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TheBDFL.com The official internet site of the Big Daddy Football League 2011 |
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From underneath a rock in Media Void
All*Metro from the 1970’s A Bulletin “Throw Back - Flashback"
Here are the Week 8 Scores and sentences. The rest of the Bulletin is dedicated to Metro Football, the name for Saturday morning, Little League football from the late 1960s and 70s around Birmingham.
Blitz 48 - Mayors 24 (A.W.) If you look up “A.W.” in the official, Webster, BDFL dictionary you’ll see a description of this game. “Break up the Blitz.”
Woosiers 47 - Grenadiers 15 (A.W.) So, you didn’t think Tommy T. could flip the switch. Watch and learn how the Woo Crew launches from the Supplemental Draft to a second half surge that has begun with an A.W. against the Commissioner. Grenadiers tank in first half to get the first Supplemental Pick, but face monumental embarrassment finishing below the Slovaks in total points.
Cheetahs 39 - Wooden Warriors 22 In the bowels of Fultondale, Kawliga’s Tribe is starting to crumble and be over-run by the White Man, in this case some white women too, riding in a Sin Wagon with Cheetah Championship banners blowing in the breeze.
Power Sleds 30 - Bullets 12 “Ha, ha, ha. (pause) Ow, ah, ah, ah. Crazy, is that what they say.” PowerSleds turn up the noise in Lowndes County and leave Bullets with their “ears bleeding.”
Gamblers 24 - Juggernauts 17 Not many visitors get to leave Rocket Stadium with a win, but you can now but the Gamblers in that category.
Dogs 18 - Sloth Monsters 15 In the battle of former roomies, Dog gets the best of Mukes, and makes him take orders from Old Barry.
Wizards 17 - Slovaks 8 (Toilet Seat) The cure for what ails you: playing the Slovaks.
This week’s Bulletin features a flashback to Little League football (circa 40 years ago, give or take a few years). The league was called Metro. The Bulletin has received contributions from various BDFL sources that played the game on Saturday mornings all around Metro Birmingham, including in the Championship Game (the Shug-Bear Bowl at Legion Field).
Weight – Age Groups: The teams were divided into age groups, but you also had a weight limit (and regular weigh-ins). Fat kids were not sheltered or relegated to playing “certain positions.” They simply moved up a weight class and played with older kids. Jr 70s – 6-7 year-olds 70s – 8-year-olds 80s – 9-year-olds 90s – 10-year-olds 100s – 11-year-olds 110s – 12-year-olds
Too fat to play in their own age group: Old Barry Stephenson (played up one age), Albert Reeves (played up two age groups with Chris & them), Curt Jarvis (played up two age groups with Bullet & them), Bruce Graham (yes, Bruce Graham played up an age group and was a center for Bullet’s teams).
Shug Bear Bowl: Bullet: “To the best of my recollection, my age group went twice. Chris and Jaimie’s teams went practically every year. We were blown out both times, once by Crestwood (in NY Jets-type green-and-white uniforms) on grass at Legion Field which was painted green all over at the time (the stadium – not the field), and the other time we lost to Hoover (in hideous orange-and-white suits) on the old artificial turf at the “Old Gray Lady.”
Gardendale Domination (From the Commissioner): “My 80-pound year with Coach Fortner, we went 12-0 and outscored our opponents, 283-0.” The Gardendale teams were constant participants in the Metro Championship Game at Legion Field. It was called the Shug Bear Bowl (how Shug got first reference, I’ll never know).
After our time: Legend has it, that David Palmer scored six, long touchdowns in one Shug Bear Bowl when he was 10.
Best Uniforms: Ensley looking just like the Green Bay Packers (even though most of their kids played in street shoes, like Sunday-go-to-meeting shoes). Central Park had the old Los Angeles Rams look with blue jerseys and yellow pants, everything except horns on their helmets. East Lake featured a little “Luv you blue” with red, it was a unique look. You have to remember most everyone else had stale, white helmets, with white pants and a plane, red, blue, or green jersey (at least Gardendale was maroon, but with no gray at that level).
From Jaimie Hand: Wahoma had some good looking uniforms… black and gold.
Metro (From the Commissioner): “Hillview used to have a team in the old days along with Powderly and even Mt. Olive. I think Ike Reeser and Greg Green played for MO at some time. Tarrant City was good back then too. It was a true “Metro” league back then. I have some old programs somewhere. I’ll try to dig up.”
From Butch Neal: “My most embarrassing moment in Metro football was being tacked by a one-armed kid from Hillview.”
Future Gardendale Players that played elsewhere: -Crandall Russell played at Tarrant City, and was a one-man wrecking crew. But, we still beat ‘em when Jon Hill ran back an on-side kick late in the game. Tarrant, Fultondale, and Adamsville played on the outfield of baseball fields. -Greg Blackman was an unbelievable (thinking back now), psycho, and awesome MLB for Central Park, and Lee Blakey was a scat-back and kick return man for the same team.
(Gardendale Metro Stars) Where are they now? Jeff DuBose, Barry Absher, Richard Rouse, Danny Hailes – We’re putting out the APB (All Points Bulletin – pardon the pun). Does anybody know where these former Metro Stars are now? (Some answers have surfaced already: we think DuBose is dead and Danny Hailes is Facebook Friends with the Cheetah Man)
Field of Dreams: A.G. Gaston’s field had an old gravel dirt road down the center – from goalpost to goalpost – and there was just a little grass coming up through the tiny, sharp rocks. (I can’t even remember where A.G. Gaston played, somewhere in the inner city, which was unusual.)
From Butch: I remember we played at Hayden one time and the field smelled like horse crap.
(More) Field of Dreams: Ensley (in the aforementioned Green Bay Packers uniforms) played right there by the Interstate (20-59) with all the swings, and playgrounds and tennis courts. “And, we’d beat ’em 40-0.” Graysville played night games. It was like going to Baton Rouge, they were loud and obnoxious.
Coach quotes: Mac Sanderson* (to Greg Price): “If you don’t block this time, I’m going to squeeze your butt until the juice runs out.” “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, you win,” Art McCarty. “Chalk Dust,” Mac (again), that was almost my nickname. He said I used to trip over the chalk lines on the field.
*Note: The man’s name was Mac Sanderson. But everybody called him Max (players and parents).
From Jaimie Hand: “On Jr. 70’s we were so good one year… we only lost one game… to the other Gardendale Junior 70’s team.” “One game we’re beating Tarrant by at least two TDs in the forth quarter… Max is not happy… yells at the offense that if we don’t make a first down… we’re going to run a 100 laps. Sure enough, we didn’t make it… 100 laps… he did spread them out over the next week… like 10 before and 10 after practice.” “Same year… one game Max was on crutches and got mad and slammed one of his crutches and broke it… and shook what was left at us. And this team went UNDEFEATED (until the Shug-Bear Bowl and got beat by Center Point).”
Former NFL and BDFLers: Most years… Parks was our fullback (nicked-named Captain Crunch)… he would run over as many of our players as opponents.
More from Bullet: “We had Richard Rouse at FB (same as Parks - would run over everybody of either team). He would dog cuss me if I didn't get the hand-off to him quick enough... I quit "reversing out" when it was time to give it to him (regardless of what the coaches said) Barry Absher at tailback - then later Win Crowder.” “I remember after our games... sometimes watching the older games later... and a #22 running wild for Gardendale... I’m pretty sure that was Butch Neal.”
Oops: Win Crowder “spiked” the ball following his first touchdown. He didn’t know it was a penalty. “They do it on TV,” he said.
Feats of strength: Mike Wiggington kicked an extra point in Hayden for a 9-year-old team (80-pounders).
From the commissioner: On the Jr. 70s (after we were on the Sr. 70s for a year), Greg Light used to score every game on the end around. And puke after every touchdown, every game. It was like part of the play.
From Butch Neal: (I don't think Jeff Dubose is alive anymore) “But one story I remember from him was he was returning a kickoff back for a TD and slowed down so he could stiff arm the guy chasing him around the 20 yard line. Danny Hailes is around, I have him on facebook.” “I remember scoring a touchdown at Rickwood Field and Legion Field (Shug-Bear Bowl).” “It seems like Wahoma whipped us every year. I remember Tony Bird getting his long hair pulled all the time. I remember (coach) Bill Whitlock with his gruff voice yelling all the time. (He would also head butt you, with or without your helmet on. And, he found loads of pocket change all around the practice field during warm-ups.) The Crestwood boys always seemed to be a lot bigger than us.”
More Memories from Bullet - Pick Six: “My first touchdown (not that I had many) was a “Pick 6” at Rocket Stadium on the Jr. 70s. I think it was Wenonah or Wahoma. They threw a pass in the flat and I picked it off and took it back about 20 yards for the score. When I turned around in the middle of the end zone – to celebrate with my teammates – about four of them tackled me, ruining my celebration.”
Pick Six (Part 2): “As a back-up QB to Win Crowder, I evened things out with a “Pick 6” in the flat, in a blowout against Fultondale, to – of all people – Mike Elsberry. Coach Bill Whitlock chewed by @$$ out for not chasing him harder to the end zone (even though I never would have caught him). Later, Win ended up moving back to tailback, because he could never remember the plays, or the snap-count, or the formation, or even which way we were going. David Belrose played for that same Fultondale team. He told me years later, ‘we hated playing Gardendale’ (probably because we always killed them). He said Bullet was the only QB who called plays, “on two.” And, they always jumped off-sides. That, and the “no-count, quarterback sneak,” were my only two tricks.
Every QB remembers his Offensive Line (no matter how offensive): Chris: Keith Russell, Andy Moore, Alan Hargett, Tim Oglesby, Stan Walker and countless more. Bullet (known in those days as Jerome, or “Chalk Dust”): Greg Price, Gary Culp, Bruce Graham, Barry Stephenson, Jimmy Cain (sometimes Curt Jarvis, Mike Marshall, Bill Leopard, and David Trawick) But that’s better than my one half-game as a B-Team QB with: Hot Dog Sexton, Les Nichols, Brian Guffin, Keith Crawford, and Scottie West (and maybe Dwayne Painter and Bill Philpot) Jaimie: Bobby Caviness, Mark Light, Mike “Bucket” Burkett…
Yes, all the Hand boys were Quarterbacks (at least for a while).
The Snapper Bowl: Chris’ age group with Paul Fields playing quarterback played in a tournament one Thanksgiving Week in Panama City. It was like March Madness with a game every night.
Send more BDFLers and we’ll include ’em in future Bulletins (including what were ‘other’ leagues like). |
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The
Bulletin - Week 8