by This edition is dedicated to things that used to be better when I was younger.
The NBA
I was born in 1982 and grew up in the two greatest decades of the NBA. The dynasty’s built and the fan friendly teams created will never be forgotten from that incredible two decade stretch. Each team had an identity because the players stuck around and if a “Super Team” did form, it was organic.
Check out the late 80’s and early 90’s for a prime example of how good the NBA could be. Yes, the Bulls had Jordan and Pippen, but the rest of the league was loaded too. The Jazz had John Stockton and Karl Malone. The Warriors had Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway. The Lakers had Magic Johnson & Worthy. The Trailblazers had Clyde Drexler and Clifford Robinson.
The Cavs had Nance, Ehlo, Price and Daugherty. The Sonics had Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. The Knicks had John Starks and Patrick Ewing. The Pacers with Reggie Miller and Rick Smits while Houston had Vernon Maxwell and Akeem the Dream.
Those examples I just rattled off the top of my head didn’t even include Robert Parrish, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and the Boston Celtics or The Bad Boy Pistons. My point being, it is so simple and fun to think back to those era’s.
Will young fans of today have those same memories? The last Super Team that actually stayed together for years was The Golden State Warriors with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. When you factor in that 2 of their 3 titles won since 2017 came with Kevin Durant in the lineup for a brief stop, does that even count?
The NBA of my youth and extreme fandom was based on teamwork, defense, strong perimeter play and even stronger play from the big men down low.
You know the NBA did have centers, right? Not only that, but they were really good. David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Robert Parrish and Patrick Ewing are just five of many who shaped an entire generation.
All five players would routinely touch the ball on every possession. Sure, there would be high scoring games, but teams still played defense and it wasn’t just one three ball after another. It was just better!
Subway
This one is simple, in a generation where there are now over a dozen fast food sub restaurants, it blows my mind that Subway has declined so much. With the competition being so thick, they should be doing everything they can to improve. Their one and only improvement over the years has been to microwave subs and introduce a light breakfast menu.
Perhaps the worst part is having to pay for double or even triple meat for something that will fill you up. For now, it is Penn Station or DiBella’s for me!
The Simpsons
After 32 plus seasons, I guess it was bound to run out of gas one day. I stopped watching back in 99 when I was a junior in high school. At that point, they had headed into their 9th season and the show was still going strong. I didn’t watch it again for 20 plus years.
I recently added the Disney Network to our streaming package, and it comes with the entire Simpsons Series. So naturally, I decided to binge watch it and try like heck to catch up. It still has its moments but remains a far cry from the heyday the show had in the 90’s.
Sometimes I guess there is too much of a good thing.
That’s it for now!
