I love to reminisce. To think about the old days, when I was a kid growing up in New Castle. Things were so different back then. I grew up in the 70's and 80's, when it was ok to let your kids play outside until after dark, or run around the neighborhood, around town, or leave them at the park all day. Things were much simpler. There were no video games unless you were fortunate enough to have an Atari. No cable, just four channels, and sometimes five. There was nothing to do except to go outside and play. That's what we did. We had the NBA, Neighborhood Basketball Association. We had the NFL, Neighborhood Football League. We had the NWBL, Neighborhood Wiffle Ball League. It was the good life. We were The Sandlot, before it was a movie. We used front yards, back yards, school yards, yards that belonged to people we didn't know and vacant lots. Wonderful memories.
This brings to mind some of the guys I grew up with and went to school with. I grew up with some incredible athletes. Everyone knows some. The kids that are well developed, muscular, faster and stronger than everyone else. They don't have to work at anything. They are good at everything, every sport. They just have it. Even when we were young, we just knew that these kids were going to be superstars. Some of them grew up to fullfill those lofty expectations we all had for them. Others didn't. Those that didn't are the focus of this blog.
In every high school in America there are better players, better athletes, walking the hallways of those schools than there are on the sports teams. Better basketball, football, baseball players. Better wrestlers, track athletes, and more. We had them at my school. They were some of the best athletes I had ever seen. Yet for various reasons, they never played for our school. They never wore a uniform, the green and white of New Castle Chrysler High School. The Trojans. Never ran out of the tunnel in the Fieldhouse. Never ran onto the football field or stepped over the lines of our baseball diamond. They were good. They were freakishly athletic.
There were several guys that could have played high school sports and done very well. I will not use their real names, primarily because I had no contact information and could not get there permission. So none of the names are real. But trust me, they were very real.
Let's begin with Zeke. Zeke was one of the most athletic kids I knew. He was probably 5'10" in high school. Man could he jump. He could dunk a basketball any way he wanted to. He could go two hands, two hands behind his head, 360, one handed tomahawk, reverse, off one foot, two feet, it didn't matter. He was a quick jumper too. Quick on his feet, fast, and could get off the floor before you ever knew it. He was explosive. He could shoot it too. He could drain it from mid range, outside, 20 feet, 30 feet. His range began as soon as he stepped onto a court. He played all the time. Yet he never played for the school. To this day, I still don't know why. Perhaps he was uncoachable. Maybe he was one of those kids that for whatever reason just never could play organized basketball. Couldn't take the coaching, the criticism. Maybe he didn't like the rules, or the structure. Or maybe he just wasn't interested. Whatever the reason, he was an incredible athlete and very good basketball player. He graduated with us, but after graduation, I never saw him again.
There was Pete and Ben. These two guys were probably the best athletes in our entire class, maybe even in our town. They could do it all. They were fast and strong. They were good at everything. They played in youth leagues as kids, but once they hit junior high, that was it. Pete was muscular and strong. Smooth and relaxed. He never got rattled. He was good at everything; football, basketball, track, kickball, dodgeball, baseball, tag, hopscotch. It didn't matter. I don't know for sure, but I believe he was of native american heritage. He was an incredible athlete, but he never played for our school. He moved in when we were kids. Moved away a little later, and moved back. I honestly do not recall if he graduated with us or if he moved away before then. I have no idea what ever happened to him. But he had more talent and athletic ability than anyone I had ever seen. He never played for the Trojans. He would have been a great assett to any of our high school teams.
Ben was skinny, but strong and wiry. He was fast and could jump. He was a freakish athlete. He too was good at everything. He could have been particularly good as a track athlete, running sprints, high jump, long jump, pole vault, perhaps the Decathlon. He could have played football and basketball. He never did. He didn't care much for school. Didn't care much about homework or grades. He wasn't dumb. He was a smart guy. He just didn't care. Didn't care about coaches or teams, tournaments or trophies. His goal in life was to have a good time. I don't fault him for that. We all want that. However, with a little dedication and self-discipline, he could have been one of the best athletes to come out of our town. Ben got involved in using drugs and alcohol by the time we were in junior high. He definately had some good times, I guess. I think he was in trouble here and there, but nothing major. He never played a down, an inning or a quarter in high school. The shame of it is he could have been the best athlete in our class. He had so much God-given talent and ability. He was a natural athlete. It all went to waste. He graduated, but I haven't seen him since.
The other guy that came to mind was not really an athlete. He was, however, a basketball player. He was an incredible basketball player. So much so that I'll call him Larry, since that is who he reminded me of. Larry Bird. Larry could play basketball. And play he did, all the time. He played all day in the summer from sunup to sundown and beyond. We had lighted courts at Baker Park. Larry was out there sometimes until midnight. I don't know, but I would imagine he probably skipped school to go play. He knew the game, knew the court, every inch of it. He could shoot, he could drive, he could pass. He played like Larry, and Magic. Unfortunately, he wasn't a great athlete. He didn't have speed, but he was pretty quick. He could jump a little, but not great. He was a solid player. An incredible player. He never played for our high school. Never wore the green and white. Never ran out of the tunnel. He was at every game, but never as a player. I really don't know why. I never remember him trying out for a team. Not in junior high. Not in high school. Not ever. He was a great player. He graduated with us. He is around. He has kids in school now. I bet he still plays. I bet he will still be playing years from now. He loved basketball. I'm sure he still does.
Players that never were. They are everywhere. We had them. You had them. Every school has them. They have talent, athletic ability and skills. They could have played on your high school football or basketball team. They would have made our team better, your team better. They would have helped us win games, maybe even state titles. They didn't. I don't know why. Not coachable. Not interested. Into drugs and alcohol. Too much moving. Who knows? They could have been great. They were not. At least not in the sense of high school athletics. Talent, athletic ability, skills. All wasted. They were players. Too bad they never played for us.
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