In the Dirt with...John Cappelletti

It still comes as a surprise to some people that John Cappelletti is the ONLY Heisman Trophy winner in Penn State University sports history.

How can that be possible?  All those great teams over all of those many years?  Surely somebody else has won a Heisman in Happy Valley?

Nope; just Cappy.

It's even harder to believe that the 40th anniversary of his winning the trophy in 1973 is quickly approaching. 

I have been very fortunate to have become close friends with John.  He's truly a genuine guy.  While Cappy is very proud of his many accomplishments, he's also a very humble person who is quick to talk about other players long before talking about himself.

He built his life after football on the west coast and he now resides a little over an hour north of San Diego.  This has always surprised me a teeny bit because I know how much "FAMILY" means to him.  And in a way, I guess that's why he's still out there.

While his parents and siblings have always lived outside Philly (his Mom still lives in Upper Darby), John was raising a family of his own during his playing days in Los Angeles and San Diego.  He told me often times that he "just didn't want to take the kids away from where they were growing up."

There were a couple of forks in the road that might have changed all of that and made things very different.

After winning the Heisman in 1973, John was eligible for the 1974 draft.  Before the 1973 season began, the Philadelphia Eagles had traded their 1974 first round pick to the LA Rams in a blockbuster trade for quarterback Roman Gabriel.  The Eagles also included other draft picks and players to get the 32 year old QB in hopes that Gabriel could turn a floundering franchise back into the correct direction.

Ironically, when the 11th selection came up in the '74 draft, the Rams used it to select John Cappelletti.  The Philadelphia suburb native COULD have been an Eagle had the team not traded for Roman Gabriel.

Coulda, shoulda, and woulda, I know...but there's more! 

In 1974, the NFL had some competition for fans and players in the United Football League.  Philadelphia had a franchise called the Philadelphia Bell.  The team made a HUGE pitch to Cappelletti to try and woo him away from the Rams and keep him home in Philly.  Despite offering almost twice what the Rams put on the table, the Bell lost out and Cappy went to the NFL.  That had to be a very difficult decision for a 21-year old fresh off the college gridiron.

It turns out that it was probably a wise move as the UFL folded half way through the 1975 season. 

Many people here in Philly aren't aware that John spent parts of NINE seasons in the NFL between his time with Los Angeles and San Diego.  With the possible exception of his last two years with San Diego, John was an extremely productive player and filled a role for his team nicely.

So while his professional history could have possibly been very different, his college history is something that is clearly etched in stone among the record books in State College, PA.

John Cappelletti (PSU '74) with ASI good friend, Lauren Henderson (PSU '12)
at an appearance at Carl's Cards and Collectibles in Havertown, PA

The greatest college player ever to play at Penn State?  It has to be the ONLY Heisman Trophy winner ever there.  Only one... and just one.  John Cappelletti.  That makes the debate pretty short, right?

 

Penn State Nittany Lions Heisman Trophy Award Winner and AllStarInc client, John Cappelletti, will be appearing at the TriStar Houston Show at the Reliant Center on Saturday, June 2nd from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.  For autograph tickets and information contact J&T Sports through their email at hondocollector@yahoo.com or call 210-854-3347.

If you're from the Houston area or will be in the area, please stop by the show on Saturday and hello!

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If you live in the Philadelphia area, please visit our good friend, Carl Henderson's store, Carl's Cards and Collectibles, for a great selection of sports memorabilia.  They are located at 22 West Eagle Road, Havertown, PA  19083.  For more information on their store, available collectibles and appearances, contact them at 610-789-4996 or visit their website at www.carlscards.com.

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We're #1...No! We Are! Aw, Hell...Everyone Gets a Trophy!

Which sport is "number one?"  We're not just talking number one over all, but in different aspects, too.  Obviously, this topic lends itself to great debate, but since this is MY blog, I get to tell you what I think...and then you can comment if you'd like, but please be kind.  I'm very, very fragile (cry, sniff, cry).

For the sake of simplicity, we're only going to use the four major US sports:  football, basketball, baseball and hockey.

It may be true that a different sport (i.e. soccer, figure skating, or tiddlywinks, etc.) may better qualify for a particular category, but let's just keep it among these four for now.  Ok? Ok.

 

Which sport has the BEST overall athletes?

1.  Basketball

2.  Football

3.  Hockey

4.  Baseball

This was tough because both hoops and football have guys that are in incredible physical condition and can do some pretty amazing things.  I have to give the slight nod to basketball here.  The running, jumping, and other acrobatic play is pretty amazing when you think about it.  And, they don't get to rest for 25 seconds every play.

Which sport has the TOUGHEST athletes?

 

1.  Hockey

2.  Football

3.  Basketball

4.  Baseball

Baseball players hit the 15-day DL with a sprained hangnail.  Football players take incredible abuse to their bodies.  But, hockey players will take the ice despite missing part of a leg.  That was an easy one.

Which sport is best to watch in person?

1.  Football

2.  Hockey

3.  Basketball

4.  Baseball

Most people find baseball boring to watch, unless you're a diehard.  Hockey is a sport you really develop an appreciation for when you are sitting 10 rows from the ice.  The speed and the physicality are a whole other level in person.

Football has the added value of tailgating and the party day atmosphere.  The crowd is crazy and they only play once a week.  It's an event, not just a game.

Which sport is best to watch on TV?

1.  Football

2.  Baseball

3.  Hockey

4.  Basketball

Again, with football, the party starts two hours before any game and lasts into the night if your team wins.  You get great replays and are constantly updated on what else is happening around the league. 

Watching baseball at home allows you to snooze if you want and you can drink 50 cent beers from your own fridge instead of the $7.50 variety at the crowded snack stand.

Which sport is the most difficult to be good at?

1.  Baseball

2.  Hockey

3.  Basketball

4.  Football

Football and basketball lends itself to those who are huge and that's kind of like a genetic lottery thing.  I'm not saying it doesn't take hard work and talent to be good, but it really helps to be huge.

Hockey is played on ice and they use a puck that's hard enough to break your face...'nuff said.

Baseball is the most difficult to be good at because you have to hit a round object, with another round object.  And, pitchers can make that thing move all over the place.  And, then once it's hit, you gotta catch the thing?  That's a pretty tough game if you ask me. 

Lastly...

What sport is #1 overall?

 

1.  Football

2.  Baseball

3.  Basketball

4.  Hockey

It pains me to admit it since I'm a "baseball guy," but let's face it:  football is now America's game; not baseball, anymore.  Maybe as the football rules continue to change to protect the QBs etc., that may change; but, I doubt it. 

Seriously; go down to an NFL or college football game if you haven't been to one lately.  As I said before, it's an event.  You just don't get that type of "event" feeling with the other sports.

What do you think?  Feel free to post a comment here or on the AllStarInc Facebook page and voice YOUR opinions!  We'd love to hear from you!

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Take Me Out to the Ballgame...A Not So Instant Replay

In the absence of our Fearless Leader, who is drowning on the links at the Atlantic City Golf Club for the 28th Annual Ron Jaworski Celebrity Golf Challenge, the underling is filling in with a re-posting of story she wrote for The Daily Bark in 2010.

I walked into my friend’s house the other day and her son the cop, who’s 30-something, was watching television.  We said hello to each other and then he abruptly turned back to the TV.  I took a look-see and he was watching one of my favorite shows, “Pardon the Interruption” on ESPN.

“Uh, gee, is that Michael Wilbon?” I asked.  He slowly turned his head and just kind of stared at me.

“Yes, actually, it is,” he replied.  “I’m surprised you know that,” he said as he turned back to the TV.  The camera switched and I pounced.

“And THAT’S Tony Kornheiser!” I said.  A huge smile spread across his face…along with some shock.

“OK, now I am impressed.  I mean it.  That’s really impressive.”  He continued on to say that he never met a “girl” who knew anything about announcers, sports, etc.   Yeah right, buddy, ‘cause we’re busy reading Cosmo!  I decided to pull out my big gun.

“You know, Mike, I even play Golden Tee.”  A huge smile spread across his face.

“No way!”  It was a classic girl-beats-guy moment until my friend yelled from the other room, “Do you even know what Golden Tee is, Mike?”  There was a brief moment of solidarity as we both looked at each other and rolled our eyes.

“Of course, he does!”  I yelled to her as I shook my head.  I turned back to Mike and he was, once again, staring all glassy, pie-eyed at Kornheiser and Wilbon.  Moment passes by in a flash…

Yeah, so I am a girl.  I love to wear pretty underwear, and prefer dresses and skirts to pants.  I don’t leave the house without makeup…even when going to the beach.  I like to go out with my BFF and get a mani/pedi…right before we head to our new “go-to” place for an Irish Car Bomb, a round of Grey Goose Gimlets, and a go at the Golden Tee machine.  I prefer trivia games, cold beer, and sports bars to mah-jong, wine spritzers, and tapas bars.  I decorated our pool room:  there’s a Fenway sign; a photo of my son’s running the bases at Nationals’ Park; a photo of Wrigley Stadium I took while on a road trip with my college roommate; and about half a dozen books on baseball and stadiums.  On my bucket list:  visit the stadiums of my favorite teams and get Chase Utley to autograph one of my photographs.

Here’s the deal:  I love sports.  I love the competition.  I love the beauty of the movement; the squeak of the sneakers as my Villanova Wildcats run up and down the court; the roar of the crowd when the Eagles win and the equally loud “Boos” when our QB’s pass doesn’t complete.  I love watching the puck race over the ice and boy, oh, boy, I absolutely LOVE when the gloves go down and the Flyers fight.  The form of a pitcher throwing a ball is a thing of beauty and I am fascinated by the stance of any player at bat…I can spend an entire game photographing the pitchers and batters and then hours examining them…and I do.

Cole Hamels on the mound against the Washington Nationals 8/1/10

Stats?  Eh, yeah…no…not so much.

Sure, I love the trivia part:

Cal Ripkin, Jr. tied Lou Gehrig’s home run record one night and his consecutive game record the next.  That’s cool.

Mike Schmidt once hit a baseball off a speaker hanging over 100 feet above the field and 200 feet from home plate at the Astrodome.  Can you say HOMERUN???

Philly-born, Roy Campanella’s first major league game was also the last game ever played at the Brooklyn Dodger’s Ebbets Field.  See, to me, that’s synchronicity.

In the 1972 season, the Phillies only won 59 games, 27 of which were won for the Phils by Steve Carlton.  Where was the rest of the team that year?

In 1975 I started high school and used to watch a really cute boy play baseball, hoping he’d notice me.  He didn’t.  He went on to play with the LA Dodgers.  Who is he?  Angels manager, Mike Scioscia.  Now I watch him on TV.

January 11, 1981:  In near-Artic temperatures, my beloved Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 20-7 to win the NFC Championship game.  I was there and still have my ticket stub.  It was about 5 above zero, but you wouldn’t know it at the Vet!  There were guys behind us without their shirts on…I think they were the founders of “The 700 Level Club.”

Some of my all-time favorite movies are “The Natural,” “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” and “Invincible.”  Why?  Because they’re all about the little guy making it against all the odds.

Ryan Howard at bat against the Washington Nationals 4/12/11

Stats just don’t do it for me.  I couldn’t care less what Ryan Howard’s at-bat stats are (.275).  I just like to watch him hit that ball.  He is a beast at the plate and when I watch him swing, I can see the power coming off him from his head all the way to his feet.  I love photographing that.

It doesn’t matter to me if Chase Utley drops the ball (OK, well, yeah, it really does) as long as I get to watch him run, slide, whatever…he’s so damned hot to watch!

When I watch the Phils play (sadly, only from Nationals Stadium these days), I’m not watching for errors.  I’m watching form.  I’m watching for speed.  Sure, I want to know why a play fails, but I actually like watching HOW it fails more than I want to know why.

Maybe it’s another guy-girl thing.  Maybe I am a hopeless romantic and don’t even know it?  I think my best date would be sitting in a REALLY great sports bar with a guy who is willing to listen to me wax poetic on what I love about a particular sport or team AND who then – genuinely and in a fun way - helps me understand the stats, who’s a better player and why.

Here's a news flash guys:  there are lots of girls out there like me.  We love sports as much as you do...so don't count us out or roll your eyes, or even act surprised when we express an interest or show even a cursory knowledge of a sport.  Instead, embrace it and us...then take us out to the ballgame!!! 

Originally posted 6/27/2010 on The Daily Bark, owned by Bark Tees.  Visit them at www.barktees.com

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