Classy Winners vs Obnoxious Winners...

[billyjack]

Lol, DePaul has definitely turned the corner, but might be chasing UConn for a while

I was referring to DePaul finding new success in Basketball vs. UConn finding new success in football.

Oh, lol, yes you're right

[xusandy]

Several years ago, I was lucky enough to get tickets to an NCAA tourney weekend in Lexington. 8 teams, 6 games, I attended every one of them. After winning their respective first round games, we were set for Xavier vs, Ohio State in the opener, followed by Louisville vs. Texas A&M in the nitecap. The stands were half empty until halftime, when the Louisville crowd began filing in -- almost half the seats in UK's huge Rupp Arena. During the entire second half of a very close and exiting game (eventually won by OSU on a non-call under the basket in the last 30 seconds), we were treated to multiple chants and ?cheers? from the Cardinal fans, including such gems as "NO OVERTIME, NO OVERTIME" and "WE WANT THE MAIN EVENT" and "BORING, BORING", all while the scrappy Musketeers (barely ranked as I recall) traded blows time after time with the top 10 Buckeyes. Neither team was up by more than 4-5 points the entire second half. The Louisville fans not only ignored the great game going on right in front of them, but they did their best to make that game look like a mediocre warm-up band playing before the superstar took the floor. I kinda liked UL bball up until then -- Denny Crum was such a class act when I was a kid, and the big rivalry between the Bearcats and the Cardinals (dating back to when they were both in the Mo. Valley) produced some real classics. But the UL fans changed all that with their classless behavior.

I have rooted against Louisville bball ever since that evening, to the point of even being delighted in the various troubles they faced over NCAA violations under Pitino. I used to think very highly of Chris Mack, and did not begrudge his decision to leave X for his wife's hometown. Now I realize that even though he was hired to clean up a dirty program, Chris Mack simply fell into the same stinky cesspool that is UL bball from top to bottom.

[DanofXav76]

Holy Cow ( my apologies to the late great Harry Caray) you sure you weren't born in Cincinnati Billy Jack, then maybe moved to New England area as an infant? You probably know more about The Big Red Machine than most of the local fans who live here. Even more impressive, apparently no hard feelings of your Beloved Sox losing in 7 games in one of the all time classic WS in '75? Of course most fans only remember the Fisk walk off home run in the bottom of the 12th and think the Sox actually won that Series, lol. I'm guessing the the four Championships from 2004- 2018 may have eased that pain just a bit? Speaking of 2004, that ALCS and the extra inning Game 4 epic especially is still one of my favorite non-Reds baseball memories. I can still vividly recall the TV cameras scanning the fans in Fenway seemingly between every pitche before the 9th inning rally, wondering/thinking here we go again.
Two final things on this long non-basketball topic. I'm not sure if it was 2004 but i remember a guy dressed up as Babe Ruth ( and it sure looked like him too) in a Yankee uniform walking through Fenway during an ALCS game. Maybe it was pre 2004 as the ghost of Babe Ruth was still haunting the Sox? The other one, also at Fenway, was when one of the workers there got into it with a couple of Yankees in their bullpen, kind of late in a ALCS game.
Sorry for rambling here. We may be kindred spirits.

[Xudash]

Holy Cow ( my apologies to the late great Harry Caray) you sure you weren't born in Cincinnati Billy Jack, then maybe moved to New England area as an infant? You probably know more about The Big Red Machine than most of the local fans who live here. Even more impressive, apparently no hard feelings of your Beloved Sox losing in 7 games in one of the all time classic WS in '75? Of course most fans only remember the Fisk walk off home run in the bottom of the 12th and think the Sox actually won that Series, lol. I'm guessing the the four Championships from 2004- 2018 may have eased that pain just a bit? Speaking of 2004, that ALCS and the extra inning Game 4 epic especially is still one of my favorite non-Reds baseball memories. I can still vividly recall the TV cameras scanning the fans in Fenway seemingly between every pitche before the 9th inning rally, wondering/thinking here we go again.
Two final things on this long non-basketball topic. I'm not sure if it was 2004 but i remember a guy dressed up as Babe Ruth ( and it sure looked like him too) in a Yankee uniform walking through Fenway during an ALCS game. Maybe it was pre 2004 as the ghost of Babe Ruth was still haunting the Sox? The other one, also at Fenway, was when one of the workers there got into it with a couple of Yankees in their bullpen, kind of late in a ALCS game.
Sorry for rambling here. We may be kindred spirits.

I have two words for you and Billy Jack: Luis Tiant. Loved his wind up routine. It was one of the greatest World Series of all times, except for having to listen to Curt Gowdy.

Fountain Square was a madhouse back to back in '75 and '76.

[DanofXav76]

Ahh, Dash, Thanks for that Luis Tiant nudge. Yes indeed that legendary wind up. Game 1, five hit complete game shut out. Game 4 complete game win. Starts Game 6 ( i think there was like three days off due to travel and rain) and of course we all know how that ended up after 12 innings. So he started all 3 games the BoSox won in the Series.

True story, for some reason ( the Bengals were actually pretty good back in the 70's) I was at the Bengals home game on the Sunday afternoon ( yes a day time WS game ) of game 2. All of a sudden, during a time out, this huge roar goes up in Riverfront Stadium. Many of the older fans were smart enough to bring a transistor radio and were listening to the baseball game while watching the football game. You see the Reds were down 2-1 going into the top of the 9th, already trailing the Series one game to none, when Billy Jack's man, Johnny Bench, led off the inning with a double down the Right Field line of all places. Now two outs, still down a run, Concepcion singles in Bench to tie the game. Ken Griffey Sr. then doubles in Concepcion for the go ahead run. Riverfront Stadium now going absolute bonkers and not because of the Bengals. It was weird but kind of cool getting Red's updates from the people we were sitting around.

And one last quick one to put a little smile on Dash's face. Game 7, Red down 3-0, top of the 6th. Bill the Spaceman Lee serves up an eephus pitch to Tony Perez. Big Doggie sends it soaring over the Green Monster, deep and far into the Boston night for a 2 run homer to get the Red's back in it.

[Savannah Jay]

Did Northern Iowa smack it up against St Bonaventure? Because they lost to Bradley tonight by 2. So maybe that Karma continued?

Yeah i am not sure UNI is going to be as competitive as they usually are based on the early results (only two wins are University of Dubuque and the Bonnies). Winning on the road in the Valley always seemed like as struggle and the game was in Peoria/at Bradley. But it does add a layer of karma to the win over Bonnies...

For all the Reds fans out there...my love for baseball really grew in the 70s and i still think that the Big Red Machine of '75 and '76 was the best lineup, top to bottom, in my lifetime.

More Reds...I was at a game vs. Phillies when the new park opened in 2003. Adam Dunn started a bench clearing brawl by absolutely leveling whatever poor soul (Lieberthal???) happened to be catching for the Phils that night. And...I hope they have more dippin dots carts at Great American Ballpark. For 3 innings, I had to listen to "Dad, can we have dipping dots." I finally gave in cause I'm a Dad and the begging showed no signs of ebbing. Well, there was one dippin dots cart on the left field side and I spent a solid inning and half in line for dipping dots. I wasn't waiting for a beer or that stuff youse guys call chili, but dippin dots. LOL.