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Sports in the 80s

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  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Great movies.

  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,547 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Epic thread Double D!!!!! 😂😂😂👍👍

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @perkdog said:
    Epic thread Double D!!!!! 😂😂😂👍👍

    Thanks perk, its a fun little project to work on! 🍻

  • SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 12,096 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I played basketball in the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's and even the early 1990's (pick up ball in elementary school, on school teams from middle school through college and rec league teams until I was 37 years old),

    From the fall of 1981 through mid 1986 I worked and lived in So. Cal. During my time in So. Cal. I devoted time to hoops, including going to Lakers games and Clippers games.

    Here are a few recollections of my experiences with the Lakers and Clippers in the 1980's.

    MEMORIES OF THE LAKERS

    _Starting with the drafting of Magic Johnson in 1979, the era of the Showtime Lakers commenced. My working in So. Cal. coincided with the Showtime Era. As a result I was treated to games at the Forum featuring Magic, Kareem, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, A.C Green and others. The Lakers were awesome to watch and I enjoyed every game Laker game I went to. However, two trips to the Forum to watch the Lakers play stand out in my memory, for reasons that do not involve any game action.

    First, I attended one game where luck smiled on me in the form of finding a $20.00 bill on the floor of the concourse. Finder’s keepers. It turned out that at half time fans from the stands, including me, headed to the concourse in droves. I was on the concourse and it was shoulder to shoulder, with people packed in like they were in a sardine can. For some reason I looked down to the floor. I saw a $20.00 bill lying on the floor. I stopped, bent over and reached for the bill. At the same time I was reaching for the bill a couple of other hands were descending to the floor to retrieve the bill. Luckily my reflexes were quicker and I picked up the $20.00 bill. I stood up. I was still packed in like a sardine. I could not tell who else had reached for the bill as they also had stood back up. The crowd behind me surged forward and I was swept along. I never knew who lost the bill, nor did I know who else had seen it and tried to pick it up. All I knew is that fate smiled on me and I had a $20.00 bill in my hand that I did not have before. SWEET!!!!

    Second (and much more memorable than the $20.00 bill I picked up) was a game that I attended with friends. The game was most likely in the 1982-1983 season or the 1983-1984 season. I do not remember who the Laker’s played that game.

    After the game finished my friends and I lingered while most of the crowd exited the arena. As the crowds thinned my friends and I headed down towards the floor of the arena where the players for the Lakers were still congregating. We did so because we wanted to see Magic up close. Magic was on the floor talking to someone (maybe a reporter during a postgame interview from the floor).

    As we got closer to the floor we watched Magic.

    As we were doing so, someone else unleashed some of her own magic on Magic!!!!!!!

    About ten rows up from the floor, behind the scorer’s table, at mid court there were a number of fans still sitting in their seats. These fans were all young women. These women fans were clustered together. They were sitting around a young woman who was apparently the “Alpha Female” of the group [my friends and I had noticed the group of women sitting in the stands but initially had not noticed the Alpha Female]. This woman had waited for the precise moment that would insure that the full attention of all other persons (especially Magic Johnson) would be drawn to her.

    When that precise moment arrived this Alpha Female simply stood up from her seat.

    She was tall. She had ebony skin and magnificent hair. She was drop dead gorgeous. She was dressed in full battle regalia to the nines. She was glamorous and she was red carpet ready.

    People in the arena noticed her, stopped what they were doing, stopped talking and just stared at her. She said nothing. She just stood there, looking at Magic. People in the arena (me and my friends included) were looking at her and then at Magic, waiting to see what would happen.

    At first Magic did not notice her, as he was preoccupied with what was happening around him. However, eventually he perceived (from the lack of talking and lack of movement from the people around him) that something was happening.

    Magic looked up into the stands and saw the Alpha Female staring at him. His eyes caught hers and he immediately straightened his posture. It seemed as if Magic had been hit by a bolt of lightning. He was mesmerized.

    The Alpha Female had gotten Magic’s full attention.

    She then, without saying a word, left her seat and walked gracefully toward the floor. Magic approached her. They began a conversation that likely lasted the entire night.

    Everyone standing around them backed away. Others who had been observing them both continued to look at them in stunned silence. Eventually people started talking again, but by then the Alpha Female had performed magic on Magic that far exceeded the magic that Magic performed on the court._

    CHILLING AT A WEST L.A. BAR IN THE PRESENCE OF
    “THE LOGO”

    _After attending a Laker’s game at the Forum with some friends, we decided to delay driving back to The O.C. Instead we headed to the west side of Los Angeles to have some drinks and observe some of the beautiful people of L.A.

    My friends and I went to a couple of bars during the evening. At the last bar we stopped at we just happened to be there at the same time that “The Logo”, Jerry West, was present.

    Jerry West at that time was in his mid to late 40’s. He was attired in slacks, a dress shirt and a leather jacket. He drew lots of attention at the bar (even if he did not want it) and was surrounded by numerous gorgeous women who vied for his attention._

    **THE CLIPPERS/UNITED AIRLINES THROW AND GO COMPETITION DURING HOME GAMES AT DURING THE 1984-1985 SEASON AND MY WINNING OF SAME
    **
    _During the 1984-1985 Clippers inaugural season in L.A. the team partnered with United Airlines for a “Throw And Go” competition that took place at every home game during the year.

    My friend and law school classmate, Ed Schloss, invited me to a Clipper game that season. We attended the game at the L.A. Sports Arena and watched the Clippers play. Ed and I sat in two seats in the Arena. 
    

    During the game the P.A. announcer spoke of the Throw And Go competition and revealed the section, row and seat number of a lucky fan who would be brought to the floor at the end of the third quarter and be given 24 seconds to shoot a basketball from designated spots on the floor (free throw line, three point circle and half court) which had been marked with United Airlines floor mats that had the United Logo and the name of a city embossed upon them. If the lucky fan made any shot from the spots marked by the floor mats the fan would win round trip airfare for two to the city listed on the floor mat.

    Well it turned out that for the game I attended with Ed the P.A. announcer called out my ticket. I was chosen as the fan who would shoot the ball at the end of the third quarter. There was about 7,000 to 8,000 fans attending the game so I was going to shoot in front of a big crowd.

    A representative of the team tracked me down and took me to the floor shortly before the third quarter ended. As the horn sounded to end the third quarter I was brought out onto the floor. Fans applauded and cheered for me. The players on the Clippers and on the opposing team turned away from their huddles to watch me shoot. Two floor mats were placed at either corner of the free throw line. Two floor mats were placed at the three point line where the side line turned and began to arc across to the other side of the court. A fifth floor mat was placed at half court. Each floor mat had the name of a city on it.

    I was given the ball and my 24 seconds began to count down. I shot from one corner of the free throw line and missed. I retrieved the ball and shot from the other corner of the free throw line. Swish, a trip for two to New Orleans was in my pocket.

    I retrieved the ball again and ran to the three point line. I shot the ball from three. Swish, a trip for two to New York City was in my pocket (the fans were going nuts by now and the players on both teams were looking at me probably thinking “Who Is This Guy?”).

    I retrieved the ball again, ran to mid court and shot again as the time expired. Missed and thus no trip to Mexico City.

    I was led off of the court to cheers from the fans. As I headed back to my seat next to Ed fans were giving my high fives as I climbed the stairs.

    I was told that I could only chose one city. I chose The Big Apple instead of The Big Easy.

    I had one year within which to use the tickets. I ended up flying to New York in November, 1985 over Thanksgiving to see preseason NIT tournament games and a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden._

    THE CLIPPERS/UNITED AIRLINES THROW AND GO COMPETITION, PART TWO

    _Later in the 1984-1985 season I was contacted by the Clippers. I was told that the fans (including me) who during the season had shot and made baskets during Clipper home games would be invited back to the final home game of the year for a grand finale shooting competition. The winner of the grand finale shooting competition would win a week’s vacation for two, all expenses paid, to Tahiti. 
    

    Count me in!!!!!!!!

    I attended the final Clipper regular season home game. Numerous fans had won trips during the year so the Clippers has a preliminary shoot off before the game. The top five scorers during the preliminary shoot off would then appear and compete against each other for the grand prize during the game. 
    

    Unfortunately for me, I was the 6th highest scorer in the preliminary shoot off. No Tahiti for me. However, that does not matter, because what happened in the shoot off for the grand prize could not have played out better if it was scripted by Hollywood.

    During the game fans were excited about seeing the shooting competition between the top five scorers. The competition took place and the winner came down to the final two shooters, neither one of whom missed.
    
    
    Each of the five shooters was given 24 second to shoot. They had to shoot a layup. They could then choose to shoot from any where on the floor, either from two point range or from three point range. The first three of the five shooters missed shots. Again, the final two shooters did not miss.
    
    One of the shooters was a white guy, about 28-30 years old. He was fit and trim. He made every shot he took during his 24 seconds, including at least one three pointer. He was stoked about his performance and from the look on his face he assumed that he would win the trip to Tahiti. The fans at the game (over 10,000) were cheering for him. After making his last shot he was running around the court pumping his fist. He was probably thinking about who he was going to ask to go with him on the trip.
    
    The final shooter took the floor and was faced with having to score more points than the previous shooter who did not miss. The final shooter was a short, wiry black kid who looked like he was 10 or 11 years old. He had watched the previous shooter and figured out that he needed to make every shot, plus take and make one more three point shot than the prior shooter had taken to score more points and win. 
    

    The kid figured out exactly where on the court he was going to shoot from. The kid made his mandatory layup and then went to work. He was very quick and fast. He shot the ball, made each basket, retrieved the ball and sprinted to his next spot repeatedly. As he was performing the previous shooter was watching. The look on his face (“I will be the winner”) started to change. Concern, worry, disbelief and eventually horror flashed across his face. The kid was making every shot and each one was a swish.

    As the clock ticked down the kid retrieved the ball one last time, sprinted to the three point line, stopped, turned 180 degrees to face the basket, jumped and shot the ball with less than 1 second remaining on the shot clock. The entire arena had been watching and started cheering for the kid. The entire arena held its collective breath and watched the ball leave the kid’s hand just before time expired and head towards the basket. The prior shooter was doing the same but he was in the process of collapsing to the floor as he saw his trip to Tahiti disappear before his eyes.

    The final shot taken by the young black kid hit nothing but net.

    As the ball went through the hoop a stunned silence was broken by the cheers of over 10,000 fans exploding all at once. The prior shooter fell to the floor vanquished and crushed. The young black kid was running around the court, jumping in the air, yelling and pumping his fist. His mom was going nuts on the sideline. The cheers for the kid went on for a long time. It was the absolute best ending to a shooting competition that I have ever seen!!!!!!! The only thing that would have been better would be if this shooting competition for a vacation to Tahiti took place today, in the era of social media and instant communication. The kid who won the trip would have become a global phenom instantly.

    Today I can still imagine the young kid and his mother chilling at a resort in Tahiti for a week, while back home in Los Angeles the guy who came in second would be working at his job with a perpetual scowl on his face.
    _

  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,547 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @SanctionII That must be the longest post in CU history! Great read too 👍👍🍻

  • SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 12,096 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Perkdog.

    Thanks for the props.

    Last year in my spare time I sifted through my memory banks and wrote 180+ pages of material covering the topic of basketball in my life from age 10 through the fall of 2019. Lots of good times, lots of good stories and some personal connections with basketball luminaries (both players and coaches).

    It is very interesting how hoops has had a significant impact on me since first playing pick up ball as a 4th grader in the fall of 1965.

    Without picking up a basketball and playing the game my life would not be what it is.

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @SanctionII, those were awesome stories, thank you for sharing them. I enjoyed every second of your post. 🖒🍻

  • coolstanleycoolstanley Posts: 2,813 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That North Carolina State championship team was the definition of miracle. Simply amazing how they got it done.

    Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!

    Ignore list -Basebal21

  • DrBusterDrBuster Posts: 5,377 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Sanction...insane to see you post that. Bravo brother

  • coolstanleycoolstanley Posts: 2,813 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The day Boris Becker wrote history. 1985 Winning Wimbledon at age 17.


    Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!

    Ignore list -Basebal21

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @coolstanley, I didn't know that Boris Becker won Wimbledon at age 17, that is insane.

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Another miracle, Stanford vs Cal. It is simply known as "The play".

    "The band is on the field, the band is on the field!"

  • SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 12,096 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Here is another snippet. this one covering my trip to New York, courtesy of the Clippers and UAL.

    MY TRIP TO NEW YORK, COURTESY OF THE CLIPPERS

    As mentioned above I won round trip air fare for two to New York City. I planned a trip over Thanksgiving, 1985. I was hoping that Rainer would be able to join me on the trip. He initially indicated that he could join me, but later told me that due to his work commitments he could not make it.
    
    I invited my sister, Susan, to go with me. I flew to Denver from Orange County on Thanksgiving morning, met my sister and then we both flew from Denver to New York. We arrived on Thanksgiving night and checked into a hotel across the street from the Garden. We played tourist during our stay, but we also went to see two NIT preseason tournament games Friday night at the Garden and I also went to see a Knicks game on Saturday night.
    
    The NIT semi finals saw Duke beat St. Johns 71-70 and saw Kansas beat Louisville 83-78. My sister and I saw these games on Friday night. These games were great (The NIT finals saw Duke beat Kansas 92-86 on Sunday) The team from Louisville stayed at the hotel my sister and I were staying at and I saw them at the hotel, including star freshman Purvis, “Never Nervous”, Ellison.
    
    Bob Thornton, of UC Irvine, was drafted by the Knicks in the 1984 NBA draft. Bob was 6’11” and a very talented big man. He played for the Knicks a number of years and was the back up to Patrick Ewing. I had met Bob through Bo. Bo told Bob that I was going to be in town and wanted to go to a Knicks game. Bob arranged to have a ticket waiting for me at will-call. I was thus able to see a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden, in The Mecca Of Basketball. A great time and a great memory.
    
  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @SanctionII , sounds like an awesome trip! Being from North Carolina, I'm glad to hear Duke won the tournament. ;)

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This guy could bring the house down in the 80s with his thunderous dunks. I give you, Dominique Wilkins.

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Dominique gets his own rebound.

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yeah.

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Dominique in the all star game.

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    With authority.

  • 1951WheatiesPremium1951WheatiesPremium Posts: 6,358 ✭✭✭✭✭

    SPUD!


    Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest

  • 1951WheatiesPremium1951WheatiesPremium Posts: 6,358 ✭✭✭✭✭

    With all these great memories, we can’t forget the single greatest thing we got from the 1980s.

    Kelly Kapowski (Tiffany Amber-Thiessen)

    Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest

  • coolstanleycoolstanley Posts: 2,813 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @doubledragon said:
    @coolstanley, I didn't know that Boris Becker won Wimbledon at age 17, that is insane.

    Miracle on Grass!

    Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!

    Ignore list -Basebal21

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @1951WheatiesPremium said:
    With all these great memories, we can’t forget the single greatest thing we got from the 1980s.

    Kelly Kapowski (Tiffany Amber-Thiessen)

    Screech approves!

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Another classic.

  • VikingDudeVikingDude Posts: 1,340 ✭✭✭

    @doubledragon said:
    Another classic.

    Another thank you to Kenny Loggins

  • VikingDudeVikingDude Posts: 1,340 ✭✭✭

    Might as well finish the Loggins trifecta

  • 1951WheatiesPremium1951WheatiesPremium Posts: 6,358 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Here’s one of the best basketball moments in the 1980s. I could make this a longer post but suffice it to say he showed up talking smack and backed it all up with one crooked finger.

    Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @1951WheatiesPremium said:
    Here’s one of the best basketball moments in the 1980s. I could make this a longer post but suffice it to say he showed up talking smack and backed it all up with one crooked finger.

    Watching Bird shoot is a thing of beauty!

  • 1951WheatiesPremium1951WheatiesPremium Posts: 6,358 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @doubledragon

    Fun to watch him play...






    Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @1951WheatiesPremium, An absolute legend, I miss those days in the NBA. 😭

  • thisistheshowthisistheshow Posts: 9,386 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Larry Legend is my favorite player, and my personal vote for best ever.

  • 1951WheatiesPremium1951WheatiesPremium Posts: 6,358 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 29, 2020 2:09AM

    The glove...

    ...the swing...

    ...the personality...

    ...the ‘stache.

    We can’t have a 1980’s thread without Donnie Baseball, can we?

    No. No, we can’t.

    Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest

  • 3stars3stars Posts: 2,285 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Previous transactions: Wondercoin, goldman86, dmarks, Type2
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