Regarding OT and non-basketball threads | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Regarding OT and non-basketball threads

I sat in a hotel parking lot in Ashland, Kentucky one early summer evening and listened to Cool Papa Bell (re)tell the story on how he convinced Satchel Paige he was faster than light. The best part of that story was that Paige was there, as were Monte Irvin and Willie Mays.

Later, Irvin and I conducted a survey of the numerous Negro League veterans that came to that hotel on whom they thought were the best they played with/against.
It was published in various media outlets, but I'll find the results and post them here if folks are interested...
 
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I have been blessed and feel very fortunate to have had various dealings with a number of world famous people a number of them athletes. The 2 most notable
1. Mohamed Ali, was with him 4 times, first time on State St. Chicago in front of Montgomery Wards store, I said hello to him and he stopped and we had a 10 minute conversation, I wanted and asked for his autograph, went into a panic looking for something for him to sign. I pulled out my wallet grabbing the first thing I could find, he signed I put the paper back in my wallet. We finished our talk, I went back to my office and told everyone who I had talked to, showing them the autograph and was floored to find that I had him sign my Draft Board classification card. Most ironic.
2. I coached 3 sports one being track and field. I was fortunate to work with one of the most famous track athletes and humans I have ever known. Jesse Owens. Arco oil collaborated with Jesse to hold the Arco Jessie Owens track programs, at the time was considered as a Jr. Olympic set of track meets. Mr. Owens was one of the most impressive men I have known.
 
Sorry to say, I have never met anyone "really" famous. A few odd basketball folks (was at the same table as the late John Cheney for Vivian's WBB HOF induction), exchanged friendly words with a number of women's coaches.

Cousin Brucie shook my hand at a movie premier in Manhattan and I got to meet the actresses that were one of the traveling squads in Disney costumes (Mickey, Minnie etc.) at another theatre event.

Sorry, not very exciting.
 
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@MooseJaw my father in law ran against Jesse Owens in high school.
I was at the helm of the T/V Patriot State bringing her back to Buzzards Bay, MA after OPSAIL '90.
Crewed as ship's chef, quarantine officer, and gunner on board S/V Sylvina w. Beal (b.1911) from Mystic to Cumana, VZ and back. I had the most fun riding in the back of truck with banana pickers in St. Lucia, and the irony isn't lost, because The Patriot State was a former banana cargo ship.
 
OT - Ok, my first real crush was in 4th grade on a girl named Rhonda Rapp who transferred in mid school year. What a hottie was my thought back then. If anyone knows who and where she is today....PM me :)
 
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RowdyFan said:
@MooseJaw my father in law ran against Jesse Owens in high school.
I was at the helm of the T/V Patriot State bringing her back to Buzzards Bay, MA after OPSAIL '90.
Crewed as ship's chef, quarantine officer, and gunner on board S/V Sylvina w. Beal (b.1911) from Mystic to Cumana, VZ and back. I had the most fun riding in the back of truck with banana pickers in St. Lucia, and the irony isn't lost, because The Patriot State was a former banana cargo ship.
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Small world, I also had a great time riding with Banana pickers sharing a ride with them on the island of St. Vincent's in the Grenadines. An island about 90 miles west of Barbados. All their bananas were shipped to Europe.
It doesn't matter how well your father in law did against Jesse Owens even losing to him in retrospect would be an honor and amazing memory. A memory now shared by you. Thanks for sharing.
 
While I was in the Navy, aboard the boat I was stationed on, I was part of the crew making a training video. The star of it was Captain Kirk (William Shatner).
I went to HS with Jeff Reardon. He, for a time, was MLB's all time Saves leader.
 
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Cornell Lt said:
I've only had one full time job in my entire life (law enforcement) . I'm retiring on January 4,2022, which will be the 35th anniversary of my hire. I've resided in central NY all my life and my favorite teams are: NY Yankees, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cornell University hockey and UConn women's basketball. Oh and I'll be a grandpa on June 28,2021
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Responding to your question to Nan below, I've been to Lynah twice. Once I sat in the student section on the glass and got to go through the entire ritual, except the fish toss (not the Harvard game). (I had two kids go to Cornell, one was a huge hocky fan (my daughter, a hotelie).

Congrats on the upcomings - grandkid and retirement!
 
newfrontier said:
Ok, my first real crush was in 4th grade on a girl named Rhonda Rapp who transferred in mid school year. What a hottie was my thought back then. If anyone knows who and where she is today....PM me :)
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I have been told she is wrestling in the WWE under the name Mona Lott. Hope this helps. :cool:
 
Drumguy said:
Responding to your question to Nan below, I've been to Lynah twice. Once I sat in the student section on the glass and got to go through the entire ritual, except the fish toss (not the Harvard game). (I had two kids go to Cornell, one was a huge hocky fan (my daughter, a hotelie).

Congrats on the upcomings - grandkid and retirement!
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One of the best kept secrets in all of sports is the atmosphere at Lynah Rink. The pep band, the cheers and of course the fish for Harvard :) . Glad to hear that you experienced it a couple of times.

 
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I had two inadvertent meetings with Joe DiMaggio and Robert Kennedy.
1. Joe DiMaggio- My Mom fainted on the street near her work in Manhattan and was taken to the nearest hospital! I got a call from a friend of hers what happened, got a train in New London, CT (I was teaching/coaching in East Lyme) for NYC. Went to the hospital and was caught in the revolving doors with Joe D!
2. 1965 I was a senior in HS in Manhattan, near Carnegie Hall. Going to lunch in a hurray crashed into Robert Kennedy as he and two others exited the restaurant I was going to (The Stage Deli)! I didn't realize it till we recovered and I looked up! Talk about shock! He and I apologized to the other at the same time! Don't worry I didn't hurt him!
 
I met Paulina Porizkova and Ron Ocasek at the graduation of my daughter and Paulina's brother from Sarah Lawrence College. I noticed them at the ceremony because she was jumping up and down yelling when her brother was presented with his degree. I ran into them later on the campus grounds, trying to manage their little son. They were friendly and she had a thick accent; I was tongue-tied because i had been a big Cars fan, but mostly because she is as beautiful in person as in photographs.
 
i accidentally ran into jackie O and her secret service detail on the corner of 81st street and park avenue in Manhattan. I was a comm maintainer for Metro north and was walking the park ave tunnel from harlem to GCT. decide to take a lunch break so I poped the street exit grate from the tunnel to the street and came up face to face with Jackie and her 2 agents who pinned me against a wall and asked for my ID. She was waiting for her limo. She apologized to me as her car arrived and I went to lunch on second ave. Quite a day.
 
I also held Niles Rogers guitar his million dollar hit make stratocaster after he left it on a train and it ended up in my office in New Haven. He got off at westport and forget his guitar in the overhead racks He drove to New Haven and i got to meet him and return his guitar to him.
 
Years ago, I got upgraded on a flight from LA to New York, and sat next to Pierce Brosnan. I spoke briefly with him.

After we got off the plane, I heard him call his wife and say, "You'll never guess who I sat next to..."
 
I got interviewed for 60 Minutes story on Geno and UConn but didn’t make it past editing.

Morley was living in Connecticut at the time. You may have seen him walking around in a Boneyard sweatshirt if you saw him in the state.
7FF96F40-4E69-4AAB-9D56-42AFB4495CD9.jpeg
 
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