WNY 30 for 30 ideas

[Bullpen]

Like many here, I'm a big fan of the ESPN 30 for 30 series. It's one of those shows that I can go back and watch certain episodes over and over again. It's part nostalgia and part "I never knew that's what really was going on." There's been a couple that have WNY ties (Four Falls, I Hate Christian Laettner, etc...)

 

I was thinking the other night, it's a pipe dream obviously, but there's quite a few local stories that I've always thought would be interesting to the locals and might warrant a locally produced 30 for 30 type documentary.

 

The rise a fall of the Buffalo Braves

Richie Campbell, Marcus Whitfield and the Burgard Bulldogs of the late 80's

1950 NASCAR Grand National Champion Bill Rexford from Conewango, NY

The short-lived Buffalo Stallions

St BonaventureBasketball Teams of the late 60s
How Buffalo lost its MLB bid in the early 90s

The WNY Little 3 Basketball Conference 1946-1957

 

Would love to read other ideas.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Bullpen

[Helpmenow]

Baby Joe Mesi

[dpberr]

What is the story of how Buffalo lost its MLB bid in the 1990s?

[mead107]

I am sure they could find a lot to stories on

[Augie]

I'd watch one on the Braves. We had season tix and my sister uses to baby sit for some Braves families. I really enjoyed them, but was too young to remember the beginning and a little fuzzy on how it ended. Lots of gaps for me there.

[Punching Bag]

Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo's team in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC).

Buffalo was the only AAFC market without an NFL team post-merger with AAFC.

[BillsPride12]

20 years from now they could make one about the Bills playoff drought

[PastaJoe]

20 years from now they could make one about the Bills playoff drought

Even if it's still going?

 

The rise and fall off the Buffalo Norsemen.

 

 

[DC Tom]

All The Times Buffalo Has Gotten Screwed. (e.g. "Just give it to 'em," No Goal, Homerun Throwback.)

[MarkyMannn]

Was it around 68 St Bona with Bob Lanier. Could have won the college championship until BL got hurt

 

My dad had a 2 family home at the time. The tenant was great friends with BL and BL would stop over. My dad would freak about what will the neighbors think about this huge black guy coming to our house. Obviously a different time. I got BL's autograph

[Marv's Neighbor]

Was it around 68 St Bona with Bob Lanier. Could have won the college championship until BL got hurt

 

My dad had a 2 family home at the time. The tenant was great friends with BL and BL would stop over. My dad would freak about what will the neighbors think about this huge black guy coming to our house. Obviously a different time. I got BL's autograph

I think he graduated in 69 or 70?

[Augie]

I think he graduated in 69 or 70?

 

A little earlier? I base things on where we lived at the time. Parents worked for developer and I lived in 9 places before leaving for college at 17.

 

Nope, '67-70. I guess he was good when he was young, because I remember him well from pre-'69.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Augie

[ricojes]

UB's 1958 football team turning down the bowl invitation, the Willie Evans story...Actually a similar story with the Bills when the 1964 team wouldn't play in all star game if blacks weren't allowed to play.

Rich Stadium and the cemetery it was built around.

In the early 1970s, the Buffalo Braves played sixteen home games at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens.....it wasn't just the Bills...

[Gugny]

"Mr. Ags: Did He Stay, or Did He Go?"

[Bullpen]

Lots of ideas I totally forgot about.

 

Baby Joe Mesi, for some reason I misremember he wanted to go into politics maybe?

I've read some articles about eh AAFC Bison team and that would be interesting viewing.

RE: The Braves, I'm with you Augie, I barely remember them at all and would love to know a lot more about them.

The Norsemen, that's fascinating! I've never heard of them until just now!

The Buffalo Screw Jobs would need to be at least a three part series.

 

What is the story of how Buffalo lost its MLB bid in the 1990s?

I feel somewhat like a hypocrite because I live in Colorado and I now root for the Rockies which is one of the two teams created in place of the Buffalo franchise! I honestly don't know the whole story about why Buffalo didn't get a franchise, but I'm sure Toronto, Cleveland and Pittsburgh probably fought it tooth and nail.

[Gordio]

Lots of ideas I totally forgot about.

 

Baby Joe Mesi, for some reason I misremember he wanted to go into politics maybe?

I've read some articles about eh AAFC Bison team and that would be interesting viewing.

RE: The Braves, I'm with you Augie, I barely remember them at all and would love to know a lot more about them.

The Norsemen, that's fascinating! I've never heard of them until just now!

The Buffalo Screw Jobs would need to be at least a three part series.

 

I feel somewhat like a hypocrite because I live in Colorado and I now root for the Rockies which is one of the two teams created in place of the Buffalo franchise! I honestly don't know the whole story about why Buffalo didn't get a franchise, but I'm sure Toronto, Cleveland and Pittsburgh probably fought it tooth and nail.

 

 

I think the biggest problem from what I remember was Bob Rich got cold feet when he found out how much money it was going to cost to bring a franchise here.

[Jauronimo]

Buttchug, Flaming Tables, and Dildos on the Field: This is Bills Mafia!

[BuffaloBud]

Just watched one about how John Spano "hustled" his way into owning the NY Islanders. What about doing one on John Rigas?

 

I'd love to see one done about the St Bona basketball team and Bob Lanier. If my research is correct, St Bona is the smallest school in the amount of enrollment that has played in a Final Four.

Edited January 26, 2017 by BuffaloBud

[The Real Buffalo Joe]

Lots of ideas I totally forgot about.

 

Baby Joe Mesi, for some reason I misremember he wanted to go into politics maybe?

I've read some articles about eh AAFC Bison team and that would be interesting viewing.

RE: The Braves, I'm with you Augie, I barely remember them at all and would love to know a lot more about them.

The Norsemen, that's fascinating! I've never heard of them until just now!

The Buffalo Screw Jobs would need to be at least a three part series.

 

I feel somewhat like a hypocrite because I live in Colorado and I now root for the Rockies which is one of the two teams created in place of the Buffalo franchise! I honestly don't know the whole story about why Buffalo didn't get a franchise, but I'm sure Toronto, Cleveland and Pittsburgh probably fought it tooth and nail.

We were basically told "Build it, and they will come." We built Pilot Field (now Coca-Cola Field), which at the time seated 20,000. It was built to have the roof torn off, and expanded to 40-45,000 when/if we got our team. We had huge crowds the first couple years, outdrawing even the White Sox and Braves (who granted both sucked at the time.)

 

However, from what I understand, someone can correct me if I'm wrong, we lost it because of Toronto, Pittsburgh, and the two NYC teams, mostly the Yankees, our TV market would have been very small. On top of the fact that we'd be coming in the middle of an contract between MLB and TV stations, so we wouldn't have gotten any money until the new contract started.

 

Not that ESPN/30 for 30 would do it, but Buffalo has a lot of baseball history that people don't know about. The team that's now the Boston Red Sox used to be called the Buffalo Bisons. There was a league called the Federal League that was supposed to be a 3rd Major League back in the 1960s. The league only existed on paper though and never followed through. However every city in the league (except, guess who), ended up getting a team.

 

We also had the first minority manager in professional baseball back in the 60s. Lost the team in the 70s, got a AA team in the 80s. Got promoted to AAA. The whole fiasco of not getting a MLB team in the late 80s/early 90s happened. We won the American Association championship in 1997. That league disbanded right after and the teams were absorbed into the International League and Pacific Coast League. So as a result, to this day we still have that trophy.

Edited February 6, 2017 by The Real Buffalo Joe

[Bullpen]

We were basically told "Build it, and they will come." We built Pilot Field (now Coca-Cola Field), which at the time seated 20,000. It was built to have the roof torn off, and expanded to 40-45,000 when/if we got our team. We had huge crowds the first couple years, outdrawing even the White Sox and Braves (who granted both sucked at the time.)

 

However, from what I understand, someone can correct me if I'm wrong, we lost it because of Toronto, Pittsburgh, and the two NYC teams, mostly the Yankees, our TV market would have been very small. On top of the fact that we'd be coming in the middle of an contract between MLB and TV stations, so we wouldn't have gotten any money until the new contract started.

 

Not that ESPN/30 for 30 would do it, but Buffalo has a lot of baseball history that people don't know about. The team that's now the Boston Red Sox used to be called the Buffalo Bisons. There was a league called the Federal League that was supposed to be a 3rd Major League back in the 1960s. The league only existed on paper though and never followed through. However every city in the league (except, guess who), ended up getting a team.

 

We also had the first minority manager in professional baseball back in the 60s. Lost the team in the 70s, got a AA team in the 80s. Got promoted to AAA. The whole fiasco of not getting a MLB team in the late 80s/early 90s happened. We won the American Association championship in 1997. That league disbanded right after and the teams were absorbed into the International League and Pacific Coast League. So as a result, to this day we still have that trophy.

This is fascinating information!!!! Good stuff Joe. Thanks for sharing!