Dammit, can we please get this year over with already?
Phil Niekro Dead at 81
- Thread starter seminoleed
- Start date
Dude won 318 games while spending the bulk of his career in one of the (then-) worst organizations of all of professional sports. Phil easily could have won 400++ games with a different club. Godspeed to Phil and his family.
Lot of people in their 50’s got cable in the 80’s and the Braves had every game on WTBS. This was before ESPN could broadcast anything professional. Created a national following.
“The SuperStation.” Loved it!!
Growing up in the Tampa Bay area, we didn't have any sports teams to speak of in the 1960's and early 1970's. There were no Buccaneers, Lightning, or Rays. The Atlanta Braves were my adopted team. I loved Henry Aaron, Felix Milan at second. Other names I remember off the top of my head. Pat Jarvis, Buzz Capra, Dusty Baker, Darrell Evans, Orlando Cepeda, Rico Carty, Ralph Garr, and Clete Boyer. Through it all we had KNUCKSIE. He could have won a hundred more games as a Yankee. In my mind, one of the best pitchers ever in the MLB. Here' s a stat for you, 1974 he was 20-13 with a 2.38 ERA. Over 300 innings pitched and almost 200 strikeouts. He was 23-13 with almost the same identical stats in 1969. The only year the Braves were pretty good. But we ran into some team called the Mets. The had a couple of pitchers that turned out pretty well. Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan, you may have heard of them. (sarcasm)
@fsukenny: Hank Aaron. Biff Pocoroba. Johnny Casanova. Mike Lum. Pat Rocket. Davey Johnson. Blue Moon Odom. Frank Tepodino. Tom House. Ron Reed.
GOOD MEMORIES.
Like Kenny, I grew up in Tampa listening to the Braves on WSUN radio out of St. Pete on my transistor radio (which I guess is a clue to how old I've gotten. Having been born in Atlanta, they were my team; even got Hank's autograph through the bus window at old Al Lopez Field at a spring training game ( a day in which he homered).
Fast forward 20 years, I'm out of college and moved to Atlanta, and couldn't wait to get down to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium for that night's game with the Cubs. Early summer, beautiful day....and the place was 90% empty. I was stunned; Milo Hamilton always made it sound like it was a full house, roaring on every pitch. Talk about culture shock.
Fast forward 20 years, I'm out of college and moved to Atlanta, and couldn't wait to get down to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium for that night's game with the Cubs. Early summer, beautiful day....and the place was 90% empty. I was stunned; Milo Hamilton always made it sound like it was a full house, roaring on every pitch. Talk about culture shock.
We used to take a family trip from Tampa to Atlanta just to see the Braves on a weekend series. The first time was in 1969. Place was pretty full. The last time was. 1974. It was like Tropicana Field on a losing streak. Place was pretty empty. But I’m the same as you, went to bed every night listening to Milo Hamilton and Ernie Johnson on my transistor radio. I had visions of the excitement of a packed house. It wasn’t the same after that visit and after Hank hit 715. I still followed them until the end of Chipper Jones career. Even went to some great games in Atlanta with my son when he was playing some Perfect Game events north of Atlanta 2010-12. Baseball has just lost something for me. It’s just a Homerun or strikeout game now. But the memories are truly golden.
@fsukenny and @seminoleed LOVE THE FLASHBACKS!!
I’ll never forget listening with my Dad to Ernie and Milo on the radio broadcasts. They are Heavenly memories that I still cherish. Simpler times. Less complicated jokes. No one got mad or offended if a quip hit too close to home.
Then we got the Super Station on cable in the middle/later 70s. My Dad was euphoric, although sometimes following the Braves was easier when you could not actually see them. 😀
Let me add Vic Correll to my prior list of Brave names. Great guy and super nice to this 7-12 year old starstruck boy during that window.
I’ll never forget listening with my Dad to Ernie and Milo on the radio broadcasts. They are Heavenly memories that I still cherish. Simpler times. Less complicated jokes. No one got mad or offended if a quip hit too close to home.
Then we got the Super Station on cable in the middle/later 70s. My Dad was euphoric, although sometimes following the Braves was easier when you could not actually see them. 😀
Let me add Vic Correll to my prior list of Brave names. Great guy and super nice to this 7-12 year old starstruck boy during that window.
