Rating my Mania
Sports teams/entities I adore (in some ways a late father's day post). Blame the fashionista.
8. Tom Bigelow - I can't believe this is all I could find on him. My favorite sprint car driver when I was growing up, though (slamming) Sammy Swindell eventually replaced him. My dad and I would go to a bunch of dirt tracks (some local, some not) watching the sprinters, and often come home covered in dirt. That was ok though. Ask me some time about the brats at Angel Park.
7. Milwaukee Bucks - we used to have partial season tickets, so my dad would come home from delivering fuel oil, eat, and we'd head down to MECCA for the second half of the game...when the Pistons were in town, we'd get together with Kent Benson and go out to eat after the game (he gave me a pair of shoes actually too big for my feet) and I'd get to stay up WAY past my bed time...I also remember the arcade (which was attached to the ice cream room).
6. St. Louis Blues - This one came rather late in life. Even before I moved to St. Loius, when we'd visit my brother, my dad would occasionally take us to a game (though it was hard to get seats together at the Arena). I remember watching Brett Hull in his prime on a line with Adam Oates. That was a sight...once I moved here, I split some season tickets with some people from work. I've cooled on the boys (it will be hard for me to ever forgive them for moving Pronger), but time will tell.
5. Rick Mears - Indy 500 great. Lots of days at Indy watching Rick squeeze everything out of a car that it had to give. Lots of early Saturday mornings on Pole day driving to the track...singing "Back Home Again in Indiana" with the other 40 people in our group before heading to the track on race day, Weglarz would bring the Looney Bread and Don M would bring the ukelele.
4. Green Bay Packers - Cold Cold COLD days sitting in the first row of the upper deck at county stadium in Milwaukee with my dad huddling over hot chocolate and dreaming of feeling my feet...watching the best player I ever saw slip and slide all over the field and rush almost no yards (Erik Dickerson did NOT like running on a frozen field)...Packers Vikes at the old Met (fucking Amahd Rashad)...Packers Bears at soldier field featuring a caller to the bears pregame show who said "Butkus, you couldn't hold Nitchke's jock strap" and also featuring a dropped pass by Sterling Sharpe on 4th down late in the 4th quarter...and a great birthday at Sandy's place on January 26, 1996 where the other greatest player I ever saw play had a great day, for me Brett Favre will always be the kid running off the field holding his helmet up after the first touchdown.
3. Notre Dame football - Saturday mornings leaving Milwaukee with my dad at 0 dark 30 driving through Chicago and wandering around campus...marching with the band from the steps of the admin building to the stadium...steak sandwiches at the KofC...the Irish Guard doing a jig, but ONLY if Notre Dame wins (nothing much worse than watching them stand still during that song after a game)...crisp Indiana fall days when the leaves are turning...the whole stadium going silent to hear the aweful pun from the Indiana State trooper in the 3rd (4th?) quarter reminding everyone not to drink and drive...hanging out in my brother's room in Dillon hall when I was 8.
2. University of Wisconsin hockey - Soooo many friday and saturday nights driving through unbelievably shitty weather to get to Madison for a game at the colleseum with my mom and dad...maybe stopping for dinner at Judds supper club on the way...and then getting home to see the second half of the game on the public television replay (brought to you by Goldman's Jewlers and the blueline club)...a game at the old Mariucci arena against Minnesota...Bob Johnson always knew that it was "A Great Day For Hockey"...Martha Johnson ringing the cowbell...the Band (oh my, the band)...*whistle* Hey, who is the goalie for Duluth (answer) Heinze (answer) How do you know it is Heinze (answer) Because he is soooo sloooowwwwww.... *whistle* Hail Mary Full of Grace, Notre Dame is in eigth place...the NCAA final in Detroit in 90...the NCAA final in Milwaukee this year...
1. Milwaukee Brewers - They are it...maybe the University of Wisconsin hockey team is close. Long sunday afternoons at County Stadium...the night my buddy Sean and I went to a double header and saw Jimmy Gantner hit his one home run of the year to win the first game in the bottom of 10 and then a young Cal Eldred throw a shutout in the second game...lots of Brewer Pepsi fanclub games with my dad (he'd usually bump up our General Admission seats to lower grandstand or upper box)...Brewers vs. Twins at the old Met in Minneapolis...solo roadtrips to Kaufman stadium in KC when I first lived in St. Loius...standing room only seats at the 82 World Series (which I happily would have attended in only my underwear)...Robin Yount playing his whole career there when he could have taken the money and ran (I'm talking to you Molitor)...following the last winning season in 92 by watching them try to chase the Blue Jays down on the TV in the common room of my dorm at Notre Dame...getting my picture taken with Ben Oglive on camera day...opening day when Sixto (Sixtoooooooooo) Lescano (Lescanooooooooo) hit the grand slam in the bottom of the ninth for a 9-5 victory.
8. Tom Bigelow - I can't believe this is all I could find on him. My favorite sprint car driver when I was growing up, though (slamming) Sammy Swindell eventually replaced him. My dad and I would go to a bunch of dirt tracks (some local, some not) watching the sprinters, and often come home covered in dirt. That was ok though. Ask me some time about the brats at Angel Park.
7. Milwaukee Bucks - we used to have partial season tickets, so my dad would come home from delivering fuel oil, eat, and we'd head down to MECCA for the second half of the game...when the Pistons were in town, we'd get together with Kent Benson and go out to eat after the game (he gave me a pair of shoes actually too big for my feet) and I'd get to stay up WAY past my bed time...I also remember the arcade (which was attached to the ice cream room).
6. St. Louis Blues - This one came rather late in life. Even before I moved to St. Loius, when we'd visit my brother, my dad would occasionally take us to a game (though it was hard to get seats together at the Arena). I remember watching Brett Hull in his prime on a line with Adam Oates. That was a sight...once I moved here, I split some season tickets with some people from work. I've cooled on the boys (it will be hard for me to ever forgive them for moving Pronger), but time will tell.
5. Rick Mears - Indy 500 great. Lots of days at Indy watching Rick squeeze everything out of a car that it had to give. Lots of early Saturday mornings on Pole day driving to the track...singing "Back Home Again in Indiana" with the other 40 people in our group before heading to the track on race day, Weglarz would bring the Looney Bread and Don M would bring the ukelele.
4. Green Bay Packers - Cold Cold COLD days sitting in the first row of the upper deck at county stadium in Milwaukee with my dad huddling over hot chocolate and dreaming of feeling my feet...watching the best player I ever saw slip and slide all over the field and rush almost no yards (Erik Dickerson did NOT like running on a frozen field)...Packers Vikes at the old Met (fucking Amahd Rashad)...Packers Bears at soldier field featuring a caller to the bears pregame show who said "Butkus, you couldn't hold Nitchke's jock strap" and also featuring a dropped pass by Sterling Sharpe on 4th down late in the 4th quarter...and a great birthday at Sandy's place on January 26, 1996 where the other greatest player I ever saw play had a great day, for me Brett Favre will always be the kid running off the field holding his helmet up after the first touchdown.
3. Notre Dame football - Saturday mornings leaving Milwaukee with my dad at 0 dark 30 driving through Chicago and wandering around campus...marching with the band from the steps of the admin building to the stadium...steak sandwiches at the KofC...the Irish Guard doing a jig, but ONLY if Notre Dame wins (nothing much worse than watching them stand still during that song after a game)...crisp Indiana fall days when the leaves are turning...the whole stadium going silent to hear the aweful pun from the Indiana State trooper in the 3rd (4th?) quarter reminding everyone not to drink and drive...hanging out in my brother's room in Dillon hall when I was 8.
2. University of Wisconsin hockey - Soooo many friday and saturday nights driving through unbelievably shitty weather to get to Madison for a game at the colleseum with my mom and dad...maybe stopping for dinner at Judds supper club on the way...and then getting home to see the second half of the game on the public television replay (brought to you by Goldman's Jewlers and the blueline club)...a game at the old Mariucci arena against Minnesota...Bob Johnson always knew that it was "A Great Day For Hockey"...Martha Johnson ringing the cowbell...the Band (oh my, the band)...*whistle* Hey, who is the goalie for Duluth (answer) Heinze (answer) How do you know it is Heinze (answer) Because he is soooo sloooowwwwww.... *whistle* Hail Mary Full of Grace, Notre Dame is in eigth place...the NCAA final in Detroit in 90...the NCAA final in Milwaukee this year...
1. Milwaukee Brewers - They are it...maybe the University of Wisconsin hockey team is close. Long sunday afternoons at County Stadium...the night my buddy Sean and I went to a double header and saw Jimmy Gantner hit his one home run of the year to win the first game in the bottom of 10 and then a young Cal Eldred throw a shutout in the second game...lots of Brewer Pepsi fanclub games with my dad (he'd usually bump up our General Admission seats to lower grandstand or upper box)...Brewers vs. Twins at the old Met in Minneapolis...solo roadtrips to Kaufman stadium in KC when I first lived in St. Loius...standing room only seats at the 82 World Series (which I happily would have attended in only my underwear)...Robin Yount playing his whole career there when he could have taken the money and ran (I'm talking to you Molitor)...following the last winning season in 92 by watching them try to chase the Blue Jays down on the TV in the common room of my dorm at Notre Dame...getting my picture taken with Ben Oglive on camera day...opening day when Sixto (Sixtoooooooooo) Lescano (Lescanooooooooo) hit the grand slam in the bottom of the ninth for a 9-5 victory.
posted by Tom at 12:30 AM
2 Comments:
Hm, I got through 5-8 and thought I had your 1-4 pegged:
1. Packers
2. Lance Armstrong (wtf?)
3. Notre Dame
4. Brewers
It was late :) Insert Lance at number 6, and include such memories as watching the Tour with Brad in Indianapolis...following it via web cast during playtest mornings...chasing after someplace with a working television in Brainard, MN who would actually turn it to the Tour...Listening to Phil...watching stages with Brad on weekend mornings shortly before we left VB...
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