BRH

I vote for Timmy Tindale, the Canadian Comet.

Truer words were never spoken.

And Doug Henning, the hippie magician, died about five years ago. Yet Dan Henning is still alive.

The greatest part about that was the aftermath. After the brawl, the Mets only had eight position players left, and so rather than empty his bench completely, Davey Johnson alternated Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco between pitcher and rightfield depending on who was batting. I remember Pete Rose, who was managing the Reds at the time, bitching and moaning that McDowell and Orosco shouldn't get warmup pitches every time they replaced each other. Probably he had money on the game. The Mets won that game in the tenth inning when Howard Johnson -- the lone position player remaining on the bench -- pinch-hit and slammed a three-run homer. Good times. Don't forget Ray was a Golden Gloves boxer in his youth!

And Campy helicoptering his bat at Lerrin LaGrow! Classic stuff!

That said, I don't know if I'd give up my UNO tickets. Omaha is in the CCHA with Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Lake Superior State and a few others. That's some pretty damn good collegiate hockey. I grew up watching AHL hockey and love it, but I went to plenty of ECAC games in college and the level of play there is terrific (as well as the fan support). I can't wait til RIT goes Division I next year!

But one driven entirely by monetary considerations (more ice = fewer seats to sell). Of course, crappy product = fewer seats sold anyway. I'm a fan of the no-touch icing that's in effect in the AHL this year. Speeds the game up some and, in the long run, keeps legs fresher. I'm also all for reducing the size of goalie pads. Technology makes it possible to manufacture lighter and SMALLER equipment that still protects equally well. Pads are for protection, not blocking the net. Garth Snow made a travesty of the playoffs back in '98 or whenever it was.

I find it stunningly apropos that his e-mail provider is cox.net.

"Convicted? No. Never convicted."

Tommy should put his money where his mouth is and buy into that "team" concept!

Easy. Just get a few earthmovers and push all that rock over to the Canadian side.

Don't forget Floyd "Sugar Bear" Rayford, although he predated those guys a little bit. Still have great memories of the 1981-era squad, led by Ripken and Mike Boddicker. With the majors on strike that year, it was a great year for baseball in Rochester -- in much the same way that it is for hockey this year. And I still miss Silver terribly. Nothing like getting a tub of Genny and sitting wherever you wanted in the $3 general admission seats, I have one of the old wooden box seats (the red ones) from before the 1987 renovation sitting in my office at home. Still smile whenever I see it. Those were the days.

Love reading these stories, and telling them too. I'll see your Toronto story and raise you one of mine, from the old Exhibition Stadium: August 1987: A 48-year-old Phil Niekro starts for the Blue Jays against the Oakland A's, whose lineup that day featured Reggie Jackson, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. 1,608 lifetime home runs right there. Niekro didn't get out of the first inning. In fact, he didn't get an OUT in the first inning. He gave up five runs before Jimy Williams came out to get him, amid jeers and catcalls from the audience. It turned out to be his second-to-last start in the major leagues. Ted Turner brought him back to Atlanta a month later so he could retire as a Brave; Niekro went three innings and gave up five more runs before retiring for good. But again, McGwire -- a rookie that year -- stole the show. The Blue Jays came back to tie the score at 5-all, but in the top of the tenth inning McGwire, who had been stuck on the rookie-record 39 HR for a couple of weeks, hit a ball that just cleared the left field fence to win the game and become the first rookie ever to hit 40 home runs.

I would agree with that. Especially in the South and Texas. I've been to Williams-Brice Stadium at the University of South Carolina, and Darrell Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium at the University of Texas, and you're right, the atmosphere is nothing short of electric. Even Harvard Stadium, the Yale Bowl, Penn's Franklin Field and Princeton's Palmer Stadium (before they tore it down) were incredible places to see games, even though they were usually so empty you could have your own section to yourself.

Count me as one who doesn't miss Zig. Or Jimmy B. Or the Coach. Those were NOT the glory days, folks.

Excellent! That's exactly what I was looking for. Bingo Thanks all!

Different airport, but thanks. For JFK I take the AirTrain to the Howard Beach stop and take the A train into the city. Takes an hour but you can't beat seven bucks! Aussie, thanks for confirming my first impression!

I have four distinct memories of the games I attended at Yankee Stadium: (1) Sitting in a box along the third base line watching Nolan Ryan pitch for the Rangers in 1990. The best part was when he faced Deion for the first time. Two heaters and a curve that just dropped right off the table and Deion was done. See ya, punk. (2) Speaking of Deion, I was at his first major league game, in 1989. Had no idea he'd been called up and I was looking at the lineup on the scoreboard and noticed that a #18 was batting 9th and playing centerfield. I thought, "What, did Claudell Washington come out of retirement?" Then Bob Sheppard announced the lineups (the BEST part of the Stadium experience, bar none) and when he got to the ninth hitter, we all heard, "Batting ninthinthinth, the center fielderderder, number eighteeneeneen, Deiononon Sandersersers. Number eighteeneeneen." As I recall he went 1-4 and beat out an infield chopper. (3) I went early to a Mariners-Yankees game in May 1989 and watched this nineteen-year-old kid take batting practice for Seattle. He launched bomb after bomb into the upper deck and jaws dropped everywhere. Of course, the kid was Ken Griffey Jr. (4) In 1995 I went there for an A's-Yankees game and watched a rookie named Derek Jeter start at short for the Yankees. But what I really remember was watching Mark McGwire launch an absolute rocket into the back of the monuments. The place was dead silent when he hit it and all you could hear was the crack of the bat and then a hushed "ohhhhhh" from the crowd. I think they measured it at 462, but I think they missed a hundred feet somewhere.

So I'm going to NYC this weekend for a surprise birthday party for a buddy. Flying down to LGA from here on a puddlejumper; got a room at the Clarion across the street. What's the best and cheapest way to get from there to Manhattan? The only thing that sucks about LGA (well, besides the sometimes-too-short runways) is there's no subway access. I figure the M60 bus to the Astoria subway stop is the best way unless someone here knows different. I'll probably take a cab back afterward (the party's somewhere on the Upper West Side). Thanks to any New Yawkers who can provide advice.

Not exactly a "Yankee tradition," is it? When I was in college in the late '80s and early '90s (i.e. when the Yankees sucked) I would go to games at the Stadium and I'd never see anything like you described. Hell, the bleachers were only half full back then anyway.

Buffalo "of" the NYJ? Is that like HC of the NYJ?

Man who live in glass house should change in basement.

I have only been to the Razor once, for a Springsteen concert a couple of years ago. Aside from the fact that it cost thirty fuggin bucks to park my car, I didn't have any problem getting out. Of course, that may be because I was sitting in the last row of the lower deck (right by the concourse) in the section closest to my car, and I bolted as soon as the last song started to wind down.

Man with Google save all of you lot of trouble.

I thought it was Inspector Sidney Wang who said that! Ah that was one great movie. Especially James Cromwell's first role, as Inspector Perrier's chauffeur.