Athletic Accomplishments: what have you done?

Nice work, Carl.

 

I never played school basketball because I was too slow, but I could always shoot the rock with the best of them. I remember a Raleigh Adult League tournament game back in the mid-80s. In those days, all the CPA firms had a league of their own but come tourney time, it was a city-wide free for all. We won our "white-boy" league but about the second round of the tourney we had to travel to CARNAGE Middle School to play their champion. To say this was travelling into another world would be an understatement. When we got there, the place was packed like a HS gym. The opponent looked like the Globetrotters and every guy on the team dunked in warmups. Basically it was over before it started.
But heres the good part. These guys were totally uninterested in defending outside the paint. They just wanted us to shoot it quick so they could go dunk some more. I was really on that night and dropped about 35 on them. We lost something like 125-80, but after the game, a bunch of their guys came up to me and congratulated me for the shooting clinic. Funny the things you remember.

 

Many of us have discussed our highlights and memories however I think we can all agree that our biggest highlights are being with our kids during their moments. I know it is for me. That doesn't mean re-living your youth through your kids. I'm refering to being with your kids and the time sports allows us to be with our kids. It includes the successes as well as the days when they need a hug or encouragement.

 

Pretty Darn Good

Those Lilly boys have all been pretty darn good!

 

WAY, WAY Back

This thread is disheartening as I know I did something, But it was so long ago I can't remeber what it was exactly. Now I know stretching the truth would be totally out of line with this group so I'll just say that the college football team I played on I think won 33 games straight and actually for a small school surprisingly got some press in SI magazine, some national championships were involved also i think.

That story used to be worth a cup of coffee, now it gets me in line at the coffee shop - The back of the line.

 

Wood Bats????

That sounds like ben, but i am shocked he did not question you if the batters used wood bats back then? btw does RHP stand for RED HEADED PITCHER? HA HA HA (Braves told me i had to add the HA HA HA or a smiley when i tease someone)

 

Haha...you got me Strike-em-out...{add the smiley here}

 

glory days

I grew up in Pinehurst and the baseball field was down the road from the school and everyone played their games there, rec. league through high school. This was before Pinecrest HS opened.
There wasn't an outfield fence but down the third base line, between 280 and 300 ft was the fenced in community pool. The high school guys always tried to "put it in the pool" so they could jog around the bases and show off for the girls.
One summer evening, when I was 12, the baseball gods smiled down on me. This was 1970, which meant I was swinging a wood bat. One of my best friends was pitching for the other team and he was a lefty that threw pretty hard. He reached back and threw his first pitch to me as hard as he could and I likewise swung the bat as hard as I could. At that moment I discovered what a "sweetspot" was. The ball sailed out to left field and kept climbing. I was running as fast as my chubby butt could go but as I rounded first I could see the ball still in the air and the left fielder just standing there looking up as the ball sailed over his head. I stopped and watched as the ball made it's splash-down in the middle of the pool. Everyone at the game just stared in silence until Jonathan, the pitcher, said "jeeze, you knocked the $#&% out of that ball".
I was pretty big "stuff" for the rest of that summer, but I probably struck out a dozen times my next at bats trying to do it again.
Years later, when my son was around 12, I took him by that field when we were down there for an all star tournament. I had told him the story of my homerun but he had never believed it was as far as I said it was. We pulled up to the field near home plate and I reminded him of the story. He got out and walked over to the plate and stared down the line to the pool for a few minutes. He came back and got into the truck. He said "wood bat?" I said "yep". He smiled at me and said "nice shot... can we go get somethin' to eat?"

 

i averaged more fouls than points in 7th grade basketball. my one and only year for that game.

 

Gman days!

I love that story Gman. Thats a classic imo!