Do You Remember Your First Time?

No, not THAT first time. That one I'm trying to forget. With September slowly eroding away into October, I am reminded that, for the sports fan, October is the greatest month on the calendar. Baseball sees its playoffs unfold that month. The second quarter of the NFL schedule plays out which separates the potential contenders from the spoilers and also rans. Basketball and hockey are both winding down their respective preseasons and getting ready to begin anew. And of course, this year, for the first time, ESPN will be ramping up their hype machine toward the poker world in preparation of November's ME final table.

To that end, I have been thinking recently about how I came to love the sports world with the passion that I do, and my initial forays into fandom of each game. It certainly helped that my formative years (6-10) coincided with the pinnacle of Philadelphia sports history (1976-1980). In fact, for those that don't know, or never cared to know, in 1980 Philadelphia was represented in the finals of all 4 major sports. Only the Phillies managed to capture the crown that eventful year, besting George Brett and the Royals in 6 games, but from then on, I was hooked.

My first live baseball game was in June of 1976 at the Vet. The Phillies stomped the Cubs 6-1 in a thunder storm shortened 6 inning affair. Just a few short weeks later, I also attended an 11-3 pounding of the Montreal Expos. In fact the only member of the starting lineup from that team I couldn't remember today was Dave Cash (had to look it up). I had thought that Ted Sizemore played 2nd that season, but evidently he didn't play with the Phils until the following year. Richie Hebner, Larry Bowa, Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, Gary Maddox, Jay Johnstone and Bob Boone rounded out the starting position players. Of course, the ace of the staff was Steve Carlton. Not a bad team for my initial bond.

In 1977, I got to my first Eagles game, also at the Vet. That rainy afternoon, the Eagles shutout the Jets 27-0. Little did I know at the time, the Eagles were actually a pretty bad team and would eventually finish that season only 5-9. However, they increased their win total by 2 each of the next two years and culminated with a 12 win 1980 campaign, eventually falling to the Raiders in the super bowl. My first taste of Philly sports disappointment. Certainly not my last.

Although I didn't get to my first Sixers game until a 1979 loss to the Super Sonics at the old Spectrum, my first taste of that franchise was watching the deciding game of the 1977 NBA finals. I had no idea that the Sixers had been to the finals the prior year and were the odds on favorite to capture the title. So when the Trail Blazers won that game, and the series in 6, I was saved the emotional dispair felt by those who had more time invested. Erving had 40 in that game, Bill Walton, the series MVP, had 20 and 22 rebounds. Then 2 years later began a 4 or 5 year run where the NBA was owned by 3 teams, Sixers, Celtics and Lakers. When 2 of those teams matched up, as the Sixers and Lakers did 3 times in the early 80's, there may have never been better basketball played. Erving, Malone, Cheeks, Bird, Parrish, Kareem, Magic, and the list goes on.

Finally, it was just a few short years after the back to back Stanley Cups for the Flyers in the early 70's. We were in the midst of another string of Canadiens championships when the 1979-1980 season hit. I didn't actually get to a live Flyers game until my late 20's but that season hooked me good. In 80 games, the orange and black lost just 12 times, racking up 116 points for the season. In fact, that year they went 35 straight games without a loss. They were rarely on tv in those days so, most nights, I would have a transistor radio under my pillow and allowed Gene Hart to soothe me to sleep with his call of another Flyers win. Damn you Bob Nystrom!!! Damn you all to hell!!

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.