Go to Hoops, Gloves and Other Sports
- Add a comment
- Go to Old Wilson
Ha ha!
Thanks for the comment. Gee, I didn't know a poem about a basketball could generate so much "conversations"
posted by
Friar__Tuck
on March 12, 2004 at 9:02 AM
| link to this | reply
Beautiful.
Mine's an Old Spalding. And it looks as ratty as yours. Except I am 6 feet tall, so I didn't lose that one. I'm gonna have to keep this one around.
Max Power
posted by
Max_Power
on March 12, 2004 at 8:14 AM
| link to this | reply
Thanks for the info, Friar
I hadn't thought about just searching his name. I'm pretty slow sometimes and rely too much on memory alone. I'll go looking when I have a little time. Might even try dropping Billy a line just to see if he remembers me, Curtis, Ray, and the rest of the crowd.
posted by
notapoet
on March 12, 2004 at 7:51 AM
| link to this | reply
Billy Cunningham >> Kangaroo Kid
Yahoo's got a lot of pages on him
posted by
Friar__Tuck
on March 12, 2004 at 7:46 AM
| link to this | reply
Cunningham did coach for a while.
He's a big time sports executive now -- can't for the life of me remember which team. I'll have to look it up. The NCAA Tournament has lost some of its appeal to me these days because so many of the kids want to turn pro after their freshman or sophomore year if they have a good tournament and their team does well. That's the main reason something like UCLA's 10 championships in 12 years back in the '60s and '70s will probably never be repeated. Its also why even great programs like Carolina's can fall from Top 10 to nowhere in a single season. I remember Chamberlain playing a season with the Harlem Globetrotters after he dropped out at Kansas. The pros wouldn't touch a player back then until his enterring class graduated. It helped provide continuity for the college programs -- and it kept kids with marginal professional prospects from throwing away their free ride to a college education. The tournament still gets my heart to pumping when I think my Heels have a snowball's chance, though.
posted by
notapoet
on March 12, 2004 at 7:17 AM
| link to this | reply
Billy Cunningham...
...I've seen in NBA's greatest games. Isn't he coaching now? Rosenbluth... well, we started airing your NCAA games only two or three years ago.
posted by
Friar__Tuck
on March 12, 2004 at 6:57 AM
| link to this | reply
Friar
Lennie Rosenbluth was the star of North Carolina's 1957 NCAA Championship team that beat Wilt and Kansas in triple overtime after a triple OT win in the semis. He was a personal boyhood hero. The Kangaroo Kid, also known as Billy C, is the incomparable Billy Cunningham who has been acknowledged as one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time. We weren't close friends, but we drank beer together and he thought I was funny. These were two of the guys that Michael Jordan made everyone forget about.
posted by
notapoet
on March 12, 2004 at 6:49 AM
| link to this | reply
Kangaroo Kid...
and Lennie Rosenbluth, I haven't heard. But the others, especially the Big O and Cousy! I used to imitate those guys! I know Big O when he played with Lew; Cousy I saw in some old film clips.
posted by
Friar__Tuck
on March 12, 2004 at 6:34 AM
| link to this | reply
Ditto, Friar
Your words about Kareem/Lew bring up visions about others from that era and before. The incredible Big O, Wilt the Stilt, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West. The Kangaroo Kid (whom I knew personally) also comes to mind, as do those from the days my love affair with basketball began. Lennie Rosenbluth, Cousy and Sharman in the Celtics' backcourt. And even further back to days of legend and the original great center, George Mikan. I would love to see Chamberlain and Russell battle down low one more time.
posted by
notapoet
on March 12, 2004 at 6:16 AM
| link to this | reply
Ha ha!
I really am glad to have found a basketball buff here!
posted by
Friar__Tuck
on March 12, 2004 at 5:57 AM
| link to this | reply
Friar
Softball is close enough for recreational purposes. Most of our once thriving amateur baseball leagues have been replaced by softball leagues. Softball doesn't have the lore associated with baseball, or the mystical numbers that attempt to explain the game, but its great for keeping your hand in and your interest up. I'd play if I could afford the basic equipment and had the time -- even at my age! I played competitive basketball till I was 50 and gave it up then only because it came into conflict with my job at the time. Given the opportunity, I could still nail some treys (set shot), hit a free throw or two, and block out well enough to gather in an occasional rebound. And I still remember how to make a bounce pass and how to make a move to the basket after a simple head and shoulder fake -- shake and bake is for show offs and is mostly wasted effort.
I need to shut up. I'm developing these uncontrollable urges to hit baseballs and shoot baskets.
posted by
notapoet
on March 12, 2004 at 4:27 AM
| link to this | reply
NotaPoet and MySoftHeart
Notapoet...
I never had the chance to play baseball. It isn't one of the sports played here. The nearest I can get to it is softball.
MySoftHeart...
From a poet like you, that is a big complement... Thank you.
Oh, and I'll visit the chatroom some time.
Thanks both!
posted by
Friar__Tuck
on March 12, 2004 at 4:05 AM
| link to this | reply
Friar
Very, very nice! I just now got around to your sports blog. Shame on me! You write about your love for basketball with a skill and passion that I only wish a nuts and bolts numbers freak like myself could match. I've added you to my favorites and I'm grateful to have you in our neglected Sports category.
Any feelings for baseball? Not necessary, but it'd be nice to have another fan around to debate with. If I dared. I'm afraid you might cut me to shreds with the beauty and grace of your writing.
posted by
notapoet
on March 12, 2004 at 3:41 AM
| link to this | reply
Friar
I had no clue you were such a poet. very nice. makes me want to shoot some hoops. Thank you for your help with the chat link. You are an angel. May karma bless you many times over, Hugs ~ Softy
posted by
MySoftHeart
on March 12, 2004 at 3:22 AM
| link to this | reply