There is so much to talk about today. It's loaded. If you don't want to hear more about Billy Donovan, I totally appreciate that. Just scroll down the page a little bit to get past it and move on to "A.B.B.D." ("Anything But Billy D.")
Billy Donovan Saga, Cont'd: I say this about marriage all the time:
It's more publicly painful, but you're better off breaking up the day before the wedding than the day after the wedding.
In Donovan's case, he is better off quitting the day after the contract is signed than, say, a year later, which would screw over his new team AND his old team.
Billy D's rep HAS taken a hit. But it's temporary. How temporary? It will last until next year's recruiting results are announced. Or when he wins his next title, whichever comes first.
I always like to consider the following question of any name in the news: Will this incident be in the first paragraph of the person's obituary?
In Donovan's case, I think nothing but an "O.J. moment" can dislodge "won back-to-back national titles" as the top highlight of his career, particularly if he racks up a few more titles before his career ends (or his obit is written).
However, given the magnitude of this flip-flop, I could easily see this making the second or third paragraph, the less-than-positive "And yet..." details that accompany most major figures.
Career-defining? No. Permanent scar? Yes.
The latest is that the Magic want Billy to break the contract; they won't do him any favors. Actually, they are still trying to convince him to keep the job. He won't, but this might drag out a few more days than expected. (via Orlando Sentinel)
Also: I have no problem with a settlement deal-point that Billy not be allowed to accept any NBA coaching offers for five years. After all: Isn't he returning to
A.B.B.D.: THE REST OF THE DAY'S TOP STORYLINES:
R.I.P.: Bill France, the impresario behind NASCAR. You can have Lamar Hunt (NFL), Red Auerbach (NBA), Branch Rickey (MLB) or anyone else. For my money, the single most influential sports executive of all time – relative to his power over a single dedicated sport – is
(In honor of Bill France, a little rare mid-week NASCAR note: Congrats to Martin Truex, who earned his first-ever NASCAR victory, winning the Autism Speaks 400 at
MLB Stud: Mark Ellis, who hit for the cycle (in extra innings!) in a win against the Red Sox, apparently the first time a player has hit for the cycle against
MLB Dud: Lou Piniella, who was suspended for four games for his weekend tirade. "I will serve it and I will learn from the experience," he said. If "learn from the experience" means: "I now have even MORE effective techniques to kick dirt with my feet."
College World Series (Men's): Vandy shocked and ousted! The No. 1-seeded Commodores lost to
NFL: Tank Johnson suspended 8 games. Give Roger Goodell credit for consistency. (And even leniency: Johnson can have his suspension reduced by 2 games – to 6 total – for "good behavior." Carrot AND stick...)
NFL: Brady Quinn holding out? Interesting item on Pro Football Talk from the inimitable and indefatigable Michael David Smith about the prospects of Brady Quinn being a Browns holdout, which would be an even WORSE decision than his decision to be part of the NFL Draft green room. He has mountains of goodwill from
NFL Good News: Given that all we seem to hear about is bad news from the NFL, it's nice to have something good to talk about for a change. The Texans gave RB Samkon Gado some time off from practice to finish up an MCAT prep course. A player with "do-good" aspirations and a team willing to look beyond their own short-term priorities? How refreshing.
NBA Draft: Kevin Durant couldn't bench-press 185 pounds once at the pre-draft physical? That doesn't surprise me. His wingspan is, like, 7-foot-5? Even a quick glance at him shows he's probably never lifted weights in his life.
(I am surprised, however, that he wouldn't have been in some kind of aggressive strength program between the end of the college season and the pre-draft physical. Attention, Durant-Slurpers: If he's a weakling, it won't matter how good he is.)
Wow, OK: Read this blog post from the Oregonian's Jason Quick, then save yourself the trouble of worrying AT ALL which player should be taken No. 1 overall in the draft. It's Oden. Oden is a bigger freak than you ever thought he was. (h/t: MDS at Fanhouse. I told you: He's indefatigable!)
NBA Finals Update (Varsity Dad mash-up!): LeBron would skip the birth of his second child if it conflicted with playing in an NBA Finals game. We're talking about it over at Varsity Dad. Feel free to drop by and weigh in.
NBA Execs: Are the Grizzlies really going to hire
Kobe Watch (also filed under "Sneaker Watch"): According to Darren Rovell (who is a daily must-read),
Vick Scandal Update: Can things get stranger? How about the fact that Vick's alleged dog-fighting house was burglarized a few weeks ago?
NHL Stanley Cup: Ducks up 3-1 after Game 4 win in
MiLB: Phil Wellman suspended three games. Perhaps I'm late to the party, but have you seen the YouTube video of Braves minor league manager/nutcase Phil Wellman from Friday? Everyone else has, but I was late to it until yesterday. Here's the link.
The embarrassment isn't Wellman. The embarrassment is that the umps didn't have security haul his ass of the field earlier.
I appreciate that managerial freak-outs are part of the "charm" of baseball, but one of these days, someone's going to get hurt.
The funny thing is that Bobby Cox chalks it up to a quirky buddy. And John Schuerholtz doesn't seem to mind much either. How classy.
(Seriously: How does Wellman get a three-game suspension, but Lou Piniella get a four-game suspension?)
Olympics: Have you seen the newly unveiled London 2012 logo? It's awful. And it's designed to appeal to "the young people." Well, I'm kind of a young person, and it sucks.
Politics: Today's Must-Read is Deadspin's interview with Republican presidential candidate Tommy Thompson. When the presidential candidates are talking with sports-bloggers, things are looking very good for us. Next up: Barack Obama taking up my challenge for a game of H-O-R-S-E.
Today's "Danwagon" Bandwagon: Sam Presti, current assistant GM for the Spurs, likely new GM for the Sonics.
Why? Because youth rules, and Presti is 30 years old, which would make him the NBA's youngest GM by 5 years. Who WOULDN'T be jealous?
(Watch for the NBA to take an MLB-like turn toward the younger execs with the fresher perspectives. That's a great thing for the league.)
Sports Memorabilia: Normally, I'm not much of a memorabilia fan, but earlier this spring, I bought something because I figured I'd never get a chance to buy something like it again. Yesterday, it finally arrived: A piece of the floor from the GeorgiaDome that
Comment Question of the Day: Do you own any sports memorabilia? If so, what is your most prized possession?
Varsity Letters
-- D.S.
Posts
83 comments:
Piniella = Stud. How else could he instantly remove all the pressure from the players, who have since won two in a row?
all the sports "memorabilia" i have is stuff that's important to me, but not so important to the sports world in general.
unless there's an underground market for Baltimore Stallions shwag I'm unaware of.
The difference between Bobby and Lou and the other minor leaguer is Bobby always gets thrown out with a purpose.
Lou said he knew the call was right, but it was an opportunity to blow up to inspire his team.
Bobby has said he goes out to protect his players and stick up for them. Bobby doesn't usually kick dirt, throw things etc.
Lou's longer suspension may be because he struck the ump, not just the dirt, he touched the ump.
You have to wonder if by not yet singing the Florida contract, can Billy D. work some "temporary relocation expenses" into the deal (i.e., bonus money from UoF to pay the Magic off for the trouble)?
The only piece of sports memorabilia I have is a foul ball from the first Reds game I ever went to. It was hit by Dave Concepcion, who was winding up his career at shortstop before giving way to a local guy named Barry Larkin.
An older gentleman right behind me caught it. After we all settled back into our seats, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned around to see the guy holding up the ball. He said, "here you go, little fella," and he gently put the ball in my hand. It's something I'll never forget, and if I EVER catch a foul ball at a game, the first thing I'm doing is looking for a youngster to give it to.
Re: Memorabilia.
The coolest thing I have is a photo taken at the UGA/UT game in 2003 of Boss Bailey leaping to block a kick. You can see me in the bottom corner of the photo.
I've got the photo signed by Boss and framed.
Kudos to Thompson for interviewing with Deadspin.
The 2012 logo is ooglay as all hell. I kinda see what they're going for but this is the Olympics.
For Christmas years and years ago as a kid, my parents surprised me with the only piece of sports memorabilia I still keep. They gave me a world series baseball that had been made for 1994 World Series. You may remember that as the strike season, and the 2nd time ever that the series was canceled. I still keep it on a book shelf.
re: Lebron
I thought he had 3 kids with 2 different women. Can someone confirm/deny this? I'm almost positive he has at least 2 children.
1.) When I got married August 2005 our ringbearer was 12 years old and we didn't want him to carry a pillow down the aisle.
We searched for a 2002 Ohio State National Champion Commemorative Football and had coach Tressel sign it. He asked for our address and sent us a congratulatory note wishing us the best in our marriage. So, our ringbearer carried our Jim Tressel autographed football down the aisle with the rings attached with the postcard proudly displayed at the reception.
2.) Autographed Tressel "Team of the 90's" Football Celebrating Youngstown State's 4 National Titles.
3.) A piece of the Metrodome Floor when DUKE won the title in 2001.
4.) Probably the most obscure is a note that Coach K sent Bill Walton thanking him for sending the college basketball preview for the east coast. It was on a postcard that they used to recruit players touting their 3 N.B.A. stars.
Didn't Billy Donovan's signing with Orlando void has coaching deal with the University of Florida? If that's the case -- I'd be surprised if it wasn't and I don't see how it's failed to have been mentioned anywhere I've looked -- why would Florida have to take him back if the Magic let him off the hook?
Florida may want him back, but the school would be foolish to rehire Donovan at the same terms he had last week. And as someone mentioned yesterday, Donovan would be sca-rewwwed if it comes time to reopen negotiations on an extension with UF.
If I was the Gators AD, I'd just tell Donovan, "Hey, you said you didn't want to be here. We can get an equally good coach for a lot less money now. Good luck in your future endeavors."
Bring on Stan Van Gundy and Anthony Grant.
Memorabilia
My brother asked Roger Clemens (on the BoSox at the time) for an autographed, and instead he gave us a bat - Randy Kutcher's Louisville Slugger to be exact. Kutcher didn't have much of a career in the majors, but get this:
The bat is corked.
Here's a link to that london logo
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=874402007
I don't get it?
Best memoribilia I've got is an autographed BBall signed by the one and only Billy D.
An an autogrphed sketch signed by Ted Williams adressed to my dad, that is probably better than the Billy ball.
that olympic logo is heinous.
re: Kevin Durant - not surprised he couldn't bench 185, besides his wingspan he has never been challenged in HS or College and hasn't needed to work out.
re: memorabilia - I have a piece of the SkyDome turf the Jays won the World Series on and a bat I got from now unknown minor league player when I was 11.
BLT
I don't collect per se, but I have garnered some decent memorabilia over the years...
-1991 Chuck Knoblauch bat from Twins Spring Training- signed by Tom Kelly and Tony Oliva (was at Spring Training).
-1995 game used sticks of Scott Niedermayer and Martin Brodeur from game vs Canadiens IN Montreal (was there).
-Autographed picture personalized by Bobby Orr.
- Hartford Whalers game puck (obscure I know, but I love it knowing they are gone).
- Here's the MOST random piece- WWF magazine signed by Koko B. Ware (aka "The Birdman") back when he was HUGE in the late 80's.
Anyway, that's some of mine.
Re: the London logo.
It looks like Lisa Simpson giving head. Now, that's the only thing you'll see from now on whenever you spot it.
other memoribilia that I forgot about until reading some of the other posts;
-a pete rose baseball signed with a letter of authenticity saying he signed it right before going to prison
-Game used Super Bowl and Grey Cup footballs from a the mid-late '90s
Studs and Duds from Yesterday:
Studs:
1. Mark Ellis - 4/5, Hit for Cycle
2. Gary Matthews Jr. - 4/5, HR, 5RBI
3. Alfonso Soriano - 5/5, HR, 3RBI
4. Barry Zito - 6.0IP, 0ER, 6H, 5Ks
5. Dan Haren - 7.2IP, 2ER, 4H, 9Ks
Duds:
1. Jason Miller - 0.1IP, 8ER, 7H, 2BB
2. Matt DeSalvo - L, 1.1IP, 3R, 2ER, 4H, BB, HBP
3. Chad Bradford/John Parrish - L, BS, 1.0IP, 4ER, 5H, BB
4. Boof Bonser - L, 5.1IP, 6ER, 12H
5. Jon Lieber - L, 5.0IP, 5ER, 10H, 3BB
Honorary Team Stud: Angels, with 23 hits last night.
Honorary Dud: Derek Jeter, 0-5 last night, but now in a rare (for him) 3-27 slump (.111)
My favorite is my Johnny Dawkins autograph. It was in 1986 and I was about to turn 9. My family took a vacation to the North Carolina coast with a stop off in Durham to meet with some family friends. While in Durham we walked around the campus and made a stop at Cameron Indoor. I somehow got involved in a pickup game with some kids that were attending the basketball camp when my Mom shouted at me from across the gym to come over to see someone. Sure enough it was Johnny Dawkins my basketball hero. My Mom says I could not stop staring and that my mouth almost hit the floor.
I think you would have been more appropriate to state that Donovan would have been better off deciding he didn't want the Orlando job the day before he signed the contract. If you break off a marriage the day before you have some hurt feelings but you can mostly move on cleanly. Same if you want to take a new job but decide before signing the contract that you really want to stay at your old job.
In both marriage and signing a contract, though, the deals had already been signed and the day afterwards is too late to decide it wasn't really the right decision. Whether he waited a day, a week, a year, whatever... he didn't do the right thing and he should have to pay the consequence now for not having strong enough convictions in the first place. Orlando should stick it to him as hard as they can cause he screwed them and their fans.
Also, that Olympic logo is horrible.
London logo = fugly
When I was a kid, my dad had a coworker who had a relative close to the 76ers who was able to get me a personalized autographed picture of Dr. J, my favorite bball player. It is still one of my most prized possesions.
WCWS: Tonight the Lady Vols could win the Nat'l Champ. in Game 2. One of the interesting story lines is India Chiles who has played the entire WCWS with a torn ACL. Also, Phil Fulmer's daughter is a frosh on the team; might be his only chance to taste a Nat'l Championship! :P
"It looks like Lisa Simpson giving head"
You're right, that is the only thing I see now.
The only sports memorabilia I have is a game puck signed by Paul Ysebaert.
revscott, as far as anybody knows LeBron only has one kid (LeBron Jr.) with his longtime girlfriend (with the second on the way).
I was pretty sure that LeBron has 1 kid with that girl that he's always been with and she's pregnant again. They live together in Cleveland as far as I know.
Sports Memorabilia:
I have a ton: US Womens Soccer ball signed by the team (okay that one was a purchase); Joe DiMaggio signed ball with a picture of him signing it a few years before he passed away (a friend got it for me that started his own mem. company); plus tons of other balls and cards with signatures.
But the most memorable has to be when I was 12/13 and I yelled at Danny Cox (my dad met his dad on a business trip so I had an in) who was shagging balls in CF at Wrigley to throw me a ball. I was standing by the LF foul pole with my glove held up. He hit me square in the glove. I was the coolest kid that day during BP.
I always thought that if LeBron were smart he would marry Serena Williams and their children could rule the world...
Wow I spend three days moving form orlando and look at all the sports news I missed. Thank god billy is going back to UF. Now I can go back to not liking the NBA.
I have three pieces of sports memorabilia that mean the world to me but I doubt they are worth much. A signed ball from Pele circa his Cosmos days, an autographed rugby ball from the Scotland team that won the grand slam in the five nations cup, and my favorite which is a game worn jersey from the gators first natl championship in football. I worked at a place in college where the coaches would hang out after games and I got to know most of the athletes at UF while I was in school. I used to get stoned with two of the players and I traded a guy who was kicked off the team an ounce of weed for his jersey. Best 60 bucks I ever spent.
@ Clinton -- I'd be willing to do the same for a kid if I caught a foul ball...but I've still never gotten one, so part of me is tempted to keep it and tell the kid he's got a lot longer than I do to try to get one.
Hey, doesn't the MLBPA have it the CBA requiring a day game before a night game 3 time zones away? Did the Red Sox have to okay the Sunday night game before flying to Oakland for Monday?
Finally....a hockey game on TV! Don Cherry was funny during the 2nd intermission, yelling at Dick Ebersol of NBC to beg for more fighting to bring back higher ratings.
I thought the london logo looked like the drugs they made in the movie brain candy, but to say it looks like lisa simpson giving head is to say that those ink blot tests shrinks give you look like a girls cooter.
cooter...that word isn't used nearly enough these days.
Also, honorary dud to DeMarlo Hale, Red Sox 3B coach, for sending Pedroia home only to have the throw beat him by, oh, 30 feet...
I don't have much sport's memorabilia, but my favorite has to be a sweet nylon David Robinson jacket that I had as a kid.
My boss is a sports nut. His best piece is the a collection from the Pine Tar incident that he has put together. It contains a signed pic from the day, a Brett pic with a bat covered in pine tar, a mini bat signed by Brett and a baseball used from the game.
I completely agree with Brian...Don Cherry was awesome last night. The back and forth between him and Hull was hilarious. I loved it.
Great game also. What about that Alfredson(?) shot at the end of the period on Niedermeyer(?). Any thoughts? I was in aw. dumbest.decision.ever.
I have a Providence Civic Center folding chair that was used in a WWF House show in 1994. We were ringside.
The dent is still there from the Undertaker's head, courtesy of Shawn Michaels. After the hit, Shawn tossed the chair out of the ring, landed right in front of us. I put it under my arm, and walked right out with it after the show, no one working even noticed.
Mind you, this is a chair that might've been made during World War One. It weighs 32 pounds.
I'm not sure that 'Taker was faking the dazed stagger after the hit. Then again, his dome is enormous.
Memoriabilia:
I grew up in Lynchburg, VA when the Mets single A team was there. My father and I had season tickets next to the third base dugout. I have a baseball with Dwight Gooden's, Daryl Strawberry's, and Lenny Dykstra's signatures on it.
Side note...Lenny flirted with my sister when he was 19 and she was 14.
Speaking of cooter, while driving through Kentucky yesterday on my way to chicago my buddy and I saw an orange car following a cop car really closely and we couldn't figure out what kind of car it was. As we got closer we realized it was a replica of the general lee. When we got next to the car we gave him a thumbs up and he hit the horn which blared out the well known southern tune. The cop car was actually a Hazzard county replica and leading the procession was a flatbed with another replica of the general lee. After having just visited the national corvette museum that morning and knowing I was going to the Indy speedway to visit the museum that afternoon made for one of the coolest days involving sports in my life.
Phil Wellman---here is the whole thing about this incident, from someone who was at the game. He was defending his players, he felt that his pitcher wasn't getting calls that he should have gotten. As you know, arguing balls and strikes is an automatic ejection. He got his point across, and then put on a show. Here is the most important point, this happened in the 2nd Inning. The news stations come to the game for only about an hour, its not MLB where they come for the whole game. If this happened in the 6th inning, the video would not have reached CNN or ESPN. Because the news stations would have left by then, and the only video would have been from a cell phone.
Not sports, not at all related, but... the guy who played Cooter ended up a Congressman from Georgia for a while (along with Gopher). Cooter nominated my friend to West Point. At the end of their meeting, my friend said "Thanks, Cooter" and it really pissed him off. Great that a guy becomes a congressman based solely on one thing in life, but then gets pissed when people remember it.
Looks like Shanoff has made mention of the "DanWagon"...I love it! Thats for all the haters who say he doesn't read the comments.
MLB Dud- Sox bullpen outside of Bobby Jenks (almost blew yet another game last night)
MLB Stud- Paul Konerko 3/4 3 RBI
I have a basketballs signed by Dee Brown when he was with the Celtics and he also signed a newspaper article about me and my team winning the city bball championship (I was 12). Funniest part is that he spelled congratulations wrong.
Not really memorabilia but I have a custom made wooden Louisville slugger bat with my name on it.
Dan- I hope Billy D. is paying you good money to be his apologist.
Just one comment on Donovan:
I know Florida is taking him back, no question.
I don't know that i would do that, though. Grant seems a perfectly viable candidate that could do as good a job as Donovan. Donovan has shown that he'd jump ship to the NBA. If he can do it once, he can do it again. If I was Foley, I'd seriously consider just saying "You're my friend, Billy. Good luck in Orlando."
The Lisa Simpson comment is pretty spot-on. Now try to enjoy the Simpsons movie without thinkin' 'bout it. Greeeeat.
Day game in Florida! Fire up the MLB.tv in 3 hours.
I agree that Florida should strongly reconsider their relationship with Billy D prior to welcoming him back with open arms. I still think they should lowball his next contract, given that he doesn't really have any other options. If he goes somewhere else, he becomes a b-ball whore. If he stays, UF should make him earn his way back to big dollars. Like I said before, they can't pay him more than Meyer (about $2.4M I believe), and if they give both coaches a huge raise, they will set a new bar for college athletics that will change the landscape of the sport (which maybe the Gators want to do).
For sports memorabilia -- my nephew just got a baseball signed by Danny Almonte (who remembers him?), who is currently pitching in Marion, IL, for an independent league team (the Miners).
My best piece of sports swag (stuff we all get) is Harold Jensen's warmup from the 1985 Nova vs G-Town NCAA championship game. My dad got it at Villanova's post season auction. It has his number, 32, sharpied on the tag.
It's pretty sweet. I actually fit into it now!
how is it that the Sox can't hire a competent third bas coach. Is it so hard to find a guy smart enought to know when to send a runner. THe same thing happened sunday night with the yanks although it was a much closer call. There is a history of bad third base coaches in that city and it boggles my mind
Re: memorabilia
I was at a party last weekend and the host worked concessions at the old Boston Garden when he was a kid. He used to buy a pennant for each visiting team and wait outside the locker room to have the players sign it. The collection is awesome- he's got them singed by all the greats from the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, etc.
DeMarlo Hale has been pretty good. At least he's been huge over Dale Sveum.
The Lugo decision on Sunday surprised me, but unless Posada made a perfect play (which he did), Lugo would've been safe easily on that one.
For White Sox/Yankees fans, why did Torre pull DeSalvo in the 2nd inning?
I'm repeating myself a little from above.
Does anyone know whether Donovan automatically voided his contract with Florida when he signed with Orlando last week?
If he did, then Florida is under no obligation to take Donovan back at all. Under that situation, fForget lowballing the contract extension. I'd think Florida would be dumb to offer him anything less than what a mid-level professor makes, and that's if Florida decides to take Donovan back at all.
I got my husband a signed Archie Griffin Bobblehead for Christmas a few years ago.
I have an Albert Belle foul ball that he caught when we had our friend's season ticket seats. (Our friend was mad because he had never gotten a foul ball). It was the game in '95 that ended with Manny Ramirez blasting a home run off of Eckersley and the camera was on him as he said "WOW!" That was a great game. Hotter than you-know-where, but the little boys that were sitting behind us were squirting us with their spray bottles.
I had Kenny Lofton sign it later that year.
I also have a signed poster of Albert Belle. I want my $20 back that I had to pay to get it signed. I also had gotten one for my cousin's high school graduation gift since he played ball and had Conseco, Griffey, etc. all over his room. He can start a Wall of Shame now.
That logo looks like a bad "trip" Yikes.
How can you lump Griffey in with Canseco and Belle?
F'ed up. Meant to write that Florida would be dumb to offer Donovan "anything more than what a mid-level professor gets."
I worked at an NHL arena back in the day and got sticks and autographed pucks from some great players - Hasek, Fuhr, Kuri, Selanne, Kariya.
My greatest piece of memorbilia is actually just a memory, but a pretty paculiar one at that. Shaq was with the Magic and visiting the Clippers. During the morning shoot around, he came out early and saw Stanley Roberts, his old college teammate at LSU, who was with the Clippers at the time. Shaq yells out from the opposite end of the court, "Hey Stanley!" Everyone in the arena turns around to see Shaq's gigantic ass mooning him. Too bad there weren't camera phones back then.
verbal~ NOOO, the posters my cousin had at the time were Griffey Jr, Canseco, and I forget who else...the sluggers in the early 90's. That is the ONLY reason they were mentioned in the same sentence! ha
No, I am not trying to start a 'roid scandal for Jr. and connect him to Canseco.
My favorite piece of memorabilia is a piece of the goal post from the 2004 Georgia Tech/Auburn game. Whether you want to believe this or not, Reggie Ball looked like a stud back then.
I have a piece of the field from the Ohio State/Michigan game in 2003 (the year OSU won the national title). Then I have my ticket from the national title game framed with a picture of the last play of the game. But that's about it.
I've been a sports memorabilia collector most of my life. In fact, my first "job" was sorting baseball cards in a shop when I was 7. I got paid in product, which was fine by me.
I've probably got over a million cards, plus figurines, pictures, posters, autographs, etc. But there are two things that stand out from the rest of my collection:
1) I have an official MLB World Series Baseball... from 1994. The year there was no World Series. It's pristine, in a hard plastic case, and obviously, never used. There were probably fewer than 1000 of these produced, so to me, it's pretty cool.
2) Some of you may have already heard the story, so I'll just post a link to it here, but I've got 2 unused, untorn tickets from Game 3 of the 1999 ALCS, Pedro v. Clemens @ Fenway. They're not worth much, but he story to go along with them is one I tell all the time.
I forgot! I have an unused ticket from the 1946 (I may have that year wrong) Championship game that the Indians played in. My mom was little so my grandma didn't go. I want to frame it with a picture of the team.
@bigD
"It's 7 o'clock. Oh no, don't tell me you missed the..."
OMG. Should've saved your hand for your alarm clock "friend". I was in pain just reading that.
Thanks Marco. Way to poke fun at my misery... :)
The knuckles on my right hand are still all messed up from that night. The worst was walking to the Student Health Services building an hour later after a friend of mine convinced me that my hand was in bad shape... cold air blowing across broken bones does not feel good.
I took some field from the Purdue stadium when Northwestern clinched the Big Ten title in 1995. I put it in a Ziploc, but it's pretty much turned to dust 12 years later.
That 1994 World Series ball is up there with anyone who has any of the "Runner-Up Team Wins Championship" stuff that they ship overseas within 15 minutes of the game ending.
I have always said there's probably some dirt-poor kid running around in a "Dallas Mavericks: 2006 NBA Champs" T-shirt that some fan would pay a lot of money for.
Not poking fun at all...
As a huge sox fan, and remembering that game (and the subsequent Yankee taunting after game five). I feel your pain bro.
(was in college for that also, and missed many classes due to my vampire sleep schedule)
Bryant College, former home of the Pats preseason training
turned to dust....like your feelings for the Wildcats in general, huh?
Dan, what is this Northwestern University you speak of? I don't recall you ever talking about them before...
And Brian gets "Zing of the Day" status...
It's so nice working from home for an afternoon...
@ big d: my dad bought a case of the 1994 WS balls. They are actually pretty cool and a great conversation piece.
I just aimed my middle finger at Aaron Boone on my computer. Sure enough, he hits one out right after.
*sigh*
I do actually have some sports memorabilia.Boston Celtics *2002-2003 team autographed ball(everyone) when they played New Jersey in the playoffs.
*1992 Toranto Blue Jays ball signed by every player,won this at an auction for 600$ at that time.
*Autographed SI super champions football signed by Ty Law,Troy Brown and Tedy Bruschi from 2002.
Signed rookie card by Randy Johnson when he was in Montreal.
Not mine, but my dad has a team ball from [I believe] the 1984-85 Lakers. It has Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Cooper, and Bob McAdoo (twice). I hate the Lakers, but that was pretty cool.
Best piece of sports memorabilia I have is a collection of all 4 Flutie Flakes boxes, along with a piece of the old astro turf from Alumni Stadium at BC. I also have a large collection of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire baseball cards, but I'll save that story for therapy...
Why would Bob McAdoo sign the same ball twice?
I don't really have a lot of good sports memorabilia. Only kinda cool thing I got randomly after a Michigan football game back in like 92. Went to watch a game at the Big House in like September and bought some random Michigan logo seat cushion cause the bench seats were uncomfortable as hell. Michigan won big and afterwards me and my friend decided to wander over to Crisler Arena just to check it out. We hear some people playing so we go in and look and sure as hell the Fab 5 (and the rest of the UM basketball team) are all in there shooting around. So I went down after they were done and talked to Chris Webber and had him sign the cushion that my ass had been sitting on for 3 hours.
I have no idea Brian, but there are undoubtedly two Bob McAdoo signatures on the ball. Maybe they passed it around, and McAdoo didn't remember if he'd signed it, and signed it again just to make sure?
my 2002 OSU season football ticket signed by maurice clarett after they won the championship. great memory, ha.
Lee-cool piece of memorabilia.
I have almost all of the Sports Illustrated issues that have Ohio State football or their band on the cover. I think I'm missing three. I eventually want to have a room that is all sports stuff. My husband thinks we should paint it scarlet and gray, but I think we'll just do a neutral color and go from there!
May I speak for everyone here and say:
"Why are there not more Jens around?"
One of our dad's friends has a seat from the old Boston Garden and from the Montreal Forum. That that was very cool considering the big rivalry the Bruins and Canadians had in the past.
Ya know, Jen, I believe you can get Ohio State colors for paint. What is that, Glidden? The guy's a big Broncos fan, thinks he wants to paint his TV room blue and orange....then his wife points out that he also likes OSU....and the Red Sox....so the guy can't make up his mind on the colors.
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