As I have mentioned before, I follow sports much less than I did 30-40 years ago, but because both general guy culture and specific sons follow them I do keep my hand in. I had given up following football at all until Belichick and Brady came in and I do pay attention now. My prediction was that after both are gone that will fade in New England, but we do have a generation which grew up with them at this point, so we'll see. Similarly, I stopped following the Red Sox around 1990 as interesting only in that they found a new way to torment us every year, but relented late in 2004 and actually did watch the last game of that World Series, when the world inverted. I followed for a few years after that, but have now reverted to my pattern of not even knowing who is on the team until about August, then checking in whether this is worth following.
I go back-and-forth with the Celtics. I check in once a month. This year I pretty much signed off at Christmas and by February was insisting to Son #2, the sports expert who has many stats at his fingertips that it wasn't worth it. He countered with very good stats that they were in fact doing well, losing only by a few points but winning by large margins, which is always the mark in any sport of a team that is just about to bloom. As I had taught him that rule when he was in middle school I felt obligated to trust him on this. So now Boston is crazy good since then and the playoffs are fun.
What? No Bruins?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a boy in Dorchester in the 50's and 60's, the Russell/Cousy Celtics were nothing, until the playoffs. There was no Patriots. The big deals were the Sox and the Bruins, both among the worst teams in their leagues. Every night, the Bruins sold out, 13,909, if I remember. Johnny Most told me so. That changed when they got Orr and Espy.
In the 80's or so, some of my nephews did fall football to get into shape for winter hockey.
Again, What? No Bruins?
Yes, I have been a fan only in a few years, but this year they did something like what the Celtics did, though not as dramatic. They were above average, borderline playoff team and I paid no attention. Then they got hot and look to make some noise in the playoffs. I only check on the scores thus far though. I don't even watch the highlights, which is usually the best way to just-barely follow a team. IIRC sports radio still focuses on them.
ReplyDeleteThe only sports I watch on TV anymore are college football and the PGA. I gave up the NFL when they became woke and haven't watched baseball since the early 2,000's.
ReplyDeleteMy family trivia team never lets me answer sports questions because my go-to answers are Don Meredith, Sandy Koufax, and the Harlem Globetrotters.
ReplyDeleteThose are good go-to's. The answer to boxing trivia questions are either Sugar Ray Robinson or Willie Pep.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Archie Moore.
Delete@ Mike - should be, should be. But I don't recall him ever being an answer. I have a friend who still plays in pubs with his grown sons, and see if Moore ever comes up.
ReplyDeleteArchie Moore was an American professional boxer and the longest reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion of all time. He had one of the longest professional careers in the history of the sport, competing from 1935 to 1963. He was an amazing boxer. He won 185 bouts against 23 losses and his wins by KO...132.
DeleteHe even fought against Muhammad Ali. It was Ali's first heavyweight fight.
I mentioned him not only because he was a great fighter, but because he also was a "hometown" person. We used to drive by his house just west of I-5 in San Diego when I was a kid. You could see it from the highway. He had a pool shaped like a boxing glove.
First paragraph is from wiki because my memory is a little fuzzy, lol.
DeleteAVI, my go-to answer for questions about boxers is Fruit of the Loom.
ReplyDelete