Max Zaslofsky was a leader of the Chicago Stags and was selected as one of the top players of the first 25 years of the NBA.

Max Zaslofsky was the best Jewish professional basketball player in Chicago. He played for the Stags from 1946-1950. During the first three years of his career, the Stags played in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), a rival league founded to compete with the already established National Basketball League in 1946. The two leagues merged at the end of the 1948-49, and became the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Chicago Stags played one year as an NBA team, folding the franchise after the 1949-50 season, and letting its players be picked up in a dispersal draft.

A guard, Zaslofsky had a great two-handed set shot. He played one collegiate year at St. John’s in his hometown of New York, and then signed on with the new Stag franchise, who had Arthur Wirtz in its ownership group. The team played at Wirtz’s Chicago Stadium.

Zaslofsky had four outstanding seasons with he Stags. He led them in the BAA Finals in his rookie year, but the team lost the title to the Philadelphia Warriors. Zaslofsky’s 877 points that year was the fourth highest total in the League. One of his fellow backcourt players for the Stags was another Jewish player, Chicago’s Mickey Rottner, who played played high school hoops at Tuley and collegiate basketball at Loyola.

Zaslofsky was a prolific scorer, by the professional standards of the time, scoring over 1,000 points per season for the Stags for the next three years. He was picked up by the New York Knicks in the dispersal draft, and he had three productive years for the Knicks. He played for three other teams in the NBA before ending his career in 1956.

The Chicago Stags were part of the original NBA.

During the NBA’s Silver Anniversary in 1971, Max Zaslofsky was chosen as one of the League’s top twenty-five players in its first twenty-five years (the other Jewish player being Dolph Schayes). After all, his 7900 points scored was the third highest scored in the history of the League when he retired in 1956.

Check out more sports history from Richard Reeder on his blog “Reeder Looking at Sports.” Richard also provides the daily “On This Date” updates for Chicago Sports Then and Now.

It was 27 years ago this week when the Chicago Blitz and the United State Football League (USFL) made a successful debut as a spring professional football league.

Under the guidance of future Hall of Fame Coach George Allen, the Chicago Blitz opened the 1983 season playing in RFK Stadium in Washington against the Washington Federals. It marked a homecoming for Allen, who had been the head coach of the Redskins from 1971 through 1977.

Allen also had ties to Chicago having served as a defensive coach with the Bears from 1958-1965. He was the defensive coordinator on the 1963 NFL Championship squad.

Allen’s Blitz included veteran quarterback Greg Landry as well as a number of other former or future NFL stars including cornerback Frank Minnifield, cornerback Virgil Livers, safety Luther Bradley, running back Tim Spencer, and defensive tackle Joe Ehrmann.

The Blitz dominated the Federals 28-7 and went on to post a 12-6 record. However, attendance at Soldiers Field declined throughout the season.

The team reached the playoffs, but blew a 21-point lead in losing 44-38 to the Philadelphia Stars in overtime.

Following the season, the entire Blitz franchise was swapped with the Arizona Wranglers. Meaning the players on the 1984 Blitz were those from the 1983 Wranglers.

The revamped Blitz went 5-13 and the team disbanded following the 1984 season.

But, for one shining moment in 1983, George Allen and the Chicago Blitz were the talk of Chicago. Below are some YouTube clips from the glory days of the Blitz.

Reports say that the Bears have landed the first big free agent of 2010 in Julius Peppers.

According to a number of reports, the Chicago Bears have landed the first huge fish of the NFL free agent period with the signing of former Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers to a six year contract.

Considered by many to be the brightest star in a less than stellar free agent year, Peppers should provide an immediate boost to a Bears defense that has been in decline in recent years.

The second overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, Peppers is a five-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time first team All-Pro.

In 2009 he registered 10.5 sacks and two interceptions for the Panthers. He has reached double figures in sacks in six of his eight seasons in the NFL and has 81 for his career.

A year ago the Bears lost their leading defensive player, linebacker Brian Urlacher, to injury in the opening game of the season and never fully recovered.

The Bears finished 21^st in the NFL in points allowed and 23^rd in yards allowed in 2009. They have been in the bottom half in the league in points allowed in each of the three seasons since finishing second in the league in that category and reaching the Super Bowl in 2006.

Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye led the Bears with 6.5 sacks in 2009. The other defensive end, Alex Brown, had six sacks a year ago.

The 30-year old Brown, who was selected in the fourth round of the same NFL draft as Peppers, has never had more than seven sacks in any of his eight NFL seasons. Ogunleye will be 33-years old in 2010 and has not had a double digit sack season since 2005.

Peppers recently turned 30 and could be re-energized in 2010 following his move from the Panthers, a team he has talked about leaving for a number of years. It also will be interesting to see how the North Carolina native and former North Carolina Tar Heel responds to playing football for a team not located in North Carolina.

With the signing of Peppers, running back Chester Taylor and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, the Bears are the clear early leaders in the free agent sweepstakes.

The Bears opened the free agent period by signing Brandon Manumaleuna from the San Diego Chargers.

The Bears added a tight end today with the signing of Brandon Manumaleuna.  He signed a five-year deal almost immediately after walking through the doors of Halas Hall. Manumaleuna spent the last four years in San Diego and before that was with Mike Martz and Lovie Smith in St. Louis. The 30 year old tight end was the best available tight end and Martz values the tight end as a blocker more than a receiver.

With the addition of  Manumaleuna he can now team up Greg Olsen, Dez Clark and Kellen Davis. Clark or Davis is the odd man out. Davis is still a project and not a very good blocker, Clark is a crafty veteran who for the first time in his Bears career was injured last season. Clark is owed a $475,000 today and will see if the addition of Manumaleuna spells the end of Clark. I think the Bears should keep Clark around at least for this season because he has been the most consistent player receiving and blocking.

The addition of the 6′2″, 295 pound Manumaleuna should really improve the Bears running game and offensive line, he is basically another blocker. Plus, the Bears play-by-play announcer Jeff Joniak should have saying his name and Devin Aromashodu’s at the same time.

Good start of free agency by the Bears, Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor will walk through Halas Hall later today hopefully they don’t leave without signing a contract.

Brandon Manumaleuna’s career stats:

Brandon Manumaleuna had this to say about joining the Bears:

“I played for Mike Martz (in St. Louis) and Lovie Smith was the defensive coordinator. It was a great situation, this team has a chance to be real successful. It was difficult (to leave San Diego). I had a lot of friends and it was close to home, but the business is what it is.”

Jake Perper covers the Chicago Bears for Sports Then and Now. You can also check out his popular blog Bears Backer.

Will Brian Westbrook be running for the Bears in 2010?

We all know Brian Westbrook has been one of the most versatile running backs in the NFL in his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, but now his time with them is over and he is looking for a new team.

The eight year back missed eight games last season with an ankle injury and multiple concussions. The Eagles owed him $7.25 million this season and they simply didn’t want to give him that kind of money because of durability issues. LeSean McCoy is going to take over the number one running back position.

So here’s the question should the Bears go after a once NFL star, who has serious durability issues or should they stay put with what they have.

I think they should consider going after him because when healthy he is one of the best runners/receivers out of the backfield in this league. The current backs behind Matt Forte aren’t that great. Garrett Wolfe was a third round pick and hasn’t done anything like his college days showed. Kevin Jones got injured again and he may not be back next season. Kahlil Bell is a surprising young kid who is similar to Matt Forte and Adrian Peterson will not be resigned. A combination of Matt Forte, Kahlil Bell and Kevin Jones isn’t too bad, but I think if they added Westbrook to the backfield they would be solid. Forte, Westbrook and Bell could be the best trio in the league.

New offensive coordinator Mike Martz doesn’t use the running game very much, but Matt Forte and Brian Westbrook could be a lethal tandem out of the backfield.

So, if the Bears could get Brian Westbrook for a cheap deal and he proves to stay healthy their offense could be set. When Brian Westbrook is right he is one of the best and don’t forget he is only 30 years old.

The Bears should at least consider the signing of Westbrook because it can only strengthen their team.

Jake Perper covers the Chicago Bears for Sports Then and Now. You can also check out his popular blog Bears Backer.

Online gambling has become an alternative to sportsbooks.

Over the last decade, online gambling has become a booming business with it estimated that billions of dollars are wagered online every year.

Much like the Internet in general, what has made online gambling such an alluring option is the convenience. Instead of having to travel to casinos or legal gambling establishments scattered across the globe, players now can reap the same benefits while playing at home in front of their own computers.

While some sites provide non-gambling options, in most cases online gambling sites provide an opportunity for players to win, or lose, real money.

Players have a wide variety of choices in both gambling websites and in their choice of games.

Once upon a time to wager on a sporting event someone had to either travel to a legal casino sportsbook or place bets through bookies with names like “Lucky”, “Shifty”, “Biff” or some other moniker that did not exude confidence or a feeling of trust in the system.

Now, through online sportsbooks, many are wagering on games from the comfort (and safety) of their own home with no fear that their kneecaps would be broken following a bad loss.

This has, of course, provided a dilemma for professional and college sports as there is no question that gambling is a part of their public allure, but there have also been a number of incidents over time when players have been accused of fixing the outcome of games.

The most famous was the 1919 Chicago “Black Sox” Scandal involving the World Series. Baseball also received a black eye in the 1980s when all-time great Pete Rose received a lifetime suspension from the game for betting on baseball games.

College basketball has also been the subject of many cases and in recent years the NBA had to deal with a game official that was involved in illegal gambling.

There are also many traditional casino games available for online gambling including online poker, online video poker, roulette, craps and keno.

Will Frank Thomas and Tom Glavine enter the Hall of Fame when they become eligible in 2014?

Now that Frank Thomas and Tom Glavine have both officially retired from Major League Baseball, it is time for that time honored tradition of debating whether they are Hall of Fame bound.

In both cases, I don’t think it is a matter as much of ‘if” they will get the call from Cooperstown, but instead “when” they will actually receive the prestigious honor.

With first-year nominee Roberto Alomar just missing selection in 2010, it served as a reminder that not everyone who seems a lock to get into the Hall of Fame will receive enough support in their initial year of eligibility.

In fact, when you look at players with comparable careers to both Thomas and Glavine, it might actually be considered a surprise if either of these great players actually reach the 75% mark during their first year of eligibility.

Given that he eclipsed the magical 300-win plateau, it might be a bit of a surprise to suggest that Glavine is not a first ballot lock.

However, both the history of similar candidates and the other candidates on the ballot in 2014 could conspire to hurt Glavine’s chances of first time induction.

Of the 20 pitchers with 300 or more victories and who are now eligible for the Hall of Fame, all 20 have plaques in Cooperstown.

However, of the eight pitchers who have reached 300 victories since 1950, only three (Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton and Nolan Ryan) reached the Hall of Fame in their initial year of eligibility.

Warren Spahn, who has more wins than any other pitcher over the last 60 years, earned induction in his second year while it took Gaylord Perry three attempts, Early Wynn four years and Phil Niekro and Don Sutton each five years.

With 305 career wins, Glavine trails all but Wynn in career victories. His 3.54 career ERA is also higher than all but Wynn, who also had a 3.54 career ERA.

What could work in Glavine’s favor is that throughout his career he was consistently considered to be among the best pitchers in baseball, regularly participated in the post season and rarely suffered a poor campaign.

Glavine won 14 career post season games.

Glavine was a 10-time All-Star, two-time Cy Young Award winner and won 14 post season games during his career. He won 15 or more games in a season 10 times, including five 20+ victory seasons.

One factor that could be interesting in how it impacts Glavine is the two other noteworthy pitchers who will be eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time in the same year as Glavine.

It would be a major upset if Glavine’s long-time Atlanta Braves teammate Greg Maddux did not earn a spot in the Hall of Fame during his first year on the ballot. In fact, some believe Maddux could become the first player to earn unanimous selection.

His inclusion on the ballot could have one of two different effects on Glavine.

Some may lump the two former Braves together and vote for Glavine in tandem to Maddux. However, others could see a clear distinction between the career numbers of Maddux, with 355 wins and a 3.16 ERA, and those of Glavine and therefore decide that Glavine should wait at least one year.

The other first time candidate in 2014 that could impact Glavine is Mike Mussina. Glavine’s career numbers are significantly better than those of Mussina (270 wins, 3.68 ERA), but he is actually closer to Mussina in wins than he is to Maddux.

If voters take into account the fact that Mussina was clearly the number one pitcher for the Orioles for a decade and was a part of five losing seasons while in Baltimore, it could narrow the gap between Glavine and Mussina.

Voters could rationalize that while Mussina was always facing another number one pitcher, Glavine had the benefit of being part of one of the best staffs of all-time with Maddux and John Smoltz each taking a turn as the ace of the Atlanta staff.

While virtually no one is questioning whether Glavine is worthy of eventually getting into the Hall of Fame, Thomas has heard some questions about his worthiness because of both his position and because of the era in which he played.

Though Thomas has never been linked to steroids and has actually been a vocal anti-steroid advocate, his candidacy could be hampered by the era in which he played.

His career numbers of a .301 batting average with 521 home runs, 1,704 runs and 1,494 runs scored are very impressive. However, considering that 10 of the 25 players all-time with 500+ home runs have come during the last 20 years, Thomas could lose support due to the over inflation of offensive statistics.

Thomas finished his career with the Oakland A's.

Another thing that could also make it tougher for Thomas to receive immediate support is that his numbers over the second half of his career were hardly those of a Hall of Famer.

There is little argument that over the first 10 full seasons of his career Thomas seemed like a synch for Cooperstown.

Thomas finished in the top eight in MVP voting eight times and was the league MVP in back-to-back seasons in 1993 and 1994.

During his first 10 full seasons, he averaged 34 home runs, 115 RBI, 104 runs and a .320 batting average. He eclipsed 100 RBI, .300 batting average and 100 runs nine times during that stretch and hit more than 30 home runs in a season seven times.

However, beginning in 2001, injuries began to take a toll on Thomas and started to steer his Hall of Fame candidacy closer to borderline status.

Thomas missed most of the 2001 season with a shoulder injury. He returned the next two seasons and had solid power numbers with 28 home runs and 92 RBI in 2002 and 42 home runs with 105 RBI in 2003. However, his batting average suddenly took a noticeable dip as he hit .252 in 2002 and .267 the following season.

Injuries again hampered Thomas in 2004 and 2005 and ultimately ended his tenure with the Chicago White Sox.

Playing for the Oakland A’s in 2006, Thomas regained his power numbers with 39 home runs and 114 RBI, but he hit only .270.

After signing with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007, Thomas hit 26 home runs with 95 RBIs and a .277 average. The next season he split the year between the Blue Jays and A’s while hitting .240 with eight home runs and 30 RBI and was not offered a contract for 2009.

Over the final eight seasons of his career, Thomas hit only .262 to drop his career batting average down to .301. He had only two 100+ RBI seasons and did not score 100 runs in a season during the stretch.

Considering the entire body of work for his career, it would seem that Thomas will one day have a plaque in Cooperstown. However, when you look at other players with similar careers, it might take him a few years to receive that honor.

Much like former Boston Red Sox slugger Jim Rice, Thomas was without question among the best players in the league for a decade, but then quickly dropped to a lower tier. It took Rice 15 years before he finally earned a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Two other sluggers who took a while to earn their place in the Hall of Fame were Tony Perez and Orlando Cepeda. Perez (.279 batting average, 379 home runs, 1,652 RBI) was inducted in his ninth year of eligibility while Orlando Cepeda (.297, 379 home runs, 1,365 RBI) was not selected in 15 years on the ballot and instead was selected by the Veteran’s Committee.

Unlike Glavine, Thomas doesn’t have any other marquee hitters making their Hall of Fame ballot debut in 2014. However, with Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa beginning their eligibility the previous year and other 500 home run club members Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro potentially still on ballot, it could clutter the field and make it interesting for Thomas.

So, the wait is now officially on for Glavine and Thomas. They can both go ahead and draft their Hall of Fame speeches, but as history has shown, they might want to wait a while before making hotel reservations in Cooperstown.

Marmol is happy about his new deal

Marmol was named the club’s closer in August of last year, going 11-for-11 in save opportunities and leading the team with 27 holds for the season.  He will likely not have to compete for the job this season, as former closer Kevin Gregg was not offered a new deal and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Marmol becomes the seventh arbitration-eligible Cub to re-sign before reaching a hearing, with infielders Jeff Baker and Mike Fontenot, catcher Koyie Hill, right-handed pitcher Angel Guzman and left-handed pitcher Tom Gorzelanny agreeing earlier in January, and left-handed pitcher Sean Marshall agreeing to a $950,000 deal last week.

With those players signed, the only outstanding arbitration-eligble player for the Cubs is shortstop Ryan Theriot.   Theriot is asking for $3.4 million in 2010, while the Cubs have countered with $2.6 million.  Either way, “Riot” will be getting a significant raise from his 2009 salary of $500,000.  If it gets to that point, the hearing will take place sometime before February 21.  

The reason this is significant for the Cubs is because the last time the organization had an arbitration case with a player, it was with first baseman Mark Grace.  Back in 1993.   The club hopes to avoid breaking that streak, but it does not appear that either side has made progress towards a deal.  Regardless of his salary figure, look for Theriot to be the Cubs’ starting shortstop on opening day.

In other signing news, the Cubs ended their search for a fourth outfielder last week by signing Xavier Nady to a one-year, $3.3 million deal.  Nady, who is coming off his second Tommy John Surgery, can earn an additional $2 million in incentives.  Look for Nady to primarily play right field against left handed pitching, splitting time with the left-handed Kosuke Fukudome.

While Nady appears to be a lock for the 25-man roster, the Cubs have also signed two veterans who will be competing for such a spot.  Chad Tracy and Kevin Millar have each signed Minor League deals with the Cubs, and will be fighting with Micah Hoffpauir in spring training for the right to backup Derrek Lee.

With these signings, the Cubs appear to have their starting offense in place for the 2010 season, and plenty of options for their backups.  What remains to be determined is who will make the starting rotation along with Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Randy Wells, and the injured Ted Lilly, who should return in May.    Options for manager Lou Piniella include Marshall, Gorzelanny, Jeff Samardzija, and new acquistion Carlos Silva.  Look for that decision to be made sometime towards the end of spring training.

Mike Martz will look to regain the magic of his days running the "Greatest Show on Turf."

Mike Martz is an offensive guru. He coached one of the most prolific offensives of all time in St. Louis, “The Greatest Show on Turf.” But he failed with San Francisco and Detroit, but it might have been because the players didn’t fit his scheme.

The key to his offense is the receivers and the offensive line. The Bears have some solid receivers in Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, Devin Aromashodu and Earl Bennett. I think with the right coaching and play calling they could be the best group in the league.

The offensive line could be the downfall for this team next season. With Chris Williams, Frank Omiyale, Olin Kreutz, Roberto Garza and Kevin Shaffer as the projected starters, I think they could be in trouble. When Williams was put into the lineup the line was much better, but the right side of the line is the real problem to me. Garza and Shaffer might not be worthy starters in the NFL anymore. Josh Beekman might be an option for the right guard position, but I think the Bears should look at the NFL Draft or free agency to find a solid lineman.

Mike Martz has the smarts and Jay Cutler has the arm, I really think it’s a good mix. Cutler needs the protection and time to get the ball down the field, but most importantly he needs to learn to throw the ball away.

Will the Bears be a much improved offense next season? The answer is most likely, but I don’t know if they will be a great offense. Mike Martz is the key to the success of not only Jay Cutler but also Lovie Smith’s job security. In the meantime Mike Martz should be very excited to work with this young group of up and coming stars mainly the quarterback Jay Cutler.

Jake Perper covers the Chicago Bears for Sports Then and Now. You can also check out his popular blog Bears Backer.

ESPN's Sportsnation chooses ST&N as the "Site We Like."

Sports Then And Now, was chosen as the “Site We Like” by ESPN’s Sportsnation on January 28, 2010. Hosts, Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle, showcased the site especially the post, Ranking The Super Bowls.

This is an incredible honor and deserved recognition for all the folks who put in the effort and long nights to make the Sports Then and Now family successful. Thanks to you and all of our readers!