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Of all the things I remember I have no idea how I became a Sox fan while living in the middle of The 69 Miracle Mets era and among those nasty Yankee fans. I think I was just starting to like baseball with no bias towards the home team.
I bet it was the greatness of Yaz that caught my eye and the close ending of the season where I think it was a half game divided the top 4 teams the final days of the season. I loved the Sox ever since.
You mentioned 75. I remember 67 more....why? I will try....... Lois Tiant with the strange delivery and the cigar, Lee, Drago and Burton. Fisk was a favorite of all fans. Never a clutch hitter but a pretty good one. Rice and Lynn were outfield with Dwight Evans who came over to shake my hand before a game.
Soon maybe into the mid 70s I started liking basketball and football. So I also been a Pats fan and a die hard Celtics fan for all these years. What the hell did the Cs do tonight? Its pretty hard when you have to beat a team and the refs. But the way those bums were shooting tonight they could have beaten the 95-96 Chicago Bulls on Jordons best night of his life.
Well, I'm not sure why someone from New Jersey became a fan of the other Boston teams, but you said the magic word that helped me understand how you came to like the Sox. That magic word is "Yaz."
I first began to realize how beloved Yaz was by fans of a certain age all over the country, when I left my home in a suburb of Boston to attend college in Ohio, then continued to live in Ohio for several years after college. Throughout those years, I met people from Ohio and other Midwestern states, and in college I met people from all over the country. When conversations turned to the subject of sports, many people told me how much they loved Yaz. Then sometimes someone would get sort of a faraway look, and say something in a hushed voice about "that season he had" in '67. I understood even more deeply how much Yaz meant to many people across the country, during his final season. Throughout the second half of the season, whenever the Sox were on the road, as they played their last series of the year in each city, time and again sellout crowds turned out to say goodbye to Yaz.
I have my ideas about why Yaz meant so much to so many born in the early and middle years of the Baby Boom. It's a whole combination of factors that added up to a remarkable season, which turned Yaz into a national hero in a way that really was different from anything involving any other professional athlete before or sense. In addition to having Hall-of-Fame talent, he was a throwback, a player with an old-fashioned sense of honor and a gritty work ethic that would have made him popular under any circumstances. Then came '67. Maybe once or twice in a generation, maybe less often than that, one player will have one season where his performance on the field rises to the stellar level that Yaz's play reached that season.
But it was more than that. As Yaz led an underdog team in a desperate season-long four-team race for the pennant, it really did seem true that he was the player who was always coming to bat, or getting the ball hit to him in the field, at the most crucial times, when he HAD to come through big, right there in that moment, or else it would be over. Cinderella would be leaving the ball before midnight. And over and over again, he did come through, always getting the big hit, or making the tumbling catch in the outfield. Yaz really lived the kind of season that little kids have in their fantasies. On top of this, the fact that this amazing season happened during a troubled time in the nation's history made Yaz a real-life old-fashioned hero who symbolized for many a last fling with the relative innocence of the '50's, which at that time had not been so very long ago.
So, okay, I'm getting a little deeply into this description, but that's really what it was like. Yaz was truly beloved, by fans across the country. Knowing this as I do, I understand how even someone growing up in the heart of the New York teams' turf could have become a Sox fan because of Yaz.
But I still don't get why you also like the Pats and Celts. Was becoming a fan of Boston teams your version of adolescent rebellion?
Well, I'm not sure why someone from New Jersey became a fan of the other Boston teams, but you said the magic word that helped me understand how you came to like the Sox. That magic word is "Yaz."
I first began to realize how beloved Yaz was by fans of a certain age all over the country, when I left my home in a suburb of Boston to attend college in Ohio, then continued to live in Ohio for several years after college. Throughout those years, I met people from Ohio and other Midwestern states, and in college I met people from all over the country. When conversations turned to the subject of sports, many people told me how much they loved Yaz. Then sometimes someone would get sort of a faraway look, and say something in a hushed voice about "that season he had" in '67. I understood even more deeply how much Yaz meant to many people across the country, during his final season. Throughout the second half of the season, whenever the Sox were on the road, as they played their last series of the year in each city, time and again sellout crowds turned out to say goodbye to Yaz.
I have my ideas about why Yaz meant so much to so many born in the early and middle years of the Baby Boom. It's a whole combination of factors that added up to a remarkable season, which turned Yaz into a national hero in a way that really was different from anything involving any other professional athlete before or sense. In addition to having Hall-of-Fame talent, he was a throwback, a player with an old-fashioned sense of honor and a gritty work ethic that would have made him popular under any circumstances. Then came '67. Maybe once or twice in a generation, maybe less often than that, one player will have one season where his performance on the field rises to the stellar level that Yaz's play reached that season.
But it was more than that. As Yaz led an underdog team in a desperate season-long four-team race for the pennant, it really did seem true that he was the player who was always coming to bat, or getting the ball hit to him in the field, at the most crucial times, when he HAD to come through big, right there in that moment, or else it would be over. Cinderella would be leaving the ball before midnight. And over and over again, he did come through, always getting the big hit, or making the tumbling catch in the outfield. Yaz really lived the kind of season that little kids have in their fantasies. On top of this, the fact that this amazing season happened during a troubled time in the nation's history made Yaz a real-life old-fashioned hero who symbolized for many a last fling with the relative innocence of the '50's, which at that time had not been so very long ago.
So, okay, I'm getting a little deeply into this description, but that's really what it was like. Yaz was truly beloved, by fans across the country. Knowing this as I do, I understand how even someone growing up in the heart of the New York teams' turf could have become a Sox fan because of Yaz.
But I still don't get why you also like the Pats and Celts. Was becoming a fan of Boston teams your version of adolescent rebellion?
He do they still have the "Jimmy Fund"? I been away from the east coast for a dozen years and have not been to Fenway for 20 years but I remember the "Jimmy Fund" because it is my name. Was that named after a baseball hero or something?
I probably started liking the Celtics for the same reason I liked the Sox. Larry Bird. I started with the Cs a little after the Havlicek era. I can remember as a teenager climbing up on the roof of my central NJ house and sitting up there with my radio. I was able to get WBZ Boston from my roof on my small portable radio with no special antenna. Nuts huh? Who was that announcer with that awefull horse voice?
Those were the days. The days long before cable TV. The only games I ever saw on TV was the game of the week broadcast. That was maybe 4 times a year. Today I suscribe to PPV and watch every single Celtics game of the season except for I think it was 4 that were black outs.
I will tell you one more secret. My Mom knows Tom Brady's Father. Quite well too. A Priest from her Catholic church in NJ relocated to an outskirt of Boston. It is the church that Tom Brady's very religious father attends. Brady's father studied to be a Catholic Priest but fell just short of graduating the seminary but he continues to dedicate his life to the church. Several ladies from her church get together once or twice a year to drive up to visit their old Priest friend. She says Mr Brady sits among them and chats.
Mom turned down Patriots tickets early last season. When she told me that I almost disowned her. I probably will never forgive her. Sure I would hop on a plane and fly 3000 miles to see a game in Foxboro.
LOL! Ready to disown your mother just because she didn't get you Patsies tickets . . . wait a minute! What am I saying? You SHOULD disown her. Anyway . . .
I hadn't even thought of Larry, but yeah, he was a player I'm sure inspired many people to become Celtic fans. By the way, I'm not sure how much I want to talk about them right now. Don't want to jinx their chances, ya know. Wouldn't you know, the year they get good again would also be the year the Lakers get good again. It's all in the stars, I guess.
As for the Sox, this quote from the Wikipedia article about the Jimmy Fund may answer your question about whether the Sox are still involved with them: "The relationship that the Red Sox and the Jimmy Fund share is the longest standing, most extensive, and significant team-charity relationship in all of professional sports."
For those who don't know, the Jimmy Fund, which is the Red Sox's official charity, is an organization that raises funds for a medical center in Boston that does cancer research. They historically have emphasized research related to cancers common in children. DesertSun, according to the Wiki article, "Jimmy" was a pseudonym used to protect the identity of the fund's original poster child, who was a patient at the Dana-Farber center, where the research the Fund supports is conducted. It's really a big deal, not only in Boston but in much of New England, with promotional campaigns going all summer. With this being the Sox's official charity, a lot of their players have worked for the Jimmy Fund over the years. I'm not sure who are all the current players who do volunteer work for the organization, though I know that Tim Wakefield does a lot. And, as much of a pompous jerk as many people seem to think Roger Clemens is, I used to hear that he did quite a bit of work with the Jimmy Fund when he played for the Sox.
Hmm, listening to games on the radio on your roof. That takes me back to the subject of Yaz. I think many factors fell into place to make him so beloved by fans of that era. In addition to those factors I pointed out in the other post, the fact that fewer games were on television back then may have contributed to this as well. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy watching sports on television. Still, you get so saturated with it now that to many people professional athletes are celebrities and nothing more. Back when there weren't so many games on television, that distanced the athletes enough to make them seem out of reach, on another level. They were not only celebrities, but heroes.
As for Yaz and his hero status, in the earlier post I referred to his old-fashioned standards of honor, and his work ethic. An example of that code of honor would be a story related in the Boston media in their coverage of Yaz at the time he entered the Hall of Fame. I've read this a few other times since then, enough to be convinced of its veracity. Seems that at the time the Blue Jays and the Mariners were added as expansion clubs, Yaz had been in the majors for quite a few years. Under the expansion policy at the time, veteran players could refuse to be taken in the expansion draft, even if their clubs left them unprotected. Seems Yaz told Tom Yawkey, the old longtime owner of the Sox, who was also a personal friend of Yaz's, that the Sox should protect an additional younger player from the draft, and leave Yaz unprotected, with his assurance that he would not go to either of the expansion clubs if they tried to draft him. Seems that Yaz turned down an offer of a substantial pay increase from the Blue Jays. Seems that his final comment on the matter, after he had explained to reporters that he had turned down the Blue Jays' offer because he had assured the Sox he would stay put, was simply, "I gave my word."
Then there was the work ethic. For much of Yaz's career they still played a lot of day games in the major leagues. I've heard a number of times that when Yaz would be in a hitting slump, after day games he would snag someone on the clubhouse staff to go back onto the field with him, and pitch to him so he could take extra batting practice. From what I've heard, during this personal batting practice, Yaz would hit and hit and hit, until his hands blistered, and then hit and hit some more, until the blisters opened and his hands were bleeding.
I used to go to a bar, where another regular custome had done business with the company Yaz worked for as a business executive after he retired from baseball. A barber I used to patronize told me that his son had worked with Yaz in a business capacity. What I heard from these guys was that Yaz showed the same work ethic in his business career, approaching challenges with a gritty determination, and the attitude that he could accomplish his goals if just hung in there and worked and worked until a goal was reached.
No wonder people liked this guy so much. I'm sure there are plenty of fine people among professional athletes today, but when you hear stories about this, that, or the other multi-millionaire demanding a new contract because he makes a few thousand less than some other guy with a lower batting average, or whatever, you might be tempted to think they just don't make 'em like Yaz anymore. I know for sure, if half those stories I've heard about Yaz are true, I'd love to meet him and shake his hand, as much for his personal qualities as for anything he ever accomplished on a ball field, and he accomplished plenty.
Oh, by the way, the Celtics announcer with the awful hoarse voice was Johnny Most. Another Boston legend. Voice of the Celtics for decades. Word was that some of the co-announcers considered it an occupational hazard to share booth with Most, because he smoked so heavily.
Of course that voice was unmistakable. I used to go to a restaurant where Johnny Most was another regular customer. The first time I saw him in there, I thought, hey, that guy looks like Johnny Most. As I had that thought, the guy he was with had been talking. Then that guy stopped talking and Johnny Most spoke. As soon as I heard him speak I thought, hmm, well, now I know why that guy looks like Johnny Most!
Location: A right angle directly south of Sac and east of the bay area
120 posts, read 385,945 times
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The redsox are commin to oakland next week, sometimes them boston transplant nuts come out. No worry oaktown left field bleachers hold it down, got my brass nuckles, hunting knife, and switch blade on me so if they want to try and make trouble this year, they are gonna find it .
The redsox are commin to oakland next week, sometimes them boston transplant nuts come out. No worry oaktown left field bleachers hold it down, got my brass nuckles, hunting knife, and switch blade on me so if they want to try and make trouble this year, they are gonna find it .
I think those thugs you speak of are your very own world famous LA gangs. If you want to take on your own home boys with your silly weapons then be our guest. But I beg of you, if you are still alive would you come back on here and report to us how it all turned out?
And dont be such a sore loser. It's not good for your health either.
Oh, by the way, the Celtics announcer with the awful hoarse voice was Johnny Most. Another Boston legend. Voice of the Celtics for decades. Word was that some of the co-announcers considered it an occupational hazard to share booth with Most, because he smoked so heavily.
Of course that voice was unmistakable. I used to go to a restaurant where Johnny Most was another regular customer. The first time I saw him in there, I thought, hey, that guy looks like Johnny Most. As I had that thought, the guy he was with had been talking. Then that guy stopped talking and Johnny Most spoke. As soon as I heard him speak I thought, hmm, well, now I know why that guy looks like Johnny Most!
Thanks for all the good ol memories. Johnny Most. Yea that was him. I didnt think of it as a smokers voice back then probably because smoking was accepted. I sure wouldnt want to be in the same tiny booth with a chain smoker.
As for the salaries? I try not to think about it and just concentrate on the game. I remember when Yaz was one of the highest paid sports players making an incredable $75,000 a year. Today they make that much by the 7th inning stretch each and every game. More accuratly they make $75K by the 1st inning in each and every game.
I know what you mean by jinxing. I bet heavy on sports since I am now in Vegas and gambling is all around me. But I never ever bet on any Boston game....ever.
Location: A right angle directly south of Sac and east of the bay area
120 posts, read 385,945 times
Reputation: 44
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertsun41
I think those thugs you speak of are your very own world famous LA gangs. If you want to take on your own home boys with your silly weapons then be our guest. But I beg of you, if you are still alive would you come back on here and report to us how it all turned out?
And dont be such a sore loser. It's not good for your health either.
Last Time we got us a Boston fan he got beer thrown at em (from three different people) and food. By the top of the 4th they were done, security had to relocate them to different seats for their own saftey. They got up and left
Last Time we got us a Boston fan he got beer thrown at em (from three different people) and food. By the top of the 4th they were done, security had to relocate them to different seats for their own saftey. They got up and left
We are all so happy for you. Now go play video games till Mommy gets home.
Location: A right angle directly south of Sac and east of the bay area
120 posts, read 385,945 times
Reputation: 44
I can't she took them cause i was playin with my cookies
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