Memories Of The Overtime & The Russian Eagles

Saw a note from Big Bach on facebook that a long-time friend, and one of my favorite coaches, had passed away.

Big Bach is Chris Fahrbach, a standout high school basketball player at Menasha St. Mary's Central High School who went on to star for the University of North Dakota, then took his talents overseas to coach and play in Norway for several seasons. Hope to share more on that story down the road!

Chris shared the news that Clem Massey, 86, had died. While working in the Neenah-Menasha bureau of the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern for several years, I got to know Clem, then the coach of the Menasha Bluejays boys' basketball team, pretty well. He was a good friend, a great guy, a great interview and always available. I often stopped around his office just to shoot the bull.

A member of the 1953 state championship basketball team (and a standout in football and baseball as well), Massey earned a scholarship to Marquette University and, after his successful run as MHS coach, was selected to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall Of Fame.

Clem and his long-time friend, Jack Wippich, also owned The Overtime Supper Club in Menasha. Wippich was a successful coach in his own right at Kimberly High School, and to have the two conference rivals in business together was rare.

The OT was just off Menasha's main drag, located on a street that ran along the riverfront that fed into Lake Winnebago. Trust me, it was THE place to go. You never knew which coaches, athletic directors, game officials you would run into there. And food was damn good as well.

The Russian Eagles lost a teammate recently as well. Classmate, Joel Jarvis, passed away. The Russian Eagles ("five times as powerful as the American bird!") was our intramural basketball team, one that took the court 50 years ago (good lord, can it really be that long?) and featured Rocky, Charlie, Boom-Boom (Joel), Gregger, Bobby Nature, Billy VA, Huggy Dougie, Sagebrush and me.

What followed seemed like something from a Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland movie ("Hey kids, let's put on a show!"), as Charlie designed a logo and printed tee shirts while my Mom sewed shorts for the team.

The intramural season came together when I approached WHS principal Mable Bauman on the subject. She said if there was A) interest and B) I could find a faculty member who would chaperone, she'd okay the court time.

At an early school day meeting, nearly 90 guys (this in a school of just over 500) turned out. I talked David Vignali, our Spanish teacher, into being the faculty chaperone. And somehow conned two friends from the varsity basketball team (Brian Schultz and Mark Norem) into being referees. A six-team, five week season was figured out with two games going on at the same time on the two smaller WHS courts each week.

Good memories, for sure. And good thoughts of Joel and the rest of the Eagles. Hell, there was even a game in which Joel just stayed at our offensive end, fielded long outlet passes and hit lay-ups, finishing with nearly 30 points in the win!

Thanks For The Memories, Josh Hader

 Now that the dust has settled following a flurry of trades, let's bid adieu to ace (sometimes) reliever Josh Hader and thank him for his service to the Milwaukee Brewers.

It was a big, BIG trade, sending Hader to the San Diego Padres for four players -- including LHP pitcher Taylor Rodgers, who was second in the NL in saves behind Hader and who, like Hader, had stumbled recently. Perhaps the change of scenery will do both good. Let's not forget that this gives Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell even more flexibility, since RHP Devin Williams will surely see more action as the closer.

But more reasons for making this trade. Simple economics.

Hader was making $11 million this season as one of the best closers in baseball. Eligible for arbitration, he would probably have gotten in the $16 million range. Plus Milwaukee only had him under contract until the end of the 2023 season. Odds of him staying with a small market like Milwaukee? Not all that good.

So it makes sense to pull the trigger on a trade now and get something for him.

The Padres would seem to be pushing all their chips to the middle of the table this season, having also acquired young superstar Juan Soto (along with Josh Bell) from the Washington Nationals. Plus don't forget San Diego has Fernando Tatis coming back from an injury.

Talk about loaded!

They may not catch the Los Angeles Dodgers for the regular season, but will definitely be a factor for the post-season.

And speaking of those Los Angeles Dodgers, RIP announcer Vin Scully, who passed at age 94. Scully was an icon, calling Dodger games for generations -- all the way back to the team's days as the Brooklyn Dodgers!

His death comes on the heels of another sports icon, Bill Russell. Though not a Boston Celtics fan, I can still appreciate Russell's NBA career and 11 championships.

More than his success in sports, you have to admire his efforts regarding social justice, taking a stand for equality when most fans just wanted athletes to shut up and play ball. The iconic photo of him with Jim Brown, Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (at that time know as Lew Alcindor) still amazes.