Patrick Mahomes is currently setting the National Football League on fire with record breaking stats - ( U.S. Air National Guard Master Sgt. Michael Crane - photo)

Brett Hull - (Johnmaxmena2 - photo)

Trading card photo of Bobby Hull as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks - (Ralston-Purina Company, makers of Chex cereals - photo)

SPORTS NOTES - FATHER & SON

James Loving/National Radio Text Service

When a father has played professional sports and has a son that becomes a pro athlete it raises the question how was the son influenced by their parent. There are several cases where this scenario applies but for me there is one that stands out from the past and one that is the current hot topic in sports. Patrick Mahomes is currently setting the National Football League on fire with record breaking stats. From the past the NHL's, Hulls, Bobby and Brett stand out as the best father and son duo from their eras

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

THE INFLUENCERS

When I started my sports journalism career one of the most interesting aspects to a sports star's career (if applicable) was how their professional athlete fathers influence helped them adapt to professional sports.

Other than skills one of the most beneficial experiences from the relationship is the youngster has the opportunity to visit the locker rooms and meet his parent's teammates. That experience gives the child an insight of a professional attitude and behaviors of what it takes to be a professional.

Countless skilled players fail to make to grade due to their heads not being screwed on straight. Many can't take the pro pressure and the attitude it takes to step down from being the main man to being a member of a team of stars from the lower level. In this instance there are very few exceptions.

When I began my sports journalism career in 1988 the father son relationship that stood out to me the most was the father Bobby and his son Brett Hull, both stars in the NHL (National Hockey League). Bobby had retired but Brett was in full bloom while staring for the St. Louis Blues.

His career total of 741 goals is the fourth highest in NHL history. He was a member of two Stanley Cup winning teams - 1999 with the Dallas Stars and 2002 with the Detroit Red Wings.

Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, joining his father Bobby to become the first father-and-son pair of players in the Hall. They are the only pair to each score 1,000 career points in the NHL. Hull's nickname, "the Golden Brett" is a reference to his father's nickname of "the Golden Jet".

Bobby scored 913 professional hockey league goals with 610 NHL goals and 303 goals in the WHA (World Hockey Association) during his career that spanned from 1957 to 1980.

BUT.... that was then and this is now. The new hot topic in the father son professional sports arena is the Mahomes, son Patrick and father Pat. Patrick uses the name Patrick to avoid confusion with his father who was a professional baseball pitcher in the MLB (Major League Baseball).

The 6 ft 2 1/8 in (1.88 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Mahomes is currently setting the NFL (National Football League) on fire and setting league records with in only his second NFL season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 23-year-old quarterback leads the league in Virtually every passing stat and ranks #1 overall. What stands out during the first eight games on a 16 regular season schedule is he had led the team to first place in the American Conference West with a 7-1 record. His only loss was a 43-40 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots.

While in college at Texas Tech he set two NCAA records for;

* Single-game yards passing: 734 (rank t-1st) (vs. Oklahoma Oct. 22, 2016) and

* Single-game Yards total offense: 819 (rank 1st) (vs. Oklahoma Oct. 22, 2016) Setting records has carried over to his professional career.

This season he set records for;

* Most touchdown passes thrown through first three career games (10)

* Most touchdown passes thrown through first two games of a season (10)

* Most touchdown passes thrown through first three games of a season (13)

* Most touchdown passes thrown through first eight career games (22) " Youngest quarterback to throw for six touchdowns in a game (22 years, 364 days)

Through the first eight games this season Mahomes has thrown 26 touchdown passes and has run for two. He also has been named Player of the Week twice this season.

The best news is Mahomes is well liked. There has been nothing but praise for the young man from his teammates, current and past NFL players as well as the media. It is the media that keeps bringing up the relationship with his father. This was news to us as his father was in the league when we were covering it in the 90's.

His father played in Major League Baseball from 1992 to 2003 for the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He also pitched in two seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, 1997 and 1998, for the Yokohama BayStars. He most recently played for the Grand Prairie AirHogs of the independent American Association in 2009.

During his journeyman career Pat had a win-loss record of 42-39 and an earned run average 5.47 with strikeouts 452.

In 2003, Mahomes pitched primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates AAA affiliate, the Nashville Sounds, while appearing in nine games for the Pirates. In 2004, he split the season between three organizations, pitching for the Edmonton Trappers in the Montreal Expos farm system, the Albuquerque Isotopes in the Florida Marlins system, and then again at Nashville at the end of the season.

After spending 2005 with the Las Vegas 51s in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, Mahomes turned to the independent leagues, starting 2006 with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. After going 11-4 with a 3.87 ERA, he signed with Kansas City Royals in August, but was released a month later.

Mahomes began the 2007 season with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association. On August 24, the Toronto Blue Jays signed him, and he appeared in three games for the Syracuse Chiefs before becoming a free agent at the end of the season.

Mahomes signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League in 2008, but only appeared in two games for them before returning to Sioux Falls. He split the 2009 season between Sioux Falls and Grand Prairie.

While in high school Mahomes played varsity baseball, basketball and football. He did not begin pitching until his senior year of high school due to an injury to a teammate. He signed a letter of intent to play college baseball at Arkansas and declined scholarship offers to play college basketball and football. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 6th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft and chose to begin a professional career.

Like father like son they both played baseball, basketball and football. What the now 48-year-old Pat passed on the Patrick was his arm, the ability to throw. Like his father when he warms up he throws a long ball which is normal for a baseball pitcher but not for a football quarterback.

Patrick was also a top prospect for the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, but was not expected to be selected high due to his commitment to Texas Tech. He was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 37th round, but did not sign.

The now is... Bobby Hull is 79-years-old. He currently serves as an ambassador for the Blackhawks' organization. The now 54-year-old Brett is currently an executive vice president of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Although I've only interviewed Brett Hull one time he remains one of the most memorable. This is mainly due to his upbeat, constructive and obliging attitude. He was completely transparent and forthright which has played out in his post playing career success.

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