Things I Think: NCAA Wrestling Championships and the Sanderson vs Gable Debate

My friend and sometime collaborator, Kalea Yoshida of the great Play, Actions Sports blog (http://playactionfashion.com) posted this picture on my Facebook page the other day.

We share a passion for sports and especially for our beloved wrestling programs;
She's an Iowa Hawkeye fanatic, while I'm a Minnesota Golden Gopher nut case.

Just looking at the picture inspired my excitement for the upcoming wrestling tourney.

I would love to drive down to St. Louis and attend the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships, taking place from March 19th through the 21st.

The only wrestling championship I've ever attended was 2002 up in Albany, New York, where my beloved Minnesota Golden Gophers won the championship.

It was such an amazing experience.

In fact, the Gophers' 2002 title was their second of back-to-back National Championships, and they did so with very different results than what earned them the 2001 title.
In 2001, the team placed a record ten (10) wrestlers in the top-8 finishers, which ensures a wrestler of All-American status.
No first-place finishers, but the total team points earned was tops among all schools, with 138.5 pts. This topped host Iowa, who finished second-place with 125.5 pts.

The feat was literally historic, as no team in the history of the national tournament had won the team title without a finalist.

The Gophers' victory also ended Iowa's streak of six (6) consecutive National Championships, and for the Gophers to do it in front of the Iowa fans, according to Gopher Coach J.Robinson, gave the title extra significance.

It was also the wrestling program's 1st-ever title and the school's 1st title from ANY sport since 1979 when Men's Hockey captured the NCAA crown.

In my mind, the 2002 tourney was even better.
Why?
Defending a title has to be among the most difficult tasks a team can undertake in any sport.
You go the whole season with a target on your back, so the pressure to try and repeat is elevated. Expectations are a heavy weight to carry.

While I'll admit being present at the tourney and hoisting the trophy at the end of the night, (even though I was just the team's admin assistant), gives me a bias that skews objectivity.

When I close my eyes, I can still feel the electricity of Gopher fans chanting the Minnesota rouser, as it echoed throughout the Times Union Center, (which was known as the Pepsi Center at the time).

Still, there are other factors besides my personal experience, that inform my opinion.







Another reason 2002 was the best championship was watching the great Cael Sanderson of Iowa State surpass the legendary Dan Gable in the NCAA wrestling record books.
Watching that ultimate manifestation of greatness and achievement was something I'll never forget.
In fact, as we probe deeper, there's interesting symmetry and contrast to Gable and Sanderson's careers.


Of course, Gable is a singular figure that's synonymous with his sport like almost no other figure in any sport.
Gable was undefeated throughout high school, and only lost one, single match in his entire college career; the championship match of his senior season in 1970.
Gable was upset by sophomore Larry Owings from the University of Washington.

After that loss, Gable attacked his Olympic career earning the Gold medal at the '72 Munich games; a tournament he wrestled without yielding a single point to any opponent he faced.
In Gable’s final 21 Olympic qualification and Olympic matches, he scored 12 falls and outscored his nine other opponents, 130-1.

Much like Owings was to Gable, Sanderson's final opponent of the 2002 season was Sophomore Jon Trenge of Lehigh, who sported a gaudy 35-3 season record. Trenge still holds many records at Lehigh. He looked like he was chiseled from granite.
However, there would be no upset, no Larry Owings 2.0.

We watched history-in-the-making as Sanderson DISMANTLED Trenge in the finals 12-4, to complete his undefeated CAREER!




Not undefeated for a given tourney or even a whole season, but undefeated for a 4 YEAR CAREER.
What Gable had done previously, was a feat unlike anything the wrestling world had ever seen; history that stood for twenty-two (22) years.
Then Cael Sanderson comes along and literally does Gable one better.

4 National titles, each capping 4 undefeated seasons as an Iowa State Cyclone, (where he was coached by the great Bobby Douglas), and an unblemished record of 159-0.



So does that single match elevate Sanderson's career ahead of Gable's? Or should each career be viewed by dividing the NCAA career from the Olympic career?



They both wrestled for the Cyclones, and had similar AMAZING careers.
But, they haven't always seen eye-to-eye....



Before becoming Penn State's current head coach and driving the Nittany Lions to four (4) straight national titles (2011-2014), Sanderson coached at Iowa State, facing-off against Gable and the Iowa Hawkeyes quite a few times.

Maybe coaching is a separate measurement, like their college and Olympic careers.
Arriving at Penn State in 2009, then capturing that many titles almost immediately is
incredibly impressive... and it still pales in comparison to Gable's coaching record.

Gable coached the Hawkeyes from 1978 to 1997. In that time, his teams earned a dual-meet record of 355 wins, only 21 losses and 5 ties. He coached 152 all-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 Big Ten Champions and 12 Olympians, including four gold, one silver and three bronze medalists. The Hawkeyes won 25 consecutive Big Ten championships, 21 under Gable as head coach and four while he was an assistant coach and administrator. He led them to an unprecedented 15 National titles, including nine in-a-row from 1978 to 1986.

As impressive as Sanderson has started his tenure at PSU, he still has a long way to go, in terms of coaching career, to even be mentioned in the same breath as Coach Gable.

But I digress....As I said before, it's almost impossible to separate myself from the experience of attending the 2002 wrestling NCAA Championship, as I judge what the best one has been.
It was an incredible feeling of school pride, and pride in the sport of wrestling.

Plus, as an added bonus, (and a bit of schadenfreude on my part) I took great delight in watching the Hawkeyes lose that year.
ESPN had all but anointed them at the begining of the season, following their team with camera crews and an expectation that they would end the year as national champs.
When they didn't (they finished 4th overall, with 89pts, 37.5pts behind Minnesota), it made the Gopher victory even more satisfying.

It reminded me of the satisfaction I get as a Minnesota Vikings fan, when they beat the Packers.


I remember heavyweight, Steve Mocco, ESPN cameras in his face, as he cried underneath the stands of the Pepsi Center after losing to Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State in the finals.
No shame in crying over a loss, but Mocco was never big on sportsmanship.
Just like top-seeded 149-pounder and Hawkeye, Mike Zadick, who couldn't have been a worse ambassador for sportsmanship in wrestling.
Despite being the top seed, Zadick finished 7th; still All-American but far below his and his schools' expectations.
His lack of sportsmanship on the medal stand was something I'll never forget.
It was also gratifying to have a Golden Gopher, 2nd-seeded Jared Lawrence win the weight class that Zadick was "supposed" to win.
I know I'm petty for these feelings, but I'm also honest enough to admit to them, and admit that it's a flaw of human character to take pleasure in the failures of others.

So what did we learn in exploring the symmetry and contrast of wrestling legends Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson?

*Cael Sanderson had a better college career than Dan Gable, but only by the slimmest margin.

*Dan Gable has the better coaching career, and while it's something Coach Cael could approach, it will take awhile to surpass Gable.

*Both wrestlers won Olympic gold, but Gable did it in such dominating fashion that he gets the nod here, too.


As far as the best NCAA Wrestling Championship ever?
Personally and historically, I vote for the 2002 tournament, HANDS DOWN.





I'll leave you with this picture.

It's a collection of some of the very best wrestlers ever assembled; Eight American Gold Medalists.
From left-to-right, it's Kenny Monday, John Smith, Kendall Cross, Jake Varner, Cael Sanderson, Dan Gable, Jordan Burroughs.




Even though our squad had a tough weekend at the Cliff Keen National Duals (The Gophers finished 8th from the 16-team field) we're still #GopherTough and we bleed maroon blood for #SkiUMah.

These are #ThingsIThink

THINGS I THINK: Anyone want a paper-weight? Grammy Awards Show 2015

Does anyone want one of these anymore .....I mean, besides Kanye West?
Doesn't the sustained devaluation of the Grammy result in artists and fans not really giving a fuck any longer, about "winning one"?

Doesn't Jethro Tull winning the inaugural award for Hard Rock/Heavy Metal category in 1989, reveal the worthlessness of this charade, when Tull defeated authentic metal like Metallica, or other nominees like AC/DC, Iggy Pop, and Jane's Addiction?

Didn't Milli Vanilli's victory back in 1990 when they "won" the Best New Artist Award, complete the Grammys' descent into oblivion?
Granted that thin group of nominees were comprised of Neneh Cherry, Indigo Girls, Soul II Soul, and Tone Lōc, but at least those nominees were artists that performed their own material (granting samples by Loc and Soul).

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) of the United States honors artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position. We'll try keeping this in mind, as there might be a few categories covered herein.

In truth, I'm drawn to the performers, far more than the winners.
Live performance of music really turns me on.  
It's what makes these awards shows, worth their while.

I think back to previous shows, and honestly, the first performance I think of was Pink performing "Glitter in the Air" at the 2010 ceremony. Her performance moved me to tears. I still go back and watch, every now-and-then.

Or last years' collaboration between Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar where they mashed-up "Maad City" & "Radioactive". Tremendous energy and excitement....just like a live performance is supposed to be.

Back in 2009, Radiohead did a really cool version of 15 Step with the USC marching band. 

These were all amazing performances that stuck to my ribs.
Sunday night, the 2015 Grammy Awards show had a few rib-sticking moments, too.

First mention goes to Hozier with Annie Lennox, singing Hozier's "Take Me To Church", before running through "I Put A Spell On You". 
Lennox killed once she got going, to the point where Hozier could only hold on to her coattails and ride out the Divalicious force that is Anne Lennox.

Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani were ok as a live performance; her vocals were off here-and-there. 
It seemed to be a tough key to sing the verse without hitting some sour notes. 
The studio version is better.
I am, however, very drawn to the lyrics of this tune.
I know the tumult of love and the heartache we are all exposed to by loving another with everything we have to offer. I have felt and even spoken these words before, so there's a strong resonance here.

I know you're scared
I can feel it
It's in the air, I know you feel that too
But take a chance on me
You won't regret it, no
One more "no" and I'll believe you
I'll walk away and I will leave you be
And now's the last time you'll say no, say no to me

It won't take me long to find another lover
But I want you
I can't spend another minute getting over loving you

If you've been through it, then you've also been to the brink of giving up on love; A place of hurt and anguish.

In contrast, Lady Gaga sounded pitch-perfect, in her duet with Legendary crooner Tony Bennett. They sang "Cheek to Cheek", from their album of jazz-standards-turned-duets, that shares the same name.
In a night filled with honoring questionable talent and musicianship and performances, Gaga delivered on another chance to show the world what her little monsters already know; Lady Gaga is more than a dance beat in a meat dress. She has incredible pipes and the talent and skill to control them.

Which brings me to Kanye West. Forget about his penchant for disrupting the moments of others and stealing the spotlight.....the guy cannot sing without Auto Tune. He has a vivid imagination and he's clearly a creative force-to-be-reckoned-with when producing himself or others. 
But he is NOT a singer. Not when he's completely dependent on a machine to help him sound like he's hitting the notes and singing in-tune. 
It makes his never-ending petulance even harder to tolerate, since he always targets artists getting recognition for something he's not good at.  

Post-show, Kanye was quoted as saying:

I just know that the Grammys, if they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We ain't gonna play with them no more. And Beck needs to respect artistry and he should've given his award to Beyonce.

Any interested party can objectively say that Beck IS, in fact, an incredibly talented and versatile artist with a tremendous depth in his musicianship. 

Here's my favorite Beck cut doing what Kanye does, as good or better than Kanye, a tune called "Hell Yes" from the Guero album.

Ed Sheeran's performance with John Mayer (and his nod to Buddy Holly), Questlove of the Roots, and the venerable Herbie Hancock, was exactly what I tune into the Grammys to see and hear; great musicians collaborating together, in combinations that I wouldn't think of combining. They performed Sheeran's own "Thinking Out Loud" before Sheeran moved onto his next performance with another musical legend.

I love 70's classic rock, and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) has massive contributions to the cannon. Founder and lead singer Jeff Lynne was terrific on "Evil Woman" where Sheeran joined for that jam and "Mr. Blue Sky" as well. 
And it was fun seeing Sir Paul McCartney give his approval by standing up and jamming through the whole performance (until the cameras got into his mug and he got sheepish and sat down. Really Sir Paul? Stay on your feet and Ram On)!

Usher did an incredible vocal on Stevie Wonder's "If It's Magic". 
The tune comes from "Songs In The Key of Life", Stevie's masterwork, double-album that's filled with more artistry than what some are able to produce in their entire career. Stevie did it all in one album. 
Makes me even MORE JACK UP to see him perform the album live, here in Minnesota, at the end of March.

Now to my hot-button issue: Sam Smith
I really enjoyed his performance with Mary J. Blige.
She's amazing and soulful and I loved when she sang "One" with U2, back in 2006, so this pairing made sense.

My issue with Sam Smith, is that he won all the grammys that he did.
The total count was four (4) and he won them for best new artist, song of the year and record of the year for Stay with Me, and best pop vocal album for "In the Lonely Hour."
I have no problem with him winning best new artist, or being honored for the full album.

However, I think it's ridiculous to honor him for a song that he's tacitly admitted is borrowed from another artists' original work.
The song that he took two (2) Grammys for (and arguably the basis for all the awards he won) "Stay With Me" is a world-wide smash and it borrows closely from the 1989 Tom Petty tune "I Won't Back Down".

Is it almost "sampling"? Listen for yourself....

For me, it was the elephant-in-the-room, and Smith had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing by acknowledging Petty and his contribution to Smith's success.

In fact, Smith and his camp settled with the song writers of "I Won't Back Down"

The settlement reportedly included a 12.5% writing credit to both Petty and the aforementioned Jeff Lynne of ELO fame.
The song’s credit on ASCAP — that’s the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers —Smith, Petty, Lynne, and Jimmy Napes as the chief songwriters.

Seems to me this legal admission precludes Smith's work from consideration, OR, Petty, Lynne and Napes each deserve 1/4 of the trophies given to Smith, that solely credit Smith with the groups' collective work.

Can't end without mention of Prince, right?
Being a HUGE fan of The Kid, I keep an eye on various internet chat-rooms and fan threads, and there was a ton of momentum towards the speculation that His Purple Badness was going to perform at the Grammys; with a reformed Revolution to boot.
Alas, he was only there to give the award for Album of the Year, which Beck won, raising Kanye's ire, in defense of Beyonce being slighted by Beck's win (or so Yeezy felt).
Yes, that last sentence was a convoluted mess...much like the situation I'm trying to describe.

I'd also be remiss to not mention a favorite group of mine called Pentatonix. 
They rose to international fame from the a capella singing show called The Sing-Off.
Sunday night they won their first Grammy for Best Arrangement/Instrumental.
They were on stage with my hero, Barry Gibb, to honor the life-time achievement of the Brothers Gibb, known as The Bee Gees. He even acknowledged them in his speech.
I still assert, speaking of landmark performances, that Pentatonix best performance ever was their cover of Florence and The Machine's "The Dog Days Are Over".
It's so talented and beautifully sung, well, see/hear for yourself.

Overall, this years' show was underwhelming, but I'll keep watching for the potential that each new year has. Like Pink dangling from the ceiling, getting dunked into a pool of water, while beautifully singing note after note, while spinning around like a gyroscope.
Yep, that really happened once.
At a Grammy Awards Ceremony.
Can't wait for next year.
Maybe Kanye will interrupt himself?
These are Things I Think.