Random Thought Thread

Murphjd25 said:
KRAKEN!! Round 2 and took down the defending Stanley Cup champs!! WOO!
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They're an easy team to root for. I liked Gruby when he was with the Caps, and he started their Stanley Cup playoff run in net before being replaced by a scorching hot Holtby. Plus . . . i like their unis.

Seven of the eight series were won on the round. The last two Cup champs eliminated. President Cup winner eliminated (although by itself that isn't so rare . . . but these Bruins were record setting).

This has to be the craziest first round ever.
 
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Richard338 said:
I thought Hagler:Hearns was the craziest first round ever!
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Those were the days. We used to go to Radio City to watch on closed circuit the fights which weren't televised.

The whole Hearns - Leonard - Duran - Hagler period was something.

I met Esteban De Jesus, the first man to beat Duran, in the locker room of my old gym in the mid seventies. He was so appreciative when I looked over while we were both washing up at the sink and said "Hey, I know you...you're Esteban de Jesus, the first man to beat Duran." He smiled like he had just won ten million dollars. It was a great moment.
 
Richard338 said:
My friend was a fanatical fan and got us all to go to various bars and lounges that would play the fights. We noticed we were sitting beside Gretzky for one of the Tyson fights. My other friend told everyone who would listen about "clinking beers with the great one".
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I've met a few fighters over the years.

Mitch "Blood" Green who had beaten Tyson as an amateur in the Golden Gloves. He couldn't believe I knew who he was when I stopped him on the street to say hello near my office in the federal building.

Rocky Graziano...who I met on the street after he was in some sort of verbal altercation with another pedestrian. After I greeted him I got the "How ya doin', kid?" response. It was awesome.

Jake LaMotta, at the famous hangout, P.J. Clarke's in NYC.

Those are the only ones I can think of at the moment.

If I could meet any of my hockey heroes, the two I'd want "most" to meet would be two former number 11's for the Rangers, Vic Hadfield, who was my favorite as a kid, and Mark Messier, who was my favorite as the captain of the Rangers and delivered us the Cup.
 
Blues said:
Those were the days. We used to go to Radio City to watch on closed circuit the fights which weren't televised.

The whole Hearns - Leonard - Duran - Hagler period was something.

I met Esteban De Jesus, the first man to beat Duran, in the locker room of my old gym in the mid seventies. He was so appreciative when I looked over while we were both washing up at the sink and said "Hey, I know you...you're Esteban de Jesus, the first man to beat Duran." He smiled like he had just won ten million dollars. It was a great moment.
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A Golden Age of welterweights/middleweights that we will likely never see again.

Duran was Hands of Stone, and a story (probably legend) I used to hear back then was that he had once knocked out a horse back in Panama, ala Alex Karras in blazing Saddles.
 
The Amazing Virginian said:
A Golden Age of welterweights/middleweights that we will likely never see again.

Duran was Hands of Stone, and a story (probably legend) I used to hear back then was that he had once knocked out a horse back in Panama, ala Alex Karras in blazing Saddles.
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My buddy Bobby D. was a sparring partner of Duran's, and he was a bigger guy. He said he had never been hit so hard in his life as he had been by Duran during sparring sessions.

As to the hockey game...the Rangers were simply outclassed by a faster, more determined team. Devils definitely deserved the win.

I hope Carolina gets the pound of flesh out of them in the next round.
 
Back to boxers for a moment. Bobby D., whom I mentioned above, was also a sparring partner of Tony Danza back when he was an up and coming boxer. And though I did not know this at the time, as I wouldn't meet my future wife until eight years later, Danza lived on the same block as my wife in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn...

...Their apartments faced each other with a courtyard in between. I hear he was quite the handful back in the day. (I believe he went to high school with my sister-in-law who is a few years older than me.)
 
I'm reminded of a guy I knew who taught at an elementary school and boxed as a hobby, technically a pro on the minor circuit. We used to go watch him and I remember him winning about half the time, but looking up his record now, he retired at 6-15-1.
Once while traveling he knew he was near Hagler's house, and he simply rang the doorbell. I guess he caught him in a good mood as they had a nice chat and he came away with a bunch of signed memorabilia.
 
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