On The Sly

Foxy, Even though this is an older blog, I wanted to tell you about an experience that my son and I had with Tiki Barber in August at the NY Giants camp in Albany. He stayed about two hours after practice and signed for each and every autograph-seeker that waited around in 80+ degree heat! I also have a picture that he let me take of him and Ryan..It is awesome! He is a class-act and it is sad to see him retire. There is no way anyone could put him in the same breath as Terrell Owens, Shockey, or even Plaxico Burress! Thanks! See ya around the hoop courts! Steve

(Foxy's note: Thanks for the story, Steve!)

You are so right about a good majority of our athletes today with Egos out of control. It does make it more difficult to watch these people play and get paid such enormous sums of money.

The comments bring back so many memories of many outstanding athletes from the North Country. One I remember watching play little league at St. Peters was Mike Connelly. He was about three years older than me, and I really looked up to him. I also went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C. to pay my respects to him.

When I thought of Mike, I was reminded of Pat Tillman who gave up a lucrative contract with the Arizona Cardinals to fight in Afghanistan. Because of these two outstanding individuals (athletes) and many more from the North Country, we have the freedom to blog and express our displeasures with these Big Egos Out of Control.

Thanks for these thoughts, and the memories they bring back.

Juan

Mr. Mannix,
Once again you have outdone yourself. I applaud your comment as I don't think anyone could have listed such a large and deserving group of men who impacted so many of us in the North Country. You did make one humble mistake but as usual the ever alert Foxy picked it up. As many of us who benefitted by your attention and help, you Mike, are the North Country.
Bullet.
Note: Foxy, how about a blog on old coaches, especially Little League and Babe Ruth, just a thought.

(Foxy's note: Good idea, Bullet -- stand by in January for my Little League/Babe Ruth baseball blog.)

I, like most of your responders, agree that today's pros are paid too much, pampered too much and have too little ability.
I, like Miney, was lucky to have Lefty Wilson as a LL coach. He believed in teaching the basics of the game and the wins would come with the knowledge.
At practice it was fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals, but we learned to play the game.
I was lucky in the fact I got to thank Lefty before he passed on. I had a chance to tell him what it meant to me.
I was also very lucky that I had some older, a zillion years, guys that took the time to help teach me and allow me to play in their games. They were really only a few years older than me but at 9 or 10 it seemed much older. I would like to take this chance to thank these three men who were some of my role models. Mike and Marty Mannix, and Fred(Sherm) Forkey. It meant a lot to me, guys.

Foxy: this is one of your better blogs. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the many comments and especially who they are from. I have spent a great deal of time in the North Country and many of the people who have been mentioned I have personally had close dealings with in one way or another over my lifetime. Donald "Shorty" Flynn, I had the opportunity to work as one of his assistants when he coached Little League. Many of us young baseball players were given that opportunity back in the day and I got to work with one of the "masters." Al Billups was one of the best Little League coaches. He truly cared about the kids but more importantly he absolutely "loved the game of baseball" and he tried to pass on his love of the game to the kids he coached. Barry Branon, he came into my life after my father died and I latched on to him and what he said and did like a claw. He was a powerful impact in my life and I had the opportunity later in life to sit and tell him that and he even asked me to do his euology when he died, what an honor. John Flynn and Al Pajonas, two area coaches who had a profound impact on many lives in this area. John's son Billy, a great athlete in his own right and a solid coach at MAI for many years. Warren "Lefty" Tessier, what an athlete and I can say in later life when he came back to town as an Administrator of the Sacred Heart Nursing Home he and I were very good friends, lunch partners and golfing buddies. Butch O'Connell, has anyone ever hit a softball farther than he did during his days as a star in the City Softball League at St. Peter's Field. I have been blessed to meet, know, play against and become friends with so many wonderful people here in the North County that I could just sit here and write about them and our experiences all day long. One thing that I am proud about is having had the opportunity to watch so many young kids grow up in our community to be fine outstanding citizens. How about all those Fox Hillers like you, Foxy, teaching for over thirty years and now broadcasting your games (and I know how much fun that is) and now your blog. Joe Staves, Mike Flynn, Jack Stewart, George Rotella, Bobby Hall and his many contributions to this City, Marion Bourdeau, Gladys Perry and her late husband Dick and their son Rick and the list goes on. Mike Flynn, Johnny Carpenter and his brother Larry Carpenter, Tim O'Connell and the many years and career he had with the State Police and his brother Paul "Crusher" and his coaching at area schools (MAI, PHS, Saranac and winner the Super Bowl with Beekmantown.) How about Gary Butler, recently inducted in the SUNY Plattsburgh Hall of Fame, and all of the lives he has touched as a Guidance Counselor at Beekmantown and coaching football and baseball in this area for over thirty years. How about the lengendary Bob Garrow, raised in Altona, North Country athlete supreme. Player, Coach, teacher, politician and community leader. Jim Sears, Ray Holmes, Dutch Craumer, Ernie Rangazas at SUNY Plattsburgh. Tony Papero at Peru and Mike Beauvais, Tommy Beauvais at Westport. As you can see the list goes on and on. Foxy, as I said at the beginning, this was one of your better blogs.

(Foxy's note: Thanks, Mike .. and add your name to the list -- a guy who always cared for the young athletes of the North Country and did the play-by-play for many of us as we played high school sports.)

fox...regarding my list of autographs I would prefer to have in my trophy case... it would not be complete without the O'Connell Bros, Tim and Paul as well as Mike O'Connor... they played with alot of heart and pride and always went that extra mile with us little gym rats as we were growing up..... with my Dad's passing and my brother being away at college it was sure nice to have them around filling in as "Big Brothers." Don't know if I ever thanked them for that!!

Foxy; I read Crusher's Dad is Butch O"Connell! Crusher - you're a very lucky young man to have Butch as your father! He was very good in any sport he played! But more than that Butch was and is today a super person! Give him a big hug for me! Lenny

Not so sure about Steve Garvey and Wilt Chamberlain as role models. Both have had negative press on their indiscretions. Mr. Garvey for his personal affairs and recently being tied to a financal scam. Who can forget Wilt's boast of more than 2000 partners?
Do you remember what Mike Marshall's (the pitcher) infamous response was when asked for an autograph?

(Foxy's note: Yes, I remember Mike Marshall's response of "Go ask a teacher for an autograph." He said it to me! I told him that I was a teacher. It didn't matter. He still didn't sign for me.)

FOXY,
HERE ARE A FEW OF MY IDOLS WHEN I WAS GROWING UP JUST A FEW SHORT YEARS AGO.
ON THE PROFESSIONAL SIDE THEY WERE: JOHNNY UNITAS, THURMAN MUNSON, JERRY KRAMER TO NAME A FEW.
ON THE LOCAL SCENE THERE WAS AL BILLUPS, PETE BLUMETTE, AL PAJONAS, BARRY BRANON AND LOTS MORE.
JUST A NOTE TO LENNY "POPCORN" SMALLCOMBE MY FATHER (BUTCH O'CONNELL) SAYS HELLO. HE AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT THE LEGENDARY "POPCORN" SMALLCOMBE AND HIS GREAT RESPONSES IN YOUR BLOG.

(Foxy's note: Great choices, Crusher! Real heroes!)

Hi Foxy; I read that Long John Silver once lived in port st lucie, fl. He would be amazed at the city growth. I moved here in 1999 and had a home built in a gated community! 1200 homes sold out, the entire community in less than 2 years! Two Walmarts and a third being built! Two Elks lodges and a third being built! Over 12000 homes built and sold in past several years! Its crazy and home values sometimes double! Its slowed down this year and I hope it stays that way! Happy Holidays Foxy ! Great Job in making us remember how good it was many many years ago! I wish all the readers a very Merry Xmas and The Greatest New Year Ever! Thanks For The Memories!!! lenny

Heroes, such an overused term by the media and now often by our youth. We as middle aged and soon to join the "Old Timer" stage need to stress to those younger who the true heroes are. Our Dads and Moms, at least those of us fortunate to have had those special parents who lived their lives to make ours better. Their sacrifices and commitments are what heroism is about. The other group with sacrifice and commitments are of course our armed services who do it every day. Those are real heroes, not ones made up by the media or our minds because they can dunk a basketball or hit a baseball 400 feet. Looking for a nice Christmas present for someone, get them either of these 2 books, "The Greatest Generation" or "Flags of our Fathers". Anyone reading either book will understand heroes. Off my soapbox for now. Hope everyone has a great holiday season and your families are doing well.
Bullet

You say sports role model and I think (or thank) Lefty Wilson. I'm not proud of this, but I sure am of Lefty: I played for Condo's in LL & Lefty was my coach. I was playing 1st base, right in front of the dugout, and a guy hit a double. As he was turning the corner I stuck out my foot. HEY Lefty bellowed, get in this dugout NOW. He made a public spectacle of me & I deserved it. I learned a big lesson from that talk we had after the game. Throughout my life I've pictured Lefty in my head whenever I did something my heart told me was wrong & tried to correct it. George Kimball always told his teams, last thing, Be Humble. What a Man. I played football @ Plattsburgh State with Larry Carpenter after he had 1 lung and a third of the other removed due to cancer - we roomed together for a week during pre-season camp @ Macdonough Hall. He inspired every player and coach on that team with his effort and enthusiasm every day. We talked long hours about life that week and I am here to testify he was my hero, he was a good man and a good friend. Lastly, my older brothers Alan & Chris have always been role models to me - they practiced endlessly, played hard and left it all on the field - and never got petty or 'bush league' with their opponents. Those pro athletes today? Boooo

Foxy, Yes we have these pro sports figures, who are overpaid, and have been pampered, all of their lives, and think they are god! Last time I checked, the Almighty one wasn't wearing a sports team uniform! The big money has ruined all sports, from the people who love the game. I still can think of a few players who play today, that do show some moral fiber. I think Derrick Jeter, Joe Mauer, and Justin Morneau, come to mind. Since I live in the Midwest these days, Matt Birk of the Vikings is also a very good role model. You're right, the older players had some bad eggs, still the thrill of my lifetime was meeting Yogi Berra, and getting his autograph.

Everyone should have the opportunity to watch the Foxy Gagnon interview with Orel Hershiser. One of the greatest of all time. Orel was a professional athlete who is sincere, genuine who was warmly entertaining a group of young men and interviewer during a Foxy interview a few years ago that was a thing of beauty to watch.
I suspect an interview with Peyton Manning or Marvin Harrison would be the same. There are still class guys out there.
I also note that the media has caused a bit of the nonsense that we are exposed to. I think we now know that some of our heros from the past whether they be presidents or ball players would not stand the scrutiny of today's media.
Unfortunately the "bad" good athlete is nothing new. We as a society tend to look the other way, make excuses, give second chances etc. for those that are better at winning games for us at all levels. This is true from youth leagues to professional sports. Too often there are double standards. Sadly this double standard leads to the T.O.'s of the world. They don't even know that they are inappopriate because no one has ever held them accountable or said no. And then there is O.J. Not even going to comment on this character.
The best coaches teach and instill values first and know the wins will take care of themselves. The best athletes know that they are part of a team and not the team.

Lenny, I've never met you, but, you mentioned that PSL is your hometown now. It brought back memories. Back from 79-81, we lived on the Boulevard just west of the Florida Turnpike Entance....... back when the Boulevard was only a 2 lane road, and we had one neighbor. Things have changed a bit from then, I guess. The Mets weren't there yet, and our baseball connection was Dodgertown in Vero....

fox ... pretty obvious topic they're pretty much all a bunch of pains in the @#$%'s now! But that's probably our fault - we pay the big cable bills (sorry Goose) which pays the big salaries.. Pro sports sure has lost its luster... I haven't asked for an autograph since Coco LaBoy , Mud Cat Grant, Rusty Staub and John Bocaaabelllla played and frankly don't want one... would much prefer an autographed ball for my trophy case signed by Lefty Tessier, Carl King, Pete Cronin, Niel Breen,Tom Herlihy, Gregg Ducatte, Bob Goetz, and any of the Carpenter Bros "at least they actually had a love for the game"! Let's talk about something else... the more I think about this topic the more disgusted I get.. .for Chrip sakes before ya know it, these guys will be making more than our city managers.

Foxy, I believe that many of the ego driven actions of today's pro athletes are directly related to the media coverage of this era.

Back when Kern was a youth, we didn't have multiple ESPN's, and Fox Sports Net's to replay the infractions over and over again. We couldn't watch every NBA, NHL, MLB or NFL game like we can now. Pro sports simply were not as accessable 25 years ago as they are today. How many segments have you seen on Sportscenter about all the charity work Tim Wakefield does in the Boston area ? How often have you seen coverage of the group of 6 or 7 Buffalo Sabres players that purchase multiple season ticket packages so that children whose families can't afford the ticket prices get to go see an NHL game. The answer is not very often. There is great work done all over the country by many professional athletes, who donate their time and money for great causes and never get the Sportscenter headlines for it. Instead the media would rather show Terrell Owens spitting in someone's face, or Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire walking out of yet another courtroom hearing.

The role models are out there they just are not making the headlines like many of the clowns getting the national attention on ESPN.

I couldn’t agree with you more, Foxy! Professional, and to some extent even college sports, have become stages where these ‘athletes’ spend more time as actors rather than athletes. As the salaries go up, the egos get bigger, and the level of respect and responsibility diminishes.

My son is an avid sports nut. He looks up-to and aspires to be like them; to be able to play sports the way they do. And when a professional athlete makes the mistake of engaging in unsportsmanlike behavior, or engages in unethical behavior, I have to explain the actions of these so-called ‘role models’ to my son. My dad never had to do that for me. How many times did you have to explain the actions of an athlete to your son, Foxy?

Don’t get me wrong, there are still some very talented and respectful young men and women doing some wonderful things in the sporting world and the community. Unfortunately, it’s the bad apples that always get the media attention and end up in our living rooms in front of our kids.

I can’t wait to hear Rick chime in on this one!

Hi Foxy; You mention Lefty Tessier! He was a great all around athlete! Most of all a better person. Lefty was a big high school star who always was genuine nice person. My wife is a big N.Y. Mets fan and they spring train in our home town, Port St Lucie,Fl. Her favorite ballplayer is Gary Carter. A local golf pro I know set up a surprise visit with Gary, my wife and me. He signed a jersey, ball, hat and gave her his Montreal Expo signed rookie card! After visiting with Gary for 45 minutes, he asked me what I would like from him. I extended my hand and we shook hands and he smiled! I smiled and said thank you for being so great to my wife! Gary Carter is a hall of famer! But also a classy and caring human being! By the way as I left the visit Gary pulled out a new white Mets baseball hat and signed his name and #8 and gave it to me! By the way I was walking with the aid of a walker - I had a complete knee replacement the week before! Gary who has had many knee problems in the past thinks he may someday have to go the complete knee replacement procedure! He was very polite and genuine during our visit. In my book Gary Carter is a role model! He does many charity golf outings for charities and participates in many other charity events in our community!

(Foxy's note: Great to hear about Gary Carter being such a class guy! He was my son's favorite player and while in Montreal he signed several autographs for him. Steve Garvey was much the same as Carter -- always nice to the fans!)