Are you old enough to have used

Aug 14, 2001
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The sound of them while walking on concrete came rushing back to me as I read your post.

It WAS the sound of Summer when you were a kid. (Even though I pretty much sucked at baseball) I could pitch a little in the minors, but pretty much rode the bench after moving up (my neighborhood, growing up was absolutely LOADED with an assload of baseball talent, CatinIL amongst them)

Skateboarding pretty much replaced most youth sports for me, as soon as I saved up enough money to buy a Hobie Hustler.
 
Aug 14, 2001
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Side note on the metal cleats. The center on the PeeWee football team I played on, wore his metal baseball spikes when he played football. I don't know if his parents couldn't afford more shoes or what, but I remember thinking, "That's a REALLY bad idea. And if you ever have to engage him, keep your ****ing hands off the turf." LOL
 
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berniecarbo

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First day of 7th grade, got dressed out for gym class. My Mom refused to buy me the Adidas that I wanted. Instead? She took me to Montgomery Wards, and bought their off brand of canvas "Chuck Taylors", bright red high tops called "Skips"

Yep, the derision was swift and unrelenting. Hell, even I wanted to kick my own ***. I think the coach thought I was one of the retarded kids.
You were rich enough to have shoes?
 

vhcat70

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First day of 7th grade, got dressed out for gym class. My Mom refused to buy me the Adidas that I wanted. Instead? She took me to Montgomery Wards, and bought their off brand of canvas "Chuck Taylors", bright red high tops called "Skips"

Yep, the derision was swift and unrelenting. Hell, even I wanted to kick my own ***. I think the coach thought I was one of the retarded kids.
Dam. You're young. Chucks were the only thing HS players wore in my day.
 
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Aug 14, 2001
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Of course. Aluminum bats weren't even a THING when I was that age.

I don't think I'd ever even swung an aluminum bat until I played softball when I was in the Air Force. We might have had them in youth/church softball league (Southern Hills UMC), but I don't think so.
 
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vhcat70

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You weren't in unless you had a Rawlings glove.

And you had to fold your hat beak into a U shape.

And everyone drank out of a 5 gallons metal cooler with a single dipper that everyone used. Spitting excess water off to the side was optional.
 

vhcat70

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Of course. Aluminum bats weren't even a THING when I was that age.

I don't think I'd ever even swung an aluminum bat until I played softball when I was in the Air Force. We might have had them in youth/church softball league (Southern Hills UMC), but I don't think so.
First Al bats were so soft they'd get flat spots on the barrels.
 

vhcat70

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When I was youngest & first playing, fielders left their gloves on the grass between innings rather than bringing them in to the bench. 2nd & SS left them in the short outfield grass. 3rd & 1st in foul territory. OF's threw them anywhere. Now softball players did that up till about early 60's.
 
Aug 14, 2001
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Dodgeball!

(yeah, the teacher said you couldn't aim for the head, but everyone knew he didn't really mean it)

(those red rubber inflated balls, LIKE a kickball, but a lot smaller, so you could get a good grip, and put some mustard on the throw. Plus, because of the reduced surface area, if you DID take one to the face, it hurt like a bastard, and was fire red the rest of the day)
 

vhcat70

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First football helmet was leather & no mask. Second has a single bar. Went bigtime with 3rd one - two bars with a couple of support bars between them.
 
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vhcat70

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Always got two new pair of pants & three shirts at the beginning of each school year. Rotated the whole year. Invariably, I tore a hole in one pair within a month and Mom ironed on a patch for the rest of the year. I got used to them.
 

vhcat70

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Adrian Smith told me that Adolph tried him out at the TN JC he was attending while he was wearing leather dress shoes & dress pants.
 

Tskware

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When did metal cleats end in golf? I remember they were uncomfortable as hell to walk 18 holes - which is another thing of yesteryear, actually walking 18 holes
 

BC_Wader

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