• https://www.dead.net/features/blairs-golden-road-blog/blair-s-golden-road-blog-sporting-life
    Blair’s Golden Road Blog - The Sporting Life

    By Blair Jackson
    As my San Francisco Giants went through the recent World Series, my personal ritual included wearing a different Giants shirt each night when I'd watch the games. Unfortunately, our team was so efficient—dispatching the poor overmatched Detroit Tigers in just four games—I never got a chance to wear my favorite shirt: a Giants “Stealie” (the “SF” logo inside the “Steal Your Face” skull) that I bought years ago at a game. Yup, it was team-sanctioned, sold inside the stadium. Giants reserve catcher Eli Whiteside wore a version of it in the big victory parade on Halloween, just as he did in the 2010 champions' parade. Way to go, Eli!

    SF Giants catcher Eli Whiteside shows his colors at World Series celebration on Halloween.

    The fact that such a shirt exists—and that you can find a Stealie shirt or decal with just about any professional (or college) sports team's logo—says something about the relationship between Dead Heads and sports fans. It turns out We Are Both Everywhere.

    But what's the connection? It's got to be more than just being fanatical about two things at once.

    Paul Grushkin's 1983 book, Grateful Dead: The Official Book of the Dead Heads, devoted a two-page spread to David Gans' cogent analysis of how Grateful Dead concerts are like baseball games, noting: “No two are ever alike. The plays are always different, and there's always fresh hope. Sometimes the game's an all-timer even though individual performances are sloppy; sometimes everybody plays great but the team loses anyway …

    “You can cherish the great victories and triumphant seasons and chart them across decades, or you can go simply for the enjoyment of tonight and to hell with the standings. Like all the great teams, the Dead have their pennant years and bleak innings, perfect games and whippings, hits and foul balls, heroes and goats … Like big-league fans, Dead Heads are as varied as the game is long. There are score-keepers who record every detail for statistical analysis and a place in the Hall of Fame; camera buffs and video freaks; armchair umpires, die-hards, groupies …”

    I do believe that there is a connection between the unpredictability of sports and that of the Dead experience. Is the incredibly exciting and satisfying rush that a home run or a long touchdown pass provides that much different than the thrill of recognition that accompanies the opening notes of a killer “Scarlet Begonias” or “Dark Star” or an end-of-show “Sugar Mag”? Part of it is feeling in sync with the crowd, the notion of sharing a group experience.

    I don't think I was aware of a specific relationship between the Dead and the Giants until the start of the 1993 season, when Jerry, Bob and Vince sang “The Star Spangled Banner” on opening day. It was a particularly momentous occasion, because for much of the previous off-season there were strong indications that the Giants would be sold to a group that was determined to move the team to Tampa, Fla. However, the National League did not permit the sale; instead, a new group of local owners were found and the Giants were saved! It seemed fitting that members of another San Francisco institution—the Grateful Dead—were on hand to celebrate the city's good fortune! Jerry and Vince wore black satin Giants jackets (Bob was in his usual polo shirt), and the three sang like angels.

    In the years since Jerry's death, the relationship between the Giants and the Dead family has strengthened even more. The past three years, on or around Jerry's birthday, there has been a “Jerry Garcia Day” game at AT&T Park, complete with a Dead cover band playing GD songs atop the visiting team's dugout before the game, Garcia bobbleheads (two of the three years), and various special stadium party activities to raise funds for charity. The first year, Bob, Phil and Furthur's Jeff Pehrson sang the National Anthem. The second year it was Bob, Phil and Giants Third Base Coach (and musician and fan of the Dead) Tim Flannery. This past August, on Jerry's 70th, Bob, Flannery and Jackie Greene did the honors. (Bob also played with Flannery's band at a benefit in Napa last winter for Brian Stow, a Giants fan who was severely beaten and critically injured following the opening day game against the Dodgers in 2011.)

    Bobblehead Jerry from 8/1/12 Giants game.

    Back in the late '70s and through the '80s, however, the Dead's main link to sports seemed to be to professional basketball, via the group's close relationship with World's Tallest Dead Head and 1993 Hall of Fame inductee Bill Walton. Despite some derision, Walton never hid his love of the band; indeed, he told anybody who asked him what the Dead had meant to him and how listening to the band had helped him as an athlete. He was a fixture at Dead concerts for many years (you couldn't miss him if he was there!) and even went to Egypt in '78. The band and crew reciprocated by rooting for his teams—the Portland Trailblazers, the San Diego (and L.A.) Clippers and, finally, the Boston Celtics. I can still picture Ram Rod and Mickey Hart wearing Kelly-green Celtics jackets everywhere in the late '80s. I even recall being at a a Dead show—can't remember the year or place—where instead of playing music over the P.A, before the show and at the break, they blasted the live broadcast of one of Walton's playoff games through the sound system instead, annoying commercials and all.

    (It's been great seeing Walton remain part of the Dead scene in the post-Jerry years, taking on the Bill Graham Father Time role at New Year's spectaculars, being a member of the Rex Foundation Advisory Board, and showing up at various Dead-family concerts and events as his busy schedule permits.)

    I would be remiss, too, if I didn't mention the Dead connection to the Lithuanian Olympic basketball team in 1992. A member of NBA's Golden State Warriors (the Bay Area team) named Sarunas Marciulionis was eager to have his homeland of Lithuania—recently free of the iron grip of the Soviet Union—represented in basketball at the Barcelona Olympics, but they were seriously underfunded. The Grateful Dead came to the rescue by providing some much-needed money—as well as the team's bright tie-dyed uniforms, which depicted a skeleton dunking a basketball on the jersey.

    Strangest and coolest Olympic jersey EVER!

    There must have been some magic in Greg Speirs' shirt design, because the underdog Lithuanian team ended up winning a Bronze medal that year. Man, all that tie-dye looked great up on the winners' stand! Earlier this year, Marciulionis told NBC, “[The International Olympic Committee] didn't want us to do it. They wanted us to wear suits and ties. But we decided that we would wear the tie-dyed T-shirts we got from the Grateful Dead. The Dead had stood behind us when we didn't have any money.” The shirts also became big sellers in the U.S. (and a common sight at Dead shows) and helped finance Lithuania's participation in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

    A new documentary about the '92 Lithuanian Olympic basketball team, called The Other Dream Team, was released in the past month and, not surprisingly, the Dead's involvement in the story is featured prominently, as it should be. The film's trailer gives you a nice condensed version of the tale.

    What I'd love to hear from you folks is your thoughts on the Dead and sports—as fans and also as participants: For instance, I know lots of folks who fuel their treacherous ski runs and scenic bike rides with Grateful Dead music. Personally, I'm just a brisk walker, but I can't imagine doing that without a hot Dead show to keep me company.

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  • Underthevolcano
    11 years 4 months ago
    I almost forgot...
    My Buddy wears the Lithuania basketball shirt when we go to shows-never fails to get a bunch of positives from Heads.
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    vtdeadfan
    11 years 4 months ago
    Dead for Heallth
    I too take the Dead along on most mt. bike rides, back country ski trips or runs. I've had Jack Straw power me up hills many a times. Garcia's ripping guitar solos on Brown Eyed Woman is always nice....Crazy Fingers can trance me for a few miles on the bike, Cold Rain and Snow is fitting on a Vermont snow day as I head into the woods for the day. In fact, as I think about it, the Dead has brought my "healthier" side of life more alive......As for for the Dead at a game....I brought my daughter to her first baseball game when she was 1. We were in Philly. Between innings I went to concessions for some drinks and left her with my wife and friends. While in line a lady was wearing a Garcia hand print shirt. Furthur had just started and I'd seen them a few times, so naturally I asked if she had seen them. Well that question sparked a longer conversation. As we talked I realized I'd better get back to my seats. I was walking back up to the seats and looked at the jumbo tron and saw, my daughter on it! She was being held by my buddy and it had "First Game" plastered on it. So I missed that moment. When I got back they asked what took me so long......I told them about my conversation and of course my wife responded with, "the Dead got him again".......yep, they got me again....it was all good though, the moment was captured on camera.....
  • Sun King
    11 years 4 months ago
    sports songs...
    so it was the fall f '85, i had FRONT ROW seats to the fox theatre in atlanta, smack dab in front of jerry, no security, no wall, i was very excited! i chose the fox over richmond, va (which the 1st nite produced a dick's pick) even though i loved richmond, even more than hampton until rich 85 was it for them there. so the night before the 1st fox show, my beloved cardinals lost game 7 to the royals in the '85 world series, and this is after they got hosed in game six. my consolation, the boys at the fox! so what does bobby do to me??? 2nd song he asks, was anyone watching tv last night? and breaks into "kansas city"! the place loved it!!! me...not so much.
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By Blair Jackson
As my San Francisco Giants went through the recent World Series, my personal ritual included wearing a different Giants shirt each night when I'd watch the games. Unfortunately, our team was so efficient—dispatching the poor overmatched Detroit Tigers in just four games—I never got a chance to wear my favorite shirt: a Giants “Stealie” (the “SF” logo inside the “Steal Your Face” skull) that I bought years ago at a game. Yup, it was team-sanctioned, sold inside the stadium. Giants reserve catcher Eli Whiteside wore a version of it in the big victory parade on Halloween, just as he did in the 2010 champions' parade. Way to go, Eli!

SF Giants catcher Eli Whiteside shows his colors at World Series celebration on Halloween.

The fact that such a shirt exists—and that you can find a Stealie shirt or decal with just about any professional (or college) sports team's logo—says something about the relationship between Dead Heads and sports fans. It turns out We Are Both Everywhere.

But what's the connection? It's got to be more than just being fanatical about two things at once.

Paul Grushkin's 1983 book, Grateful Dead: The Official Book of the Dead Heads, devoted a two-page spread to David Gans' cogent analysis of how Grateful Dead concerts are like baseball games, noting: “No two are ever alike. The plays are always different, and there's always fresh hope. Sometimes the game's an all-timer even though individual performances are sloppy; sometimes everybody plays great but the team loses anyway …

“You can cherish the great victories and triumphant seasons and chart them across decades, or you can go simply for the enjoyment of tonight and to hell with the standings. Like all the great teams, the Dead have their pennant years and bleak innings, perfect games and whippings, hits and foul balls, heroes and goats … Like big-league fans, Dead Heads are as varied as the game is long. There are score-keepers who record every detail for statistical analysis and a place in the Hall of Fame; camera buffs and video freaks; armchair umpires, die-hards, groupies …”

I do believe that there is a connection between the unpredictability of sports and that of the Dead experience. Is the incredibly exciting and satisfying rush that a home run or a long touchdown pass provides that much different than the thrill of recognition that accompanies the opening notes of a killer “Scarlet Begonias” or “Dark Star” or an end-of-show “Sugar Mag”? Part of it is feeling in sync with the crowd, the notion of sharing a group experience.

I don't think I was aware of a specific relationship between the Dead and the Giants until the start of the 1993 season, when Jerry, Bob and Vince sang “The Star Spangled Banner” on opening day. It was a particularly momentous occasion, because for much of the previous off-season there were strong indications that the Giants would be sold to a group that was determined to move the team to Tampa, Fla. However, the National League did not permit the sale; instead, a new group of local owners were found and the Giants were saved! It seemed fitting that members of another San Francisco institution—the Grateful Dead—were on hand to celebrate the city's good fortune! Jerry and Vince wore black satin Giants jackets (Bob was in his usual polo shirt), and the three sang like angels.

In the years since Jerry's death, the relationship between the Giants and the Dead family has strengthened even more. The past three years, on or around Jerry's birthday, there has been a “Jerry Garcia Day” game at AT&T Park, complete with a Dead cover band playing GD songs atop the visiting team's dugout before the game, Garcia bobbleheads (two of the three years), and various special stadium party activities to raise funds for charity. The first year, Bob, Phil and Furthur's Jeff Pehrson sang the National Anthem. The second year it was Bob, Phil and Giants Third Base Coach (and musician and fan of the Dead) Tim Flannery. This past August, on Jerry's 70th, Bob, Flannery and Jackie Greene did the honors. (Bob also played with Flannery's band at a benefit in Napa last winter for Brian Stow, a Giants fan who was severely beaten and critically injured following the opening day game against the Dodgers in 2011.)

Bobblehead Jerry from 8/1/12 Giants game.

Back in the late '70s and through the '80s, however, the Dead's main link to sports seemed to be to professional basketball, via the group's close relationship with World's Tallest Dead Head and 1993 Hall of Fame inductee Bill Walton. Despite some derision, Walton never hid his love of the band; indeed, he told anybody who asked him what the Dead had meant to him and how listening to the band had helped him as an athlete. He was a fixture at Dead concerts for many years (you couldn't miss him if he was there!) and even went to Egypt in '78. The band and crew reciprocated by rooting for his teams—the Portland Trailblazers, the San Diego (and L.A.) Clippers and, finally, the Boston Celtics. I can still picture Ram Rod and Mickey Hart wearing Kelly-green Celtics jackets everywhere in the late '80s. I even recall being at a a Dead show—can't remember the year or place—where instead of playing music over the P.A, before the show and at the break, they blasted the live broadcast of one of Walton's playoff games through the sound system instead, annoying commercials and all.

(It's been great seeing Walton remain part of the Dead scene in the post-Jerry years, taking on the Bill Graham Father Time role at New Year's spectaculars, being a member of the Rex Foundation Advisory Board, and showing up at various Dead-family concerts and events as his busy schedule permits.)

I would be remiss, too, if I didn't mention the Dead connection to the Lithuanian Olympic basketball team in 1992. A member of NBA's Golden State Warriors (the Bay Area team) named Sarunas Marciulionis was eager to have his homeland of Lithuania—recently free of the iron grip of the Soviet Union—represented in basketball at the Barcelona Olympics, but they were seriously underfunded. The Grateful Dead came to the rescue by providing some much-needed money—as well as the team's bright tie-dyed uniforms, which depicted a skeleton dunking a basketball on the jersey.

Strangest and coolest Olympic jersey EVER!

There must have been some magic in Greg Speirs' shirt design, because the underdog Lithuanian team ended up winning a Bronze medal that year. Man, all that tie-dye looked great up on the winners' stand! Earlier this year, Marciulionis told NBC, “[The International Olympic Committee] didn't want us to do it. They wanted us to wear suits and ties. But we decided that we would wear the tie-dyed T-shirts we got from the Grateful Dead. The Dead had stood behind us when we didn't have any money.” The shirts also became big sellers in the U.S. (and a common sight at Dead shows) and helped finance Lithuania's participation in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

A new documentary about the '92 Lithuanian Olympic basketball team, called The Other Dream Team, was released in the past month and, not surprisingly, the Dead's involvement in the story is featured prominently, as it should be. The film's trailer gives you a nice condensed version of the tale.

What I'd love to hear from you folks is your thoughts on the Dead and sports—as fans and also as participants: For instance, I know lots of folks who fuel their treacherous ski runs and scenic bike rides with Grateful Dead music. Personally, I'm just a brisk walker, but I can't imagine doing that without a hot Dead show to keep me company.

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As my San Francisco Giants went through the recent World Series, my personal ritual included wearing a different Giants shirt each night when I'd watch the games. Unfortunately, our team was so efficient—dispatching the poor overmatched Detroit Tigers in just four games—I never got a chance to wear my favorite shirt: a Giants “Stealie” (the “SF” logo inside the “Steal Your Face” skull) that I bought years ago at a game. Yup, it was team-sanctioned, sold inside the stadium. Giants reserve catcher Eli Whiteside wore a version of it in the big victory parade on Halloween, just as he did in the 2010 champions' parade. Way to go, Eli!

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to friends and family, except one thing, with the band we all wanted it to be a home run, we all wanted all of them to play great, we all were behind the boys in their current endevor. With sports, you've got teams, so half of so of the place is rooting for this side or the other, which can cause friction within the event, whereas, with the band, we All were rooting for the same thing, which is why the vibe, in my opinion, was always at a peak at a show, we all were there for the same thing, to see the band and get our minds blown.
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I could always appreciate a nicely hit single ("Bertha"), double ("Feel Like a Stranger") or triple ("Estimated")... I didn't expect every song to be a home run. (I'll bet someone somewhere has actually delineated Dead songs that way or devised some arcane point system to "grade" songs! )
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I climbed Mt Hood when I was 17 listening to Winterland 11/11/1973 second set on a Sony Walkman, about 1987. Started in the dark, and wound up at the peak after sunrise. Deep into Dark Star, step by step up the mountain, big orange moon lighting the way... Saw Bill Walton at a few shows, once at the Orpheum in SF for Jerry Band in I think November 88, towering above the masses in the foyer. I always had an affinity for Walton, having grown up in Portland. (one of the jokes of '77 - Why does Bill Walton drink his coffee black? He hates Kareem!) There's a great book by political and sports writer David Halberstam called The Breaks of the Game. Halberstam profiles the Blazers the season after they won the NBA championship (they fell apart, mainly due to Walton's legs falling apart), and highlights Walton in all his eccentric glory. He actually wanted to take vegetarianism to the next level - breatharianism. Just breathing. Love it! Grateful Dead concerts = a great American pastime.
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One of my favorite shirts was a Shakedown the Thunder design I saw once at Notre Dame Stadium. Anybody who's into the Irish gets the reference to the "Notre Dame Victory March." I passed on an Owsley belt buckle shirt in L.A. one time, which had nothing to do with sports. But still, I wish I'd bought it.
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I carry The Grateful Dead around in my golf bag. My driver, 3-wood, and 5-wood have "Steal Your Face" headcovers. I also had logo golf balls, ball markers, and tees. I have gotten a lot of comments from lots of fellow Dead Head golfers. Now switch to baseball. I live in northeast ct, where The San Francisco Giants owned a form team from Norwich, CT. They had "Dead Day at Dodd" in honor of Jerry. It was pretty cool. The Zen Tricksters played before the game, and I think the ream wore Tie-dyes(not 100% sure on that). I did get a free "Tater The Gator" tie-dye.
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Don't forget there are subcultures of Deadhead surfers, mountain bikers, skiers, snowboarders etc . . . I have had my Padres/Dead Stealie since the late 90s and many Padres fans inquire about where to buy one. Strange scene in the mid-80s when I saw this eccentric couple at a Cal Expo Dead show and saw the same two people after a Ute football game three months later. It keeps gettin' stranger and stranger.
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I would turn off the sound of whatever game I was watching Red Sox Celtics Bruins and put on any given show and every now and then the action of the game would match the flow of the music...I thought that was pretty neat
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I do all my trail jogging thru the woods with Dead on the IPOD. I really like those long spacey Dark Star jams to get me thru the long runs-nothing else works like the Dead. The crankin' Pig Pen extravaganzas with the funky beats usually get me going for that last mile. Yeah-and I remember Big Red at the Gaahden for the Dead and the Celts. I have seen Big Red at Furthur more recently-in the front on the floor you can't miss him!
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nothing better than a dark star for a trail run when in the early morning darkness
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I almost always run with an iPod. I have a "GD Rockin'" mix that mainly has first set songs. I find that good for running. Can't beat a Bertha or Franklin's for starting a run. For long runs, I can listen to second set stuff to lose myself, but for those half hour runs, I like the upbeat stuff when I'm beating it on down the line.
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The performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" by Jerry, Bob and Vince in April 1993 was memorable to me for another reason. By the early 1990s, the Grateful Dead were very popular, but it wasn't clear to me that non-Deadheads had any idea of what they were about. I thought that to the outside world, the Dead were just popular entertainers, like the stars of a TV show. After the Giants game, I changed my mind. For opening day 1993, the Giants played the then brand-new Florida Marlins, an expansion team. The Marlins manager was Rene Lachemann, who had been the third base coach for the Oakland A's the preceding several years. Because of a hurricane, the Marlins were unable to fly from Florida to SF until the day of the game, and there was some fear that the start of the game would have to be delayed. As it happened, the Marlins arrived in the morning and the game started on time, at 1:00 or 2:00 oclock. However, afterwards, Lachemann was interviewed (as the visiting manager on opening day) and he said (paraphrased), "I was afraid that we weren't going to arrive on time, so I was going to call and ask the Grateful Dead to do the long version of the anthem to give us extra time." That was it for me--if the former third base of the Oakland A's knew enough to joke about the Grateful Dead playing long versions of songs, they weren't just celebrities; people knew somewhat what they really did. Of course, on another note, what if they had done "Dark Star">"Star Spangled Banner">"Wharf Rat">"Star Spangled Banner"? Maybe the Giants would have won the pennant.
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Another link between the Grateful Dead and sports is how often the Grateful Dead played sports venues. This was particularly true in later years. It's not like I can tell you how many Pac-12 home basketball arenas the Dead played in--oh, wait, yes I can (seven, if you only count times the Dead played when the school was actually in the Conference, otherwise ten)--but people saw the Grateful Dead and sports teams in the same places. In the 60s and early 70s, I don't think there was a big crossover between Deadheads and sports fans, but as time slipped into the future those fanbases merged (sports got bigger as well as the Dead, during the same period). I think for basketball fans in particular, winter touring by the Dead was in the same places where we rooted for or against our favorite or most hated NBA or NCAA teams, and that link has rarely been remarked upon. Sports and rock concerts are similar collective experiences, and it's no accident they share many of the same venues.
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Wow grew up skiing in Tahoe with my cassette deck strapped to my chest !!! LOL could not listen to Eyes and ski i would get so out of control boy was that fun !!!^%$^%$#(*&) And March in Arizona Giants spring training Bonds hittin bombs out of the park during the day and The Good Ole Grateful Dead hittin it out at night BIG FUN !!"Never had such a good time in my life before " Peace Steve
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so it was the fall f '85, i had FRONT ROW seats to the fox theatre in atlanta, smack dab in front of jerry, no security, no wall, i was very excited! i chose the fox over richmond, va (which the 1st nite produced a dick's pick) even though i loved richmond, even more than hampton until rich 85 was it for them there. so the night before the 1st fox show, my beloved cardinals lost game 7 to the royals in the '85 world series, and this is after they got hosed in game six. my consolation, the boys at the fox! so what does bobby do to me??? 2nd song he asks, was anyone watching tv last night? and breaks into "kansas city"! the place loved it!!! me...not so much.
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I too take the Dead along on most mt. bike rides, back country ski trips or runs. I've had Jack Straw power me up hills many a times. Garcia's ripping guitar solos on Brown Eyed Woman is always nice....Crazy Fingers can trance me for a few miles on the bike, Cold Rain and Snow is fitting on a Vermont snow day as I head into the woods for the day. In fact, as I think about it, the Dead has brought my "healthier" side of life more alive......As for for the Dead at a game....I brought my daughter to her first baseball game when she was 1. We were in Philly. Between innings I went to concessions for some drinks and left her with my wife and friends. While in line a lady was wearing a Garcia hand print shirt. Furthur had just started and I'd seen them a few times, so naturally I asked if she had seen them. Well that question sparked a longer conversation. As we talked I realized I'd better get back to my seats. I was walking back up to the seats and looked at the jumbo tron and saw, my daughter on it! She was being held by my buddy and it had "First Game" plastered on it. So I missed that moment. When I got back they asked what took me so long......I told them about my conversation and of course my wife responded with, "the Dead got him again".......yep, they got me again....it was all good though, the moment was captured on camera.....
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My Buddy wears the Lithuania basketball shirt when we go to shows-never fails to get a bunch of positives from Heads.
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I, too, include the Dead in my runs, but they're before and after. I like to drive to where I run, usually about 15 minutes and then listen for another five while putting on my running attire. I like to keep my ears at the ready while I run which means whatever tune I had been listening to right before I went out keeps playing in my head. Then, when I've finished and all the endolphins are in place, that Bird Song or Playin' will come on and the experience gets better. Let's see ... what do we have for this morning ... ah, the continuation of 10/02/72. That'll work. Thanks Dead.
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Kind of rolls my twin obsessions into one handy image...
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When I was 16 and a sophomore in high school (spring 1983), I was a lacrosse goalie for our high schol varsity team -- all 5'4" of me at about 120 lbs. but a heavyweight when it came to the Dead and the inspiration they gave me. I recall one day on the way to an away game, best buddy and fellow dead fanatic, Sam and I listened to a killer Dancin in the streets>Franklins Tower from Buffalo (I forget tthe date -- late '70's as I recall -- Blair or anyone out there, if ya know the show I'm talkin about please refresh me w/ the date so i can down load it -- I really should be a release . . . .hint, hint, Lemieux (sp?)), both us plugged into his walkman (if ya recall those days of cassettes and walkmen) which had intakes for two headphones. We didn't speak a word to each other sitting next to each other on the bus (wink, wink) to the game -- I was MEZMORIZED by the jet-fueled playing the band was raging through -- focussed and intense, getting my mind right for a game against a team that should have blown us away. From the first moment of warm-ups to the final whistle I could do no wrong -- I was totally and completely "in the zone" -- the Dead's intensity had stayed inside me -- I could see the shape of fluid play happening before it happend, anticpating shots well in advance of their wind ups, and where the ball was heading before they were even shot. I made about 28 saves to 8 goals which is unheard of in lacrosse -- not tooting my horn, just shaing that the Dead's energy manifested itself through the way I played --- all stemming from that Dancin'> Franklins from Buffalo. At one point the OTHER TEAM stood up and cheerd for me. At one point, in the fourth quarter I thought that I was making TOO MANY SAVES and people would be suspect of me and thought about actually letting some shot go in, but alas, I could not do that. It was a day I'll take to my grave thanks to the Grateful Dead. Now that's a fine mixture of sports and our beloved band!
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Good reading, thanks Blair. Congrats to all the Giants fans out there. You sure have a plucky bunch to pull for. In regards to Walton, a big ol' happy 60th to Big Bill. My buddy and I met him at the Final Four in New Orleans last year, and he was very friendly and outgoing, shouting "Aiko Akio" before taking a photo with us both. Get back truckin' on, Bill!
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Eagle -- that buffalo show was 11/9/79. I was there and knew it was special when it was happening. Unbelievable energy! Big parts of it were released on Road Trips Vol. 1, No. 1 and the bonus disc. Fun story about your lacrosse game.
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some great comments here, I never knew about the 85 reference to Kansas City, wow, that hurts but is still, somehow cool.Let's not forget about the second most famous basketball deadhead, Phil Jackson. Loved seeing him walk on stage before a Soldier Field show in 92, basketball in hand and wave to the crowd. The next year (I think) they played some of the NBA finals broadcast over the PA during drums and you could look into the sky boxes and see that every tv was playing the Bulls game. In 91 my friend brought a battery operated tv into the deer creek show and cause a bit of commotion, people trying to see what the fuss was all about, some being dissapointed and walking away, others very excited. I wasn't sitting with him but he swears the Bulls caught fire and came from behind just as Bobby broke into Miracle.
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that was my first concert. actually scored tickets 7th row from stage center and i never knew until now that phil j. walked across the stage!...cool.....wonder where the hell i was?.........god, that was a great time!!! :))))))) lol
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Our Dead Head Giant above, Eli Whitside, was picked up on waivers yesterday by the Yankees! We'll miss him, but at least he's going to another good Dead Head town! And we still have Tim Flannery... Thanks for mentioning Phil Jackson, rdevil. I'd forgotten about him...
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11 years 9 months
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At least the Grateful Dead never went on strike, just a short touring hiatus. I miss the NHL & my New York Rangers. You would always see quite a few Rangers Jerseys being worn at those classic fall MSG shows. I am guessing Lemieux & others from Canada have a lot more free time this Fall. Time to settle NHL-Let's get on with the show.
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I am a big sports person and an even bigger deadhead. I watch a lot of Sportscenter. The LA Studio Sportscenter Anchor Neil Everett uses a LOT of dead lyrics quotes while doing hightlights. He uses a lot of song quotes, but most of them appear to be dead related. If any of you ever get the chance to watch him, you should do so. Not only is the dude seriously funny, but he sounds like he knows a LOT of music!
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We would usually bring a TV with us on Spring tour if the Tournament was going on. I remember 3/17/91 well at the Cap Center, beautiful day and March Madness on the TV hanging on the gravel lot all day. Good times Nothing to tell now, let the words be yours I am done with mine.
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..I to- --growing up playing all sports--surfing on east coast--then late 60's tuning into "THE SHOW"---moving to Cal. mid 70's--now on Maui(28 yrs)----have Dead related toys--mostly airbrushed pics on my surfboards---my golf stuff they used to sell at the store & whatnot--one of these days I'll get my pics on this machine of my surfboards---I also do watercolor paintings--& tried to copy a picture out of a mag---after looking at it--"wow--that looks like Garcia!"--for some reason its missplaced--if I find that I'll post it online----ALOHA TO ALL!!---J.K.=D.R.!
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I always have enjoyed both sports and The Grateful Dead. Sports is what has kept me on track in my "post party days". I always loved seeing all of the various Steal Your Face shirts with the different sports logos in them. Being from the 'burbs of Philly, one I remember in particular was a SYF shirt with a Philadelphia Flyers logo inside. On the back it said, "I'll get up and Flyer Way" LOL. Philly ABSOLUTELY LOVED The Dead, and the Boys always reciprocated with kick ass shows at the Spectrum (gone), JFK (gone), & Philly Civic Center (gone). I miss all of those venues and The Grateful Dead dearly. I also miss the NHL and hope they play this year. Go Flyers!
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They're always eagerly anticipated, an absolute passion for those who partake, everything is very familiar but no two are ever the same, and you never know going in what you're going to get.
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I just wanted to point out that in 2010 The San Francisco Giants had their first Jerry Garcia Day with a Jerry Garcia Bobblehead and won their first World Series in over 50 years! In 2011 The San Francisco Giants had a Grateful Dead Day and a Dancing Bear statue and didn't make the playoffs... In 2012 The San Francisco Giants had another Jerry Garcia Day and gave away another Jerry Garcia Bobblehead and won their second World Series in two years! Coincidence? I think not!
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don't mess with success!
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decades ago...in the late 80's I guess...we were in Chicago visiting friends and family. My brother in law, a huge rock fan but lukewarm Dead fan then, arranged for our group to get a bunch of tickets to sit in Wrigley bleachers on an idyllic Saturday afternoon vs the Cardinals (sports fans know this is a big rivalry). Anyway, it was a great game, we had a blast and the game was fun. The fans that afternoon reminded me so much of a Dead show...partying, kind of rowdy but not disrespecting anyone, and everyone enjoying the "Scene" ... people were truly stopping strangers just to shake their hands. My group consisted mostly of St L fans wearing Cardinals' gear, but all they got was good-natured ribbing from the hometown faithful. If you have been to large sporting events, you know how ugly it can get for opponents' fans. I can't remember who won, but do remember how much fun that afternoon (long ago) was. PS...aforementioned bro-in-law has since seen the light. He attended one of the FTW shows with me in fact, and still "blames" me for not turning him onto the GD sooner. But you know what they say...you ain't gonna learn what you don't wanna know.