We were all saddened at the death of beloved, long time Patriot's play by play announcer Gil Santos.....He touched, and brightened so many people's lives it's difficult to put into mere "words" all the things that describe what a great loss.we all feel......A kind, "gentlemanly" unassuming man who always brought a smile to your face. Any fan who approached him, whether for an autograph or just to say "hello" was always treated like a special friend.......He, along with long time partner, Patriot great, Gino Cappelletti, brought a unique freshness to the broadcasting of Patriot;s football games. No other team in the country was more admired by their fans.....Gil will long be remembered by all whose lives he touched.....He may be gone but NEVER FORGOTTEN......
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A few days ago I was invited to watch a Celtics' game with the family of a couple of very dear friends.....I met the girl friend of one of the guys AND her eight year old son, Nick, a third grader in the Saugus school system......Of course the boy was into Boston Sports, especially the Bruins and Patriots (although he liked the Sox and Celts as well) .....He already knew I was a sportswriter and we immediately got into some great questions and answers about what was really going on......He admitted that the local sports shows were very boring because they kept on talking about the same one topic all day long.....over and ever again.....
When he asked me why Belichick (who he greatly admires) kept Malcolm Butler off the field during the super bowl......Of course the "Belichick hating media just criticizes the decision.....BUT, never mentions that Butler missed TWO practices the week of the game.....The new plays had to be run through with replacements and, as none other than RED AUERBACH, and several other GREAT COACHES will tell you. "If you miss the practices you don't play in the games." (This wasn't a punishment, as the media would have you think.) AND, I added another little tidbit the media conveniently left out---The Patriots lost the first two games of the year when Butler, personally, gave up FOUR TD's. He's only 5'9" and coaches were exploiting him with taller receivers. Philadelphia sports media was talking all week about how the Eagle's receivers would eat him up......After those first two games Belichick kept moving Butler around (hiding him from the opposing coaches) so they couldn't keep targeting him (Butler).....This made sense to young Nick and he then asked me about the older Boston sports teams and great stars of yesteryear......He did know about Bobby Orr, Ted Williams and "a little bit about LARRY BIRD??? I've said for a long time that the sports shows never talk about the older days and there's a generation of kids who are totally un-informed about OUR great sports stars and the history of the teams of their "GREATEST SPORTS TOWN IN AMERICA..... Well, Nick, here's a few famous Boston names and some stories for you to look up......... I'll talk about when I was a kid of eight......there was TED WILLIAMS, of course BUT the Red Sox, back in the 40's and 50's had some other great players.....DOMENIC DiMaggio (Joe's brother and Marilyn Monroe's brother-in-law), Johnny Pesky, (yup, the right field pole's named after him.) Then there was BOBBY DOERR.....BOBBY is the reason Dustin Pedroia will NEVER be the Red Sox greatest second baseman.....NOTE:---DOERR is the only Sox player to hit for the cycle TWICE.....That's a single, double, triple AND home run in the same game.....DOERR and TED are in the baseball hall of fame. These four became lifelong friends AND are firmly entrenched in the memories of an entire generation of Sox fans.....I've got tons of stories on them if you have an interest.....Okay, Nick. BOBBY ORR put the Boston hockey world back on track after several bad years.....Of course Bobby is legendary BUT there are MANY greats that played with the Bruins in those days and, unfortunately, the Boston Media has let them slip past the memories of an entire generation...... Here's some names to look up who were teammates of Bobby's......Phil Esposito, Derek Sanderson, Gerry Cheevers, Wayne Cashman, Ken Hodge and several more.....Back in those days they were called "the Big Bad Bruins and there's several good stories to be told...... The BOSTON Patriots didn't come into being until 1960.......Up until then us football fans had to be satisfied rooting for the NEW YORK GIANTS.....Yup!!!, the Patriots saved us.....The first year was tough BUT, you knew that these guys had toughness.....A front four defensive line that was the scourge of the old AFL.....and they played together for EIGHT consecutive years....NEVER EVER done before or since......Crazy Larry Eisenhauer, Bob Dee, Jim "Earthquake" Hunt and six-time all pro, Houston "Thunder" Antwine.....The captain of the team (only one captain) was Tom Addison, a linebacker from Texas who has a story of his own that wound up in the movies......Nick, ask me any questions you like about any of these guys.....I WAS THERE and know them all. Lastly.....The Celtics, who captured the hearts of two generations of Celtics fans.......Start off with RED AUERBACH then move to Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, Jim Loscutof, Frank Ramsey (the very first sixth man.) Move along to John Havliceck who, along with Dave Cowens, and a team coached by Tom Heinsohn headed up the Celtics scond dynasty.....Of course the end of THAT era brought us (after a couple of down years) to the LARRY BIRD era......Ions of stories there. NOW.....Danny Ainge has built perhaps the best team of all.....THAT'S RIGHT......and he's not yet finished.... The stories of these kids are just beginning......When Danny gets that DOMINANT CENTER, whether from the Pelicans or the draft.......LOOK OUT NBA....... Well, Nick, hope I got you interested in wanting to learn more history of ALL the sports teams of the GREATEST sports town in AMERICA......and the tons of stories that go with it.....Stay Tuned |
AuthorJim Tuberosa has been a staple in the Boston Sports Community for years. His relationships with both Boston Sports Personalities and Sports Media Personalities, such as Will McDonough, Bob Lobel and Johnny Most, gives him a unique perspective regarding some of Boston's most beloved sports heroes and historic events. Archives
June 2020
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