RIP Mean Gene

Ok...sports front ...lead celebrity note or lead sports page 2 note?

 

Depends on the city. In Minneapolis, Atlanta, and a few other cities, you could make the argument for sports front.

 

I put it in a briefs package on the sports front. Small paper, small section today.

 

Front page of the Times' sports section on the web page this morning.

 

Back in the Bockwinkel / Hennig / Gagne days of the Minneapolis-based AWA, I worked with Gene a couple times. Local telethons, I think.

Maybe it's worth remembering that professional wrestling was kind of charming then, almost entirely local and regional. AWA used to tape their shows out at the Calhoun Beach Club - a hotel on Lake Street - in the old WTCN studios there.

Rest now.

 

Wow, had totally forgotten about this. He was brilliant here and if you can start a somber thing like this with the phrase "I concur with Tugboat" and keep a straight face you can sell anything.

 

The local shop gave ran it on sports front, but the ASE is a wrestling fanatic and a good friend, so he gets a pass.

Still....

Dusty Rhodes? Hell, yes! He made a ton of local appearances. Ric Flair when he "Woo"s the final time? Hell yes, because he's $#)**&#$ Ric Flair.

But when an wrestling announcer with no local connection gets more play and column inches than three local teams playing that day, one of which is the 19th ranked juco team in the nation losing at home....well, I just sit back right easy and laugh....

 

I was 17 during that storyline. My eyes were rolling so much, it’s a miracle they’re not stuck that way.

 

So you did not concur with Tugboat?

 

Nah, I concurred with the Shockmaster.

 

A moment for eternity. Flair was laughing his ass off.