Tough Week to Be a Long-time LA Sports Fan

[Smackie Chan]

First Willie Davis, now Merlin Olsen. :(

[Derron]

Wonder where everyone will buy their flowers ??

[Mace]

RIP #74. I was never a fan of the Rams but always admired the Fearsome Foursome and liked watching them dominate the LOS.....and watching Roman Gabriel executing fakes and throwing the bomb.

[smackaholic]

that fukking blows. merlin was a real class act/

rip big fella.

[ChargerMike]

Class all the way. During High School I went to most every Ram home game. In those days, after the game, the players would come up a long fairly steep access road (tunnel as it was called) coming out of the bowels of the Colosseum. The fans who knew about it would congregate and gather autographs. Olsen was generally mobbed, but graciously signed every program and hat. He earned 14 consecutive Pro Bowl honors in his first 14 seasons, 14 in a row out of the gate.
Dick Enberg and Olsen formed arguably one of the finest play by play tandems in history. It's just a crying freeking shame to see the big guy check out at 69 years. Mesothelioma?? alleging that his exposure to asbestos since he was about 10 resulted in mesothelioma (WTH)
Sad day indeed, I'll miss the gentle giant.

[Smackie Chan]

but weren't Tommy Davis and Willie Davis brothers?

No.

[Smackie Chan]

Now I guess you'll tell me Luis Aparicio and Rico Petrocelli weren't brothers either...

They might've been. But the Alou brothers weren't. Nor were the Marx Bros. But Don Johnson and Magic Johnson are.

[ChargerMike]

Damn.

Olsen, Lamar Lundy, Rosey Grier, Deacon Jones, Roger Brown...those were the guys I grew up watching. All those names come back like they were still playing. I still remember guys' numbers from then better than I do anybody playing now.

Guess I ain't long for this world if all my childhood heroes are dying.



I know I could look it up on the ol' intrawebby thing, but weren't Tommy Davis and Willie Davis brothers?

..yea and don't forget big John LoVetere...wore 76 before Rosey came to town. The Rams eventually traded Big John straight up for Grier in 1962. A bad knee injury ended LoVeter's career several years later.

[ChargerMike]

..yea and don't forget big John LoVetere...wore 76 before Rosey came to town. The Rams eventually traded Big John straight up for Grier in 1962. A bad knee injury ended LoVeter's career several years later.

Cool. Learned something. Not familiar with the gentleman.

...Sam, here's a little more on LoVetere

John LoVetere