush and Art Shell. His story is filled with the highs and lows you would expect. But it's also filled with magnificent stories as well, three of which are among the most historic in history. In his rookie year, he thought he was on his way to the Super Bowl until Dwight Clark caught a pass from Joe Montana to vault the 49'ers and end the dreams of Cowboy fans everywhere. He was on the field for the longest TD run in NFL history, 99 1/2 yards by Tony Dorsett and he was on the Baltimore Colts when they packed up and left overnight for Indianapolis. But Steve's exploits on the field are only a part of his story. What he did off the field while playing and after his playing days are a huge part of who Steve Wright is. Introducing Cloudburst (misting machines) to the NFL and the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, his charity around the world, his appearance on Survivor and so much more. On this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes, Steve joins the podcast to talk about his career and his life after football in this most entertaining discussion.

Art Ross is a true hockey legend. Not only was he a superb player before and during the formative years of the NHL, but he was also an innovator. In fact, many of Ross's innovations are still evident in today's game, beginning with the puck. But, it was on the ice where Ross made a name for himself. A tough and rugged defenseman, Ross was one of the top 2 or 3 players on the ice when hockey was in its pre-NHL days. Ross bounced around from team to team (many factors went into his choice on where to play every year) in Western Canada and in the East as well. The most recognizable team he played for was the Montreal Maroons. And, while Ross did play in the NHL, it wasn't for long (1917-1818 with the Montreal Wanderers) as he was ready to retire just as the NHL got going. But, Ross was still very much associated with the league as he became coach of the Boston Bruins for the 1924-25 season - and that's where a majority of his legend was born. Ross coached the Bruins for 17 different seasons and won the Stanley Cup with Boston twice (1928-29 & 1938-39). He also made major contributions to the game and the Bruins in upper management. Hockey was Ross's life and in the book, "Art Ross, The Hockey Legend Who Built The Bruins," author Eric Zweig covers it all. On this episode of SFH, Eric joins the podcast to talk about Art's innovations, his career on the ice, behind the bench and much of his life (whatever there was of it) off the ice.