2016 July RSS

2016 July -

The passing of Nate Thurmond on July 16, 2016 made me think of some of the important NBA players I grew up watching and admiring.  Nate Thurmond was the player that made me realize what the center position was all about.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was on my home town team but it was watching Thurmond that help me understand what the role of a center was.  Some of today’s NBA centers could learn a thing or two from watching old Nate. A Hall of Famer and one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, Nate Thurmond played 14 seasons starting...

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2016 July -

Looking back on the 1970s, it amazes me how many different TV shows and TV personalities had board games, record albums, lunch boxes, and bubblegum cards.  Wasn’t our economy a bit shaky then?  If so, you would never know it judging on the consumption of the aforementioned pop cultures artifacts.  Charlie’s Angels, The Partridge Family, Welcome Back, Kotter, The Bionic Woman, Good Times and many other shows are well-represented on bubblegum cards but other shows didn’t get that privilege. One of the decade’s bigger TV drama hits was the Waltons, a depression-era and World War II family that lived in...

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2016 July -

A colorful franchise, with a rich history in professional football that goes back to the 1930’s, the Washington Redskins are one of the most popular teams in pro sports. The 1960’s, however, were not so colorful, except for their uniforms, as the franchise languished at the bottom of the NFL. Coming off a 5-7-2 season in 1962, the “Skins”, under Head Coach Bill McPeak, would sink deeper into the doldrums in 1963, winning only 3 games against 11 losses. Although the team would have to wait nearly a decade for their next winning season and post-season appearance, the Redskins had...

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2016 July, Cowboys -

The mid 70’s was a great era for sport card designs; lots of wild colors, big afros, and  over-the-top fads.  That’s why RetroCards has created a new Dallas Cowboys set utilizing a 1974-75 basketball card design.  This was always a favorite design of mine and takes me back to my childhood when I would buy bubble gum cards at my local hobby shop.  This set features game action or sideline shots of some of the Cowboys biggest stars of the time and some that many probably have forgotten. The 1974 Cowboys were transitioning away from the old-timers that finally won...

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2016 July -

The 1960s Dallas Cowboys had many stars and up-and-coming players that are well known to fans and football lovers.  However one player that has escaped attention is Mike Gaechter, who had a solid 9-year career starting in the Cowboys defensive secondary. Only four other Cowboys were fixtures on that defense over that same span: George Andrie, Chuck Howley, Cronell Green, and Bob Lilly. Gaechter (pronounced: `Gek-ter) was a play maker and punishing hitter, who played at a Pro Bowl level, yet never was elected. Eagle star receiver Pete Retzlaff said of him, "If I had him on me every Sunday,...

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