e2sports

Very few NBA players have had a game that can be called flawless. Michael Jordan is one of the only players in history to ever be “perfect”; even Wilt Chamberlain has his pathetic free throw percentage to hold him back. Jerry West, however, preceded Jordan as the first player ever to be called immaculate. He is one of the leading scorers in the history of the game and was regarded as one of the top defenders of his time. He could glide through competition for an easy lay up, use his superb ball handling abilities for an easy assist, or stay back and hit shots from “downtown” with deadly accuracy. No player short of Dave DeBusschere can come close to West’s tolerance for pain. He broke his nose nine times and his hands even more through his blatant disregard for his own well being in all out attempts to make plays. For three games, West had injured himself so badly that he needed assistance walking onto the court before a game. He scored more than 30 points in all three. As a result, Jerry West is regarded as one of the finest all around guards of all time.

In addition, Jerry West’s image is more recognizable than any other player in NBA history. Confused? You know the NBA logo of a silhouette of a guy dribbling a basketball? Of course you do. That outline belongs to Jerry West.

“Zeke from Cabin Creek”

Jerry Alan West was born May 28, 1938 to a coal mine electrician. Jerry’s father would work over twelve hours a day, leaving no time for attention to his children. One of West’s early, more erroneous, nicknames was “Zeke from Cabin Creek.” He actually grew up in Cheylan, West Virginia, and only received his mail from Cabin Creek. Young Jerry was too small and weak for football or baseball. As a product of his lack of attention and his restrictive size, he spent literally every day, whether it was raining, sunny, or snowing, shooting at his neighbor’s basketball hoop. West later recalled that on a few occasions he shot until his hands bled. He developed his quick shot release, debatably the fastest and most accurate in history, at this home-made hoop, bouncing the ball so hard and fast that early on the ball would bounce up too fast and smack him in the face. The innumerable number of hours West spent practicing would result in innumerable beatings from his mother.

However, West did not make Easy Bank High School’s basketball team until his senior year (he grew 6 inches between his junior and senior year of high school). Now six feet tall, West became the team star, averaging 32.2 points a game and becoming the first player in the state’s history to score over 900 points in a single season. Despite many offers from colleges, West had only one school in mind: West Virginia University, his favorite team as a child. His brilliance was continuously revealed as he averaged 24.8 points a game through his four years and led the team to the NCAA championship game, where they lost to the University of California. During the playoffs, where they played some of the most talented teams in the country, West scored 160 points in five games: an average of 32. This dazzling performance was a prophecy of his future nickname: “Mr. Clutch.” His performance was impressive enough to earn him a spot on the Olympic team. West played in Rome alongside Oscar Robertson in the 1960 Olympics while they co-led the team to the gold medal.

“Mr. Outside”

The Minneapolis Lakers, who would move to Los Angeles before the start of the 1960-1961 season, chose West as the second overall draft pick in the 1960 NBA draft (Robertson was the first). West and teammate Elgin Baylor became one of the scariest combinations in the league; no one knew who to guard more. West became known as “Mr. Outside” and Baylor as “Mr. Inside.” The two led the Lakers team, in danger of going bankrupt, to the division finals and saved the team’s future.

The 1961-1962 season established West as one of the best guards in the league. He averaged 30.8 points a game and would not drop below an average of 30 for the next three seasons. If not for Wilt Chamberlain, West would have earned a couple of scoring titles. Baylor and West combined to score an average of almost 70 points a game. With a 54-26 record, the Lakers had gone from last place to first in their division in a period of two years. They reached the NBA finals where they played the Boston Celtics, who had started the most powerful dynasty in the history of any sport. The series went to seven games and overtime. The Lakers would have clinched the game at the end of regulation if not for a missed shot by clumsy Frank Selvy. They lost after a dramatic overtime 110-107. Still, West had averaged 31.5 points through a long playoff run against a couple of the best NBA teams to ever walk a basketball court.

“Mr. Clutch”

The Lakers became one of the best teams in the NBA under West’s guidance. They made it to the championship game five of the next eight seasons. Unfortunately, while West excelled under pressure, his team folded like a Frenchman. They lost all five: four more to the Celtics and one to the New York Knicks. Three of the finals went to a full seven games and two of them (both against the Celtics) were decided by a single basket. In addition to their frustrating playoff appearances, both West and Baylor were often outshadowed by some of the other extraordinarily talented players. Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Oscar Robertson took every MVP Award throughout West’s basketball career.

Despite his team’s frustrating performance, West performed many of the greatest feats in playoff history. He earned the highest average for a six-game playoff series against Baltimore in the division finals with 46.3 points per game, in addition to averaging over forty points in the team’s entire playoff run. In 1969, Jerry West became the only player of a losing team to ever win the Finals MVP Award. He made perhaps his most famous shot, a half-court bomb to win the game, against the Knicks in 1970 (and it may have been the longest shot ever made in a basketball game).

In 1971, after nine frustrating seasons and too many injuries to count, West was considering retirement. Because of the coercion of new coach Bill Sharman, however, West decided to stick around for one more year. It proved to be a smart move. The Lakers acquired Wilt Chamberlain in center in addition to the deft Gail Goodrich. They made a record season, winning an unheard of 33 games in a row. West led the league in assists averaging 9.7 per game and was no slouch in scoring either with a 25.8 average. The Lakers ended the season with a 69-13 record: the best in NBA history. They made it to the championship, where they trounced the Knicks in four straight after losing the first game. West, now nourished with his first championship, went on to play two more seasons. Unfortunately, they proved unfruitful due to a ridiculously large number of injuries.

Retirement and Post-NBA Activities

Jerry West retired in 1974 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history behind Chamberlain and Robertson with 25,912 points and with the third-highest points per game average with 29, behind Chamberlain and teammate Baylor. Since then, only Michael Jordan has retired with a better average. He also has the highest points per game average for a player over thirty with 31.2. His 6,238 assists (6.7 a game) also rank among the highest in history. True to his nickname, Mr. Clutch garnered both the highest playoff points per game average (quite a feat for how many games he played in), which has only been broken by Michael Jordan, and the most postseason points, broken solely by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In 1967, West returned to the Lakers to become the head coach and, eventually, general manager. Under his direction, the Lakers, who had played two losing seasons in his absence, would become the most powerful dynasty since the Boston Celtics incredible streak. He would retire after forty years of service for the Lakers only to return to basketball as the President of Basketball Operations of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002.

Awards and Honors:
Olympic Gold Medalist (1960)
Ten time All-NBA team
Four time All-NBA defensive team
Fourteen time NBA All-Star
NBA All-Star MVP (1972)
NBA Finals MVP (1969)
NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers (1972)
NBA 35th Anniversary Team (1980)
NBA 50th Anniversary Team (1996)
Elected to Hall of Fame (1980)

Career Statistics:
Points per game: 29.0
Points: 25,912
Assists per game: 6.7
Assists: 6,238
Rebounds per game: 5.8
Rebounds: 5,376
Steals: 81
Field goal percentage: .474
Free throw percentage: .814
Games played in: 932

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Sources:
www.nba.com
www.hoophall.com

(The following is an editorial on the .400 average):

My father and I used to discuss the elusive goal of batting .400 (both of us are baseball fans, but not rabidly so). We came to the likely conclusion that the demise of the .400 average is largely due to a concept we take for granted today: Relief pitching.

Baseball has scaled well in talent since the turn of the century. The scores have been about the same... the averages have been about the same... the players have been a good match for each other (for the most part). Training has gotten more intense for both pitching and batting. Both of their arts have improved and matured technically until they have reached where they are today. Why has relief pitching helped so much? Because in no place in baseball do you see an area where stamina is so important (and having a large bench on your team so beneficial) than in pitching.

It is easy to notice that pitching takes more long term effort than batting (and other positions in fielding). Rarely these days do you see a person who pitches nine innings and lives to tell the tale (if you will). Many times you will see people who get put in for only one batter or two. There are usually two types of pitchers: starters and closers. Roughly, the starters have the power and the endurance, while the closers have the short burst of fire to retire the sides.

Back then, a fairly fresh batter could destroy the pitches of a very tired hucker in the eight inning. Slow pitches to the strike zone make for an easy target for the home run hungry. We immortalize those baseball greats that weren't athletes (look at Babe Ruth), but rather heroes. Those who made the hit in the pinch... the everyday man who could pick up his plank and destroy a ball in the bottom of the ninth...That is what made those players legends, not the stats.

Those are the Hall-of-Famers in the .400 list: the CrackerJack boys; the baseball cards with a stick of gum idols. Those were the days before pitches were marked with speed guns, before there was stats on what they do while they are in the bullpen. These people played in a time when baseball was a game, and not a sport.

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In response to OJ, this also happened to Ted Williams, the last of the 400-club:

The intentional walk: As my grandmother often recalls, Ted would step right over and swing at them. Since he was so likely to get a hit (hitting over .400 by any measure is excellent), oftentimes in a pinch, pitchers and coaches would call for the intentional walk. While not particularly fair (but massively strategic), this tactic slowly hurt Williams' average.

Before the Los Angeles Dodgers, there was the Brooklyn Dodgers, everyone knows that. But before they were the Dodgers (at least full-time), they were the Brooklyn Robins. Named for their lovable manager and Hall of Famer Wilbert Robinson in an era when team nicknames were dominated by the fans and the press (rather than marketed by the team themselves), the Robins were a grab bag of success, but only reached the World Series twice in their 18 year history.

1914-1916

Following their dismal 6th place finish in 1913, the not-so-superb Brooklyn Superbas fired manager Bill Dahlen, and replaced him with former catcher and current Giants coach Robinson. Robinson had only managed one time before, filling in as a player-manager for the 1902 Baltimore Orioles and compiling a sad 24-57 record. Still, he wanted to prove himself up for the task.

The 1914 starting lineup had its share of stars in leftfielder Zack Wheat and first baseman Jake Daubert, but the team's pitching staff was a toss-up of journeyman, rookies, and busts. The team managed to lead the league in batting average with the help of their .300 outfield of Wheat, Casey Stengel, and Jack Dalton, but other than the surprising 23-12 season of 26-year-old Jeff Pfeffer, the pitching was middling at best, and the team finished in 5th place with a 75-79 record.

1915 proved to be a virtual 180 from the season prior: other than Daubert, no starter batted higher than .258, but the pitching came around in full stride, combining for an impressive 2.66 team ERA behind Pfeffer and newcomers Jack Coombs and the oddly-named Wheezer Dell. The team finished 3rd, winning 80 games, but more importantly, Robinson really came into his own as a manager, helping the team to victory after victory despite their lack of hitting.

Robinson's skill and the team's talent finally gelled together in 1916, as the team captured the National League pennant behind the rejuvenated bats of Wheat, Stengel, and Hy Myers' blazing speed on the basepaths. They also got help from an old friend of Robinson's, Rube Marquard, whom they had acquired near the end of the 1915 season. Rube (inducted into the Hall in 1971) tore through his opponents for a 1.58 ERA, and Pfeffer and Larry Cheney also both contributed sub 2.00 ERAs. Unfortunately, the team ran up against another outstanding pitching set in the Boston Red Sox, including their young phenom Babe Ruth. The Red Sox captured the Series in five games, but the standard for the Robins was set.

1917-1920

Unfortunately for Brooklyn, by 1917 saw their output decline to horrendous levels. Everyone, from the normally heroic Daubert to Wheat, Stengel, Myers, and even Pfeffer and Coombs played below their level of talent. The team languished in 7th place. A major highlight of the season came on July 1, when Robinson and team owner Charlie Ebbetts directly violated a "blue law" preventing baseball from being played on Sunday. They tried to skirt the rule by claiming that the proceeds would go towards a homeless shelter, but were arrested anyway. By 1921, the blue laws were off the books for good, thanks in part to this little bit of civil disobedience.

In 1918, the team only fared slightly better, finishing 5th on strong seasons by Daubert, Wheat, and new rookie pitcher Burleigh Grimes, acquired in a trade for Stengel (who would later return to manage the Brooklyn squad himself in the 1930s). After the season, team leader Daubert complained that he was being stiffed out of part of his salary. He sued the team and won - and was promptly traded to Cincinnati for his trouble.

In 1919, while the Black Sox scandal made the headlines, Robinson's squad again finished 5th, without the help of Daubert or former leader Rube Marquard (who broke his leg in early May and finished with a 3-3 record). Though the team led the league in complete games and innings pitched, it simply couldn't score enough runs, finishing an abysmal 8-20 in one run games. To highlight matters, on the 5th day of the season, Burleigh Grimes squared off against the Philadelphia Phillies and threw a 20 inning complete game, but could only come up with a 9-9 tie. The Robins also set the modern-day record by finishing a doubleheader with the Giants in two hours and 25 minutes; most games today last at least 3 hours.

Nobody expected the team to improve much the following year.

During a preseason game against the New York Yankees, Jeff Pfeffer accidentally threw an inside pitch that nailed Yankees shortstop Chick Fewster in the ear. He recovered, but was unable to speak for nearly six months. It was an ominous sign, but one that was ignored by the league in general. The 1920 season gave Brooklyn fans a reason to cheer, though, as the Robins gained control of first place in May and never let go the entire season. They were helped by consistently dominant pitching, including a 26 inning standoff on May 21 that still stands as the longest game in major league history. Led by Zack Wheat's 9 home runs and .328 average and Hy Myers' league-leading 22 triples, the offense batted a scorching .277 and knocked in 566 runs. Meanwhile, Burleigh Grimes fully established himself as a star, compiling a 23-11 record on a 2.22 ERA and an amazing 25 complete games!

Surprise comeback stories from both Marquard and Jeff Pfeffer propelled the team to 93 wins and a chance to face the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. The Indians had gotten to the World Series through major adversity: their star shortstop, Ray Chapman, had been struck by a fastball and killed in May. They had something to prove, and they were going to prove it to the Robins, who ran into a brick wall in the Indian pitching staff, with Hall of Famer Stan Coveleski and company throwing a scorching 0.87 ERA and winning the series 5 games to 2. Fun Fact: Shortly before game 2, undercover policemen in Cleveland arrested several people for scalping tickets to the game. One of those arrested was none other than Robin pitcher Rube Marquard!

1921-1931

After their 1920 flirtation with destiny, the Robins never finished higher than 4th place, with the exception of 1924, where they finished 2nd. Robinson's team always seemed to be made up of misfits and journeymen, and it is said that his managerial style was simply to "let 'em play." Freewheelers and nutballs like Dazzy Vance, superspy Moe Berg, Tiny Osborne, vaudeville star Rabbit Maranville, airhead Babe Herman, Jack Fournier, the incomparable Jumbo Elliott, the speedy Max Carey, and "the Schnozz" Ernest Lombardi all played under Robinson's watchful eye.

Odds and ends of the largely forgettable era include:

• The signing of Sam Crane, a light-hitting shortstop of the Philadelphia Athletics. He wasn't particularly good on the field, but off the field he was murder - literally. Convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend and her companion in a hotel room, he served 15 years in prison.
• Vance's 1924 MVP season, where he edged out Rogers Hornsby, who batted a major league record .424. The team raced to the finish against their crosstown rivals the New York Giants, but couldn't catch the red-hot team in September.
• The death of Charlie Ebbets, owner and major innovator in baseball, on April 18, 1925. All major league games that day were cancelled in honor of the legend. That same year on September 13, Vance threw a no-hitter, just one week after throwing a one-hitter.
• The famous "three men on base" story which mauler has eloquently recreated in his writeup on Babe Herman.
• The game on September 9, 1926, in which the Robins set four major league records, all of them involving substitution players. Trailing 6-3 entering the 9th inning, Brooklyn sent out five pinch hitters - who all hit safely. Three pinch runners were also used, and all three scored. Another pinch hit gave the team records in pinch hits in a game (6), consecutive pinch hits (5), pinch runners scoring (3), and pinch hits in an inning (6). Pinch hitter Dick Cox managed to get both the first and the sixth pinch hit for the team, and they scored 9 runs to claim a 12-6 victory.
• On August 3, 1929, the Chicago Cubs complained about Dazzy Vance's sleeve, which had been carefully torn into tatters to distract the batters. The next day, a ruling was made to ban such distracting attire, and for players to wear neater uniforms.

The End

Tired of ineptitude, the new management in Brooklyn fired "Uncle Robbie" after the 1931 season, replacing him with the more business-minded Max Carey. The team reverted to its pre-Robinson day name of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Robinson headed to Atlanta, where he served as president of operations for the Southern Association's Atlanta Crackers until his death in 1933. Though his team never won a World Series, they showed a lot of character and heart throughout his tenure, and are certainly a team to be remembered fondly in major league history.

Team Index
Brooklyn Dodgers | Brooklyn Superbas

Humble Beginnings

Nathaniel Archibald, nicknamed “Tiny” after his dad “Big Tiny", was born on September 2, 1948 to an impoverished family in the Bronx. Archibald grew up in the South Bronx’s Patterson housing projects, one of the country’s most destitute neighborhoods, in a two-bedroom apartment with his six younger brothers and sisters. Due to understandably stressful conditions, Big Tiny left the house when Nate was only fourteen years old, leaving him the man of the house. In such a neighborhood, temptations of drug and alcohol were ever present in his daily life. Two of his brothers would later be arrested for drug use, and one would be imprisoned for armed robbery. However, Archibald had only one addiction since his childhood: basketball.

Nate told Sport Magazine in 1980, “how guys who are into drugs are always looking to get other guys involved, as if they want company when they go under. Me? I was always into basketball.” Between managing the family and just trying to survive, Archibald had little time for basketball. In addition, playing at local courts could sometimes be a life-threatening activity. His inability to practice affected him; in his sophomore year at DeWitt Clinton High School, he was cut from the basketball team.

Tiny Becomes a Giant

One of the greatest players in NBA history may not have even played high school basketball if it weren’t for the effort of community sports director, and later coach for City College in Manhattan, of Floyd Layne. Archibald had all but dropped out of high school when Layne convinced the DeWitt Clinton coach to take another look at him. The next year Nate made the high school basketball team and from that point on has been coveted by teams across the country, not rejected. During his senior year of high school, Nate had made the All-City basketball team.

Although many colleges took a look at Archibald due to his abilities on the court, a scholarship was impossible due to his below-average grades. He left New York for the first time in his life in order to attend Arizona Western Community College. The University of Texas at El Paso recognized his skills soon afterwards, and Archibald accepted a scholarship after one year at Arizona Western. It was one of the best moves the school could have made, since Archibald went on to become the best player in the school’s history.

Archibald averaged 20 points a game over the course of three seasons. He shone through especially in clutch situations. In the 1970 Aloha Classic, Tiny scored an amazing 51 points. He averaged 40 points during his five post-season experiences in college.

David Versus the Goliaths

The 1970 NBA draft had one of the strongest fields of talent in years. NBA gods Pete Maravich, Bill Cowens, and Bill Lanier were among the top picks. Fortunately for Archibald, some of the greatest coaches were also present for the draft. Although it would have been easy to go unnoticed in such a strong field, numerous coaches had found Archibald as a potential draft pick. The one who got to Archibald first, in the second pick of the second round, was the great Bob Cousy of NBA fame, then coach of the Cincinnati Royals. Cousy, who had first found Archibald in a Memphis hotel during a tournament, mistook Nate for a bellboy due to his boyish features. At 6 foot 1 and 150 pounds, the mistake was understandable.

During the time Archibald had started playing basketball, new strategies and theories towards the game were being followed. More then ever, the NBA had begun to follow the motto “bigger is better.” By 1970, the game was almost exclusive to overly tall players. Coaches were looking for giants, no matter how talented they actually were. Archibald would be the primary player who would break this idea, and give the league the ideas of balance in a lineup. He would eventually flourish the environment, zipping around the slow, ungainly monsters that saturated the NBA.

Archibald started out modestly. He earned his starting position only because the former guard had held out on in a contract dispute. He scored ended up averaging a very respectable 16 points a game on a far below average team. Despite his capable scoring abilities, Archibald had a fairly weak defense and, more importantly, tended to turn the ball over through overhandling the ball.

After an even more mediocre year, Archibald’s moment to shine had come. Tom Van Arsdale, the team captain, had become injured. As a result, Archibald took over. As a very proud person, the role of leadership was exactly what Nate needed. After an impressive first half of the year, Archibald was left off the NBA All-Star Team. He was so upset that during the second half of the year, he made sure that they would never make the mistake of leaving him out again. He scored an average of 34 points a game, leaving his season scoring average at 28.2, a Jordan-like number. He still only made the All-NBA Second Team at the end of the season, after the Royals finished with a losing record. Regardless, Archibald had taken his place as the smallest powerhouse in NBA history up to that point.

Earning His Place in History

It took a change in cities (during the off-season, the Royals moved from Cincinnati to Kansas City/Omaha) to solidify Archibald’s place among the greatest players in the history of the game and change the ideas of basketball theorists everywhere. He was finally part of the All-Star Team, and named All-NBA First Team at the end of the season. The most impressive part of the season, however, was his 34 points per game, which still stands as one of the highest in the league’s history along with Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain, and 11.4 assists per game. Archibald led the league in both categories and became the first and still the only player to ever do so. Still, the pitiful Royals had somehow managed to acquire another losing season.

Unfortunately, Archibald injured his Achilles' tendon and, as a result, played in only a few games over the course of the 1973-1974 season. The next season, a fully recovered Tiny led the team to its first winning record in years and even gained them a playoff berth (they would lose in the semifinals to the Chicago Bulls). He earned another spot on the NBA First Team with an average of 26.5 points and 6.8 assists.

Finding a Place to Win

The following season showed the continuation of Tiny Archibald’s dominance among the giants. It seemed as though Archibald had a spot reserved on the All-NBA First Team by this point, as he was again a league leader in both points and assists. However, the team suffered through yet another miserable record, despite Archibald’s outstanding performance. Thinking he might never have another winning season, Archibald requested to be traded. The New York Nets answered his prayers

The trade was not the career-saver Archibald thought it would be. He quickly injured his foot and sat out for the entire season. He was traded again, while injured, to the Buffalo Sabres. Before the start of the 1977-1978 season, Archibald injured his Achilles' tendon a second time, and would never even play a game for Buffalo. An unhappy Buffalo shipped Archibald to the Boston Celtics, where he finally found a home among an all-star cast that he was proud to play with including Jo Jo White and Bill Cowens. He would not return to glory just yet, though, as he had continued arguments with both players all throughout the season. The Celtics dynasty had also just ended, and they had their first losing season in many years.

The Celtics new coach, Bill Fitch, was a godsend to the team that was in danger of slipping into the basement. He picked up rookie Larry Bird and helped to train both Cowens and Archibald back to the peak of their game. In addition, Archibald had a newfound confidence after a trip back to his hometown. On the playgrounds he was treated like a god by hundreds of kids who expressed their belief in him. The stage seemed set for Archibald to make his return to greatness.

Archibald Reborn

Archibald returned in a different manner than before. Unlike of the often ball-hogging, high scoring Tiny of the past, Archibald had become a quick, controlled playmaker, setting up teammates Bird and Cowens for big points. He averaged only 14.1 points a game but had 671 assists, the most since his record-breaking season in 1973. More importantly, Archibald had regained his All-Star status and the confidence he needed to play well. With the chemistry between teammates improved, the Celtics had a dramatic turnaround with a 61-21 record. The made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to a fiery Philadelphia 76ers team.

During the 1980-1981 season, Archibald became recognized as the ground leader of the Celtics. His play making and discipline helped lead Boston to an excellent 62-20 record. He averaged 35 minutes of playing time a game. During the All-Star game, he earned the MVP Award, and made All-NBA Second Team at the season’s end after averaging 7.7 assists a game. These honors were nothing compared to the thrill that waited for Tiny at the end of the season. After a remarkable seven game series against Philadelphia, the Celtics went on to defeat the Houston Rockets in six games to win Archibald’s first NBA championship.

Returning Home

After another solid season ending in a loss in the conference finals to the New York Knicks, Archibald’s numbers began to drop. Before the start of 1983-1984 season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Tiny would play only 46 games for the bucks before announcing his retirement.

Archibald was not a man to forget his roots. Shortly after becoming a professional basketball player, Nate would fly back to the Bronx every off-season in order to help the underprivileged there. He ran community programs and constructed at least two homeless shelters with his salary. He spent his spare time counseling troubled youths on the street and teaching kids about drugs. These actions were uncommon at the time for a highly paid athlete, especially one from such a ravaged area. After his retirement, he started and ran free basketball schools for local kids and even worked as the athletic director at the massive Harlem Armory homeless shelter for free. In 1993, he was honored by New York City Mayor David Dinkins for his constant community service and his active part in helping kids who otherwise may not have had a future.

Awards and Honors:
Three Time All-NBA First Team
Two Time All-NBA Second Team
Six Time NBA All-Star
NBA All Star Game MVP (1981)
NBA Championship with Boston Celtics (1981)
Elected into Hall of Fame (1991)
NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)

Career Statistics:
Points per game: 18.8
Points: 16,481
Assists per game: 7.4
Assists: 6,467
Free throw percentage: .810
Rebounds: 2,046
Steals: 719
Field goal percentage: .467

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Sources:
www.nba.com
http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/Archibald.htm

Cricket pitch

aka wicket, track, strip

In cricket the pitch is the area on which most of the play takes place. This area is at times referred to as a wicket, as in "Its a good wicket to bat on". Thus the word wicket can be used to denote the pitch. However, there are other meanings of the word wicket. The pitch is typically the most important area of any cricket ground. Each ground has anywhere between one to five pitches in the centre of the ground. The area covered by all the pitches which typically run parallel to each other side by side is known as the square. Furthermore each ground has practice pitches which are sometimes located on the ground itself near the boundary ropes or outside the ground.

A pitch is a rectangular strip 20.12m in length and 3.05m in width. The length between the two sets of wickets at either end is 22 yards. These 22 yards have a great bearing on the game. The batting crease is marked 1.22m in front of the wickets at either end. This is also termed as the popping crease. The wickets are placed along what is termed as the bowling crease. The return creases are placed at right angles to the bowling and batting crease and are placed at a distance of 1.32m from the middle stump on either side.

The two sets of wickets at either end of the wicket are 71.1cm high and the entire set is 22.86cm wide. The three stumps in each set are made of willow. The stumps have two bails which rest on the top of the stumps.

Technical specifications aside each stadium and correspondingly each pitch has its own characteristics and its own nature which makes cricket a very diverse game. It is the nature of the pitch that determines to a large extent the direction that the game will take. Consequently a great deal of controversy sorrounds the pitch.

A discussion on pitches is not complete without a quick glance at the nature of pitches at the different venues around the world. It is interesting to note that while turf pitches are used for test cricket some countries which are new to cricket, where infrastructure is poor, use matting for the pitches.

England

Beginning with England where cricket originated the nature of the pitches in England is fickle, like the English weather. Early in the cricket season the pitches are a batsman's nightmare as the ball tends to swing and seam prodigiously meaning that only the best batsmen proficient in technique survive the exacting conditions. The batsmen have to eschew flamboyance and flair in favour of tight and compact play to survive and score runs in such conditions. The bowlers on the other hand normally have a field day with even medium pace bowlers who can swing the ball proving to be a handful. However as the season moves towards the summer the pitches tend to flatten out and ease up on the batsmen. Lateral movement off the pitch and swing in the air is comparatively less making the batsman's life that much easier. It then becomes possible to hit on the up and through the line of the ball scoring runs at a fairly brisk pace. At this stage of the season bowlers who are military medium will find it difficult to contain top batsmen. Hence, players from all over the world tend to look at a season in England as a learning experience. Seam and Swing bowlers who bowl at a decent pace (130-160kph) do well in England while spinners have little role to play except perhaps on the fourth and fifth day of a test.

The different test arenas in England have different kinds of pitches. The test stadiums are Lords, The Oval , Headingley, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Old Trafford, Riverside Ground and Bramall Lane. Of all the pitches in England the Oval is normally the easiest to bat on while Headngley poses the biggest challenge. The ball swings more at Headingley than anywhere else.

Australia

Australia on the other hand typically sports pitches that have more bounce and carry than the ones in England while lateral movement is less. Swing here depends on overhead conditions. The pitches here are very hard which is responsible for the high bounce. The batsmen who are good backfoot players do well here while batsmen who are in the habit of playing off their frontfoot typically struggle to make the adjustment. However, conditions in Australia are unforgiving if you are a fast bowler and are up against quality backfoot batsmen. Conditions on the whole suit the pacemen more than their spin counterparts.

The test arenas in Australia are Adelaide Oval, Bellerie Oval, Bundaberg Rum Stadium, Exhibition Ground, Marrara Cricket Ground, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sydney Cricket Ground, W.A.C.A. Ground, Woolloongabba (The Gabba). A special mention must be made of the WACA ground also known as Perth. Perth is the bounciest and the fastest pitch anywhere in cricket. Top teams and top batsmen struggle to come to terms with the bounce and pace at Perth. A lightning quick pitch at Perth is something that batsmen dread when they come to Australia. Mention Perth to any cricket lover and he will tell you that the images that come to mind are of batsmen getting hit on the body and on the head. Pacemen rule the roost here. Period.

South Africa

South African pitches are typically like the pitches in Australia with the exception that they have more sideways movement off the pitch and the bounce isn't as pronounced. Again, pitches here offer the pacemen a lot of assistance while spinners have to toil hard and stick to the basics of line and length to be successful.

The test arenas in South Africa are Buffalo Park, Centurion Park, Crusaders Ground, Ellis Park, Goodyear Park, Kingsmead, Lord's, New Wanderers Stadium, Newlands, North West Cricket Stadium and the Old Wanderers.

Zimbabwe

Pitches in Zimbabwe are very similar to the ones in South Africa with the only difference being in the nature of the bounce. The pitches in South Africa provide fast bounce while the pitches in Zimbabwe tend to have a spongy, tennis ball type of bounce which makes hitting on the up a risky proposition.

Zimbabwe has three test arenas, the Bulawayo Athletic Club, the Harare Sports Club and the Queens Sports Club.

West Indies

West Indies tends to produce pitches which are balanced in their nature. Neither is the bounce too disconcerting nor is the movement extravagant. However, bowlers who are willing to bend their backs find assistance from these pitches while top batsmen also find that the pitches are conducive to stroke making. Pitches here have earned a reputation of assisting the quicks because of the era gone by when West Indies used to posses some of the best fast bowlers in cricket. People like Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding among others were fast bowlers who could wreak havoc on even the most docile of pitches. Spinners find that they too can find purchase from the pitches here.

The different test match arenas here are Antigua Recreation Ground, Arnos Vale Ground, Beausejour Stadium, Bourda, Kensington Oval, Queen's Park (New), Queen's Park Oval and Sabina Park.

New Zealand

New Zealand unlike its neighbour Australia produces pitches which promote seam and swing. The wickets here resemble the ones in England and South Africa more than the ones in Australia. Batting here can be extremely trying. Pacemen and swing and seam bowlers tend to do most of the damage. Pitches here tend to sport a very greenish look which helps the faster bowlers a lot. However, the stadiums here tend to be very pretty and picteresque.

The test arenas here are Basin Reserve, Carisbrook, Eden Park, Lancaster Park, McLean Park and Seddon Park.

India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Pitches in the Indian subcontinent have a character of their own. Fast bowlers find life difficult here due to the fact that pitches here rarely promote sideways movement and the ball does not swing in the air much. Any swing there is happens early in the morning which quickly fades away as the sun beats down on the wickets. This means that the batsmen can hit through the line of the ball without ever having to worry about deviation off the pitch. The spinners come into their own here and a good spinner can prove to be the nemesis of many a batsman. The batsmen need to be able to read the flight of the ball and use their feet to get to the pitch of the ball to smother the turn that the spinners obtain. Playing off the backfoot on pitches which offer sharp turn is courting disaster. However lunging for the ball on the front foot is not the answer. One needs to be able to pick up the length of the ball quickly before making the decision of going onto the front or the back foot. Pitches here tend to be dry and tend to wear and tear quickly and fifth day pitches tend to be veritable minefields. The bounce of the pitch becomes very unpredictable and the ball tends to kick and bounce off a good length making batting a test of concentration, determination and skill.

The test arenas in India are Barabati Stadium, Brabourne Stadium, Burlton Park, Corporation Stadium, Eden Gardens, Feroz Shah Kotla, Green Park, Gujarat Stadium, Gymkhana Ground, K.D.Singh 'Babu' Stadium, Lal Bahadur Stadium, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Punjab C.A. Stadium, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Sector 16 Stadium, University Ground, Vidarbha C.A. Ground, and the Wankhede Stadium.

The test arenas in Pakistan are Arbab Niaz Stadium, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Defence Cricket Stadium, Dring Stadium, Gaddafi Stadium, Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium, Iqbal Stadium, Jinnah Stadium, Multan Cricket Stadium, Municipal Stadium, National Stadium, Niaz Stadium, Pindi Club Ground, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Services Ground and the Sheikhupura Stadium.

The test arenas in Sri Lanka are Asgiriya Stadium, Colombo Cricket Club Ground, Galle International Stadium, P.Saravanamuttu Stadium, R.Premadasa Stadium, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground and the Tyronne Fernando Stadium.