TERRY MOSHER
SAM LANGFORD
TOP OF THE TOWN ‑ I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in thinking this is new sports territory for me. I’ve been involved with sports since I was four or five and used to sled, ski and ice skate during harsh winter months growing up in New York State and I’m pretty sure many others can recall similar stories. But now we are in a dead sports zone with the Coronavirus (Covid-19). Everything I know and enjoy has been cancelled or postponed, except for the 2020 Olympic Games scheduled for Tokyo July 24-Aug. 6. The UFC is still scheduling fights, but before mostly empty arenas. Of course, if I wanted to I could gets some sports games electronically, and go wild with joy. But except maybe for a boxing game, I don’t think that would bring me that joy. Speaking of boxing, one Christmas I received a boxing game that had cards for all the old-time boxers up to that time. I and our No. 1 son ended up competing against each other with the game for hours and hours and days and days. I also used to set up boxing tournaments with the game, pitting legendary boxers like Jack Dempsey against Joe Louis. There were also others like, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Tony Zale, Sonny Liston, Rocky Marciano, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Floyd Patterson, Eddie Machen, Tommy Burns, Zora Folley, Earnie Shavers, Roland LaStarza, Bob Foster, James Corbett, Jack Johnson, Carmen Basilio, Kid Gavilan, Dick Tiger, Billy Conn, Kid Chocolate, Jake LaMotta, Sandy Saddler, Emile Griffith, Marcel Cerdan, Stan Ketchel, Archie Moore, Mickey Walker, Gene Tunney, Joe Gans, Max Schmeling, Max Baer, Jack Sharkey, James J. Braddock, Primo Carnera, Bob Fitzsimmons, Harry Greb, Sam Langford (maybe the greatest fighter ever), James Jeffries, Jess Willard, Benny Leonard, Willie Prep, Henry Armstrong and many, many others. It was a fun game because each fighter’s card listed their strengths and weaknesses and you could pit them against each other. I can’t remember now how that worked, but the strengths and weaknesses were real and a fighter like Dempsey with a lot of power could probably handle Willie Prep, the “Will o’ the Wisp who had 241 fights in his pro career and lost just 11 times with one draw. Willie was a featherweight champ who stood just five-foot-five, but man was he hard to catch. He was there and then he wasn’t. But it was fun to match heavyweights against the great middleweights like Sugar Ray Robinson because the Sugar Man was not just pretty, but more than pretty good. I don’t remember now who won these match-ups (we did this in the late 1970s to early 1980s), but the game was outstanding. Unfortunately, I don’t remember what company sold the game (I think it was called Title Bout) and it has now been lost to history. Our game got lost piece by piece over the years, and it’s something that I regret and am frustrated with it because it was so good of a game. I may have to bring back my sports’ card games to get my fix. I can play football, baseball and basketball with just a regular deck of cards. When I was much, much younger I would spend hours playing these games in their seasons. I would keep score and standings (I am very good with match, so it’s easy for me to do this). I don’t know how you will get your sports fix, but I’m looking now for a deck of cards. See you later. I’m outta here.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.