Happy Birthday, Bobby Orr....

Lord, where does the time go?

The greatest hockey player ever turns 60 today.

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080319.wsptorr19/GSStory/GlobeSports/home

Saw him play junior hockey for the Oshawa Generals as a fourteen year old (!) . He was five years younger than most of the guys on the ice but still dominated the game.

Even if you're not a hockey fan, one of the best sports books of the last few years is Stephen Brunt's "In Search of Bobby Orr".

The guy only played 12 seasons because of his knee problems but as they say, even on one leg, Bobby was better than everybody else.

The kid from Parry Sound, Ont., had his troublesome knees replaced a couple of years ago, giving him a new lease on life and allowing him to walk 18 holes for a round of golf and go for a skate pain-free.

"It hasn't improved my golf game any, but I feel normal again," he said. "I feel like the old me."

Man, was he good.

And speaking of Brunt, his column today is about Bobby.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080319.wsptbrunt19/BNStory/GlobeSports

So even before the Boomer rewriting of the life cycle, his 60 was always going to make so many of us think of 18, of a crewcut and a shy smile and magnificent, improvisational rush up the ice, the closet approximation of a jazz solo in sport.

We're all getting older. That Bobby Orr never does.

 

Bobby Orr is one of the few athletes to truly revolutionize his or her sport.

 

I know a guy who played junior against Orr and said he wasn't afraid to drop 'em back in the day because everybody was going after him.

 

Orr might top the list of athletes who never should have worn any uniform other than the one in which he spent most of his career.

Johnny Unitas had no business in a Chargers jersey, nor Montana in a Chiefs shirt or Namath suited up for the Rams. But Orr in a Blackhawks jersey (great as that logo is!) was like Bill Russell spending his last year or two with the Grizzlies. Or Ernie Banks playing for the Expos.

 

1) Jordan.
2) Orr.
3) Everybody else.

 

JR -- Could you give me a little more on "In Search of Bobby Orr"? Sounds intriguing.

 

I read it last year, on a weekend trip to Pittsburgh. It's on the short list of the five best biographies I've ever read.

 

Sorry. It's "Searching for Bobby Orr".

Brunt is the general sports columnist for the Globe. Boxing is one of his specialties--he wrote a terrific book on Ali. I believe he started off as a music critic so he's a multi-disciplined guy.

In my opinion, he's one of the top ten columnists in North America--hands down.

 

Brunt's Ali book is called Facing Ali and he interviews guys who fought the Champ. Brunt also did a great books on the Toronto Blue Jays circa their World Series years and Toronto boxing bust - and ontime Sugar Ray Leonard protege - Shawn O'Sullivan.

 

To be fair, at least Montana had some representative seasons with the Chiefs. Weren't they in the AFC championship when he was there?

 

Happy Birthday to my favorite hockey player of all-time. And I'm a Devils fanboy looser.

I agree with others about the Orr book. I've got it and thought it was a great read.

 

The man could rack up PIMs as well as points.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=4085

Happy birthday to a part of hockey's holy trinity and also the guy who I did a fourth-grade report on.