With this week leading up to Memorial Day, we remember those who have gone on before us. And I want to thank all of the men and women overseas who are putting their lives on the line so we can Celebrate Life Through Sports like we do on this Blog!
I have been blessed in my 48 years to witness a lot of good and bad moments in sports. So grab your favorite refreshment, prop your feet up for a few minutes as we go back in time. These are some of my favorite memories witnessed first-hand in sports.
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, April, 1988. Kansas vs. Oklahoma in the 50th year of the NCAA championship game and would you believe, the halftime score was 50-50? KU coach Larry Brown let Danny and the Miracles play OU ball the first half. But the second half, coach Brown told his Jayhawks they were playing KU ball and did they ever! The Jayhawks win their first national title in 36 years. Upon leaving Kemper that night, I'll never forget the BMA Building to the east of Kemper lit up with "KU 1".
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, December, 1986. Chiefs vs. Steelers. Chiefs must win to make the AFC Playoffs. I'm in the top row, far left end of the open-air pressbox. Twenty minutes before kickoff, in walks Mr. Art Rooney, the original owner of the Steelers. He looks at a 24-year-old kid, shakes my hand and says "How are you doing, young man?" I said "much better now, sir." We talk for a minute, he signs my Steelers' media guide and then says "you have a Merry Christmas". I said you, too. Wow, neat stuff, huh? Oh yea, Chiefs win 21-17 by scoring zero offensive touchdowns. Chiefs did all of their damage off special teams (blocked punt, kickoff return and punt return for TDs).
Kansas City Kansan, sports desk, Jan. 16, 1993. Getting a phone call from Scott Paske that Dev Nelson, longtime voice of the K-State Wildcats and 5-time Kansas Sportscaster of the Year, had died. After a brief cry at my desk, I wrote a column for next day's paper, a tribute to the man I admired and loved. I can still hear Dev on the radio: "It's a rip-snortin', hoot-enang, double-barrell, deeeeeeep-dish of a dilly!" We used to play computer baseball games with 6 other friends in Manhattan while I was in college. It would be today's version of Fantasy League. Dev's team was the Half Nelson's and mine the Van Cleave-land Indians. We'd play in each other's homes, but our favorite was the Flush Bar, a little town east of Manhattan.
CiCo Park, Bishop Stadium, Manhattan, November, 1982. Luckey High Cardinals vs. Clifton-Clyde Eagles. First round of football playoffs. Clifton-Clyde is coached by legendary one Ed Buller, who today ranks in the top five in all-time victories in Kansas. My first-ever playoff game as a scribe and it showed afterward. The Eagles beat the Cardinals that night. I went to get some quotes from Coach Buller, about as stoic as they'll ever come. My question to him: "Is this your biggest win ever?" Nice, you big goof-ball! But instead of laughing in my face, he was first class in his response.
Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, 1992. PGA officials invite area media to play the course that will host that year's PGA Championship that would be won by Nick Price, whose win was his first Major. John Daly, the 1991 PGA champ, was on hand to play one hole with each team. I'll never forget his tee shot when he joined my group. He hit it so high and long. Last I heard, it's still in orbit circling the globe!
Los Angeles, 1987. On hand for Chiefs-Raiders game at the Coliseum. It's called the Scab game as NFL players are on strike. What I remember most, though, is the night before. Rick Dean from the Topeka paper, guy from Independence (Mo.) paper and I go out. We eat at George Brett's parents' restaurant and then go driving around LA (Dodgers Stadium, UCLA campus and a couple spots for a refreshment). We get back to our rooms around 2 a.m. At 4, we are awakened by a 5.something earthquake. To this day, this ole boy from Kansas has witnessed an earthquake but has never actually seen a tornado! Go figure!
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, La., December, 1982. K-State vs. Wisconsin in K-State's first-ever postseason football game, the Independence Bowl. One of the rainiest, coldest games ever played. To the west, though, it was a blizzard in Dallas! Badgers win 14-3, but Cat fans partied like it was 1999! No computer for me. Manhattan Mercury only had one and it was for my boss. I wrote my story the old-fashioned way, by longhand, then dictated it over the phone around 1 a.m. the following day! Trust me, don't want to do that again!
Facebook, May, 2010. Getting re-hooked with ole buddy Matt after 17-year hiatus. We covered a lot of games in our day at the Kansas City Kansan. Probably the most memorable was around 1989 or 1990 when he had Piper-Basehor and me Wyandotte-Harmon in football. Wyandotte won 4-0 on, you guessed it, two safeties. I knew I'd be able to top his game! Then he showed up to tell me all about a last-second TD that propelled Piper past its Kaw Valley League rivals.
Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Nov. 2, 2002. KU-KSU football game. You knew it was the Purple's Day when on the first play from scrimmage, KU QB is sacked in the end zone for a safety. Final score that day: KSU 64, Beakers 0. Better yet, four days later, my life changed for the better when daughters Hannah, Hope and Addison were born. Wow, Wildcats throw a shutout at their rival and four days later you become a daddy! How cool is that!
Lastly, my wedding day, Feb. 8, 1997. Sporting events never start at the top of the hour. Our wedding didn't, either. My wife is seen walking down the aisle with her dad. The clock on the wall in a particular picture is living proof, 3:08 p.m. Look it up, most sporting events start at approximately eight minutes after the top or bottom of the hour. Oh yea, Wildcat basketball team beat nationally ranked Oklahoma that day as well. Nice! Oh yea Part II, thanks babe for putting up with my sports passion!
Thanks for recalling some of my favorite memories. There are more, oh trust me, man, there are lotsa more, as we Celebrate Life Through Sports! Happy Memorial Day all!
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