Sports

“Shoeless Joe” Jackson House

Allen ForrestLeave a comment
“Shoeless Joe Jackson” Historical Marker outside his former house that is now a museum.

“Shoeless Joe Jackson House”

As lifelong Boston Red Sox baseball fans, Helen and I were excited to go to Greenville, South Carolina, to attend a baseball game at Fluor Field, “Little Fenway Park of the South.” When Greenville became the new home of Red Sox Class ‘A’ affiliate, the “Greenville Drive,” they rebuilt their baseball park to resemble Boston’s Fenway Park.

We went there in 2006 and I wrote about our visit in my earlier post.

“Shoeless Joe” Jackson House, built in 1940, was the last home of “Shoeless Joe” Jackson (1888-1951) one of the greatest natural hitters in the history of baseball. The house currently sits just outside of Fluor Field, Greenville, SC, home of the Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox Class ‘A’ affiliate)

I went back to Greenville in 2011 and visited the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum which sits across the street from Fluor Field and shot this photo. The building, which is now the museum, was Joe and Katie’s final home. When they lived there, it was located at 119 E. Wilburn Avenue in Greenville and was later moved to the location across from the ballpark.

A couple of days ago, I was surprised to receive an email from the museum. Apparently, I had included my email address in the visitor log while I was there about nine years ago. Interestingly, they have moved the house again, (but this time only about 100 yards) and are expanding the building to make more room for its contents. The letter mentioned

"The street address became 356 Field Street, which was chosen as a way to honor Joe’s .356 career batting average, the third- highest in baseball history."
Two weeks ago, on Friday, July 31, our museum was moved. Like, the whole building. As you may or may not know, the building that has been our museum since we opened was the actual house Joe and Katie Jackson lived in for over a decade. In 1941, they bought the brick home at 119 E. Wilburn Avenue in Greenville, South Carolina. They lived out the rest of their days in that home, with Joe passing away in 1951, and Katie in 1959.

© 2020 Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library Unsubscribe P.O. Box 4755, Greenville, SC 29608

If you are a baseball fan and are ever in the Greenville area of “upstate” South Carolina, I think you would enjoy a visit. You can find more info on their website HERE. I know I will be going back soon!

I truly appreciate your interest!  Please Post Your Thoughts, Comments, Corrections, and Remarks in the “Comments” Section below… >>>>>

The First Super Bowl

Allen Forrest2 Comments
Packers’ Defensive End, Willie Davis about to sack Chiefs’ Quarterback, Lenny Dawson in Super Bowl I

The First Super Bowl

I’ve been a football fan my whole life. I’ll watch any game from Pop Warner to NFL. Growing up in Quincy, Massachusetts, many Thanksgiving mornings, I walked the two miles to Quincy’s Veterans Memorial Stadium to watch the rivalry game between Quincy and North Quincy High School. (Please take a look at my 2009 post about the Quincy vs. North Quincy rivalry games.)

In the days before the American Football League and the Boston Patriots were formed, we saw NFL games on Boston Television. Because New York was the closest NFL city, we saw a lot of the New York Giants on Boston television. Many Saturdays each fall, we could catch a college game on TV also. I managed to get to Boston to see a Boston University or Harvard game or two as well.

After I had been in the Navy for a few years, they stationed me in San Diego, California for three years. By then, the American Football League had been formed, and the Chargers were in San Diego. While we there, Helen and I went to quite a few Charger games and several San Diego State College Aztec games as well.

We were extremely excited to learn in 1966 that the two professional football leagues that had been competing for fans, players, television revenue, and pretty much everywhere except on the field, would finally play a game against each other on January 15, 1967, when the championship teams of the NFL and AFL would compete for the World Championship. The game to be played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was to be called the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game.” Later, the game became known as “Super Bowl I.”

On that first “Super Bowl Sunday,” we settled in front of our 19” black and white television and watched the game on CBS in our National City, California, home.

The game was televised on both league’s affiliated networks: CBS televised the NFL games, and NBC the AFL games.  According to Brian Flood of Fox News: 

CBS’s version was called by Ray Scott, Jack Whitaker, and Frank Gifford, while Curt Gowdy and Paul Christman were in the booth for NBC. The game attracted a whopping 50 million total viewers between the two telecasts. The total population of the U.S. in 1967 was about 200 million — so approximately a quarter of the country watched, an early testament to the sport’s popularity.

Sports commentators Paul Christman, for NBC, and Frank Gifford, for CBS, on Jan. 15, 1967. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)

Never being a fan of Curt Gowdy, after listening to him broadcast Boston Red Sox games on Boston radio in the 1950s we watched the CBS version. Now that we were San Diego Charger fans, we rooted for the AFL Kansas City Chiefs in the game. As predicted the Green Bay Packers won, but the Chiefs held their own in the game.

The following year, the second “AFL-NFL World Championship Game” had a very similar outcome when the NFL’s Packers defeated the AFL’s Oakland Raiders.

My all-time favorite Super Bowl game occurred a year later in Super Bowl III (the third “AFL–NFL Championship Game.”) That was the game that sealed the deal for the NFL – AFL merger. Joe Namath, the AFL champion New York Jets’ quarterback, guaranteed a victory over the 18-point favorite NFL champion Baltimore Colts. Namath’s prediction came true; the Jets won 16-7. We were elated!

Brian Flood of Fox News has an interesting story detailing why we never get to watch the videotape of the first Super Bowl at Fox News “The first Super Bowl was broadcast on two networks, but you’re not allowed to watch it today.”  I suggest that you check it out!

I truly appreciate your interest! 
Please Post Your Thoughts, Comments, Corrections, and Remarks in the “Comments” Section below… >>>>>