Sports Hernia":3q8wh2j5 said:
LymonHawk":3q8wh2j5 said:
When I was a kid growing up in Da Bronx, we had Willie, Duke, and Mickey patrolling the center fields of New York. I watched all of them play live and on TV. I've also have watched ARod play live and on TV.
IMHO: ARod may have some better numbers, but was an inferior hitter. Why, you ask? Mays, Snider, and Mantle, were all 'gamers.' When the chips are down and you need a big play to win or turn a game, I'd take any of the NYC three over ARod.
That had to be an awesome time to be in New York.
As a kid who's Dad was a sports guy, it was a great time. My Dad was a coach at the Bronx Union YMCA and could get me lots of free tickets...and used sports equipment.
The sports companies, Wilson, Spaulding, etc., all had boxes at the major stadiums and would give out tickets to youth groups, etc. As a youth, I once walked over to a daytime doubleheader between the Giants & Dodgers at The Polo Grounds, then walked over to Yankee Stadium to catch a Yankee night game, and then walked home. You could walk around Da Bronx in those days...just had to be careful about which neighborhood you walked through.
We played all the major sports except maybe hockey. From season to season, baseball (or punchball, or softball), to hoops, to football. Throw in boxing and bowling for good measure. Note: I wasn't allowed to play ball for my high school because I had bowled in 'money leagues' and in those days, was considered a semi-professional athlete...yup, they were that tight about it.
The entire sports experience as a kid instilled in me my great love of competition...either playing or watching.
Yes, it was a great place to be kid.