10 Sports Throwback Stories You Need to Hear
Who doesn't love a great throwback story? In sports, awesome and/or hilarious tales from the old days come up all the time.
Kobe Bryant's teammates reminisced about his younger days, leading up to his recent retirement. Billy Martin once decided the New York Yankees' lineup by drawing names from a hat. There is a seemingly unlimited supply of Michael Jordan trash-talk stories out there.
Here are 10 old-school sports stories recently recalled for your reading and/or listening pleasure. And because it's more fun to keep things light, that's just what you can expect from these stories.
Michael Jordan's Singing Trash Talk
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Told By: Former NBA forward Roshown McLeod on the Brown and Scoop Podcast.
Cliffs Notes: It's no secret that Michael Jordan was a legendary trash talker. There are stories of his ruthless insults and antics abound. Yet, a newly revealed story might be one of the best.
According to McLeod, who played just three NBA seasons, Jordan would attempt to psych out opponents by singing to them. Apparently a favorite was Anita Baker's "Giving You The Best That I Got" (not exactly "Eye of the Tiger").
Best Line: "I remember him singing that to Jerry Stackhouse one day and just putting on a show. It was like he had a concert going on in his own head." - McLeod, per Micah Peters of Fox Sports.
Craig Sager Downs 26 Beers and Crushes Golf Game
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Told By: Jason Jackson of Fox Sports Sun, to Jason Lieser of PalmBeachPost.com.
Cliffs Notes: Jackson and Craig Sager, who both work around the NBA, have been acquainted for some time. Jackson recounted his favorite story about the TNT reporter for Lieser in early April.
As the tale goes, Jackson and Sager went golfing with two other guys near Milwaukee in 2013. It was a chilly-ish day—not nearly optimal golf weather. And still, Sager was in shorts and downing beers like water, 26 over the course of 18 holes, according to Jackson. He was also apparently wiping the floor with the competition.
Best Line: "He two-putted maybe six greens, and everything else was in. We lost $70 each. It infuriated me." - Jackson
Note: Sager is undergoing treatment for leukemia, and Lee Jenkins' Sports Illustrated cover story about his journey is also worth a read.
Joe Theismann Bails on NFL Draft to Play Basketball
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Told By: Don Banks of SI.com in "Oral history of the 1971 NFL draft: The original Year of the Quarterback."
Cliffs Notes: Oral histories are a great way to tell throwback stories. In honor of the NFL draft, Banks gave readers a look back at the 1971 draft, which was really the first time QBs were prioritized as picks. They went No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 for the first time ever (Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning and Dan Pastorini).
One guy who did not go in the first round (or second, or third) was future All-Pro and Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann. Theismann was taken in the fourth round (99th overall) after he had given up on waiting around in an office at Notre Dame. He expressed disappointment at being taken so late but also gratitude for Don Shula and the Miami Dolphins for showing confidence in him.
Best Line: "About mid-way through the third round I got up and said, look, if somebody calls me, I'm going down to play basketball, just come get me." - Theismann
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Billy Martin Draws Yankee Lineup from a Hat
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Told By: Michael Weinreb of VICE Sports in "Billy Martin Picks the New York Yankees' Lineup out of a Hat."
Cliffs Notes: Sometimes all a slumping team needs is a little shakeup. Former New York Yankees manager Billy Martin apparently used this tactic—choosing the lineup out of a hat, minus the pitcher—more than once over his long career as a baseball manager.
In 1977, he tried it with the "Bronx Zoo" Yankees, who went 2-8 to start the season. The random shuffle resulted in big catcher Thurman Munson in the No. 2 hole and Chris Chambliss—a first baseman who bat .287 that year—at No. 8. Using the funky new lineup, the previously slumping Yankees won six straight (and later, the World Series).
Best Line: "All I've got to say is that Chambliss is one of the best No. 8 hitters I've ever seen. Beyond that I don't know anything." - Martin
Prince Redecorated Carlos Boozer's House
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Told By: K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune in "Bulls' Carlos Boozer Rented His House to Prince in 2004."
Cliffs Notes: Originally published in 2011, this article was reprinted after Prince's death. Apparently, the musical icon once rented the 10-bedroom West Hollywood home of NBA forward Carlos Boozer for $70,000 per month.
According to the story, Prince also did a little redecorating, painting the exterior of the home with purple stripes and adding purple carpeting to the master bedroom.
Per Johnson, Boozer said, "He did some very specific things that were built for him and his lifestyle, which is very different than mine." Boozer also noted that Prince reverted the home to its original appearance before his departure.
Best Line: "My realtor was like, 'Yo, there's this guy who wants to rent your house.'" - Boozer
For even more info on Prince's preferences in home decor, check out Boozer on the Triple Double Podcast, per Alysha Tsuji of For the Win.
Matt Bowen's Embarrassing Hotel Incident
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Told By: Former NFL defensive back and current ESPN writer Matt Bowen in, "That Time I Wet the Bed at the Packers' Team Hotel" for ESPN.com.
Cliffs Notes: In 2002, the Packers were in Champaign, Illinois, for a matchup with their rival Chicago Bears. Bowen awoke in his hotel room one night to discover he had wet the bed.
His story details a panic-stricken thought process and series of decisions that led to him standing outside near the hotel dumpster in just a towel. It wasn't easy, but he ultimately regained entry to his room. Still, in the morning, his roommate certainly had questions about why his bed was covered in towels.
Most people wouldn't have the cajones to reveal such an embarrassing story, but on behalf of readers everywhere, thank you, Matt. It was hilarious.
Best Line: "Room key? No. Driver's license? I wish. In my panic-stricken state, all I grabbed was this towel. But I did play for the Green Bay Packers." - Bowen
Some Doctor Told an 11-Year-Old LeBron James He Would Only Be 6'3"
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Told By: Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com.
Cliffs Notes: Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is listed at 6'8" and 250 pounds. And yet, as a kid, one doctor estimated he would only grow to be 6'3"—devastating news for a budding young basketball phenom.
Best Line: "You're looking on the back of basketball cards and it says M.J. 6-6, Penny Hardaway 6-7 ½, Grant Hill 6-8, you're like, 'I'm only going to be 6-3? Golly. My dreams are shattered.'" - James (Best word: "golly," obviously).
Jeffrey Loria Offered What for Derek Jeter?
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Told By: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Cliffs Notes: Apparently Jeffrey Loria, who once owned the Montreal Expos, really liked former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.
In what must have been the late 1990s, he reportedly gave his then-general manager Jim Beattie free reign to pursue Jeter, like really free reign. According to Cafardo, Beattie offered Yankees GM Brian Cashman slugger Vladimir Guerrero and pitcher Pedro Martinez to get him.
Best Line: "Stunned, Cashman told Beattie, 'I can't trade Derek Jeter.'"
Probably a smart move.
Enzo Amore Drops Alicia Keys' Piano
9 of 10Told By: WWE wrestler Enzo Amore on a podcast hosted by Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Cliffs Notes: Before his days as a professional wrestler, Enzo worked for a moving company. He apparently liked moving pianos because, "When you walk into the richest person's house on the block and they got a piano, suddenly, when you show up at the door, they're powerless," via Chris Yuscavage of Complex.
Once, he and a group of guys dropped a glass piano that was bound for an Alicia Keys concert. It's unclear how Ms. Keys reacted, but Enzo wasn't too broken up about it.
Best Line: "That was something I was glad to be a part of, because it ain't my piano and I'm still getting paid by the hour." - Enzo
Kobe Bryant Wastes J.R. Rider in One-on-One
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Told By: Former Los Angeles Lakers Brian Shaw, Ron Harper, Horace Grant and Devean George.
Cliffs Notes: Leading up to his final game, several of Kobe Bryant's former teammates shared stories about him through a piece for the Players' Tribune. One of the best tidbits involved a game of one-on-one during practice.
In 2000, shooting guard J.R. Rider joined the Lakers and was unequivocally not intimidated by Bryant, who was, by then, already an All-Star and NBA champion. In fact, he actually talked some trash to his competitive young teammate.
According to Shaw, Rider once said to Bryant in practice, "Don't get it twisted. I'm a star too, and I used to give you buckets." It was on after that. Bryant challenged Rider to a game of one-on-one, during which he just absolutely demolished him.
Best Line: "This is 22-year-old Kobe. Crazy athletic. Unlimited stamina. I mean, he kicked his a-s." - Shaw
Best Line Runner-Up: "You got Shaq out there instigating stuff, 'Oh! Don't let him get you like that! Don't let him cross you!'" - George
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