Yankees and Red Sox, What a Great Rivalry!

For disclosure, I am a long suffering Pittsburgh Pirate fan and really have no allegiance to either the Yankees or Red Sox, but when ever these two teams get together, I am interested in the results. The hatred between the two organizations go back to the Babe Ruth era and maybe further. This is one of those rivalries that makes the blood pressure of fans, on both sides, rise several points. The tension as the innings fade into the night, continues to expand as the final turn at bat approaches. No lead is ever safe. Clear the women and children from the streets, the hated Yankees are in town. Forget all of the activities going on in the "Big Apple" those bums from Boston are here. For decades the Sox died a thousand deaths because of the "curse". They had to sit back and watch the championships, continue to be collected by the Yankees. Today it is the Sox, that is spending as much or more then the Yankees to go for the, "ring". The season is still early and yet the intensity is very high. Either team would prefer, Baltimore, to win then to let the other villainous team lead. I don't know about you, but when we get into the dog days of August and into September, I will be watching as the best rivalry in baseball, plays out between the lines at Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium. 

The Heat are Tittering on the Edge.

I am breaking away from old sports to make a comment about new sports. I have to admit, like most Non-Heat fans, I am enjoying way too much, the Dallas Maverick's lead on the Miami Heat. I also have taken much joy in Lebron James' disappearances in the forth quarter. All greats in any sport lives for the end of a game to take over and drag their team over the finish line. They want the ball in their hands. This is what makes them great. James has become the pedestrian in a NASCAR race. Maybe he should play the first three quarters, then sit down and hope that somebody else will rise up and deliver. In a few days I may be eating my words, but I need some further proof before I start to compare James with some of the greatest athletes that have ever played sports. All I can say right now, is "Go Mavericks."

Roberto Clemente the Best I Ever Saw!

I know that I will be accused of be a homer when I say, Clemente was the best I ever saw, but he was. I had the opportunity to see him play in person many times and he never failed to show his greatness. Clemente had a rifle for an arm. It got to the point that when a batter got a base hit to right, he would not make a wide turn toward second base, because if he did Clemente would throw behind him and nail him. Runners did not try to stretch hits into an extra base, because Roberto could make a throw from any place on the field and gun them down. He had tremendous speed and could advance on the base paths or run down fly balls in right center field to anything hit down the line. Clemente was not considered a home run hitter, but when the Pirates asked him to hit for more power he delivered. He was a contact hitter and I can still see in my mind, when he would reach way out over the plate to slap a pitch into right field. When he approached the batters box, Clemente would go through a series of gyrations with his back, arms and shoulders. He would dig around the batters box, with his spikes as if a new highway was be planned. He would hold up his right hand to the umpire as he took several minutes to be prepared just right. Clemente would rarely take a swing at the first pitch, just look as it went past him. The pitcher could not completely relax and think he would just throw down the middle to start off with a strike, because just when you figured he would just watch the pitch he would hammer it somewhere for a hit. Clemente was an outstanding all-around ballplayer, and was unique. We will never have a chance to see someone like him again. I am just glad that I was able to watch one of the greatest of all time.

My First Professional Game in 1959

In 1959, my father, John Sr. and I would listen to the radio broadcasts of my Pittsburgh Pirates. Many summer nights as I drifted off to sleep the soothing voices of Bob Prince and Jim Woods would carry me off to dream land.  On Saturday July 18th I would attend my first game, at Forbes Field in person. Now some of the young people reading this may believe that since it was 1957, it actually was at the Roman Coliseum as the Christians faced the lions, but it really was a game between the Pittsburgh Pirate and the San Francisco Giants. I have never anticipated an event like this before or since. When my father parked the car, we made our way across Forbes Ave. toward the ballpark. I stood looking at the outside, which appeared to be an office building. Where was Forbes Field? We made our way through the crowds surrounding the field. I lived in a town with maybe fifteen thousand people and here I was, one of maybe 30,000. There where more people in that ballpark then in our whole town. We entered the gates and a man took our tickets, but I still wondered where the playing field was. When we found our area, we went up the ramp to our seats and there it was. The greenest grass I had ever seen, the playing field at Forbes Field. I looked out to left field and the ivy covered wall, with the museum on the other side. There was right field where Babe Ruth had sent a record shot over the stands and onto the street. In or near the batting cage was Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski, Bill Virden, Smoky Burgess, Bob Skinner and the rest of my baseball heroes. I also saw in my first game, the great Willie Mays, but my attention was on the Pirates. The smells of hot dogs, popcorn and roasted peanuts engulfed us as we prepared for the upcoming game.  There has never been a gourmet meal that can compare with a hot dog during a baseball game. I watched intently as the teams went through batting and fielding practice. Soon the umpire shouted out, "Play Ball".  I could have stayed there forever, but soon the nine innings had slipped past and it was time to head for home. I wish I could say that the Pirates had won, but they lost 4-3. It really didn't matter that much. The following year the Bucs would win the World Series.  As my father drove along the river toward downtown Pittsburgh, the night sky was bright red from the glow cast by the steel mills that were in full swing. The steady hum of the tires on the concrete roadway, caused me to drift to sleep, where I would relive my own, "Field of Dreams."  I have had opportunities to attend and enjoy many sporting events in my life, but none will ever compare with that first trip to Forbes Field.

Changes to "Old School Sports"

When I started to develope a new blog, "Old School Sports" , there was a struggle to find how to make something new about sports and talk about current issues, but I also wanted to find a way to talk about past times in sports. I believe going forward the focus of my blog will be about times in our memories. I want to talk about my first trip to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh to see my Pirates play. I also want, you, to talk about your first visit to the ballparks that you cherished as a kid. I want to relive the glory of Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazerowski. I will take us down the road with Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Bob Gibson. The days of listening to games on the radio, because so few were on TV. We will look at the NFL when it was in, infancy and still behind baseball in popularity. The great players I grew up with were Jimmy Brown, Bart Starr, Paul Warfield, Jim Ryan and even a Steeler or two, like Paul Martha and Bill Saul. In basketball I watched Bill Russel and his match up with Wilt Chamberlain. Arnold Palmer and a young Jack Nickolas ruled the links. These are the sports heroes I read about and grew to warship. I want to hear about yours. This is how I am taking "Old School Sports". It truly will be old school. See you soon. John.

Spurs The Hearts of Champions

What a finish by the Spurs over the Grizzles, last night. This is what I think of when a team has that championship mentality. They never give up. They may still lose the series, however there is no way we can dismiss the way they keep fighting. Basketball is great and the playoffs are really special. It separates the men from the boys.

All Right Magic, One down.

The Orlando Magic, not only won last night, at the Amway, they dominated. With Dwight Howard on the bench the rest of the Magic team, finally decided to put in the effort to win. Yesterday I challenged them to heed Vince Lombardi's words and make the important decission to play like a winner. This they did. The question is now, can they continue to do this in Atlanta on Thursday? I certainly hope so. They have a large mountain to climb, but last night they picked up the gautlet and advanced to the first level. Go Magic, make us believe.