Football when you was a kid

[jw4591]

I was gonna reply to the Big Ben thread but it's closed. Who were some of the best football players yinz seen when you was a little kid? Either at a game or just on TV. I'm prolly older than most of yinz but got a great memory. Let's include Baseball too. Never went to many football games when I was little, only 2 actually. We weren't blessed with alot of money, but my dad took us when he could. We went to many baseball games at Forbes Field. My 1st football game was Pitt vs Navy, Roger Staubach was QB for Navy. Bam can you name the QB for Pitt?

[sexymaid_69]

Was it Dorsett?

[jw4591]

haha, no Jinny, this was before you were born. Told ya I'm almost retirement age. Hint: He was from fayettenam

[Yssup Rider]

I got to see a lot of AAA baseball games before Houston had an MLB franchise. .aw a lot of up and coming St. Louis Cardinals back then. Our radio announcer was Dizzy Dean! I remember seeing a lot of colt45s games and then practically lived at the astrodome.

Best ballplayer I ever saw was a guy y'all might remember ... Roberto Clemente. No telling how much more he coulda done.

College football was all about Rice when I was real young. Could never understand why a school with an enrollment of 2,500 needed a stadium that seated 72,500.

UH became pretty big during my HS years, mainly because they were one of the only southern schools to recruit blacks.

Led the nation in offense year after year. The Cougars were known as inventors of the veer offense but never got any respect because they were Indys.

Pro football was about the Oilers and the AFL. Early AFL was absolutely nuts. 55-51 games, etc., every week. Hated rivals were the Dallas Texans, Los Angeles Chargers and New York Titans.

coolest thing, though, was growing up in Houston when then astrodome was built. it was truly a sensation. Saw Indy car races in there, bullfighting, Evel Knievel and more crazy shit than you could imagine. (Lots of rodeos with Elvis, and a pretty big NCAA basketball game with Elvin!). Now they're gonna tear it down. assholes.

Lot of water under the bridge since then.

Lot of pierogies too!

[jw4591]

Originally Posted by Yssup Rider

Best ballplayer I ever saw was a guy y'all might remember ... Roberto Clemente. No telling how much more he coulda done.

He threw strikes from right field, no arc at all, to any base or home plate. One of the best ballplayers that ever played. I'm glad I grew up watching him play. Here's something I always wondered about. He used bats with the signature "Momen Clemente". What does Momen mean?
http://www.post-gazette.com/pirates/...s/201208030220

[Yssup Rider]

Never knew that. I was hoping that Cesar Cedeno might be that kind of player -- he certainly had the tools -- but he was a self-destructive idiot.

Houston's franchise was decimated by the trade that created the Big Red Machine. Took them until 1980 to recover.

Bucs had some good teams. I remember the Mazeroski/Alley days... Pre-Wilver. They're poised to have some real success now.

[jw4591]

When I was little we always rode the train alot cause we rode free. Whenever the Yankees were in Cleveland my dad would take us to a game. My favorite Yankee was Bobby Richardson. I played alot of baseball after that and he is the reason I always liked playing the infield. Him and Maz. I love the city of Cleveland, even though they caught their river on fire.

[Yssup Rider]

Originally Posted by jw4591

When I was little we always rode the train alot cause we rode free. Whenever the Yankees were in Cleveland my dad would take us to a game. My favorite Yankee was Bobby Richardson. I played alot of baseball after that and he is the reason I always liked playing the infield. Him and Maz. I love the city of Cleveland, even though they caught their river on fire.

They gots some decent corned beef there, I tell you what! And the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Always a great day when you go there.

[jw4591]

I remember Vic Power playing 1st base for the Indians against the Yankees that year. Damn, I'm old. Once when we were at Forbes Field for a game, we had good box seats behind the Buc's 1st base dugout. I was really a little kid, during batting practice alot of the Brave's players were walking in front uf us, I remember saying "Dad, there's Lou Burdett". My dad almost shit, he turned me into a ballplayer after that. He knew I loved the game.

[bambino]

Originally Posted by jw4591

I was gonna reply to the Big Ben thread but it's closed. Who were some of the best football players yinz seen when you was a little kid? Either at a game or just on TV. I'm prolly older than most of yinz but got a great memory. Let's include Baseball too. Never went to many football games when I was little, only 2 actually. We weren't blessed with alot of money, but my dad took us when he could. We went to many baseball games at Forbes Field. My 1st football game was Pitt vs Navy, Roger Staubach was QB for Navy. Bam can you name the QB for Pitt?

Was it Frankie Gustine? One of my golf buddies played on that Pitt team. He said the hardest hit he ever took was when Larry Csonka trucked him. Saw So many great players over the years. Dorsett is still the best college player I saw in person. Clemente in baseball, Connie Hawkins in BB, Lemiuex in hockey. I'm suprised Yssup mentioned Alley/Maz combo. They may still hold the single season double play record. And Stargell played LF on that team. Stargell was a stud then. Big and athletic. He also possessed a great arm. He ran into the brick wall several times. The 70 Steelers? Which one was the best? Who can say. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the King, Arnold Palmer. I was a marshal at the 93 US Open at Oakmont. I was standing on the 18th fairway as he made his final walk there. Not a dry eye in the gallery. Including mine. That was special. I also followed Jack Nicklaus on his final 2 holes at Augusta. The Indy 500 is an awesome event to see as is a World Cup downhill race. Those fuckin guys are nuts. JW, tell Yssup Goerge Blanda is from your hood.

[jw4591]

Yes, yessup. my office is on George Blanda Blvd. Back to Lou Burdette, he pitched against Harvey Haddix in 1959 when Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings, only to lose in the 13th. I remember that game. Bam, who hit the home run in the 13th inning to win it for the Braves but never got credit for it cause Hank Aaron fucked up?

[jw4591]

Originally Posted by bambino

Was it Frankie Gustine?

Fred Mazurek

[bambino]

Originally Posted by jw4591

Yes, yessup. my office is on George Blanda Blvd. Back to Lou Burdette, he pitched against Harvey Haddix in 1959 when Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings, only to lose in the 13th. I remember that game. Bam, who hit the home run in the 13th inning to win it for the Braves but never got credit for it cause Hank Aaron fucked up?

Was it Eddie Matthews? Just I guess. I forgot to mention Dick Groat. Maybe the best athlete from WPa, never saw him play, you prolly did tho. I watched Tommy Clements play both football and BB growing up. The original Doug Flutie. He could have played both sports at Notre Dame. He was a phenom but small. He won a NC for the Irish and a Grey Cup trophy in Canada. Another great QB from WPa.

[jw4591]

Bam, Joe Adcock hit the homer in the 13th. Felix Mantilla scored the winning run, Hank Aaron just went to the dugout instead of crossing the plate behind him so Joe only got credited with a double.

[jw4591]

Eddie Matthews was a great 3rd baseman