You may not have heard of Wally Pipp, but if you have, you know that he and Alex Smith are two of the most famous members of an exclusive club.
It's the 'Step Aside for Sports Greatness' club and Pipp, a first baseman for the New York Yankees did it to allow Lou Gehrig into the Yankees' lineup in 1924, and Smith, a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers, did it to give Colin Kaepernick an NFL stage on which to shine in 2012-13.
Pipp was the Yanks' regular first baseman in 1924 but had a headache one day, so the manager inserted the rookie Gehrig into the lineup in his place. That rookie turned out to be a guy nicknamed 'The Iron Horse' for he was so good, and so sturdy that he played 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood until Cal Ripkin, Jr., finally eclipsed it in 1995.
Wally Pipp, meet Alex Smith.
Smith, the No. 1 overall NFL draft pick in 2005, finally emerged as a reliable starting quarterback for the 49ers in 2011, and led them to the NFC championship game, where they lost to the New York Giants. They were doing fine in 2012, too, with a 7-2 record in November, when Smith suffered a minor injury and watched while his backup, Kaepernick, took over at QB. And boy, did he take over! He showed off his rocket arm with long, accurate passes. He was unstoppable as a scrambler, when the need arose. He looked like . . . well, the baseball equivalent of Lou Gehrig some 90 years ago.
When Smith was healthy again, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said, basically, 'Sorry, Alex, I'm sticking with the understudy.' The second-year coach was taking a big chance, putting the fate of a Super Bowl contending team in the hands of an inexperienced second-year player, while the seasoned, playoff-hardened vet watched from the bench.
The 49ers earned a first-round playoff bye and swatted away the Green Bay Packers in their divisional matchup as Kaepernick ran for 181 and two TDs and passed for 263 and two more. The 49ers juggernaut then dispatched the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons to advance to Feb. 3's Super Bowl.
And Alex Smith? He's on vacation with Wally Pipp and his family in Tradingblockville.
Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald: "To give you an idea of Lance Armstrong's demeanor during his interview with Oprah, picture a cat that was mistakenly locked in the ready room at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show."
Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington, to AP, after the team traded Michael Young to the Phillies: "If there was crying in baseball, I guess I would cry."
Dr. Rick Sponaugle, to AP, on the brain damage ex-QB Bernie Kosar accumulated over 13 NFL seasons: "Bernie, in effect, put his head through the windshield every Sunday."
Brad Rock of the Deseret News, after Jose Canseco listed reality-TV appearances and getting elected to public office among his New Year's resolutions: "Is it just (me), or does Jose Canseco always seem about one pitch short of a full count?"
Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press, after Lions running back Kevin Smith denied tweeting that he wants to play for the Dolphins: "Good thing, too, before the league fines him for tampering with himself."
Brad Dickson again: "In the past few days we saw a once great cyclist humbled on national TV, and one of the best college football players caught in some kind of Internet hoax involving a fake dead girlfriend. See, this is why I love sports."
R.J. Currie of sportsdeke.com: "Yankee star Alex Rodriguez is slated for hip surgery this month. Doctors say he'll be 100 per cent ready for his October collapse."
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "There are reports Tiger Woods and ex-wife Elin are considering getting back together again. This might be the first case in matrimonial history where a 'no-Perkins' clause is written into the pre-nuptial agreement."
Comedy writer Jim Barach: "Tiger Woods has reportedly proposed to his ex-wife Elin, who is demanding a $200 million no-cheating clause in their prenup. It will go down as the most expensive mulligan in history."
NBC's Jimmy Fallon: "A week after saying, 'I'm not leaving Oregon for the NFL,' Chip Kelly has agreed to be the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Even Lance Armstrong was like, 'Pick a story and stick with it.' "
Among the top 10 'other Lance Armstrong revelations,' from CBS's David Letterman: "Still never leaves the house without several vials of clean urine."
Seattle Times desk editor Tony Guadagnoli (from Dwight Perry's 'Sideline Chatter) envisioning the New York Jets' next three-ring circus: "T.O., Te'o and Tebow."
Comedy writer Alan Ray, on why it took so long for NHL owners and players to reach a labor agreement: "The union's original demand would have bankrupted the league - free dental."
Another one from Fallon, on Jets backup QB Tim Tebow selling his own line of headphones: "You can tell they are Tim Tebow headphones. Once you hook it up to your iPod, it barely plays."
Headline at SportsPickle.com: "Gary Bettman warmly booed following resolution of NHL lockout."
New slogan for the 小蓝视频east Conference (SEC), from Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "Real football! Real girlfriends!"
