Quote:
Originally Posted by brian1961
I have many fond memories of growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, rooting for the Cubs and White Sox. Even got to go to a few games at Wrigley and Comiskey.
Be that as it may, as much as I loved those experiences, they are nothing compared to the times I watched the Olympic Games on television. I watched, glued to the television screen, the fabulous, constant edge of your seat contest between Team USA and Russia that came to be known as "The Miracle on Ice". I had absolutely no idea who would win beforehand. I sure would not have wanted to know. I don't get into spoilers.
No thanks, bask in the game at Wrigley, eat half a dozen hot dogs and enjoy four Cokes, and have some great memories. But I'm going to continue to love watching the Olympic Games, and try my best not to get sucked into the silly controversies that so many want to incite. These wretched rabble rousers make incidents over this, that, and the other. Such is our crummy sick society of today.
Then again, it's not like things have never gotten out of hand before---we just got the Internet and Social Media madness today.
I well remember American Dave Wottle winning one of, if not the greatest ever, 800 meters track race at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He was hopelessly behind at the 400, and then proceeded to slowly pick it up and pick off the entire field. He wore a painter's cap during the race. On the medals podium, he continued to wear that cap, to the horror and outrage of a million self-righteous American TV viewers.
Why Dave? Oh how could you?
Answer, in such words, he simply forgot to take it off in the excitement of the moment, and being whupped from whupping the field in the race! Hey, at least his hand was over his heart.
Thanks, my fellow old fogey, for a wonderful trip down memory lane! Yeah, I still rise and put my hand over my heart, and BELT OUT "THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ---Brian Powell
|
Wow, this comment jogged a long forgotten memory of being a nine year old and watching the '72 Munich Olympics with my family. I remember Dave Wottle with the hat but I remember him more for being part of a trilogy of athlete names that, as a nine year old, I found incredibly funny.
The '72 Olympics were dominated by Mark Spitz and I remember hearing about an athlete from a country that is now long forgotten with a last name of Pooh, or Pough or some variation. It didn't matter to be because Jim McKay pronounced the athlete's last name as Poo.....yes...that poo and that was what I was going with. So naturally as a nine year old I was fascinated by the Wottle-Spitz-Poo combination and undoubtedly talked about it for years afterwards.
And for this childhood and honestly childish memory that still gives me a chuckle, thank YOU Brian1961 for my trip down memory lane.