White Shoes and Gastineau
Goldenage
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in Sports Talk
Who were some of the show boaters from the 1960’s to 2010’s ?
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Billy White Shoes Johnson and Gastineau for sure!
Vida Blue. He was a pitcher for the A's 1969-1977(?) I'm not sure but I think he was the first baseball player to wear white shoes. Later on I know the whole team wore them. I remember going to an Angel game to see him pitch. My friend wanted to go to the game just to see his white shoes. They really did stand out. It was quite a sensation! I really don't remember if the whole team was wearing white shoes.....It was a long time ago....
I think Homer Jones was the 1st one that started to spike the football...
Finley owned the Golden Seals and they wore white skates.
They had two pairs.
White and green.
Was Mark the first D guy to dance ?
The most "interesting" ball player that I can think of was Jimmy Piersall. He played for the Red Sox from 1953-62(?) and then with the Angels 1963-67. I don't know if Showboat would be the best word to describe him but he certainly was a CHARACTER! The Angels were a terrible team back then but he was worth the price of admission all by himself. He had a mental breakdown early in his career because he took the game too seriously. So, I think perhaps he just let it all go and became a Baseball Clown for the sake of his mental health.
Was he ever funny out there on the field. He played left field for the Angels. A few examples; I think, but I'm not sure, that when he was on the Red Sox, he hit a home run and then ran the bases backwards.....3rd to 2nd to 1st to Home. I did see him run backwards to either 2nd or 1st when he was an Angel. I don't remember the circumstances but it was a hoot! He would go to the plate and put on a show. He would get down on his knees and meticulously move the dirt around in the batters box. Had to be perfect! Or, he would do the opposite. He would step into the batters box and begin to furiously kick up dirt and dig around with his cleats. The fans loved it and even the home plate umpire would be laughing! THEN......he would make funny faces at the pitcher. The pitcher would grin. THEN he would take his bat and use it to twirl his batting helmet round and round! Sometimes he would hold his bat upside down and then flip it over during the pitchers windup! Crazy stuff!
This one I'll never forget! .....The night games started at 8 o'clock. There was a scoreboard clock out in left field. When the clock went past 8 o'clock he began jumping up and down, tearing the turf up with his cletes, pointing at the clock, and then pointing to the press box. He was screaming to the press box to GET THE GAME STARTED!....THEN......He threw his mitt at the clock and just stood out in left field shaking his head and acting disgusted about the whole thing...... It was FUNNY!
He was a personality..... AND......A very good player
R.I.P.
In the NBA it is sadly not uncommon to have a player fail to get back on defense because he is arguing with a ref.
We've also seen plenty of players showboat a little after a made shot or play while simultaneously and subsequently letting a player make a shot against them aided by the distraction of said showboating.
It is this continuous back and forth of good scoring opportunities in the NBA which allows for some comical scenes never seen in any of the other three major US sports.
Dikembe Mutumbo popularized the finger wag as act of showboating after he blocked a shot. Someone here will remember better than me and tell the stories of the drama around the refs eventually calling this against him and also Michael Jordan using it against him. Mutumbo, in my opinion and I may be wrong, eventually came to do the finger wag as a force of habit. Either way, here is a good, unique clip (imo) ...🤣 🏀
Deion Sanders
It's the first one that I remember seeing, I was around 9 when he started playing so I don't remember much NFL previously
Was Mark the first D guy to dance ?
maybe... Tom Hollywood Henderson
I'll have to re-watch SB XII later tonight on the NFL net
I remember the famous Desmond Howard Heisman pose.
Mark Fidrych, but that was probably more quirks.