Now, what, two weeks AFTER my 40th birthday, I thought I begin taking care of some unfinished business; most notably, the posts I promised looking back on a generation of, well, me.
I did the 60s year by year; if I do that for every year from 1970 on, I'll have to blog for 33 consecutive hours, and one with sleep apnea doesn't stand a great chance of staying awake for that long.
SO, ROB'S REVIEW/MEMORIES (and maybe a little rewritten history) OF THE 1970s!!!
(in no real order, rhyme, or reasoning. hee hee....)
SPORTS:
--I fell in love with baseball cards.
--One of the biggest days of the year was the day the UPS truck arrived with our order of that year's Topps baseball cards, ordered from Renata Galasso.
--My brother developed a baseball game using homemade cards and dice, with lineups made out of your team, the players being represented by their baseball card.
--Too bad he didn't seek a patent.
--I made sure my first team had what I called the "superstar outfield", which would include Cito Gaston, Ed Stroud, and Rick Monday (I had a Rick Monday glove as a kid).
--I chose favorite teams....
The Baltimore Orioles: their games were on the radio every night; my brother was a Yankee fan (yecch!!); I liked their rookie outfielder that year, Al Bumbry. I even named a cat Al Bumbry. Brooks Robinson became my favorite player, followed by Jim Palmer.
The Oakland Raiders: not sure why, but Kenny Stabler quickly became a favorite, plus Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnikoff. I remember Stabler tossing the winning TD while falling down to Clarence Davis in the playoffs to eliminate the two-time defending champion Miami Dolphins.
The Washington Bullets: Closet NBA team to home, and I liked The Big "E"!!! That's Elvin Hayes for those of you who know nothing of the NBA pre-1991 Chicago Bulls.
The Denver Nuggets: My ABA team, because my favorite college basketball player, David Thompson, went to play there. Plain and simple. And, when the leagues merged, I chose the Nuggets as my "favorite" favorite. I'm still waiting for their first title.
The Montreal Canadiens: They won. Alot. Try four Stanley Cups in a row from 1976 to 1979. My brother and I would play Canadiens versus Flyers on our table hockey game, where you would "twist" the player using the metal pole he was affixed to. My favorite Canadien? Ken Dryden, the greatest goaltender of all time!!
The Winnipeg Jets: My favorite WHA team, featuring Gordie Howe (who knows how old he was by then!). When the WHA folded into the NHL, the Jets were toast in my eyes. The Jets? Over the Canadiens? Are you nuts??
The N.C. State Wolfpack: The 1974 championship team. David Thompson, Tom Burleson, Monte Towe, Tim Stoddard, et al. This is a case of following my brother's footsteps; the Pack being his favorite team.
Jack Nicklaus: The Golden Bear. The man. I don't care how many majors Tiger wins. Nicklaus took golf to a level never, ever seen before. His 1980 U.S. Open Championship was the greatest golf perfomance I've ever seen. It was magical. Even if Tiger Woods eclipses his record of 18 majors won, I won't consider him on Jack's level unless he can win one around age 46, as Jack did at the '86 Masters. Then we'll talk. :)
Bjorn Borg: The Master of Wimbledon. Five straight titles; and throw in six French Opens for good measure. The only blemish? Four U.S. Open finals, no wins.
---------------------------------------------------
What did I see on TV?
--Reggie Jackson's 3 HR's in game six of the 1977 World Series.
--My Orioles BLOWING a 3-1 lead, losing the last two games AT HOME, to give the '79 World Series to the Pirates.
--Super Bowls VIII thru XIII. XI was the favorite, as my Raiders finally won, beating Minnesota, 32-14 while a snowstorm fell outside my home, January 9, 1977.
--Super Bowl XIII was seen on a Days Inn hotel room TV in Ashland, as our house had no power for two days due to an ice storm.
--The Bullets losing to Golden State, then splitting two NBA titles between themselves and Seattle.
--Ali--Spinks I: the upset of the century. (Sorry, Buster)
--Alabama and Penn State, 1979 Sugar Bowl, featuring "The Stand". Alabama keeps Penn State out of the end zone to preserve a 14-7 win. Boo. I was rooting for Penn State.
--Michigan State vs. Indiana State: 1979 NCAA Basketball Tournament Final. This was the coming out party for college basketball to the entire nation. Thank you Magic and thank you Larry! Boo. I rooted for Indiana State.
--1978 One Game AL East Playoff: Yankees vs Red Sox. My teacher let us watch it in class!!! For those of you born after 1980, there were once baseball playoff games during the day.
WHAT DID I MISS DUE TO A POWER OUTAGE:
--Hank Aaron's 715th HR, breaking Babe Ruth's all-time record. The game was on NBC's Monday Night Baseball, and my brother and I were watching it, when, we lost power, thanks to a storm I believe. A little later on, our Dad comes to the door and tells us he hit the homer, having heard it on the radio.
WHAT I SLEPT THRU, WAS TOO YOUNG TO STAY UP FOR, OR AT LEAST SAW HIGHLIGHTS OF:
--Carlton Fisk's wave, willing a baseball to hit the foul pole to win Game 6 of the 1975 World Series for the Boston Red Sox.
--The Celtics/Suns Triple OT game of the decade; 1976 NBA Finals, Game 5. The telecast of the overtimes was nuts.
--N.C. State finishing off Marquette, winning the '74 NCAA Title.
Whew! And that's just sports memories!
No comments:
Post a Comment