Bring back the 1970s, a decade of characters
The idea for this column hit me in the head like a quick jab
while watching ESPN a few weeks ago during one of its
”
Classics
”
boxing telecasts that showcased the third meeting between
Muhammad Ali and
”
Smokin’
”
Joe Frazier.
Ali won, but that’s not the point.
Bring back the 1970s, a decade of characters
The idea for this column hit me in the head like a quick jab while watching ESPN a few weeks ago during one of its “Classics” boxing telecasts that showcased the third meeting between Muhammad Ali and “Smokin'” Joe Frazier.
Ali won, but that’s not the point.
Watching that fight brought back a lot of childhood memories. It also dawned on me how much more intriguing and exciting the athletes back then were. And I’m not just saying this because I was born in 1965 and grew up watching guys like Johnny Bench, Bobby Orr and Richard Petty.
The fact is that athletes back then seemed to have much more charisma and personalities than today’s athletes, which seem like they’re all made from the same cookie-cutter mold.
Today, most people wouldn’t be able to name the heavyweight champion. But we all remember Ali, Frazier, Ken Norton and George Forman.
The sports memories from the disco decade are endless.
Remember Rollie Fingers’ mustache, A’s owner Charlie Finley and his orange baseballs and Oscar Gamble’s foot-high Afro?
What about Mark “The Bird” Fidrych – the Detroit pitcher who used to chat with the baseball before he threw a pitch?
Quick, who just won Wimbledon? It’s tough to remember because no one stands out. Athletes today all seem like robots that were designed based on the sport they compete in.
Remember Jimmy Connors and his grunts? Or Dr. J’s tomahawk jams? Ali was such a character they made a song and a movie about him. Who can they make a movie about today?
Sure there are some characters out there today, but those seem to be the guys like Ricky Williams – guys who get suspended for drugs, shooting incidents or steroids.
Back then memorable athletes engulfed every sport in a legal way.
How ’bout Chi Chi Rodriguez drawing his putter like a sword and wiping the shaft down with his towel after he’d make a long one.
Remember Joe Morgan’s elbow lock, Kareem’s eye goggles or Jerry Cheever’s goalie mask that was loaded with hand-drawn scar marks. Heck, that mask even made the cover of Sports Illustrated.
All sports were better back then. Many of those names from era are now a who’s who in the Hall of Fame.
Names like: Catfish Hunter, Ray Guy, Hank Aaron, Bjorn Borg, Wilt Chamberlain and Franco Harris. The list goes on and on.
Back then you had characters that came from nowhere to rise to the top of their profession. Guys the fans could relate too. Guys like Boog Powell, Jim Palmer and Luis Tiant.
Today’s athletes come off like robotic machines with methodical textbook moves, which is boring to the fan. Either that or they commit felonies.
Remember the NHL players whipping around the ice without helmets? That was exciting stuff.
Back then you had guys like Lee Trevino, Miller Barber and Arnold Palmer. These guys had golf swings that made them look like they couldn’t hit a cow in the ass with a paddle. But they knew how to square up the clubface at impact every time. And I’d take any one of them any day in a must-win Ryder Cup match over the players today.
Tiger Woods has some of this, not because of his exceptional game but because of his “Red Shirt Only” policy on Sundays. It’s kind of like Gary Player in his “Black Knight” attire.
I say bring back the cast of characters, not the guys with swing coaches and sports psychologists who examine their every move.
Even the guys on TV were better back then. Who can forget Howard Cosell, Kurt Gowdy or Vince Scully?
We all remember Carlton Fisk’s dramatic extra-inning homerun in the 1975 World Series that he finessed to stay in fair territory at Fenway Park. It’s been played on commercials hundreds of times.
What about the infamous “Agony of Defeat” clip from Wide World of Sports that showed one poor skier jumper crash and tumble his way down a ramp.
And perhaps the grandest character of them all from the 1970s was Evel Knevel. No one will forget this guy in his Elvis-like jumpsuit and his weekly jumps over everything from buses to canyons on everything from motorcycles to makeshift rockets. Most of the time he’d break several bones in his body, but would be back out there jumping again a few months later.
How about “Charlie Hustle” Pete Rose and his headfirst slides into all the bases. There’s a guy who should have made the Hall of Fame for his tenacity alone.
Even the coaches back then were more memorable. Who can forget Billy Martin and his stints with the Yankees or Sparky Anderson, Earl Weaver, Tommy Lasorda, John Madden or Tom Landry?
Clearly, the 70s was the best decade when it came to memorable sports moments. How I wish I had a time machine.
