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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Senior Voices – Basketball memories

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Last month was Mother’s Day and this month is Father’s Day. In my past, my hubby always wanted to watch some special sport on TV on Father’s Day. My favorite sport was basketball. It’s fast and exciting. To me, football is tolerable, but not as exciting as basketball.

I grew up in Anderson, Indiana, which is rabid basketball country – and Anderson was intense basketball. When I was in high school, one year, Anderson was one of four teams to advance to the state semifinals. The tournament was held in Indianapolis—two games in the daytime and the two winners played in the final that evening. Each high school student received one ticket.

Four of us that left that morning and my boyfriend drove us to Indy in his Father’s Cadillac. I felt so classy. Our team lost, so we were not playing in the evening game. However, scalpers wanted our tickets. So we sold them and then wondered what to do the rest of our time while in Naptown and with our extra money.

It was decided to go to a burlesque show. Wow! I, of course, had never done that and I felt pretty scared. But that’s what we did. I felt so ashamed and hoped no one that knew us would see us.

The thing I remember when entering the theatre was the smell of disinfectant! Yuck!
After college, I married a 6’7” basketball player from Wheaton High School. He played basketball in college and then later for Delco Remy, the GM plant in Anderson where he worked for a year after college.

I remember one really close game that tied and went into overtime. Then it went into double overtime. And tied again. For each overtime, the teams switch ends of the court for the next overtime. Now we were in triple overtime. Our team took the ball and threw it into my husband, who immediately sunk the ball at their end of the court and made two points for them. And quick as a wink, they threw the ball back in, ran and made a basket for us on our end! You have no idea of the noise level. That has been the most exciting game I’ve ever watched.

I hope you’ve been watching the ESPN documentary, “The Last Dance,” on TV. Of course, I loved it. My working career was selling pianos and organs. One time Michael Jordan bought a piano from my Woodfield Mall store. And four of my movers went on the delivery in order to get Michael’s autograph. Both he and his wife were lovely, gracious people.

Here’s hoping you fathers find some good game to watch in your favorite sport on your special day.

Chuckle Time: Will Rogers said: The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for. Today folks added, “But Covid-19 has changed all that.”

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Bev Patterson Frier
Bev Patterson Frierhttp://napervill.il.us
Bev Patterson Frier was co-founder of the Senior Task Force with Karen Courney. Their efforts led to RAN, Ride Assist Naperville. Bev hails from Anderson, Ind., but the dedicated arts enthusiast boasts that Naperville is her family.

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