PING: For jp2977 From Eugene Church

[Eugene Church]

Jeff, I hate to tell you EC was not good under pressure... or in the clutch... I did not want the ball hit to me in a crucial spot... nor did I want to take the last shot of the game with it on the line.

I always had low self esteem.

I never will forget a game in the Air Force, when I had two free throws in the second overtime with just a few seconds left on the clock... one would have tied the score... two would have won the game.

Yep, I missed them both... I choked... I line-drived them instead of shooting them in a fluid way... and I was a 75% free-throw shooter, too... EC was no Frank Merriwell... the all-american guy, that excels in everything... not positive, but I think the old 1950 radio show, Jack Armstrong, All-American boy, was based on the books about Frank Merriwell.

EC listened to that program on the radio when I was 10.. also Sgt. Preston of the Yukon, a mounted policeman... and Sky King, too... he was a rancher that flew a plane called the Sky Bird.

(but I will add I did score 31 points in the loss).

[jg2977]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Jeff, I hate to tell you EC was not good under pressure... or in the clutch... I did not want the ball hit to me in a crucial spot... nor did I want to take the last shot of the game with it on the line.

I always had low self esteem.

I never will forget a game in the Air Force, when I had two free throws in the second overtime with just a few seconds left on the clock... one would have tied the score... two would have won the game.

Yep, I missed them both... EC was no Frank Merriwell.

(but I will add I did score 31 points in the loss).

Ouch, that must have been heartbreaking!

You’re having better luck in the fictional baseball playoffs. You went 2-for-4 and made some nice defensive plays at SS to help Belair Beach to a 3-2 victory in Game 2 vs Rocky Rapids. You and the Sunbirds are going to the Sweet 16!

[Khephren]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

EC was no Frank Merriwell.

Yikes...That's an old reference

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by Khephren

Yikes...That's an old reference

Yep, it is darn old... so is EC... I just made 83 a few days ago.


Frank Merriwell is a fictional character appearing in a series of novels and short stories by Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish. The character appeared in over 300 dime novels between 1896 and 1930 (some between 1927 and 1930 were written by other authors with the same pen name), numerous radio dramas in 1934 and again from 1946 through 1949, a comic strip from 1928 through 1936,[1] a comic book (four issues) Frank Merriwell At Yale, and a 12-chapter serialized film in 1936. The book series was relaunched (with a different author) in 1965, but only three books were published.

Character

Frank Merriwell at Yale
The model for all later American juvenile sports fiction, Merriwell excelled at football, baseball, basketball, crew and track at Yale while solving mysteries and righting wrongs.[2] He played with great strength and received traumatic blows without injury.[2]

A biographical entry on Patten noted dryly that Frank Merriwell "had little in common with his creator or his readers." Patten offered some background on his character: "The name was symbolic of the chief characteristics I desired my hero to have. Frank for frankness, merry for a happy disposition, well for health and abounding vitality."

Merriwell's classmates observed, "He never drinks. That's how he keeps himself in such fine condition all the time. He will not smoke, either, and he takes his exercise regularly. He is really a remarkable freshie."[3]

[Eugene Church]

Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy was a radio adventure series which maintained its popularity from 1933 to 1951.

Sky King was an American radio and television series. Its lead character was Arizona rancher and aircraft pilot Schuyler "Sky" King.

The series had strong Western elements.[1] King usually captured criminals and spies and found lost hikers, though he did so with the use of his airplane, the Songbird. King and his niece Penny lived on the Flying Crown Ranch, near the fictitious town of Grover, Arizona.

The radio show was on from 1946-1954... the TV show from 1951-1959.

[Khephren]

I only know Merriwell because it was referenced in Ken Burns Baseball back in 94. Studs Terkel called Christy Mathewson "Frank Merriwell in the flesh"...I had to look it up to see what that meant.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Yep, it is darn old... so is EC... I just made 83 a few days ago.

Really? Well, now I don't feel so old (though my body might disagree).

[jg2977]

Your Belair Beach Sunbirds are wreaking havoc to people's brackets in the IPA 64-team tournament. The #22 Sunbirds upset the #3 Ranford Bulls to advance to the Elite Eight. You did not have a good day at the plate in the deciding game, going 0-for-4, but your teammates picked you up in that department. However, you did make some good defensive plays in the field, and the last two outs were groundouts to shortstop that you fielded cleanly to close out the series.

Next up for you and Belair Beach are the #2 Ruthlandian Union seed Beechwood Blues, a best-of-three series for the right to go to the Final Four.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by jg2977

Your Belair Beach Sunbirds are wreaking havoc to people's brackets in the IPA 64-team tournament. The #22 Sunbirds upset the #3 Ranford Bulls to advance to the Elite Eight. You did not have a good day at the plate in the deciding game, going 0-for-4, but your teammates picked you up in that department. However, you did make some good defensive plays in the field, and the last two outs were groundouts to shortstop that you fielded cleanly to close out the series.

Next up for you and Belair Beach are the #2 Ruthlandian Union seed Beechwood Blues, a best-of-three series for the right to go to the Final Four.

Jeff, to save you time, I will follow the Sunbirds in your IPA.
No sense in making you make so many posts just for me.

[jg2977]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Jeff, to save you time, I will follow the Sunbirds in your IPA.
No sense in making you make so many posts just for me.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I'll put stories such as this in my dynasty thread, it really belongs there anyway.

[jg2977]

Belair Beach had a solid season this year, going 87-75, good enough for the #12 seed in the Ruthlandian Union. Last year they were the #22 seed and made it to the Elite Eight. The Sunbirds' oppenent in the First Round will be #21 Far Mountain.

[jg2977]

Thanks to tonnage I will be rebranding the Cold Creek Raccoons as the Cold Creek Beavers next season.

[jg2977]

Caps, jerseys, pants

[Eugene Church]

Wow... that is nice... Beavers is a great nickname for Cold Creek.
I may consider rebranding the Raccoons.

tonnage really does nice work.

[Eugene Church]

Thanks for the Danny Church update.

[jg2977]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Thanks for the Danny Church update.

You're welcome.

[rocknfire7]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Jeff, I hate to tell you EC was not good under pressure... or in the clutch... I did not want the ball hit to me in a crucial spot... nor did I want to take the last shot of the game with it on the line.

I always had low self esteem.

I never will forget a game in the Air Force, when I had two free throws in the second overtime with just a few seconds left on the clock... one would have tied the score... two would have won the game.

Yep, I missed them both... I choked... I line-drived them instead of shooting them in a fluid way... and I was a 75% free-throw shooter, too... EC was no Frank Merriwell... the all-american guy, that excels in everything... not positive, but I think the old 1950 radio show, Jack Armstrong, All-American boy, was based on the books about Frank Merriwell.

EC listened to that program on the radio when I was 10.. also Sgt. Preston of the Yukon, a mounted policeman... and Sky King, too... he was a rancher that flew a plane called the Sky Bird.

(but I will add I did score 31 points in the loss).

I was the same as a young kid.

Until I started pitching........

[Eugene Church]

Always good to see the name, rocknfire7.
Still using some of the fine logos, jerseys and caps you made for me over the years.

You may have already told me where you got your Forum name.

What does it mean?

Your number must have been 7 and you were a hard-throwing pitcher.

Where did you play?

[Eugene Church]

rocknfire7, I think you did this great set for me... this is really nice.

The Cape Coral Hurricanes is one of my favorite IPA team sets.
Using all the team colors in the logo image was "super duper" as we used to say in the 50s.

Not sure they could be done any better.

Usually I'm so picky I think I can improve on perfection, which is impossible.

[rocknfire7]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

rocknfire7, I think you did this great set for me... this is really nice.

The Cape Coral Hurricanes is one of my favorite IPA team sets.
Using all the team colors in the logo image was "super duper" as we used to say in the 50s.

Not sure they could be done any better.

Usually I'm so picky I think I can improve on perfection, which is impossible.

Yes. That was a fun set!