Re: Sam's Celtics Forum Who's Who

[bobheckler]

BSH,

It's interesting you listed all your favorite Lakers. I have a friend who knows somebody who can get old school NBA uniforms. He has Alex English's jersey with the old Denver rainbow-mountains design, Mike Schmidt's jersey and others and we're not talking cheap threading either. These are the real McCoys. He's a big Laker fan and is keeping his favorite Laker jerseys for himself: West, Coop, Baylor and some others, but sells the rest for extra money. He asked me who is my favorite Celtic (so he could get me the jersey). I froze like a deer in headlights. So many to choose from: Russell, Bird, McHale, Cousy, Havlicek, Cowens. Then I saw a jersey lying on top of the pile and said "I WANT THAT ONE!!". It was a Julius Erving NY Nets of the ABA road jersey. #32.

Then the SOB said "I'm keeping that one too". He's 33 years old, 6'3", 270#. Played center for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL for a couple years (he was 330# then). Otherwise I would have punched him. So, I told him to get on the stick and find me another. I don't care it would have looked like a tent on me, it was beautiful. I don't own a sports jersey and never have, but I'd wear this one with a big shit-eating grin on my face.


bob

.

That's cool- the only thing better than Dr J's Nets jersey would have been one from the Virginia Squires. either way, I would have been into that as well.

So does he get actual jerseys ? And does he get laker jerseys on a regular basis ? Or does he keep all his Laker jerseys ?

bsh,

I'm not sure. I can ask. I don't think he keeps ALL the Laker jerseys.

Which one would you like?

bob

.

[Sam]

Worcester, you're right. I said that Clyde won only two rings—both with the Celtics. But he did win as a backup with the Lakers in 1954. Good catch.

Sam

[Sam]

BSH,

Funny, I just watched Endless Summer again two days ago. A great movie!

When Jerry West's Lakers won the championship in the early 70s, Sam and Gladys Jones phoned me just to say how happy they were that Jerry had his ring. One thing that was underrated about Jerry was that he was a tenacious defender. I would much rather have a Jerry West on my team than a Michael Jordan because Jerry fit into my concept of team play better than Michael did. Just a personal preference.

When I think back over time, I believe the vitriol between Celtics and Lakers fans really emerged in the 80s. Prior to then, it was obviously a great rivalry, but I believe most Boston fans were for the Celtics rather than against the Lakers. If the Celtics couldn't win the championship in a given season, I didn't care who won or lost. Way back when, winning a championship was more important than whom you won it against. There were no message boards to fan the flames of antipathy. Until 1969, I don't remember any radio sports talk shows in Boston.

I don't even know whether Boston fans knew of the balloons' existence until after the game because I wasn't exposed to radio or television accounts of the game. I was at the game; and, if I hadn't happened to look upward to see if there were any banners in the Forum rafters, I wouldn't have known about the balloons until I read about them in the next day's newspapers.

The Balloon Game was probably a factor in laying the groundwork for future hatred between fans because the balloons were such an arrogant stunt. But the two teams didn't play one another again in the finals for 15 more years, and I think the McHale-Rambis thing was probably more of a catalyst than the Balloon Game in upping the ante.

I've never really hated the Lakers—not even when I called them "Fakers" as a rejoinder to taunting Lakers fans. I did (and still do) derive additional pleasure from beating them because (1) when I started watching the game, the Minneapolis Lakers were the dynasty of the league and (2) from the 80s onward, they represented the most consistently great adversary. But I've always been grateful the Lakers have been around because I'm secure in the knowledge that, when the Celtics have won, it has never been a cakewalk. (Same for my Red Sox against the Yankees.)

Sam

[babyskyhook]

BSH,

It's interesting you listed all your favorite Lakers. I have a friend who knows somebody who can get old school NBA uniforms. He has Alex English's jersey with the old Denver rainbow-mountains design, Mike Schmidt's jersey and others and we're not talking cheap threading either. These are the real McCoys. He's a big Laker fan and is keeping his favorite Laker jerseys for himself: West, Coop, Baylor and some others, but sells the rest for extra money. He asked me who is my favorite Celtic (so he could get me the jersey). I froze like a deer in headlights. So many to choose from: Russell, Bird, McHale, Cousy, Havlicek, Cowens. Then I saw a jersey lying on top of the pile and said "I WANT THAT ONE!!". It was a Julius Erving NY Nets of the ABA road jersey. #32.

Then the SOB said "I'm keeping that one too". He's 33 years old, 6'3", 270#. Played center for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL for a couple years (he was 330# then). Otherwise I would have punched him. So, I told him to get on the stick and find me another. I don't care it would have looked like a tent on me, it was beautiful. I don't own a sports jersey and never have, but I'd wear this one with a big shit-eating grin on my face.


bob

.

That's cool- the only thing better than Dr J's Nets jersey would have been one from the Virginia Squires. either way, I would have been into that as well.

So does he get actual jerseys ? And does he get laker jerseys on a regular basis ? Or does he keep all his Laker jerseys ?

bsh,

I'm not sure. I can ask. I don't think he keeps ALL the Laker jerseys.

Which one would you like?

bob

.

bob-

I'd love a Kareem jersey. Worthy or Coop would also be cool. (i've already got Magic.)

[babyskyhook]

BSH,

Funny, I just watched Endless Summer again two days ago. A great movie!

When Jerry West's Lakers won the championship in the early 70s, Sam and Gladys Jones phoned me just to say how happy they were that Jerry had his ring. One thing that was underrated about Jerry was that he was a tenacious defender. I would much rather have a Jerry West on my team than a Michael Jordan because Jerry fit into my concept of team play better than Michael did. Just a personal preference.

When I think back over time, I believe the vitriol between Celtics and Lakers fans really emerged in the 80s. Prior to then, it was obviously a great rivalry, but I believe most Boston fans were for the Celtics rather than against the Lakers. If the Celtics couldn't win the championship in a given season, I didn't care who won or lost. Way back when, winning a championship was more important than whom you won it against. There were no message boards to fan the flames of antipathy. Until 1969, I don't remember any radio sports talk shows in Boston.

I don't even know whether Boston fans knew of the balloons' existence until after the game because I wasn't exposed to radio or television accounts of the game. I was at the game; and, if I hadn't happened to look upward to see if there were any banners in the Forum rafters, I wouldn't have known about the balloons until I read about them in the next day's newspapers.

The Balloon Game was probably a factor in laying the groundwork for future hatred between fans because the balloons were such an arrogant stunt. But the two teams didn't play one another again in the finals for 15 more years, and I think the McHale-Rambis thing was probably more of a catalyst than the Balloon Game in upping the ante.

I've never really hated the Lakers—not even when I called them "Fakers" as a rejoinder to taunting Lakers fans. I did (and still do) derive additional pleasure from beating them because (1) when I started watching the game, the Minneapolis Lakers were the dynasty of the league and (2) from the 80s onward, they represented the most consistently great adversary. But I've always been grateful the Lakers have been around because I'm secure in the knowledge that, when the Celtics have won, it has never been a cakewalk. (Same for my Red Sox against the Yankees.)

Sam

Sam-

too funny that you just watched Endless Summer again recently. That movie is like a fine wine. Just gets better with age.

Sam- it makes a lot of sense that things on the rivalry front didn't really heat up until the '80's, because up until that point, the "rivalry" was so one-sided that it's hard for me to think of it as a true rivalry.

But by '84, with LA having won titles in '80 and '82, things had clearly changed and the Lakers were obviously posing a serious challenge for the Cs for NBA supremacy (both short term and long term). The epic nature of al three series on the '80's coupled with the HOFers on both sides really took things to an entirely different level.

And here we are- the lucky beneficiaries. Because as with you, my favorite Laker championships are the ones against their most worthy opponents- aka, the Celtics. I think about '85, '87 and (now) 2010 fairly regularly, and also reflect on '84 and '08 for that matter. whereas I almost never think about 2000 or '02, as beating the Pacers or the Nets were anticlimactic in both cases. Whoo Hoo we beat the Nets !!!! is just not the same.


So cheers to you and your team sir, as worthy opponents making it all that much better.

[LACELTFAN]

Bringing up the rear....I guess I should leave my sagging rear out of this....

Screen name: LACELTFAN
Real name: LACELTFAN (oddly enough)
Age: Old enough to know better...somewhere between the five oh and the six oh...
Residence: From the midwest to LA to northern Cal...
Occupation: University Student, Mathematics, trying to finish a degree I started nearly 40 years ago...
Family: A very tolerant wife, I've been known to make a little noise while watching the C's play on TV.
Favorite Sporting Facility: The Gahden...beautiful in it's ugliness, I still miss it...
The Lakers may catch us bannerwise but they will never have played in as beautiful a dump as the gahden...
Favorite Teams: I've followed several through the years but only one fanatically..The Celtics...
The team of the sixties was almost more than a team, a band of brothers...almost as if it was a way of living, not just playing basketball...that's the way I remember it anyway, through my emerald colored glasses...
It was very interesting being a Celtic fan in the sixties in the LA area surrounded by Laker fans.
The board: I have raised a glass on both coasts with Sam and Mrs. Sam and have thoroughly enjoyed their company. I think it's fabulous that Celtic and Laker fans (and any fans, for that matter) can come here and have convivial discussions...Here's to the board and it's members... LACELTFAN

[bigpygme]

Board name: Bigpygme (don't ask, i just made it up one day and now i sign in with it everywhere)
Real Name: J Michael Kerrigan
General location of main residence: Denver
Raised in: Nashua NH
Age (could be exact or a 10-year range or something as rare/medium/well-done): 61 - uh, i think ! <LOL>
Educ: Duke, Wesleyan, but before all that Holy Cross (Worcester ! )
Occupation: psychologist/neuropsychologist
Family: Div., 2 sons in grad school, law and neuroscience
Fam of Origin: Boston area Irish Catholic, 2 br's and 2 sr's.
Year of becoming an NBA fan: remember being 8 (and on up) and being allowed to stay up very late to watch C's/Lakers. Loved Cooz. Then i went to sleep for a while until Larry and the rest showed up.
Teams supported (any sport): no interest in baseball, will root for Nuggets except when they play C's, like the Pats and follow the Broncos. Basically a Homer ! <S>
Interests: guitar, racquetball, some co-ed volleyball, AA. amazed i can still do some of these things after a 10 level spinal fusion last summer for scoliosis. (now my neck's acting up and i refuse to even think about it ! <LOL>)
Favorite players: Loved McHale's hinky-dinky moves, huge Larry fan, loved Cooz for ... everything ! he just did everything. and of course Russ.
Players met: Russell, at a book signing maybe 5 years ago. He was actually warm, somewhat chatty and quite engaging !
Other: Love this board and all of you here who make my day with your insight, opinion and wealth of experience. Glad i got to meet Sam, BobC and Sinus (AK) this summer.

[worcester]

bigpygme - congrats on your time at the Cross. I once spent a month at Wesleyan's Beta Theta Pi fraternity house and became good friends with Mike McClintock, class of '70. Were you there then?

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