Via Fang's Bites Monday Linkage, I came across this article by Tom Jones in the St. Petersburg Times (ah, Tampa...Saint Pete...Clearwater...Tarpon Springs...things this I miss, but I digress). Tom lists so many things that he misses and I nodded along as I read virtually each item.
Let's add some more! How about...
- More organ music and less garbage sound during games.
- This Week in Baseball, with Mel Allen (along with Warner Fusselle, who now calls Brooklyn Cyclones games)
- Speaking of TWIB, I miss this music (and it's companion opening theme song)
- The excitement of the penalty shot (now dulled by the presence of the shootout).
- Bullpen cars, like the pinstriped Toyota that used to bring Goose Gossage in.
- Home runs sponsored by beers ("Hey, Bobby Murcer, this Bud's for you!").
- Trading baseball cards.
- Bob Sheppard.
- Vin Scully on the national stage.
- ESPN before it had pro sports...meaning lots of Australian Rules Football!
- OLD TIME HOCKEY! (that one was too easy).
- When the All-Star Game was actually fun, and the only time one might see, say, Pops Stargell.
- Then again, I miss Pops Stargell...Stargell Stars...and those uniforms.
- For that matter, I miss the old Astros uniforms!
- Denver Broncos uniforms - the old Orange Crush.
- Wow...staying in uniforms, the Steel Curtain-era Steelers uniforms with the block-style numbers. (Quick aside, I just bought a Terry Bradshaw replica that is the almost the closest I've ever owned to the real thing. It's not entirely accurate, but close enough for $40 at the Stormville flea market, and I had to bargain the guy down to that price...plus borrow from Carrie so I could pay him in cash. This might lead me to a rant about wearing jerseys, since some think there's an age limit or...oh, forget it. Some other time).
- The Hartford Whalers (and the Quebec Nordiques and the Minnesota Stars and...)
- The Baltimore Colts and the Cleveland Browns.
- Jordan. Bird. Magic. Bernard King.
- Metropolitan Stadium and the Vikings in the snow.
- Yankee Stadium (duh!). I really miss the 1976 remodel, but I also miss the true original building.
- Complete games (CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee notwithstanding).
- The three-inning save.
- Wiffle Ball Games.
- Neighborhood games. Any of them. Kickball. Football. Whatever.
- The Packers playing in Milwaukee.
- Brent Musberger saying "You are looking live" in the days before he insisted on calling games, Brent was good as anyone as handling the pregame/halftime role.
- Merlin Olsen.
- Umpires wearing blazers. Yes, actual suit-type jackets.
- Team theme songs that aren't lame (even the original version of "Meet the Mets" is still charming).
- Locker room trophy presentations, complete with champagne showers.
- Network blazers (oh those wonderful mustard-yellow ABC ones that they wore were just great).
- "The following is presented in living color on NBC."
- Athletes doing ads, like Joe DiMaggio for Bowery Savings Bank and Phil Rizzuto for The Money Store.
- Jiggs McDonald.
- Islanders, Rangers, and Knicks games on channel 9.
- "Kiner's Korner" (I know this is shocking but I love baseball so much that I used to even watch that).
- All-Star Baseball. Not, not the "This Time it Counts" farce tomorrow night, but the board game, of which I owned a few copies, including the year that I got at least two for my birthday.
- Video games that weren't very good representations. Seriously, I had two versions of baseball for my Atari that were a joke.
- One home, one away uniform. That's it.
- The Sears catalog, with all of the cool pages of NFL clothes.
- Pulling up to Blue Jays' spring training and talking with Dave Stieb and Alfredo Griffin...with nobody else around.
- Baseball cards that could be found attached to snack cake packages or in cereal boxes.
- The USFL.
- Caring enough about Daytona and Indianapolis to actually watch racing.
- Al McGuire.
- Chris Mullin (and his hair), Lou Carnesecca (and his sweaters), and the St. John's Redmen.
- Innocence in college sports.
- Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles.
- Keeping the marketing suits and souvenir whores out of the game.
- 1918!
- Affordable tickets!
Well, that's a start. There has got to be more.
1 comment:
Real pennant races in which a couple of great teams with about 99 wins or so are still battling for one playoff spot -- such as the Yankees and Red Sox could and would have this year but will not because of expanded playoffs.
White jerseys at home in hockey.
Pat Summerall and John Madden.
The Redskins fun bunch.
The ABA basketball. Not the league. The actual ball.
Wood tennis rackets.
Not being suspicious about a guy suddenly hitting for power, like Jose Bautista.
Post a Comment