When Bill Walsh took over the head coaching job of the San Francisco 49ers in the late 1970s, the team was among the worst in the National Football League. In just a few years, Walsh transformed them into the dominant franchise of the 1980s and early 1990s. No wonder Walsh – who died at the age of 75 in late July – came to be called “the genius.” The Irish-American coach, … [Read more...] about Genius and a Gent: Bill Walsh Remembered
Sports
Boston’s Fenway Park
Fenway Park – home of the Boston Red Sox – is the nation’s enduring symbol of baseball, America’s favorite pastime. Officially opened on April 20, 1912, the park has outlasted all other major league baseball parks, becoming a shrine for baseball lovers everywhere. Writing in The New Yorker magazine in 1960, John Updike described Fenway Park as “a lyric little bandbox of a … [Read more...] about Boston’s Fenway Park
Miracle: An Interview with Jack O’Callahan
By Abdon M. Pallasch
August / September 2007
August / September 2007
The kid who helped propel the U.S. team to its miraculous 4-3 victory over the Soviets, giving the country a morale boost at the height of the Cold War in 1980, is now a star in the trading business. “The kid’s made the team. He’s busted his ass for me for seven months and now I gotta send him home? Is that the deal?” U.S. Olympic Hockey Coach Herb Brooks asks his superiors … [Read more...] about Miracle: An Interview with Jack O’Callahan
The “Emerald” Pastime
Tom Deignan reflects on a time when many of the Boys of Summer had a touch of the Irish brogue. A recent New York Times article about the consistent success of the Minnesota Twins baseball organization made numerous important points about how teams in smaller cities can compete with financial giants such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. But two … [Read more...] about The “Emerald” Pastime
The Continuing Education of John Duddy
Thomas Hauser takes a look at the Derryman's biggest battle and the repercussions it may have on his career On September 29, John Duddy fought Yory Boy Campas at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The fight was made by Team Duddy with the expectation that it would be the next step up the ladder for the popular Irish middleweight. Instead, it became a harrowing journey and a … [Read more...] about The Continuing Education of John Duddy