First up, a quick endorsement for a local business. Madra Rua . Great food, atmosphere and staff. Had a couple business meet ups recently at the Summerville Madra Rua. Five star experience each time. About as close to a "home field" business meeting spot as I can get.
Friend shout out time. Marge Kraiter. Thank you for the positivity, understanding and ear. Fair minded but not a "yes" friend. Properly opinionated, balanced and intelligent. All is greatly appreciated.
Another shout out to my buddy Sean Flynn. Outstanding job he and his 1st mate Murphy did in traversing the ICW from S.C. to Florida in the refurbed Sweet Haven.
Congrats my friend. Great tribute and accomplishment. And inspiration. And I'm certain your Dad was with you all the way.
Page maintained by his son, Vada Pinson III. The page is constantly updated, well maintained, respectful and classy. So obviously Vada III is breaking social media rules. 😄 I kid, I kid. I've seen some shakily run pages of other baseball and football greats. But this ain't one.
Right up front the intent of the page is to generate and educate. Generate discussion on behalf on Vada Jr. Educate on why Vada Jr. deserves another look for the baseball HOF. Plenty of pics, info, stats and member participation. No politics 😃. Also absent, or nearly, from the page are the "...If ... Then why not ..." posts. I'm not big on those type of player comps either. Only using this as an example: "If Harold Baines then why not Vada Pinson". Kill those arguments with fire please. To me that helps no one. Only using Baines as he is the new "If ... Why not ..." Hall of Famer in this example. I just don't care for those comparisons.
Should one want to write the Baseball Hall of Fame on behalf of Vada Pinson here is the address:
Historical Overview Committee
Baseball Hall of Fame
25 Main Street
Cooperstown NY 13326
I went pen to paper with my letter. Handwriting not the best here but it gives me more of a personal feel. Authentic. And I write the way I talk. Shaky punctuation and all 😎
Vada's career is one that I believe deserves another look. Stats, attitude, class on and off the field. Respected and loved coach during his time also. Hall of Fame quality is there. Full respect to Vada III for what he's doing on behalf of his father. ✌
Intermezzo ...
To the sax ...
Advocating? ...
Around 2009 I found out that anyone can nominate a former player who meets criteria for Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration. I've had some fun through the years with that. How much do letters from fans like myself help? Who knows. I just enjoy doing it.
The players I've supported via pen & paper are:
Ricky Watters.
Robert Brazile. Inducted.
Isaac Bruce. Inducted.
Richmond Webb.
Kenny Easley. Inducted.
Bryant Young. Inducted.
Lance Briggs.
And David Fulcher soon.
Solid group. Probably add Pat Swilling to this.
A few years back, after being told it was possible to write the Baseball HOF (But an individual cannot nominate a player that way). I'm far better writing on behalf of football players, but I decided to write on behalf of some Diamond Kings:
Tony Oliva. Inducted.
Fred Lynn.
Dale Murphy.
Dwight Evans.
Reggie Smith.
Dave Parker. Inducted.
And Vada Pinson just recently.
Dave Parker, The Cobra. When I started watching MLB big Dave was the man. "When the leaves turn brown I'll be wearing the batting crown". 😃. I'm so glad he was finally elected. Passed over far too long. His health hasn't been good the last few years but I really hope he gets an opportunity this Summer to truly enjoy that moment.
I can make a solid case for all listed above for the HOF. I'd like to think in some way letters from fans advocating for athletes in this fashion means a little something though not putting any player over the bar. Every letter helps, be respectful. 😇
Random Musings ...
This is shaping up to be one of the more fascinating F1 seasons in years.
UNC basketball. Fellas, you need to straighten this out.
March Madness is simply not the same since the advent of NIL and the portal.
I'm slowly coming around to the idea that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, not Michael Jordan or LeBron James, is the Greatest Basketball Player of all time.
"Cap"
Kareem was a winner.
Who dabbled in Aviation in the off-season
😁
With a virtually impossible to stop signature shot.
Respected throughout his career by friend and foe. A generational talent on the court. I would have liked to see Kareem as UCLA coach. Obviously never happened. His even keel personality would have been a plus. He's a good dude.
But first. Congratulations to a fellow movie buff , a very knowledgeable one with. The Queen of Studio Era knowledge. My friend Virginie Saia Pronovost,
who celebrates her blogs 10 year anniversary! Link to her blog below.
A quick endorsement. Rivergirl Fishing. Family fun. The South Fork of the New River in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. What a locale 😎. Something tells me by Spring of '25 business will be rocking 😎
"Boss, you can't swim..."
"Bears can. Gotta be authentic and keep it real."
Onward ...
Some random stuff to kick off the week.
*The Redskins beating the Bears on a hail mary. Wild finish.
*Ravens. Skip this, royally pissed.
*Falcons. Good win. Solid road win.
*Yankees. FIX IT!!!
*Notre Dame is a National Title threat.
*Alabama still has issues.
*Colorado. Beware of the Buffs.
*Remember to keep some eyes and ears focused on the Western North Carolina corridor that I'm tied to. Ashe and Watauga counties and Trade and Mountain City Tennessee. I do love those areas and they are home for me.
"No. Boo Berry is the best. Super Sugar Crisp was great back in the day also"
#3 ... But first, an early 80's classic from Al Jarreau ...
"Doesn't this sort of music make us look soft ..."
"... Not a chance my Golden friend ..."
Onward!
Elite Skill Set. So. Let's take:
The Football IQ of Willie Lanier.
The Tackling Ability of Bobby Bell.
The Physicality of Dave Wilcox.
The Speed Pass Rush of Robert Brazile.
The Coverage Ability of Dave Robinson.
Mix them together to form one Linebacker.
Who do we get :
Lawrence Taylor is, with no hesitation or question on my part, the greatest defensive player I have seen take the field in the NFL. I'm not alone in that assessment. I can go a step further and say LT is one of the two greatest NFL players I have seen play. It's either LT or Jerry Rice. In my opinion LT and Rice are the Top Two players All Time and I could fashion a formidable argument for either. But, not here.
The 1979 Gator Bowl. Michigan Wolverines vs. North Carolina Tar Heels. Not much of a college football fan at that time (c'mon, I was 9 😁). I had watched a couple of UNC games earlier. I've always liked the Linebacker position. Tar Heels had 2 great ones in 1979. Buddy Curry and Lawrence Taylor. The Heels defeated Michigan 17-15. A game that turned momentum wise in the first half following a LT sack of Michigan QB John Wangler. Wangler was done for the game. LT was only getting started.
The 1980 Tar Heels were very, very good. 11-1. Top 10. Bluebonnet Bowl win over Texas. The only blemish being a loss in early November at traditional power Oklahoma. LT had an All American season leading a stout UNC defense. 16 sacks and a terror all over the field in every game.
1981 NFL Draft. Minimal hope LT would end up in Washington or Miami. I knew the Falcons were out.Visual evidence below of my Dad's efforts to make me a "Skins & Phins fan 😂
"... well, that didn't happen ... Cool Toboggan though ..."
Nope, sure didn't. Giants grabbed LT. Who then proceeded to terrorize not just the 'Skins but every other team. The Giants, a woebegone relic of team that was once a powerhouse in the pre Super Bowl era, were transformed in 1981 into a Wild Card playoff team. That won a playoff game before going on the road and losing to the 49ers in the divisional round. LT was a major factor. No playoffs in the 1982 strike shortened 4-5 season for the Giants. Head Coach Ray Perkins departed. Headed back to Alabama following the retirement of the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant. Short term, Giants were 3-12-1 in 1983 under first year Head Coach Bill Parcells. A step back. Long term. Well ...
Intermezzo
" ... I wonder who was the IMDB member who initially got this LT Showtime Special listed on the site?"
Ok, that self serving flex is outta the way, let's get back to LT
Following the mess of 1983 the Giants under Bill Parcells were contenders for the rest of the decade + another Super Bowl in 1990. With a blip in 1987, another labor issue season.
1984 9-7 Wild Card
1985 10-6 NFC East Champs
1986 14-2 Super Bowl Champs
1987 6-9
1988 10-6 No Playoffs
1989 12-4 NFC East Champs
1990 13-3 Super Bowl Champs
Two Super Bowl titles in 5 seasons. In what was a dog-eat-dog NFC at the time. The Giants, 49ers, Bears, Redskins were very strong teams. The Vikings, Eagles, Saints and Rams had their moments as well. Individually LT would grab the 1986 AP MVP & Defensive Player of the year (his 3rd). Certainly Coach Parcells and Assistant Coach Bill Belichick and their coaching methods deserve some of the credit. But by the late 80's it was very apparent that Lawrence Taylor with a combo of off the charts instincts and athleticism, was a generational player. The mold as they say, was broken.
Bill Parcells left the Giants following the 1990 season. His second Super Bowl winner. In my view, his best coaching job. Injuries and age were creeping in.
From 91-93 LT was still great at his best, very good at his worst. 1992 was injury plagued. 1993 under first year head coach Dan Reeves the Giants made the playoffs in what was LT's final season. The writing had been on the wall.
Lawrence Taylor at a glance courtesy of Pro Football Reference:
There were other great Linebackers playing during LT's career. Andre Tippett, Rickey Jackson, Mike Singletary, Pat Swilling, Derrick Thomas, Harry Carson, Wilber Marshall, Carl Banks and more. Greats, but no LT's.
November 18, 1985 Monday Night Football. The Giants vs. the Redskins.
The Giants entered at 7-3, the Redskins were clinging to playoff hopes at 5-5.
Skins eeked out a win. But still missed the playoffs. One of the last MNF games my Dad and I watched together. The LT that people saw jumping around frantically waving for help after the unfortunate Joe Theismann injury? That's the real LT.
Off field issues for LT. No one will ever accuse LT of being a bad guy. Good men can make bad decisions. We're human. I never recall LT passing the buck and blaming anyone else for any transgressions. He has always manned up, never shied-away from taking blame. That matters. Good Lawrence Taylor dwarfs Bad Lawrence Taylor. LT is one of a kind.
As for on the field, there will never be another Lawrence Taylor.
Ahh Converse, Trax & Jox in elementary school. Fun times on the playground. Cuga while attending the private Christian school. Jeez, what became of Cuga? Kinda looked like Diadora's. Pic 'n Pay used to carry Cuga's. Come to think of it, what became of Pic 'n Pay?
Back to public school for High School and there were not a lot of Jox or Cuga wearers 😆.
Puma - Adidas - Aigner - Converse dotted the landscape.
" ... What the heck's a Aigner? ... "
Aigner's super premium. German. I remember a couple of gals in high school wearing them.
Back on topic. I loved the Puma Suedes. Never had any for school wear though. Only pair I had was Summer worn in '85. Not the best, not the worst. Early '85 my first pair of Nike's. The Penetrator. Low cut, white, royal blue swoosh. Man, loved those. Couple of pairs of Reebok's followed along with a cool pair of White/Blue Avia 830's and a low cut pair of British Knights.
Nothing but a Nike buyer and wearer from 1988 - 2020 when these appeared on the scene:
Early '88. Finally, a top shelf, high demand sneaker that I could find locally and in the right size.
Not going through my roster of Nike's over the years but I'll give a quick "atta boy Nike!" to a few pairs.
The OG Air Revolution (2/88-6/91) pictured above. Nike's best basketball sneaker in my opinion. Durable beyond belief. Could take a beating. The later retro releases lacked those qualities.
The Air Force III (1/89-7/90). I wore the III's until they nearly turned to dust. And the pic above is in the colorway of mine back in the day. Durable. A touch lighter than the Air Revolution. A great outdoor court shoe.
Jordan Team 9.5 (7/07-12/19). 10+ years but had 2 pairs and didn't dog them out. So technically the Jordan brand but I mean, c'mon. 😉. Quality and durability surpass most of Nike's 2002 - present offerings. In some ways the 9.5's combined the best of the Air Revs & Force III's. Great sneaker both performance and looks wise.
Nike had some shaky offerings as well. The Air Pressure's from around 1990. Yikes. The Shox Supremacy from 02/03. No durability. Air Max Penny IV from '99 had some issues. The Air Zoom Huarache Elite TB from 2004 - 2006. Those had bad soles. Quality and durability from Nike/ Jordan took a dive starting around 01/02. Poor materials? Lazy craft? Dunno. But by 2020 my years of loyalty ran out. Skechers casuals would be it for me ...
Until ...
"The decade of the 80's are here sir. They have a delivery for you ..."
Avia drops the 715 & 720. They have a very distinct late 80's / early 90's look. Both in the colorway I prefer. White/Black. With a touch of gray on the 720's. The 715's remind me a little bit of the Nike Air Flight (OG 89's) and the Nike Air Flight Bound (OG '93). The 720's are close to the Air Force III's in fit and weight. Great look for both. Comfortable to wear, appear well built. At a price point that encourages buying. I'll see how they hold up. The Avia brand and retro look pulled me in. 😃
