All-Time Great Ripostes

[gh]

Not sure why I was reminded of this, but came into my head from the early '70s, when Bob Seagren had given up his amateur status for ITA and won the Superstars competition. Bill Toomey, despite having been retired for a year or three, said, "I could clean his clock."

Seagren: "I make so much money now I send my clocks out to be cleaned."

[dukehjsteve]

My memory is that Toomey also made some brave statement about "attacking and flattening" that climbing wall.... until he had to actually try to climb over it.

[gh]

Huh! I don't recall Toomey ever entering the Superstars (although he may well have).

[Pego]

If I recall correctly, Toomey was also bitterly opposed to allowing the professionals entry to the OG's.

[Whitman]

I remember reading the unfortunate quotes Toomey made about Seagren and
other athletes in, I think, Sports Illustrated and I remember him actually
competing in Superstars. According to a Google search, he finished 8th (out
of 12) in the 1974 competition which was won by O.J. Simpson. I believe
O.J. was allowed to run the 60 yard dash, but Seagren and Toomey weren't.

[richh]

My favourite from that era was a non-track one, where Duane Thomas was asked whether he preferred grass or astroturf. "I dunno, I've never smoked astroturf"

Another good non-track one was Dorothy Parker on being told that Woodrow Wilson had died - "How could they tell?"

[tandfman]

Well, as long as Richh has lead us far afield, I might as well add one of my favorites, possibly apocryphal. I've seen several attributions, but I think the most common is Lady Astor speaking to Winston Churchill.

She - If you were my husband I'd give you poison.

He - If I were your husband I'd drink it.

[tafnut]

President (Silent) Calvin Coolidge at a fancy White House Dinner, sitting next to society matron:

Matron: President Coolidge, I bet my friends I could make you say at least 3 words!

Cal: You lose.

[gh]

Getting back to track: in the hectic days when athletes were trying to break out of the nasty strictures of "amateurism," Tom Jennings and the Pacific Coast Club were always a huge thorn in the side of the AAU (aka Ollan Cassell), with all kinds of nastiness bouncing back and forth. At a press conference once, somebody suggested to Jennings, "Perhaps you and Cassell just have a personality conflict," to which Jennings replied, "Impossible--Ollan doesn't have a personality."

[paulthefan]

Goodness, Id like to hear more about Toomey's superstars performance... it just seems implausible that he would not beat a field toped by Seagran and OJ... of course by '74 Toomey was not the 68 version...

[Halfmiler2]

At Roger Kingdom's induction into the Hall fo Fame last year, I think I recall Renaldo Nehemiah telling the story that when he came back to the hurdles in the 1980's after his stint in the NFL, Kingdom would talk on the starting line telling Nehemiah he was no good. Nehemiah kiddingly replied that when he was growing up he had never looked at posters of Kingdom to be inspired.

[kevinsdad]

[
Another good non-track one was Dorothy Parker on being told that Woodrow Wilson had died - "How could they tell?"[/quote]

Actually, I believe she said it about Calvin Coolidge, who was notoriously taciturn as another comment in this thread illustrates.

[richh]

Kevin's dad - you're right - what can you expect from bloody foreingers