The "Wait, What?" Thread

[billyjack]

Rutgers(!!) stunningly upset Bryant last night, 73-71. The Bulldogs had a chance to escape their B1G foe at the end, but 3 to win rimmed out at the buzzer and the home team survived.

I grew up 2 minutes from the Bryant campus. Originally Bryant was on the East Side of Providence, near Brown and RISD. It started as a business and secretarial school housed in like a couple of mid-1800's Victorian or Colonial houses. in the 60's they moved 8 miles northwest into the woods of Smithfield, in a campus built by the Tupperware founder. It was mostly a commuter school til maybe 10 or 15 years ago.

In around maybe 1976 til the building of Gillette in around 2001, the Patriots had their summer training camp at Bryant. In 76 the Pats were just getting good under Chuck Fairbanks, and there wasn't a big fanbase (games would sometimes get blacked-out).

Anyway, it would be common to bump into Pats players around town. As a 10 year old my father and i met Mike Haynes at a gas station. Shelby Jordan rented a house next door to family friends.

So, the fanvase wasn't huge, and sometimes late in the day my brother and his friends would let me tag along on drives into Bryant and walk around the practice fields and try to unsuccessfully push the blocking dummies. I don't remember any security chasing us away or anything. Much different than today of course.

Good to see Bryant doing pretty well in D-1. Their old coach O'Shea and their new coach (forgot his name) have done a great job.

[X-man]

I taught a course at Bryant in No. Smithfield in 1972 while I was a doctoral student at Brown. It was a nice campus, but had very uninspired academics. I assume that it is a better school now than it was back then.

[billyjack]

I taught a course at Bryant in No. Smithfield in 1972 while I was a doctoral student at Brown. It was a nice campus, but had very uninspired academics. I assume that it is a better school now than it was back then.

Wow that's cool, small world! Yes, by the mid 80's the Bryant reputation was getting much better.

Also, minor point that locals would notice... the campus is in "Smithfield", not in "North Smithfield"... two separate towns with different styles, Lol... Smithfield is in the orbit of Providence, while North Smithfield revolves around Woonsocket. This is all Lol of course but true!

[gtmoBlue]

Ahhh, New England in the Fall. Brings back pleasant memories of ol git in Newport (Naval Hospital) back in the mid 1970s. Yes sports fans, back when the bloom was on the rose, back when Wolfman Jack was on the radio and one could drive cross country with Tom Snyder....back when I was in my early 20's...oh the memories.

Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Fall River...ah yes.

[billyjack]

Ahhh, New England in the Fall. Brings back pleasant memories of ol git in Newport (Naval Hospital) back in the mid 1970s. Yes sports fans, back when the bloom was on the rose, back when Wolfman Jack was on the radio and one could drive cross country with Tom Snyder....back when I was in my early 20's...oh the memories.

Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Fall River...ah yes.

Fall is a great time of year here... gotta give a shout out to Smithfield, apple capital, home of the precious and little-known "macoun" (muh-KOW-in) variety.

Hey, i work in Middletown and Newport. Small world again. Were you in the Navy back then? That's when we still had ships stationed there.

A new Naval Hospital building was put up maybe 15 years ago, right near the old one. The old one has been abandoned and is just sitting there with doors locked and probably a nice rodent population having taken up residence. The old hospital would be an excellent set for a horror movie, with old dank operating rooms and water dripping from ceiling leaks.

Or were you an America's Cup guy? First date with my wife was downtown at the Brick Alley Pub back in 98.

Great beaches in Newport and South County (Narragansett, Galilee, Matunuck, etc), nice area.

Newport-Middletown-Portsmouth... the 3 towns on Aquidneck Island... very tight community... the locals rarely leave the island. Love offseason in Newport with no New Yorkers bothering us and cutting us off on the road.

Newporters still brag about how JFK did PT boat training in Melville, married at St Mary's on Thames Street, reception at Hammersmith Farm near Fort Adams.

Fall River... mayor is totally corrupt... but great Portuguese food... chourico (shuh-REESE) etc...

Newport is its own entity, very distant in attitude from Providence. I still feel like an outsider in Newport though i've worked here almost 30 years.

[GumbyDamnit!]

Will be in good ole Providence RI next week actually to see a client. Meeting at a restaurant called "Red Stripe" in East Providence. Any advance reviews from my Friar brethren?

[billyjack]

Will be in good ole Providence RI next week actually to see a client. Meeting at a restaurant called "Red Stripe" in East Providence. Any advance reviews from my Friar brethren?

Yes, I've been to Red Stripe (the one in East Greenwich). It's a great choice for a place to meet and talk casually in a relaxed atmosphere...! Everything on the menu has been good (i don't rememer ever being disappointed) and it has a good variety and you can't go wrong... i know i usually get an appetizer of a cup of New England (white) chowder there! Pretty sure all seafood will have been caught earlier that morning. The kitchen is very clean too from what i remember (i notice these things, lol).

Your "Red Stripe" is in Providence, on the "East Side", in Wayland Square (note that the "East Side" is completely unrelated to "East Providence", which is a separate city on the other side of the nearby (Seekonk) river to the east).

Anyway, yes, great spot in a walkable area around nice neighborhoods. You'll be on Angell Street on the east edge of the Brown campus. A five minute walk west of Red Stripe gets you to Thayer Street, the commercial street for Brown and RISD students with great restaurants and an indy movie theater (The Avon) and the Brown Bookstore. Another block west and 1 street south (at Waterman Street) gets you to the historic main green at Brown (thru arch). Nice campus.

If you have time, and since I'm a RISD alum, i gotta mention the RISD Art Museum which is just down from Brown, halfway down College Hill on Benefit Street. Small museum with an amazing collection from every era and continent going back 3,000 years. Beyond RISD to the west you'll have a great view of downtown Providence below and the Dunk in the distance.

After writing all this, i realize that at 50+ years old i have entered the world of food, books, museums, indy movies and walking... and I'm clearly out of the drinking and strip club phase (Providence has always had the top gentlemens clubs in New England)... Lol...

[gtmoBlue]

Yes and yes. Was in my 1st tour in the Navy and also an Americas Cup fan. Didn't meet the 1st Miz gtmo til later, but met several Cape Verdian female friends while in the area (2.5 years).

[GumbyDamnit!]

Nice info BJack. Thx! Looking forward to the visit.

[GumbyDamnit!]

Yes and yes. Was in my 1st tour in the Navy and also an Americas Cup fan. Didn't meet the 1st Miz gtmo til later, but met several Cape Verdian female friends while in the area (2.5 years).

Mz Git #1? Someone needs to do a Gtmo exclusive interview on the board. That would be HLOH gold.