Things You Miss In Sports

I remember when I was a kid, right before ESPN came on the scene, our cable system had a public access channel that was basically news teletype on the screen, news during the day and sports at night.

The sports had in-progress score by innings and stat leaders for each game. Man, I spent hours glued to that channel, and spent one summer wondering who that Guidry guy was for the Yankees and why no one could beat him.

 

It was tedious, but I loved doing it before school Tuesday mornings.

 

Long before we had regional sports networks we had a public access station in Pittsburgh that was similar to this, named KBL. For three hours a day it played a local radio station with a community bulletin board on the screen. Every night at 7 p.m. on the number, the bulletin board would cut off and go straight to Pirates baseball. They'd air the game, followed by a brief postgame show and then crudely switch back to "St. Agnes Fish Fry. Every Fri during Lent..." to the tune "Perfect World" by Huey Lewis and the News.

 

When only minor league stadiums had advertisements plastered on the outfield walls.

When the non Final-Four games had their locations printed on the floors; better still, when they were held in actual college arenas with the actual school name on center court.

 

I miss the days without sports talk radio.

 

Coaches giving a damn.

 

?

 

Why?

 

I like it. It clarifies.

 

Although I'm nauseated by the manner in which 'walk-off' was inorganically foisted upon us all seemingly overnight, it is not the same as 'game-winning.'

All 'walk-offs' are 'game-winners,' but not all 'game-winners' are 'walk-offs.'

 

The 24/7 non stop yelling sports radio is terrible. There is still some good stuff out there.

 

When SportsCenter was actually a news show.