Site Moved

This site has been moved to the FanVsFan network at the link www.thekingofsportsblog.com

Keep reading my posts at the new link. If you want to read old interviews on your right is a site archive.

Interview with Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh and Some News

Jim Harbaugh is the coach of the Stanford Cardinals football team. He played for Michigan in college and was a Heisman Hopeful in the 1987 season along with winning the Big Ten Player of the Year and taking his team to the Rose Bowl. Harbaugh went on to be a first round draft selection to the Chicago Bears. After being a Bear for 7 seasons, he went to the Colts where he was a dropped pass away from taking Indianapolis to a Super Bowl. That season he finished runner-up for the MVP. Harbaugh is one of three members of the Stanford football team I interviewed. I interviewed Mr. Harbaugh at Stanford a week ago, thanks to the help of the Stanford Director of Football Operations, Matt Doyle.

Here is our interview:

BW: Besides your playoff run in 1996 [was a dropped pass from taking the Colts to the Super Bowl], what has been the most memorable part of your football career?

JH: Well, unfortunately to the age where I've forgotten most of my life, but I got to tell you last year's season with Stanford there were some very exciting wins with our team. Going down to USC and that big ball game, and then winning against Oregon. To see our team really grow. Toby's [Gerhart] Heisman ceremony was a lot of satisfaction for everybody. You know I'm not the type of guy who lives in the past, I don't think about the good ole days, or things I have regret about. I don't have a whole lot of guilt and I'm always thinking to the future. Planning, saving, and preparing for what's next. And hopefully the best part will be this year, coming up.

BW: What do you remember most about Coach Bo Schembechler as a coach?

JH: So many good things. He was my coach. He was also my dad's boss. So he put a lot of food on the table for Harbaugh family. That is also where I got my foundation, as a football player and as a coach, from my dad and also Bo Schembechler. That's where my roots really were and the foundation for what I know about football was built by Bo Schembechler.

BW: Being back at the Heisman for Toby Gerhart, what memories did that back to you? [Harbaugh was a Heisman Hopeful in 1987. He was at the Heisman with Gerhart]

JH: Just the entire time was just awesome because for Toby to see how hard he worked and everything he had done for our program to be recognized in that way was a tremendous thing for him and his family and also just to see Toby Gerhart, one of our players, up there with a player from Texas [Colt McCoy], a player from Nebraska [Ndamukong Suh], a player from Alabama [Mark Ingram], and a player from Florida [Tim Tebow], and then a guy from Stanford to be on that stage was really neat for all of our players and coaches this year and people who care about Stanford. It was neat to have Stanford back on that stage. [only Heisman winner from Stanford was Jim Plunkett in 1970]

BW: With all the famous coaches in your family, can you tell me what family gatherings are like when your father, brother, and brother-in-law are there? [Father: Jack Harbaugh was a coordinator at Michigan and Stanford and won a NCAA 1-AA Championship in football. Brother: John Harbaugh: Coach of the Baltimore Ravens (his quarterback, Joe Flacco, has a freshman brother at Stanford). Brother-in-law: Tom Crean: Coach of Indiana University Basketball and formerly Marquette taking them to Final Four in 2003 with Dwayne Wade.]

JH: Family gatherings are a lot about talking about sports. Talking football with my brother and my dad and brother-in-law, Tom Crean, a basketball coach, loves to talk football. It's mainly about football and strategy, and a lot about recruiting and different things you use to motivate your team. There is always some team being talking about whether, it is the Baltimore Ravens or the Hoosiers or the Stanford Cardinals.

BW: What was it like coaching with your father and brother during an NFL playoff game?

JH: Well, me and my father weren't really coaching, we were just standing around. My brother was doing the coaching. He was the proud father and I was the proud brother. That is the only way I could describe it. We were so proud of what my brother was doing.

BW: What current quarterback in the NFL or college reminds you of yourself?

JH: That's a good question! I'm probably more like Jake Locker [University of Washington senior quarterback and projected top pick of the upcoming NFL Draft].

BW: So you should be the number one draft pick?

JH: [Cracks up] You always compare yourself pretty favorably.

This will be the last post I post on www.thekingofsportsblog.blogspot.com. I am moving the site to www.thekingofsportsblog.com. On this site, I am connected to a sports network called FanVsFan, where I will do debates against other fans. Currently I am in the middle of two debates where I could really use your help with. All you need to do is this:

Step 1: Go to these links: http://fanvsfan.com/claims/san-francisco-giants-will-take-the-nl-wild-card AND http://fanvsfan.com/claims/the-jets-will-not-win-the-super-bowl

Step 2: Press vote under my name

Step 3: When you get to a Log In page, you could either sign up at FanVsFan or press the button below password saying: Connect with Facebook and when a popout appears, press allow. (Make sure your computer allows popouts)

Step 4: Go back to the links and make sure it says "voted" under my name.

Thanks

The site still needs touching up, but I'll make sure I have posts there soon and my the site you are on now will still be in existence.

Interview with Andrew Luck

If you don't know Andrew Luck by now, you definitely will get to know him during this upcoming college football season. The Stanford football team may not have a magnificent season, but their quarterback, 20 year old, Andrew Luck, will dominate. WalterFootball.com projects Luck as the third overall draft pick, (2nd quarterback selected behind Washington's Jake Locker) to the Kansas City Chiefs. You may have heard of his father, Oliver Luck, who played quarterback at West Virginia University and Houston Olivers. Oliver Luck is also the President and General Manager of the MLS team, the Houston Dynamo.

Here is my interview with the Luck-iest quarterback on Earth:

Brad Wolff: You are projected a top-15 draft pick, have you given any thought to making this your last college season?

Andrew Luck: No. Not at all.

BW: What is the best piece of advice you have ever gotten?

AL: The best advice I've ever gotten (pondering). That is a very good question. Respect people from my father.

BW: If you weren't a football player what occupation would you be?

AL: I would play soccer.

BW: When you aren't playing football, what are you doing?

AL: Hanging out with the guys on the team, playing video games, reading a book, or doing homework (chuckles).

BW: What NFL quarterback are you most similar to and why?

AL: All of those guys are a lot better than me, but if I had to pattern my game around anyone it would be Peyton Manning.

BW: What team that is on your schedule are you least looking forward to playing this season?

AL: I'm least looking forward to playing the Stanford defense.

(both chuckle)

BW: Are one of your goals for this upcoming season to win the Heisman Trophy?

AL: That would be great, but I figure that if the team is having a good season, that means that I'm having a good season. So if I'm in contention to win that trophy, then that must mean that my team is winning some games. So that would be a good thing.

Interview with Rays Star Ben Zobrist

Ben Zobrist is the starting second baseman on the Tampa Bay Rays. He made the 2009 American League All-Star team with a batting average of .297, 27 home runs, and 91 runs batted in. That season he was voted MVP of the Rays by the Tampa Bay sector of the Baseball Writers and finished 8th in American League MVP voting. Zorilla, the nickname given to him by his manager Joe Maddon, is very involved with his Christian faith and is a true class act. Here is my interview with Mr. Zobrist:

BW: Reading about you and meeting you, tells me that you are a nice person, how do you plan on maintaining being a child's role models as you get older?

BZ: I model my life after my Lord and Master Jesus Christ and His life. He has called me into God's family and I am a representative for Him so I just try to be obedient to what He asks me to do. When I do what I want, it is natural for me to ignore autograph seekers but God wants me to share my testimony card with them and be loving. That power and initiative comes from Him.

BW: What was it like once you found yourself on the field with the best players in the game?

BZ: I was pretty nervous at first because I wasn't sure if I belonged there. I mean, these were players I grew up watching and I never thought I would actually be playing with them. Over time though you realize that you can play with them and they are just normal guys trying to do their best just like anyone else in their skill. God has blessed us all with different talents and abilities.

BW: If you weren't an athlete, what would your occupation be?

BZ: I don't know. I really like the game so I might be some sort of coach in it or possibly a teacher. I also could see myself being a minister and trying to help people live their lives as God has called them to.

BW: What is the funniest thing that has ever happened in your locker room?

BZ: That is a really tough question. I don't have a good answer for this, but I always laugh at my teammates for little things they say and do. Recently, one of our coaches came out and was dancing to a rap song and I was cracking up about that one....tried to get it on camera but didn't get a good shot of it.

BW: What is the hardest part of being a baseball player?

BZ: Everything you do is measured by stats and it is difficult to keep your identity as a person out of the game. It can swallow you whole if you let yourself be engulfed by your statistics.

BW: Who are the hardest pitchers for you to hit?

BZ: Josh Beckett [Red Sox], Roy Halladay [Phillies], Felix Hernandez [Mariners], Jon Lester [Red Sox], Josh Johnson [Marlins].

Interview with Pat LaFontaine

Pat LaFontaine was a center for all three New York Hockey teams, the Islanders, Rangers, and Sabres. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003. He had 468 lifetime goals in his 15 seasons. Pat becomes the 2nd athlete in the past three interviews of mine who was selected third in their sports draft. Here are my questions:

BW: What was your greatest acheivement and why?
PL: I was fortunate to represent the U.S. at a couple of Olympics and that was very cool. Probably the greatest achievement was winning the World Cup of Hockey in 1996. The Canadian team featured Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Brodeur, etc. and they were the host country. When we beat them in the best-of-three final it was the biggest U.S. hockey win since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team.

BW: Who is your idol and why?
PL: When I was a kid I loved Guy Lafleur and Gilbert Perreault - two of the fastest skaters and best players around. Things were a little different back then because there was no Internet. I would have to wait for the newspaper or for the Hockey News to arrive to see my favorite players stats. I always immediately looked to see how Guy and Gilbert had done in their previous games. As I developed as a player, it was a bit ironic that I played in the Quebec Junior League and broke all of Guy's scoring records. Later in my pro career, I went to Buffalo and followed in the footsteps of Gilbert as captain of the Sabres.

BW: What was the funniest story that ever happened in the locker room?
PL: This story didn't happen in the locker room, but it was one of the most memorable of my career. I was with the Islanders in 1987 and we were playing the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. The final game of the series went into the 4th overtime period, but neither team could score. It was after 2 a.m. and I looked around the stands and fans were sleeping! The organist started playing the theme song from "The Twilight Zone". Our trainer came over and shot cold water straight down my back and said, "You're gonna get one..." I hopped over the boards and covered at the point for Gordie Dineen - one of our defenseman who had pinched on the play. The puck came to me and I just turned and fired it toward the net. It went over the goalie's shoulder and in at 8:47 of the 4th overtime to win the series for us. The game had started on a Saturday and it ended very early on Easter Sunday morning and became known as the "Easter Epic". It remains one of the longest games played in NHL history.

BW: What advice would you give to someone growing up aspiring to play in NHL?
PL: It is an immense privilege to be able to play in the NHL. I was very blessed and a lot of things went my way to be able to make it. A lot of people think that you have to specialize in one sport from an early age in order to turn pro. Most of my teammates played a lot of different sports when we were kids. I liked to golf, water-ski and play baseball. That helped me develop other aspects of my game and made me WANT to be on the ice even more once hockey season started. I have a brother who practiced every bit as much as I did but he never made pro. In order to make it as a pro you have to develop your God-given skills. You can't abuse your body and you need to work hard on your weaknesses. Everyone likes to focus on the things they are good at. But when you focus on the things you are weak at, it makes you a much better athlete.

BW: What was it like playing for the Islanders and then the Rangers?
PL: I loved playing for all three New York teams (Buffalo, too!). The Islanders gave me my first shot and I got to play with great players like Bryan Trottier and Denis Potvin. I met my future wife here and grew to love Long Island. I probably had the best years of my career in Buffalo and I enjoyed the people of Western New York. It was a thrill to have the Sabres retire my jersey and to score the last goal ever scored at the Auditorium. When I joined the Rangers I got a chance to play with Wayne Gretzky, Mike Richter and to score the 1,000 point of my career. The Rangers were a first-class organization and treated me and my family just wonderfully.

BW: If you weren't a hockey player, what would your job jave been?
PL: That is a very good question. At the time I was a teenager, I was hoping to play well enough to earn a scholarship to Michigan State University. My dad was an executive in the auto business so I might have done something like that. Since I retired, I have really enjoyed redesigning homes and landscaping. Maybe I would have gone into architecture and design?

Interview with Marty Lyons

I am home! And I haven't wasted any time to start up blogging. Marty Lyons played 11 seasons on the New York Jets at defensive tackle. In the early 1980's, Mark Gastineau, Abdul Salaam, and Joe Klecko formed the Jets "New York Sack Exchange." Marty is the chairman of the Marty Lyons Foundation, which fulfills the wishes of terminally ill children and teenagers. Visit their website at http://www.martylyonsfoundation.org/

Here is my interview with Mr. Lyons:

BW: Who was your football idol and why?

ML: Growing up in Florida I really didn’t have a football idol. My idols were my 3 older brothers. I wanted to be as good as them or better. They set the bar pretty high in the Lyons’ Sports Arena.

BW: What was the greatest moment of your career?

ML: Being elected by my college teammates as the defensive captain of our National Championship Team in 1978.

3. Who was the most difficult offensive lineman to get past?

Dwight Stephenson from the Miami Dolphins and John Hannah from the New England Patriots. Funny thing is, they both attended the University of Alabama.

4. What was it like getting the opportunity to play for Coach Bear Bryant?

Playing for Coach Bryant molded me into the person I am today. He taught us to respect the game, respect our family, respect our teammates and most of all, respect life.

5. Who was your favorite teammate?

In the pros, I had two favorite teammates. The first one is Joe Klecko. If you were going to war, Joe would always have your back. The second one is Kenny Schroy. He’s been a teammate not just on the field but off the field as well. Kenny is a lifetime teammate.

In college, Rich Wingo and Murray Legg were my favorites. 30 years after being teammates in college, they are both still only a phone call away.

In high school, my favorite teammate was Ted LaVenture. He has been there through thick and think, good times and bad, he’s the best.

6. What was the greatest lesson you ever learned?

Respect yourself and others. Give more then you received, live life to the fullest, touching as many people as possible along the way. Change the way people think and change the way people act by your actions not your words. Remember 4 things you should do every day to be a better person: Live, love, laugh and be happy. To make a difference in this world all you have to do is CARE!!

Interview with Derrick Favors

"Forgetting pressure from Obama, I think that LeBron will end up wearing a Knick jersey."

No wonder why Brett Favre came out of retirement! It isn't easy taking a 7-8-week hiatus and I didn't even leave yet. So I have a list of interviews for after camp, but first lets take a look at a premier NBA player (or in an hour he will be).

If you followed NBA mock drafts you saw this guys name listed after the top two players, John Wall (Kentucky) and Evan Turner (Ohio State). That is Derrick Favors, the 6' 10" power forward, freshman from Georgia Tech. Favors at just 18, is rumored to be selected by the New Jersey Nets at tonight's NBA Draft (7 ET on ESPN). This soft-spoken giant took the time out of the happiest day of his life to do an interview for The King of Sports Blog. Here we go:

BW: What are your NBA goals?

DF: To win championships and to be considered one of the best players in the game.

BW: Who is your idol and why?

DF: Kobe Bryant because how hard he works and plays and that he is a good person overall.

BW: When did you know that you were great?

DF: My senior year in high school I knew was going to be drafted into the NBA.

BW: Who do you look forward to playing against?

DF: Everybody and anybody who is in the NBA.

BW: Are you nervous to become a top NBA draft pick?

DF: No, I’m not nervous. I’m ready for it and ready to work hard and improve my game.

BW: What has been the best opportunity that has arisen for you because you are such a star?

DF: Being able to go to the NBA and to the Draft in New York.

BW: What advice do you have for someone trying to get better at basketball?

DF: The biggest thing is to work hard and keep your head on straight and work hard.

BW: Will you be comfortable being a New Jersey Net tonight considering that trading you and many other picks is possible throughout the summer?

DF: Yeah I'm comfortable. I’m happy to be here at the NBA Draft no matter where I go.

I left out something important on my [not so] farewell posting. Where LeBron James will land! I think that LeBron will go. I don't think it is where Mr. Favors will be drafted which probably is New Jersey and I don't see him as a member of the Miami Heat. So that leaves my state, New York, and the other city I love, Chicago. Forgetting pressure from Obama, I think that LeBron will end up wearing a Knick jersey. I feel like I am going to barf saying that because that is what I never imagined, but all the pieces aim to New York. With Tom Izzo not going to Cleveland that said that he loves Michigan State, but that LeBron was not a guarantee in Cleveland, but if he signed with the Cavs, all signs lead to his hometown. Comment below on your LJ23 picks.

The End

No, The King of Sports Blog hasn't reached its final post ever, but just the final post for the next 7-8 weeks. On Saturday, I will be leaving for summer camp for 7 weeks. I had the option to continue and have interviews posted automatically throughout the summer, but chose against that because I would rather start of August with a splash of great interviews. Currently, I am compiling a list of phone numbers of athletes that I want to call for interviews after camp. I will have interviews with a Hall of Famer in two sports guaranteed when I get back. What I want my readers to do is to shoot me an email with the subject: "I want an interview with..." and inside the email give me 5 names of athletes you want me to interview. Email KingofSportsBlog@aim.com. I want you also to pass around my link to friends and family to show them where to check out my older posts.

Check back August 15, the day I come home for an interview with Ma.. It's a surprise

Before I leave you, let me make some summer predictions:

• The Mets will fail to trade for Cliff Lee/Roy Oswalt, but will trade for an average pitcher
• Chris Johnson will not hold out of playing due to contract issues, but Darrelle Revis and Albert Haynesworth will
• The Twins will trade for Cliff Lee

If I continue, my jinx will continue and I will jinx all of these predictions.

Thank you for being such loyal readers for this year and the past years.

Brad

Interview with Mark Sanchez, New York Jets Quarterback

Mark Sanchez. Where can I start? The Sanchise took the New York Jets to the AFC Championship game last season. His great personality has led him to appear with Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live and to present at the Tonys. Sanchez threw for 2,444 yards last season with 12 touchdown passes. Here is my interview with No. 6:

BW : What did you learn from Carson Palmer by being his ball boy? [When Palmer, the Heisman winner and quarterback for the Bengals, was in high school, Sanchez was his ball boy.]

MS : It is one of those situations where you watch him so much every day in practice and games and then.... My dad and I would go to the practices at UC Irvine and you would see how he was always the same person, he would always say hi to us and ask how our family was doing. I learned from him off the field and saw how great of a player he was and teammate. I would see how nice of a person he was and how that affects how you are viewed the team chemistry and all that. As much as I learned on the field, I learned off the field.

He has always been a great person so it was great to see that. All the coaches talked about him as a great guy and a great player and same with his teammates. He was a good friend who happened to be a good football player, not the other way around.

BW : What are your career goals as a Jet?

MS : We gonna win a couple of Super Bowls. We got so close last year. Once you get so close you see the time and effort it takes and you see what it's all about. It really helps pulling in your focus on what you really want. That is the ultimate goal. All of the other stuff will come. Touchdown passes and the individual accolades come along with your team being great and special. The chance of winning a Super Bowl in a city like New York, there's nothing like it. Once you win one, you get that bug to win another one, that edge.

BW : Which coach did you like playing for more: Rex Ryan [coach of the New York Jets] or Pete Carroll [coach of the Seattle Seahawks, but Sanchez's coach at USC]?

MS : They both were perfect for what I needed at the time. Coach Carroll really helped you develop as a person and a leader and as a competitor. He was so big on competing. I was a competitive guy growing up. That definitely helped and enhanced my competitive edge. He taught me what it meant to compete and how to respect your opponents and so many other life lessons that he taught me, along with a lot of X's and O's from football along with Coach [Steve] Sarkisian [coach of the Washington Huskies, former offensive coordinator at USC].

Once you get to this level in the NFL, you are expected to have those skills and that ability to compete and to know what it is all about. When I got to be with Rex, I needed someone who could help take the pressure off me as a freshman quarterback in New York, make me laugh at all times, and some one who at the end of the day will do anything for you.

Some of those games last year felt like some of the worst days in my life because I was playing so poorly at certain parts of the season and there was only one guy who I could go to and that was Rex. The only one who knew how I felt and understood what I was going through and wanted to be there for me. They were both great coaches for me to play for and I recommend them both, but I felt that they both fit at the right time in my career. I'm pretty fortunate to have that.

BW : Were you nervous going into the playoffs with all of the hype from Coach Ryan?

MS : I don't think so. I think that's what we believed. We felt like we slandered an opportunity at the end of the year like we weren't going to make the playoffs after the Atlanta game and we knew we were a playoff caliber team, but we just didn't perform like it and there's no other way to prove it than to get into the playoffs at the last minute. Win and we're in.

Then it's like, "None of these other teams want to play us." We were in that bracket where we are the bracket buster team like in the NCAA tournament and no one wants to play us because we run the ball so well and because I started playing better and taking care of the ball better and our defense will just beat you up. We got to a situation where our guys would line up with the guys across the ball and be like, "They don't want it on this play, they don't want it on the next play, they're not going to want it for the rest of the game."

That's just the kind of football that Rex loves and the kind of attitude that was contagious throughout our locker room. We feel that way now. I don't think anybody wants to play our team because the way we run the ball and now I got a year of experience under my belt. Who knows, we might be able to play a little better and then teams will really be in trouble if we have the same kind of defense as last year. I think the nerves kind of went away when Rex talked to us and told us and that was all we thought about.

BW : What was the favorite game of your career so far?

MS : The highlights have to be my first start at SC at home against Arizona. I loved that game. Also the Rose Bowl my last year. My first game as a Jet against Houston was pretty good. I guess the San Diego [playoff] game. It felt like I was on a home team. We had a hundred plus people there. I had twenty of my best friends in a box next to Adam Sandler. It was great because he is a huge Jet fan. So he had a suite right next to theirs. My best friend Scott was going crazy the whole game.

San Diego had to have been cool and at Cincinnati. That was weird because I have never watched the other team's offense. Even if we're playing Brady or Manning, you don't really get a chance to watch the other team's offense. But when we played Carson, I made sure I got to watch him a little bit. It was pretty cool.

BW : What didn't you achieve in your college career that you wanted to?

MS : Maybe a National Championship, but other then that I never grew up dreaming about winning the Heisman or anything. I felt those individual things come when your team's great, but winning a National Championship would've been nice.

We came so close we just lost to Oregon State. That was a team we could've beat. After the way we played against Penn State, I think we could've beaten Florida or whoever played in the National Championship that year. I don't know if they would want to have played SC.

BW : What celebrity that you haven't met do you want to meet the most?

MS : I don't know. I have met quite a few being in New York. I'm big in the athletes. I love meeting other athletes. Guys that I have gotten to know are Joba Chamberlain [Former TKOSB Interview], CC Sabathia, A-Rod, and Jeter.

You come to New York and you want to meet all of the superstars there and hang with them and talk to them and ask them questions and learn. They have all been so open to helping me and giving me pointers and tips: to protect myself and be smart. That's hard!

Thank you to Mark and his brother and agent, Nick, for helping with this interview. Thanks for tweeting my blog out. Mark has organized a suite at the new stadium for every reader of this post. Just kidding!

Readers coming up Bill Walton and George Foreman!

Interview with Rick Cerone

Rick Cerone was a New York Yankees catcher. When Thurman Munson died, Rick Cerone was his replacement. He played for 8 teams in 18 seasons and played in the 1981 World Series. He owned the Newark Bears for 5 years from 1998 to 2003. Here is our interview:

BW: What was the most difficult part of your career?

RC: First getting to the big leagues, then lasting 18 years.

BW: What was the best moment of your career?

RC: Playing in the World Series in 1981.

BW: Who was your idol and why?

RC: Mickey Mantle because he could do everything.

BW: What current player are you similar to and why?

RC: No one now. I was one of a kind. (laughing)

BW: What was it like owning a pro baseball team? [Newark Bears]

RC: It was lots of hard work running a team, staffing, players, and getting fans.

BW: What is different from baseball currently and when you played?

RC: They make way more money, and seem to be enjoying it less.

BW: Did players use steroids when you were in the middle of your career?

RC: Steroids started with Jose Canseco in 1987 and I never witnessed them.