TOP 10 Sporting Events I miss....

[Michael.Felli]

10. Pitt/Penn State; Phillies/Pirates. Conference play and realignment forever changed these matchups. In fact, I wish the Eagles and Steelers were in the same Division. How cool would that be for Pennsylvanians?

9. Oklahoma/Nebraska. Just ain't Thanksgiving to me without these two playing one another.

8. Bodybuilding Championships. Who is the reigning Mr Olympia? Who cares?!? The sport is fvcked. I once could tell you every single professional. Now, I don't even know the current Mr Olympia much less any other professional

7. The Curse of the Red Sox. I miss those 19...18...chamts. Yes. Boston is a great sports town. And, they deserve their World Series victories. All I am saying, is that I, personally, miss that curse

6. New Years Day College Football Bowl games. Yes. I'm getting older. But, this was THE day I looked forward to doing nothing BUT watching College Football. Now....not so much.

5. Harry Kalas. Not really a sporting event, but I miss his voice. "Home Run Michael Jack Schmidt!"

4. Pre-steroid sports. Today, I can't tell the real champions from the fake champions. Yes. I'm talking to you, Mr Barry Bonds. I miss you Hank Aaron.

3. Having an idol. There's not one present day athlete I admire - not one. My dad had Joe DiMaggio. My brothers had Mickey Mantle. I had Mike Schmidt. Now, who do your kids dream of?

2. Reds. Opening Day. Not sure how that got started or why it ended. I just miss it.

1. THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE WORLD. You guys remember when this meant something. It used to be the greatest title any man could have. I recall having championship parties for these PPV events. Now, it's like no one cares.

 

[john4psu]

Michael, Pitt-Penn State terribly overrated. Don't miss dealing with Pitt fans in person one bit.

These aren't in any particular order but what I miss (not just sporting events but sports related):
- Nebraska-Oklahoma Thanksgiving agreed.
- Heavyweight boxing on tv.
- Baseball teams with the same lineups that one could easily remember (and I'm a Pirates fan):
Reds: Bench-Perez-Morgan-Concepcion-Rose-Foster-Geronimo-Griffey
Phils: Boone-Allen-Cash-Bowa-Schmidt-Luzinski-Maddox-McBride
Dodgers: Yeager-Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey.....you get the idea.
- New Year's Day for College Bowl games - agreed.
- Keith Jackson
- World Series games that didn't start after 8 p.m.
- Wrap-up tackling. Now everyone goes for the big hit to make highlight hits and often times the runners will
bounce off for a big gain. No one wrap-up tackled better than Jack Ham.
- Running the football. Loved seeing Otis Anderson and the NY Giants line just dominate the line of
scrimmage vs. the Buffalo Bills. The Bills knew they were going to run and they still couldn't stop it. Too
much pitch and catch football for my taste.
- ABC's music theme to Monday Night Football.
- Joseph Vincent Paterno.

 

[fairgambit]

That's a good list Michael. I think you'll get a lot of responses on this. I need to give it more thought, but one thing I miss (not an event) is humility and class in sports. Today's egocentric athletes make the games nearly unwatchable for me. In baseball, for example, I miss the quiet dignity of Roberto Clemente, the humility of Hank Aaron, and the class of Ernie Banks.

 

[rudedude]

Michael, Pitt-Penn State terribly overrated. Don't miss dealing with Pitt fans in person one bit.

These aren't in any particular order but what I miss (not just sporting events but sports related):
- Nebraska-Oklahoma Thanksgiving agreed.
- Heavyweight boxing on tv.
- Baseball teams with the same lineups that one could easily remember (and I'm a Pirates fan):
Reds: Bench-Perez-Morgan-Concepcion-Rose-Foster-Geronimo-Griffey
Phils: Boone-Allen-Cash-Bowa-Schmidt-Luzinski-Maddox-McBride
Dodgers: Yeager-Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey.....you get the idea.
- New Year's Day for College Bowl games - agreed.
- Keith Jackson
- World Series games that didn't start after 8 p.m.
- Wrap-up tackling. Now everyone goes for the big hit to make highlight hits and often times the runners will
bounce off for a big gain. No one wrap-up tackled better than Jack Ham.
- Running the football. Loved seeing Otis Anderson and the NY Giants line just dominate the line of
scrimmage vs. the Buffalo Bills. The Bills knew they were going to run and they still couldn't stop it. Too
much pitch and catch football for my taste.
- ABC's music theme to Monday Night Football.
- Joseph Vincent Paterno.

Great tune!

 

[psu00]

10. Pitt/Penn State; Phillies/Pirates. Conference play and realignment forever changed these matchups. In fact, I wish the Eagles and Steelers were in the same Division. How cool would that be for Pennsylvanians?

9. Oklahoma/Nebraska. Just ain't Thanksgiving to me without these two playing one another.

8. Bodybuilding Championships. Who is the reigning Mr Olympia? Who cares?!? The sport is fvcked. I once could tell you every single professional. Now, I don't even know the current Mr Olympia much less any other professional

7. The Curse of the Red Sox. I miss those 19...18...chamts. Yes. Boston is a great sports town. And, they deserve their World Series victories. All I am saying, is that I, personally, miss that curse

6. New Years Day College Football Bowl games. Yes. I'm getting older. But, this was THE day I looked forward to doing nothing BUT watching College Football. Now....not so much.

5. Harry Kalas. Not really a sporting event, but I miss his voice. "Home Run Michael Jack Schmidt!"

4. Pre-steroid sports. Today, I can't tell the real champions from the fake champions. Yes. I'm talking to you, Mr Barry Bonds. I miss you Hank Aaron.

3. Having an idol. There's not one present day athlete I admire - not one. My dad had Joe DiMaggio. My brothers had Mickey Mantle. I had Mike Schmidt. Now, who do your kids dream of?

2. Reds. Opening Day. Not sure how that got started or why it ended. I just miss it.

1. THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE WORLD. You guys remember when this meant something. It used to be the greatest title any man could have. I recall having championship parties for these PPV events. Now, it's like no one cares.

The 19-40!!! chant anytime the NY Rangers were in the playoffs (damn Vancouver).

 

[CDLionFL]

I miss how stars played their entire career with one team whereas now people are speculating on where a draft pick will go when his contract runs out. Free agency is good for the players but I don't think it adds anything to the fan experience, especially if you're a fan of a smaller-market team.

I wish we could have NCAA basketball games that actually fit in a 2-hour window rather than the 2,064 timeouts that occur in a game. All for the almighty dollar.

Along the same lines, I wish I could go to a college football game that's on TV and know that I won't be there for 4 hours because ESPN has to take a commercial after every possession. Cha-ching!!

It's gotten a little better the last couple of years but I still miss having day baseball playoff games, especially on the weekends. Again, money talks.

Hmmmmm, money seems to be the overriding theme of this post. I guess it does ruin some things.

 

[fairgambit]

One thing I miss a lot are scheduled double headers in baseball. Growing up, I loved going to the park and sitting through 18 innings of baseball! I remember going to a double header with my date (now wife) for a Sunday afternoon double header. We got there for batting practice and there were 3 rain delays, but they got both games in. I think we left for the park around 10 in the morning and got home around 11PM that night. Ah, those were the days!

 

[Safety Blitz]

Watching my kids play. They're college grads now, so it has been a while. Best times of my life were watching them play high school/college sports. No grandkids yet, so I have to settle for watching nieces and nephews.

 

[wbcincy]

10. Pitt/Penn State; Phillies/Pirates. Conference play and realignment forever changed these matchups. In fact, I wish the Eagles and Steelers were in the same Division. How cool would that be for Pennsylvanians?

9. Oklahoma/Nebraska. Just ain't Thanksgiving to me without these two playing one another.

8. Bodybuilding Championships. Who is the reigning Mr Olympia? Who cares?!? The sport is fvcked. I once could tell you every single professional. Now, I don't even know the current Mr Olympia much less any other professional

7. The Curse of the Red Sox. I miss those 19...18...chamts. Yes. Boston is a great sports town. And, they deserve their World Series victories. All I am saying, is that I, personally, miss that curse

6. New Years Day College Football Bowl games. Yes. I'm getting older. But, this was THE day I looked forward to doing nothing BUT watching College Football. Now....not so much.

5. Harry Kalas. Not really a sporting event, but I miss his voice. "Home Run Michael Jack Schmidt!"

4. Pre-steroid sports. Today, I can't tell the real champions from the fake champions. Yes. I'm talking to you, Mr Barry Bonds. I miss you Hank Aaron.

3. Having an idol. There's not one present day athlete I admire - not one. My dad had Joe DiMaggio. My brothers had Mickey Mantle. I had Mike Schmidt. Now, who do your kids dream of?

2. Reds. Opening Day. Not sure how that got started or why it ended. I just miss it.

1. THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE WORLD. You guys remember when this meant something. It used to be the greatest title any man could have. I recall having championship parties for these PPV events. Now, it's like no one cares.

Good list, couple points:

As for 4. Pre-Steroid sports. Baseball is relatively clean now. There's a reason people aren't hitting 50, yet alone 60 home runs now. I think you can trust what you see.

As for 3. You're an adult. Idols end after you're a kid. Hopefully by the time you're an adult there's someone in your life you idolize rather than someone on TV. I know my father has filled that role for me. He doesn't hit a baseball or throw a football incredibly well, he's just the best person I've ever met.

As for 2. Completely agree. And not because I live here, I'm a Pirates fan, it's just that it was a great tradition. Cincinnati has a parade for opening day, it's a city holiday, and it should open the season every year.

1. Completely agree. Hoping Deontay Wilder can be the real deal. If we start getting some big fights on network TV (NBC is trying), boxing can make a comeback. I keep trying to get into UFC, but I find a good boxing bout to be head and shoulders above a grappling match that lasts 10 minutes.

 

[SgtCarter]

ABC's Wide World of Sports and boxing on tv or radio. The American Sportsman. The legendary sports broadcasters.

The big bowl games all on Jan 1. The sound at sporting events now overtaken by migraine inducing noise

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

ABC's Wide World of Sports and boxing on tv or radio. The American Sportsman. The legendary sports broadcasters.

The big bowl games all on Jan 1. The sound at sporting events now overtaken by migraine inducing noise

The American Sportsman shows with Curt Gowdy and Phil Harris out shooting birds are still some of funniest moments in the history of TV.

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

One thing I miss a lot are scheduled double headers in baseball. Growing up, I loved going to the park and sitting through 18 innings of baseball! I remember going to a double header with my date (now wife) for a Sunday afternoon double header. We got there for batting practice and there were 3 rain delays, but they got both games in. I think we left for the park around 10 in the morning and got home around 11PM that night. Ah, those were the days!

My first trip to the ballpark as a youngster was for a scheduled DH. So, yeah. This.

 

[eidolon21]

A more interesting list might be Top Ten sporting events I don't want to watch>number one would be Red Sox /Yankees games on network or cable channels, Apparently no other game is worthy when these teams play.

 

[SkunkBear]

A more interesting list might be Top Ten sporting events I don't want to watch>number one would be Red Sox /Yankees games on network or cable channels, Apparently no other game is worthy when these teams play.

Ain't it the truth. In second place is Boston or NY versus anybody else. And not just in baseball. Bruins were outside the bubble all year, yet they got more airtime in Florida than contests between the powers.

 

[AWS1022]

Steroids have been around since the 50's so how old are you? If you don't think many of the pre-steroid baseball players (and football players) weren't juicing, you're crazy. It just wasn't talked about because it wasn't illegal. It got out of hand with McGwire, Sosa and the rest, but it's been around a lot longer than many people think.

 

[Michael.Felli]

Steroids have been around since the 50's so how old are you? If you don't think many of the pre-steroid baseball players (and football players) weren't juicing, you're crazy. It just wasn't talked about because it wasn't illegal. It got out of hand with McGwire, Sosa and the rest, but it's been around a lot longer than many people think.

Steroids only hit the scene circa 1959. Up to the release of Pumping Iron, 1977, few people lifted weights. The over riding mindset was it made you muscle bound. There were hardly any gyms to be found. Even Arnold quips that in his early films days he would have to travel miles and miles to find a gym. Now, today, the hotel's he stays at are better equipped than the Golds where he used to train.

Hank Aarons generation did NOT work out with weights. Did some? Of course. But few. That generation was taught NOT to lift weights.

You're wrong on a lot of fronts.

 

[We Are . . .]

Not a list of 10 but here goes:

1. Amateurs only in the Olympics. Dream teams were cool the first couple of times but I tire of watching over-paid professionals competing every 4 years.
2. The College All Star game that was played against the NFL champion in Chicago's Soldier Field. I know - injuries - but it was fun to watch.
3. The Big 33 when it meant something. Pennsylvania beating the Texas All-Stars back in the 60s was a really big deal at the time.
4. Gene Wettstone's international gymnastics extravaganzas. I was fortunate enough to be a student when Wetts brought the Soviet and Japanese national teams to Rec Hall.
5. Speaking of the Soviets, I miss the old U.S.-Soviet rivalry in international sports. The U.S. vs. Russia lacks the intensity and it's hard to get excited comparing medal counts with the Chinese. A country that loads up on golds in synchronized diving and table tennis just doesn't impress me.
6. I miss not having pitt on future schedules. Screw 'em. It's a nothing-to-gain "rivalry" for the Lions as far as I'm concerned.