StuckinRedskinland Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 What is your best memory of Buffalo sports? Mine is back in the 70's when the Bills were hot and the Sabres were HOT (like now) and the Braves held first place in the Division. I remember I think it was Good Morning America doing a story on Buffalo and calling it "SPORTS TOWN USA". I use to love to listen to Van Miller call the Bills games and Ted Darling doing the Sabres games, can anyone help me out ? Did Van also do the Braves games? Life was simpler and we were number one across the board. Those were the days ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 What is your best memory of Buffalo sports? 540287[/snapback] There are so many - especially from the Bills' glory days - but my favorite of all time was December 13, 1972 - Jim Schoenfeld knocking Bruins' winger Wayne Cashman right thru the boards into the parked Zamboni! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 That was something. French Connection the most feared line in hockey, rattling off 100 point seasons scoring and won-loss records. OJ probably the most dynamic player in the NFL. And Bob McAdoo leading the NBA in scoring for a few years. Mid 70s had to be a hell of a time to watch the teams. Maybe some uh you ol timers can recollect your personal remembrances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Lamb Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 Van Miller did do the Buffalo braves games at one time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 That was something. French Connection the most feared line in hockey, rattling off 100 point seasons scoring and won-loss records. OJ probably the most dynamic player in the NFL. And Bob McAdoo leading the NBA in scoring for a few years. Mid 70s had to be a hell of a time to watch the teams. Maybe some uh you ol timers can recollect your personal remembrances. 540343[/snapback] Remember what a treat it was to actually get a sabre game on TV. Mid 70s there was maybe 8 on a year, outside of NBC and Peter Puck!!!!!! Sabre Tickets being IMPOSSIBLE to get. Man, that was a special occasion going to a game. Remember the Ralph with 20,000 packed inside er. One of my favorite games was the Giants strike game, 4.00pm start, left Wiechecks in south Buffalo at 3.30, no problem in the seats at by 4.00pm, less than 10,000 at that classic 6-3 game. Seeing the Great one for the first time at the Aud. The Conga line after the Rams win, the first Dolphins victory, the fog game, Bat Man Lorentz, Seeing a kid get his ticket ripped out of his hand in front of the Rockpile Plaeding with the old man to let us go to the endzone in the Rockpile so we could try and get a ball(no nets behind the goalposts in those days) Bills getting steamrolled by the Stillers in the first playoiff game i remember.And the old man bitching the whole time to play Braxton, that OJ guy was all flash, no substance, and Jim Braxton was a mans man!!!!!! Could go on and on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 Early Sunday mornings rushing downstairs to get first stab at the Courier Express sports section to read the reports on the Sabres and Braves from the night before and the previews on the Bills and Sabres games to be played later in the day. It was a golden era. We couldn't afford to go to games so the newspapers, the radios and the tv (when it worked) were my eyes and ears to Buffalo sports. Many of those news articles I clipped out and put into scrapbooks that I have to this day. We only got the Courier on Sundays but we did get the Buffalo Evening News. I used to pick through the neighbors garbage on Wednesday nights (garbage nights) so I could get the weekday Courier sports sections. My family doesn't know any of that. I used to have boxes of sports sections in my bedroom. My room smelled liked newsprint. It kept my sisters out! Van Miller did the Braves games with Ralph Hubbell doing courtside reports. Van was also on Channnel 4 sports. TV back then was less on youth and good looks and more on serious, quality journalists. I believe Van did some Canisius basketball games as well? I used to listen to the Sabres on one radio and the Braves on the other. And if I fell asleep with one or both radios on I used to catch hell. Van used to do the Bills games with Dick Rifenberg and Stan Barron. I used to stay glued to the radio for Stan Barron's show on WBEN radio for his "free formed" sports reports. It was Stan or wait until the paper came the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdaddy Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 -Ripping down the goalposts after the Jets game in the pouring rain -screaming the National Anthem before the Raiders Championship game -Singing the National Anthem game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals -The overtime time playoff gaol against the Senators -getting caught downtown during a blizzard and being part of the smallest crowd to watch a Sabres game. I think the Kings. If I had back every dime I spent at a Buffalo home or away sporting event I could get Erie County out of it's jam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 There are so many - especially from the Bills' glory days - but my favorite of all time was December 13, 1972 - Jim Schoenfeld knocking Bruins' winger Wayne Cashman right thru the boards into the parked Zamboni! 540303[/snapback] How bout Shony on Johny Carson when he released his album. Shony doing "all along the watchtower" is some classic stuff!! Woder if that album is available on itunes, think I'm going to check Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Listening to Braves games, with my transister radio under my pillow (so my dad wouldn't hear)...they would play teams like Seattle...I had no idea wher Seattle was, but I loved hearing Van do the games, and hearing the squeek of the basketball shoes, running up and down the court, in the backround....of course there was the Stanley Cup run for the Sabres in the 70's as well. Good times! Strangely, the Bills were always third on my Buffalo sports list back then...now I hardly watch the NBA, and though I love hockey, following the Sabres is a little tougher in a non-hockey town...even with Center Ice, the face-offs during the week night games are almost too early for me, with the time change.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macaroni Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 On the way into the Rockpile ......... buying two bags of hot fresh roasted peanuts from the vendor (on Best st. I believe) one bag for each coat pocket. We kept our hands warm through the first quarter ....... ate them during the rest of the game. I still can't smell roasted peanuts without thinking of Buffalo mid-winter during the 60's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BackInDaDay Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Not only were the teams winning, but some of the most exciting players of the day were in Buffalo - Perrault, DiGregorio and Simpson. Man oh man, these guys were fun to watch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 What is your best memory of Buffalo sports? Mine is back in the 70's when the Bills were hot and the Sabres were HOT (like now) and the Braves held first place in the Division. I remember I think it was Good Morning America doing a story on Buffalo and calling it "SPORTS TOWN USA". I use to love to listen to Van Miller call the Bills games and Ted Darling doing the Sabres games, can anyone help me out ? Did Van also do the Braves games? Life was simpler and we were number one across the board. Those were the days ! 540287[/snapback] Best memories were during 70's and early 80's had Bills and Sabres season tickets and on some sundays would start off tailgating at Rich and then heading over to the aud for a sabres game. Also had this buddy that worked for local radio station and got to see may a braves game from on the floor. One time our seats were upstairs and turned around and OJ, Reggie and ben Williams are all sitting directly behind me. didnt get to go to the fog game since I was in the school musical so we were stuck listening backstage. Whate a great time to be a Buffalo Fan. Also remember Niagara, Canisisu and the Bonnies all had pretty good bball teams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 One of my favorite games was the Giants strike game, 4.00pm start, left Wiechecks in south Buffalo at 3.30, no problem in the seats at by 4.00pm, less than 10,000 at that classic 6-3 game. 540400[/snapback] Todd Schlopy with the winning field goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formerly Allan in MD Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Buffalo Bison hockey games in the '50s, when they were the Canadians farm and had so many players who became stars in the NHL, including Jacques Plante, Dickie Moore, and Pierre Pilote. Bison baseball at Offerman. Community ownership and "throw it back" (the foul balls, to save the team money). A most unique time. I was at the game Luke Easter cleared the scoreboard the first time - got his autograph after the game. Little Three basketball, back then, when we had some of the best college teams in the country, year after year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasper13 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 1988 was my favorite Buffalo Sports year. Sabres made the playoffs after two years out and had the most wild series of all-time against Boston even though they lost. Game 2, 3 & Game 4 were amazing. Tons and tons of fights in Games 2 & 3 and a 6-5 Sabres OT win in Game 4. Pilot Field opened in April. Was at that first game and then went to the Sabres-Bruins Game 6 that night. Parents let me skip school that day- I would have anyways. Bills went 12-4 and went to the Championship Game. They whomped Miami and the NY Jets on Monday Nights. Jets home game when the fans ripped down the goal posts was the best. First playoff season in 7 years at that time and the first ever plaoff game at Rich Stadium on NY's Day 1989. I had Sabres season tickets- 2nd row Oranges on the blueline- $280 for the season. Had Bills season tickets as well. 1st Row, 20 yard line of the upper deck on the Bills side. $150 for the season. I also turned 16 early in 1988 and could drive to all the games. That was a great year for Buffalo sports even though they didn't win any championships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Buffalo Bison hockey games in the '50s, when they were the Canadians farm and had so many players who became stars in the NHL, including Jacques Plante, Dickie Moore, and Pierre Pilote. Bison baseball at Offerman. Community ownership and "throw it back" (the foul balls, to save the team money). A most unique time. I was at the game Luke Easter cleared the scoreboard the first time - got his autograph after the game. Little Three basketball, back then, when we had some of the best college teams in the country, year after year. 540627[/snapback] Bisons! In the Bflo. Public schools, I remember getting the day off to go the home opener if you showed up at school the day before with your ticket! And the folks watching games from their roofs around Offerman. Same for the hockey Bisons - Ruby Pastor, the Pepsi bottlecap logo in the mid-'50's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 -getting caught downtown during a blizzard and being part of the smallest crowd to watch a Sabres game. I think the Kings. 540414[/snapback] oh i remember that game... we were there and there was maybe like 2000 people in the stands. pretty surreal. I'd rate as my best memory the 1993 afc championship against the chiefs... it was a historic 4th conference win, and we all KNEW and could just feel that this was it... I felt that right through halftime of that game when we were up, and most definitely felt it after thurman fumbled away our championship. another memory was the game 4 of the 1999 ECQ in which the sabres swept the senators. At the beginning of that series, i called the TV guy for the campus and asked him to put on CBC on the "extra" channel... he said he'd do it but he didn't know how.. since i had a c-band dish i knew the coordinates and told him (E2-9 or something like that). he put it on and i was able to watch the sabres put together one of the most mismatched victories ever. The senators were HEAVY favorites and prognosticators were expecting yashin and the sens to put up huge numbers in a sweep or 5 game series against the offensively inept sabres. after all, all they had was hasek. Well, game 1 was a shutout i think with hasek stopping something like 50 shots. game 2 went to double ot (satan on a game winner, post goal snowman celebration). game 3 i can't remember but we won. game 4 we won, however here's where the memory starts. At mount union, i was alone in my love of hockey, but my best friend went to st. joes in philly... i called him at tjhe beginning of the game and did the play by play over the phone. by the end of the game, i had broken the phone speaker completely and i was unable to contact my family over the phone for the next month. oh yeah, yashin was held to ZERO points by mike peca.... You want to watch a set of games where one team physically dominates the other? watch that series. it was an absolute clinic, from top to bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Flanders Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 How bout Shony on Johny Carson when he released his album. Shony doing "all along the watchtower" is some classic stuff!! Woder if that album is available on itunes, think I'm going to check 540469[/snapback] Schoney music Scroll down the page a little to find the Shoenfeld album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargent Hulka Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Early Sunday mornings rushing downstairs to get first stab at the Courier Express sports section to read the reports on the Sabres and Braves from the night before and the previews on the Bills and Sabres games to be played later in the day. It was a golden era. We couldn't afford to go to games so the newspapers, the radios and the tv (when it worked) were my eyes and ears to Buffalo sports. Many of those news articles I clipped out and put into scrapbooks that I have to this day. We only got the Courier on Sundays but we did get the Buffalo Evening News. I used to pick through the neighbors garbage on Wednesday nights (garbage nights) so I could get the weekday Courier sports sections. My family doesn't know any of that. I used to have boxes of sports sections in my bedroom. My room smelled liked newsprint. It kept my sisters out! Van Miller did the Braves games with Ralph Hubbell doing courtside reports. Van was also on Channnel 4 sports. TV back then was less on youth and good looks and more on serious, quality journalists. I believe Van did some Canisius basketball games as well? I used to listen to the Sabres on one radio and the Braves on the other. And if I fell asleep with one or both radios on I used to catch hell. Van used to do the Bills games with Dick Rifenberg and Stan Barron. I used to stay glued to the radio for Stan Barron's show on WBEN radio for his "free formed" sports reports. It was Stan or wait until the paper came the next day. 540408[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargent Hulka Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Van Miller did Niagara games. Charley Bailey did Canisius games. I'll always remember 1970 St. Bona basketball team: Lanier, Gary, Gantt, Satilin, Kalbaugh, Kull, Klimkowski, and the garbageman Johnny Hayes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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