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I enjoyed Mitch's article and - in keeping with Thanksgiving - would like to wax nostalgic about being a Cardinal fan and going to those early Giant games.
Before the NFL became more popular than war time college football, I was a Chicago Cardinal rooter (having watched both Philly championship games on an old floor model RCA black & white TV in the living room - Back then, the Cards didn't even have redbird symbols on their helmets; they were pure white. Actually, until the introduction of color tv, I thought the Cardinal colors were black and white -like the Raidiz).
My father and most of his friends were Giant fans. Standard MO was for us to meet at 10am at the Madison Delicatessin (Madison and 79th), eat a big breakfast while our cold-cut sandwich orders were being filled behind the counter. Then we'd take the Lex up to Yankee Stadium to watch the game.
Due to extreme perserverence by my brother, Guy (who waited all night outside Davega's in the cold) we were able to glom 4 tickets to the "greatest game ever played" - the Colts championship win over the Giants (I was attending college in Baltimore by then and naturally rooting for Unitas, Ameche, Lenny Moore & Co.)
Due to extreme luck, a few years later, we were able to grab 4 Giants season tix (I had called the ticket office to see if any Cardinal-Giant game tickets were available and the woman on the phone asked: "Would you like Giant season tickets?") You can't make this stuff up.
So for many years, my Dad, family and friends would perform the same Sunday morning ritual at the Madison Deli when the Giants were in town.
I'd go to all the games, but spend most of the time watching the scoreboard to see how the Cardinals were doing. Like Mitch, I got to see guys like Charley Johnson, Sonny Randle and Bobby Joe Conrad and later on Jim Hart, OJ Anderson and Mel Gray (and before that, Sam Etcheverry and John David Crow). I saw Johnson complete 16 straight passes to Sonny Randle (who beat the late great Pro Bowl CB Dick Lynch like a drum).
But as often as not, we'd lose, and my Dad used to look at me and ask: "Why do you keep sitting shiva* over those guys anyway?
Yankee Stadium had a different feel from the Meadowland - they had real grass and cigar smoke and stuff, whereas watching the game in the Meadowlands was like watching a bunch of Game Boy action football figures prance around on your living room rug.
But the best part had to do with family. I miss it.
*Note - "Sitting shiva" is the Jewish tradition of a bereaved family receiving visitors after a loved one has died.
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__________________
"EVERY "NEXT GAME" IS A "MUST GAME."
Later (GBR/RIP40)
Last edited by JeffGollin; November 24th, 2008 at 09:38 AM.
Great story! I learned NFL football from my Dad, a Cleveland and LA Rams fan. Who also believed football should be played on grass. Or snow. Or, best of all... mud!
My family continued the tradition of the Madison Deli and Lex to Yankee Stadium to watch the game (with me focusing on the scoreboard for Cardinal updates instead of actually watching the game).
In reply to something Mitch said - the owners of the Giants (the Maras) were the subject of hundreds of "they're so cheap" jokes by Giant fans. We had end zone bleacher seats. Although there were several ticket booths, all the fans had to funnel through one of them (apparently because, as rumored, the Maras were too cheap to hire extra ticket takers).
Then one summer (after I had married and moved to NJ) I raised the issue of Giants tickets, and my Dad replied: "I didn't renew them."
"Why?" I asked (Giant season tickets are so scarce that they're willed from generation to generation).
"Didn't think anyone would still be interested. Granted it was the era of "Goodbye Allie (Sherman), but "still..."
Then a couple of years later, lightning struck a second time. The Giants had moved from Yankee Stadium to the larger Meadowlands and were putting 10 - 20,000 more season tickets in circulation. A co-worker (Harold) and I schemed and plotted to come up with a strategy for coming up with season tix.
The way it worked was that: (a) the Giants would announce they were on sale and then (b) it was first come/first served (after that date!) for people to order tickets. Both Harold and I used to commute from NJ to NYC and arrive early. We both had application letters and checks ready in advance "just in case."
One day, as I walked in the door sometime around 7 - 7:30 am, Harold was waiting. "Get your application and let's zap on down to the Post Office so we can get an early postmark" he advised. Done! And, after an endless 1 - 2 month wait, we were both notified on the same day, that we had, indeed, landed Giant season tickets - albeit "last row upper deck northern end zone."
And so, I was back in business - only things were a bit different. My main reason for wanting Giant tickets was so I could see the one Cardinal-Giant game; so what I'd do is (a) keep tix for the juicy games and (b) sell tix to the others in order to help underwrite the cost of the entire ticket strip.
I continued to make the journey from the Jersey shore to the Meadowlands (I was there when they flew the bi-plane over the stadium with the banner reading "We've Seen Enough!" (or something to that effect). I actually swapped my tix to a guy who had a press pass, and watched Jeff Hostetler (and the guys who open and close the doors at either end of the stadium to create a wind-tunnel effect favorable to Giant and unfavorable to Cardinal field goal kickers) erase a 19 point Cardinal lead to beat us once again (I was so upset, I skipped access to the Cardinal locker room).
Then two things occurred simultaneously: (1) the Maras doubled the price of season tickets and (2) DirecTV introduced Sunday Ticket. "Why not use my season ticket money to buy a years' subscription to satellite tv? (thereby making the whole deal more appealing to Mrs./Dr. G.)" I reasoned. "Then I can watch every Cardinal game on tv instead of the one game at the Meadowlands." So that's what I did.
Nevertheless, it was a great run of luck and enjoyment - I had gotten and then given up Giant season tickets. Twice.
__________________
"EVERY "NEXT GAME" IS A "MUST GAME."
Later (GBR/RIP40)
Last edited by JeffGollin; November 25th, 2008 at 07:50 AM.
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