Top 10 things in Sports you wish were still around.

In no particular order:

ABC's Sunday college football replay show with Bill Flemming.
Jack Buck and Harry Caray doing Cardinals games on the radio.
Kansas City Royals as a competitive franchise.
The Egg Bowl (Ole Miss vs. MSU) at Jackson.
Tulane Stadium.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
CFL games on ESPN in July.
The World Cup final when soccer was still a novelty in the U.S.
Denver Broncos old unis (orange jerseys, sky-blue helmets).
AFL games on NBC with Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis.
Skip Caray on Braves games pre-1991.
American milers like Jim Ryun.
Boston Garden.
Vikings games at Metropolitan Stadium - in December.

 

Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini before Duk Koo Kim...

 

1. Affordable professional sports tickets for the average fan (I'm looking at you, Fenway Park)
2. Hartford Whalers (growing up to Brass Bonanza engraved in my brain)
3. Bill Russell and the 60's Celtics
4. Patriot Pat logo and not the putrid Flying Elvis
5. Len Bias had a chance at an NBA career
6. The Boston Garden
7. A football championship game that wasn't shoved down our throats for two consecutive weeks
8. The NHL before it put franchises in ridiculous places like Florida, Nashville, and Arizona
9. The Lions were good...well, at least when Barry Sanders made them must-see TV for me every Sunday
10. When professional sports officials were competent and didn't try to become THE story

 

1. Pep bands at high school basketball games
2. A single 3-point line for both genders in college hoops.
3. Davey Allison
4. The cartoon mascot intro to SEC football on TBS. (Followed promptly by Billy Dee Williams as pitchman for Colt 45)
5. Larry Munson on the mike and in good health, preferably while I'm trying to pick up 750 AM at night far from Atlanta.
6. Releasing red and white baloons in the air after Alabama's first touchdown.
7. Stadium collectible cups that were reasonably sturdy, instead of melting the first time they go in the dishwasher.
8. Friday night trips to Birmingham with college friends for ECHL hockey.
9. Alabama-Tennessee guaranteed to be the Third Saturday in October as God intended.
10. The NBA during the Bad Boys era.

And I once worked a reference to Alcoa's Fantastic Finishes into the lead for a prep feature story. Brings back wonderful memories.

 

1. Stadiums and arenas not piping in music and sound effects (especially during play).

2. Stadiums without Jumbotrons. I want to scream when I see people in the stands turning their heads and watching the big ole TV rather than the action directly in front of them.

3. Red River Shootout and World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

4. "The American Sportsman" with Curt Gowdy and Grits Gresham.

5. Jim McKay.

6. The MISL (1978-1992 version).

7. Aussie Rules Football on ESPN, rather than reruns of six-hour-old SportsCenters.

8. USA vs. USSR in the Olympics (and even in the classic arcade bubble hockey game).

9. An uncluttered TV screen while watching a game. Do we really need a yellow line to show the first down AND a red line showing the line of scrimmage!?! Dial back on the fancy technology.

10. Child-like innocence and amazement, instead of sarcasm, snark and cynicism.

 

1. Cosell/Monday Night Football like it should be
2. Redskins Sundays at RFK
3. Jack Kent Cooke (obvious reasons)
4. Lakers vs. Celtics back in the day
5. pitchers who routinely went 8 or 9 innings
6. The Southwest Conference (and Jim "Hoss" Brock at the Cotton Bowl)
7. Super Bowls that began in daylight hours
8. World Series day games
9. Half-hour Sportscenters
10. Ali, Frazier, Norton, Earnie "The Acorn" Shavers

 

What is the World's Largest Indoor Cocktail Party?

Is the MISL the one with the Chicago Sting? I saw them beat the Montreal Manic 10-3 back in the early '80s at the old Chicago Stadium.

I'm sure this has been mentioned, but it would be nice if kids could go to the ballpark early and get the autographs of their favorite players. There's really no connection between athletes and young fans these days. That may contribute to sarcasm, snark and cynicism.

 

Aren't both of these still around?

 

They are now the Red River Rivalry and the Florida-Georgia or Georgia-Florida Game.

 

Now that "Cocktail Party" is no longer associated with Florida-Georgia, college kids no longer drink to excess at the annual gathering.

 

The yellow first down line is one of the few TV tricks that helps viewers. It's a great innovation.

 

Bring back the laser puck!