If you have ever played a sport or been involved in any competition, your mind has flashbacked at one time or another to a particular game that stands out as the greatest game ever. Now, this does not have to be as momentous as a Super Bowl or a World Series or an Olympics. Lord knows most of us have never been in an event that prestigious. Maybe your greatest game ever was a come-from-behind victory in the Sorry board game or a great horseshoe game or a Euchre or Bridge match. Regardless, the point is that it made you feel alive, excited and competitive.
Hopefully, it was not just a one and done instance. Even as we age, the anticipation of being involved in some way with the greatest game ever keeps us all young and vibrant and searching for that rush.
Our book Black and White Like You and Me constantly conjures up memories that intrigue the reader to enjoy past experiences. It also relates a championship effort at an over-55 basketball tournament in Toronto, Canada. You would guess that the championship game of that tournament would be my greatest game ever. It was not. I have always been a team player and realize that some guys are better than I. The championship game in Toronto was the greatest game that I ever warmed up for. The rest of the time was warming up the bench.
About two years later, we again headed to Toronto with great hopes of regaining our title. Unfortunately, Gene Seaborn’s Father died just before the weekend and, as some believe, bad things happen in threes. Otis Whitehead and Bobby Solomon found themselves in a similar situation as Gene. Oh Boy! We now had five players for the Saturday game until a couple of them could possibly join us the following day. Unfortunately, the team we were to face was the previous year’s champions from the Toronto area. They were big and talented and had the fans in the gym behind them. We did not have one fan. Let me describe to you the motley crew that we had:
Cookie Marsh – If we had our full squad, he would have been the only starter from this decimated group. He was a high school All-American; he was our team leader and an excellent shooter. Funny incident happened during a timeout in this game when Cookie announced, “When you see me getting ready to shoot, make sure you get back on defense.” We laughed later about this proclamation because just about every time down the floor Cookie was getting ready to shoot. Of course, we accepted that because he was our best player. As soon as Cookie crossed half court, we were ready to run down to the other end to play defense. Cookie made a lot of shots in that game and was high-scorer from both teams.
Dennis McMahon – at barely 6’2” he was our tallest player; Mac had an uncanny jump hook which he could get off against much taller players; he was a good shooter from fifteen feet and a smart ball player. Somehow, against much taller inside players, he provided us with a presence both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court.
Ron Teasley – Played his high school ball at Detroit Denby and was always an excellent shooter even from the three point line. Ron knew his role and meshed perfectly with our undersized group. If he needed to shoot, he did; otherwise he passed and played solid defense.
Daryl Landrum – Daryl was thick, although only about 6’0” tall, he was a monster. A funny story about Daryl was during “warmups” before the game. The rest of us were shooting, stretching, running, etc., but Daryl was walking around the court taking laps. Cookie commented that Daryl looked like he was warming up for a golf match and not a basketball game. I guess he did not have to take any practice shots because he did not take one shot in the game itself. During the game, all of a sudden we heard this painful yell by one of our opponents. We came to find out that Daryl had warned the guy to keep his hands off him while trying to block him out for rebounds. When the guy refused to stop, Daryl nearly broke the guy’s arm.
Tom Daniels – That’s me! As I previously said, I was primarily a role player. Giving us the best opportunity to win was what I was all about. In this particular game, however, I assumed more of a scoring role. When we won the game, I found myself on the bench, exhausted and highly emotional telling Mac that this was my greatest game ever. David had defeated Goliath.
Now, what’s the point of this relation about five old guys playing a game of basketball besides the fact that three of us were black and two were white? The point is basically a challenge.
When was the last time you renewed your rush of adrenalin? When was the last time you got out of your comfort zone to do something uncomfortable but may pay huge dividends?
I ISSUE A CHALLENGE TO YOU: Stop making the excuses that you are too old or out of shape or don’t have time. I am not necessarily talking about strenuous physical activity. Get involved in any competition. Replace your greatest game ever with another one! Then come back here and tell us all about it in the comments!
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Addendum by Dennis McMahon
I know both the co-authors (Cookie Marsh and Tom Daniels) and they are great people. I also grew up in Detroit (west side) but I met these east-siders through athletics, post-college years. Too many stories to even expand on, but to add to the story above about the tournament in Toronto… if you’ll indulge me a moment while I ramble.
Indeed, the tournament in Toronto was a confluence of hurdles. As I recall, we almost canceled our participation because most of the team members were forced to back out for a variety of last minute reasons. Regardless, Cookie said we will take our ‘fab five’ and see what happens. We did not win the tournament but had an amazing run that weekend.
Never was I more proud of a group of teammates. We were small, short-handed, depleted number-wise, but put on an effort for the ages. Imagine playing two college time basketball games in one day in an over-45 tourney with no substitutes and being successful. Our last victory was over the defending champion Canadian team and we won by more than 10 points. You talk about clock management. Cookie managed to treat every timeout like gold and space them appropriately.
I have been very fortunate in my life to play on many sports teams and have won a decent amount of championships. Never, however, was the word ‘team’ so demonstrated then that weekend. Thanks Cookie, Tom, Darryl, and Ron for a slice of life I will never forget……and guys, good luck with your book.
