Mickey Plyler's Blog for June 23

by Tiger Source Staff - Fri Jun 23 09:50:56 GMT-04:00 2006

Mickey's new Blog brought to you by:

On Friday’s we publish your comments and answer your e-mails. If you have any comments you can send them to mickey.plyler@tigernet.com.

Mickey: I just finished reading your article about Mr. B with tears in my eyes. He was the greatest Tiger -- that is for sure.

Thanks for letting others know about this great man!!!!

Your Friend, Al

Al,

Thanks for the kind words. I know you loved Mr. B also. Thanks again.

Thanks for a well-written remembrance of a great man.

-- Guy ‘57

Guy,

Thanks for your e-mail. Mr. B was the best.

This is one of your best blogs yet – thanks for the memories and behind-the-scenes comments most of us weren’t aware of. --

Joe ‘77

Joe,

Thanks. I am very grateful that I got to know him so well. He lived life the way it was intended.

In your blog about Bob Bradley, you mentioned he used to take people to

93 Fish Camp. Is the fish camp still in business? Where is it/was it?

Thanks. David

David,

The 93 Fish Camp closed several years ago and has been a couple of hundred different restaurants since. None seem to have the success of the old fish camp. It was across from where the Ingles in Central.

Mickey - My name is Marsha and I worked in sports info from 1998-2002. I am one of the last generations of sports info kids to have the privilege to work for Mr B.

The blog you wrote this morning is wonderful. I am crying at my desk.

Thank you so much for sharing some of your great memories of Mr. B.

I am one of the few girls in Greenville that can keep a baseball book; but more special is the fact that Mr B taught me how.

-- Marsha

Marsha,

Sorry about the tears but I know what you mean about his baseball book. No one kept a neater book than Mr. B with those small lead pencils. Thanks for sharing.

I have just read your blog for June 15 about Bob Bradley and I just wanted to congratulate you on an excellent tribute to a man that I had known for many years. Bob was on The Tiger staff when I also worked on the Tiger my freshman and sophomore years. Although my sports writing consisted mainly of feature articles each week on various Tiger athletes, I worked mostly as News Editor. Every bit of praise you heaped upon Mr. B. is well deserved.

After I came back to Clemson to join the Language Department, my wife and I attended all home baseball games and many of the away games. He always made it a point to personally thank us for being such loyal fans. Sorry this is so lengthy, but I simply wished to thank you for bringing back such happy memories of a man whom I truly admired. Keep up the good work.

-- Bob

Bob,

Thanks for sharing your wonderful memories with him. It was amazing to watch him at a game. He knew everyone by name and made it a point because he really cared for his friends.

Mickey,

Great blog on Bob Bradley, never had the pleasure of meeting him...thanks for shedding some light on him...things I did not know. Will share a Fred Hoover story with you next time but first must savor the Bob Bradley blog.

Thanks, Walt

Walt, Thanks. I have the best Fred Hoover story. I may write about it in the next few weeks. Thanks for reminding me.

Mickey, I have never met you, but I do follow your career from down here in Columbia. I graduated from Clemson in 1970, and I was editor of The Tiger my senior year. Among many great Clemson memories is meeting Mr. Bradley, and I still remember what a warm and genuinely decent man he was. He and Coach Howard were hilarious in the way they would play off each other with Mr. B acting as Coach Howard's straight man.

I don't generally send emails to people after reading their articles, but I especially enjoyed your wonderful reminiscence of this fine Clemson gentleman. -- Dennis Class of '70

Dennis,

I am glad you wrote back. Please do more in the future. I love hearing back from people about their thoughts.

Dang Mickey. I had to get up and shut the door to my office so no one would see the tears streaming down my face. What a great blog. I enjoy it daily but really enjoy the looks back in history and at former Clemson great. Mr.

Bradley was certainly that and probably along with Dr. Edwards the greatest ambassador Clemson has ever had.Great job. -- Paul

Paul, I did not mean to interrupt work. I have a few great stories on Dr.

Edwards. I will share them as well in the coming weeks. A couple of them I know you will enjoy.

Mickey,

A Great tribute to a gentleman that any decent man would aspire to be like.

I made sure that my sons met him before we left the area in ’92. I know you had to tear up a few times while you wrote it as I did when I read it. I worked in Clemson for 7 ½ years before leaving and we would sneak off on a slow afternoon sometimes to visit Jervey and listen to Mr. Bradley tell a story. He always had time to at least say ‘Hello’. One of my co-workers was from Oklahoma and he would tell about going out there for a football game and getting whooped so badly that they had to bring in a fresh team of horses for the Sooner Schooner. Don’t forget that one of his fishing buddies was the now-retired ladies basketball coach.

I remember bumping into him at a BB game once. In mid conversation, he politely said “Excuse me” for a second, moved over close to the concession stand TV, pumped his fist in the air, and returned to say, “David Treadwell just kicked another field goal for the Broncos”.

Mr. Bradley was Clemson to the bone, one of the friendliest people I have

ever met, and a prototype of the “Southern Gentleman”. One of the best

articles I have ever read was about how honored he was at his funeral by anybody and everybody that had associated with him in some way. It was truly touching. He was a true ‘Class Act’ and I will never forget him.

-- Larry CU ‘80

Larry,

As usual I always enjoy your input. I am glad your sons had a chance to meet him. I tell my son about him but it is not the same. Thanks again.

Mickey,

I am fortunate to have autographed copy number 47 of 250 of CLEMSON where the TIGERS play. He wrote: To Frank-A True Tiger!! If there is anything better than being a Clemson Tiger, it has not been proved to me yet. Bob Bradley. Many others also wrote in my book.

-- Frank

Frank,

Awesome. I have not heard him say that but I know he meant it. That is so cool. Thanks.

I have never seen a group of people so obsessed with USC. You were the no1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Either you we over ranked or choked. Either way , clempson has been a joke in Omaha, very similar to the joke they have been in basketball and football in the post season. Winning the champs, peach, and humanitarian bowl in 6 years would get a coach at Georgia, etc.

fired. Face facts, USC is clempson's bitch as you stated in one of your blogs. It's ashamed the program has fallen so far that's all you have left.

One decent team joined the acc and clemspon hasn't sniffed a acc title in football. Anyway, glad your baseball team lost, couldn't have happened to a nicer group of people.

-- Randy

Randy, Nice. I know you don’t like Clemson but who do you pull for? I can’t figure out if it is UGA or USC. But it is ironic that you are calling out Clemson fans about being obsessed with USC but you chose to write a Clemson website after reading it. Sounds to me like someone else is obsessed.

Mickey

After watching or listening to every game this year, I have come to this conclusion...this team has made me a supporter of baseball at Clemson that rivals my support of football. I will be a season ticket holder next season without doubt. Congrats to the seniors on a career to be proud of and to the returnees who know what can happen with determination. As always Mickey, I enjoy your contribution to Clemson and it's fans.

Thanks again. -Terry

Terry,

They were fun to watch. I loved their attitude and will miss this team. I think there will be more in the future to make us proud.

Mickey, Great blog on this past season of baseball, it could not have been put better.....I thoroughly enjoyed this season....what a group of "fighter's"

these guy were.......they showed class and determination all season...a reflection of the coaching staff and Coach Leggett. The Blogs are the best reading on here.

-- Walt

Walt,

Thanks. I think you are right. Leggett’s teams take his personality. I was there when the team came back from Omaha and jack had some nice things to say about his team and the support. I think they will be back soon.

ACC regular season Champs, ACC tournament Champs, regional Champs, Super Regional Champs, & a win in the CWS. Not a bad season. I’m proud.

-- Unsigned

Well said. What a year!

Mickey,

First of all, love the show & the blog. Look forward to it everyday. I want to chime in as somebody who likes soccer & the world cup. i didn't grow up with soccer. I’m a good ol' southern boy who played football in the backyard & baseball in the neighbor's field. i saw a couple of matches in high school, but it still didn't really peak my interest. i started going to Clemson games in '97, at first just to hang out with friends. but as i started to watch the games & how things developed, it grabbed me. i went to every game i could & still do. this is the second time I’ve watched the world cup. i love the passion for the game. i love the patriotism. i love the strategy. its an amazing game.

as far as your question, the officiating has been horrible this year & has definitely affected the outcome of several games. most of the matches have been great. there have been a few lop-sided games, but overall its been a very good tournament.

I heard you talking today about third-world & impoverished nations not being able to afford to play a game like football. that's part of the draw for me.

kids don't have to go to the sporting goods store, buy $100 shoes, & all of the under-armor gear to go play. they just go out on the street & play.

they're practically born with a soccer ball at their feet. they love it.

they don't make much if any money in most leagues. even our mls teams here don't get paid much. one of the reasons that pro sports lose their appeal for me is all the money tied up in it. i enjoy seeing guys go out on the field & play for the love of the game. there may be no other benefit for the. its pure in that sense.

also, i think, as you mentioned about baseball, to know the strategy makes the game more interesting. a baseball game can get mind-numbing if you don't look at it sometimes from the "manager's" standpoint. where to play fielders with a certain batter, when to send your runner from first with 1 out, when to bring in your setup guy, etc. soccer is the same way. when you can see why the coach puts in this lineup vs that lineup, how many position players to use, knowing who your go-to guy is on corner kicks. all of that makes the game more exciting. these are things i had to learn. I have a friend who played at Clemson with oguchi & another friend who played at SWU. they have helped me see the game inside the game.

of course, to each his own as far as sports go. But its just ignorant & asinine to say that soccer is not a real sport, or not a sport at all.

understand, I wish there was another card that the ref could throw, a wussy card, when those guys go flailing on the ground after being gently tapped in the shin guard. but its one of the parts of the game, take it or leave it. i hope that more people will give soccer a serious chance, spend time with somebody who knows the game. & appreciate it for what it is.

my two cents...peace... -Christopher

Christopher,

I understand people liking soccer but I can’t do it. Believe me I have tried time and time again. I watched five of the six halves the US played in this world cup and it was awful. Thanks for your opinion. I want people to express their thoughts in this forum. Stay in touch.

Mickey,

Rather than knocking a sport or a tournament, why not focus on the positives it brings. Sure there was bad officiating, but that holds true in every sport.

I'd be hard pressed to find an event where games are won and lost by the officiating crew. The World Cup bring the planet to a complete stop (except the US), national pride and camaraderie is brought to the forefront. While NBA players whine about the rest they need after a long and hard season, using it as an excuse to skip representing their nation in the Olympics, soccer players dream to represent their countries at the World Cup. Where else would you find tiny Trinidad & Tobago stand firm against a strong Swedish side? What about a shameful US performance against the Czechs giving way to a brave draw with the fancied Italians? What about Ghana's domination of the mighty US conquerors?

No other sport has the Cinderella stories like soccer, nor does any captivate 6 billion people on a weekly basis. I understand your love for football, but the rest of the world can't be completely wrong. --

Apoorva

Apoorva,

I see the passion. I like that. I just don’t enjoy most aspects of the sport. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, a billion people eat with chopsticks but I like the fork, knife and spoon.

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