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It was after track practice back in 1965, on the way home me and our 4x1 anchorman (I ran the second leg) asked if I wanna to stop by for a coke. While there he checked the mail (as we approached his house), there were some letters and a magazine. Yep, the first time I discovered T&FN. I asked Eric if I could check it out. My first introduction to...Grambling, Texas Southern, Southern U. I did know about Hayes and Carr (having seen the 64 Olympics on TV) and could tell you who Jesse Owens was and was up on the local scene with Sam Davis at Edison and Darel Newman at Fresno St. That was about it however, I was just a kid. Still remember the big sprint showdown between Sam Davis and Roger Jones out of East Bakersfield at the Valley Championships.
Anyway....
I asked Eric if I could borrow his T&FN magazines/Newsletters, he was cool with it but his mom...nope! I was welcomed to hang out and study them there if I wanted to. So that's what I did. Every day after practice for about a week it was a coke and an hour or so of...Richard Stebbins Grambling, Freddy Banks Southern U, Hayes Jones Eastern Michigan, Sam Davis Edison??????...yep, there he was with his 9.6. After a few days Eric asked..."why don't you subscribe?"...so now it's..."hey dad
old buddy buddy ". Haven't missed an issue since.
A few times (just happened) in all those years I'd not get my fix when I thought I should..."where's my T&FN
as I got cold chills/shakes and the heebie jeebies "...which would end up with me calling the offices wimpering and wahwahing. In two days...BOOM!...my no questioned asked "special" just for me. Then the very next day here comes the one I thought was lost. I feel like a crook. I do have a scrapbook, without a picture of Yohan Blake...hmmmmm?
I have subscribed to SI, Sporting News, some rasslin' mags, Blues mags and Ring. Thanks to the internet I can get those fixes without a magazine to read, that can't be said about Track & Field News. The mag has become part of my thang, a ritual. Without it, I hate to even think that...ouch!
Anyway....
I asked Eric if I could borrow his T&FN magazines/Newsletters, he was cool with it but his mom...nope! I was welcomed to hang out and study them there if I wanted to. So that's what I did. Every day after practice for about a week it was a coke and an hour or so of...Richard Stebbins Grambling, Freddy Banks Southern U, Hayes Jones Eastern Michigan, Sam Davis Edison??????...yep, there he was with his 9.6. After a few days Eric asked..."why don't you subscribe?"...so now it's..."hey dad
old buddy buddy ". Haven't missed an issue since. A few times (just happened) in all those years I'd not get my fix when I thought I should..."where's my T&FN
as I got cold chills/shakes and the heebie jeebies "...which would end up with me calling the offices wimpering and wahwahing. In two days...BOOM!...my no questioned asked "special" just for me. Then the very next day here comes the one I thought was lost. I feel like a crook. I do have a scrapbook, without a picture of Yohan Blake...hmmmmm?I have subscribed to SI, Sporting News, some rasslin' mags, Blues mags and Ring. Thanks to the internet I can get those fixes without a magazine to read, that can't be said about Track & Field News. The mag has become part of my thang, a ritual. Without it, I hate to even think that...ouch!
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