A tribute to Georgie Best

[sj_oldtimer]

i am kinda in agreement with Fuaeg here. The stadium is a lot more likely to be called <Sponsor> Park, or field etc. The epicenter will be its "unofficial" nickname, much like the shark tank is for our other San Jose Venue.


I tend to agree with you. If there is anything attached to the corporate sponsor's name, it is likely to be something like Wolff Field. Then again, there might be a major corporation willing to match their name to a name that is connected to a natural disaster. I would not object.

[falvo]

Isn't this thread supposed to be about a tribute to Georgie Best?

http://i19.tinypic.com/503mq2g.jpg

[sj_oldtimer]

Isn't this thread supposed to be about a tribute to Georgie Best?

http://i19.tinypic.com/503mq2g.jpg


I think we got off track with the suggestion of incorporating Best's name in the new San Jose venue.

[QuakeAttack]

Actually, Best did leave quite an impact on the city's soccer fans as much as he could, anyway. The team was horrible and then the sport and the league folded 3 years later, so he could only do so much.
So what kind of an impact does the name Epicenter have on the city? None because its not named after anyone its just a pun on the team name. Therefore, if you have to find a name of a human being to name the stadium after & who is the best human soccer ever to don a San Jose jersey, who else is left?

Wee Man has had more of impact on the SJ Earthquakes and soccer community as a player and administrator than George Best. Really, there is no person associated with the Quakes that has done enough to be named on the new stadium.

Well, OK, may be Crazy George...

[falvo]

Wee Man has had more of impact on the SJ Earthquakes and soccer community as a player and administrator than George Best. Really, there is no person associated with the Quakes that has done enough to be named on the new stadium.

Well, OK, may be Crazy George...

I loved all the old Quakes like Paul Child, Mike Hewitt and especially Johnny Moore. I remember Johnny on the field and yes he did quite a bit both on and off the field. Also, he was an exceptional administrator in the front office for both the NASL & MLS Quakes!

Even he however, will be the first to admit his performance on the pitch was no where near to that of Best's whose skills to this day in my opinion have been unmatched by anyone ever to play the game in San Jose.

http://i17.tinypic.com/5x499i1.jpg

[Goodsport]

Well, OK, may be Crazy George...

As well as Krazy George. :)

GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! :cool:


-G

[sj_oldtimer]

As well as Krazy George. :)

GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! :cool:


-G


Bang the Drum Stadium ???? :rolleyes:

[QuakeAttack]

I loved all the old Quakes like Paul Child, Mike Hewitt and especially Johnny Moore. I remember Johnny on the field and yes he did quite a bit both on and off the field. Also, he was an exceptional administrator in the front office for both the NASL & MLS Quakes!

Even he however, will be the first to admit his performance on the pitch was no where near to that of Best's whose skills to this day in my opinion have been unmatched by anyone ever to play the game in San Jose.

http://i17.tinypic.com/5x499i1.jpg

No question. However, he didn't take the Quakes to a championship and his local impact was mainly in the bars!

On a side, has a stadium ever been named for a player? Pele? Maradona?

[billward]

I think it's tacky to name things after people who are still alive. It's traditional to name things after fallen heroes, not just ones who are retired. So naming after Best, Van Voorhis, Bridgwater, or someone of that ilk is fine but De Rosario is still in the league and Moore could yet again be GM if we get our druthers, so naming the stadium after one of them (no matter how much they might deserve it) would be absurd.

[falvo]

No question. However, he didn't take the Quakes to a championship and his local impact was mainly in the bars!

On a side, has a stadium ever been named for a player? Pele? Maradona?

Again, the Quakes were horrible in those years. Therefore, Best could only do so much. They had no defense, their goalkeeper (Mike Hewtitt) was injured especially in 1981 and they went thru 3 different GK's. You had a mostly American lineup with Mike Hunter, Jim McAlister, Joe Silveira & Gary Etherington, Tony Crescitelli and when Bob Steler started in goal, you had 6 starting American players which in those days was unherd of. Even Team America didn't have that many starting American players in 1983 as they had Paul Hammond, Alan Merrick, Alan Green and a few other non Americans on the pitch. Although the Americans were ok , they were in no way a match for the rest of the NASL foreigners and struggled on the pitch. You had Slavko Licinar and Vasa Rutonjski Joe Horvath but they all stank badly! Paul Cahill, David Irving & Phil Parks were NASL English vets but they were all past their prime and done and only played part of the season. Talking about Alan Merrick again, he was all class and was traded unexplicably to Minnesota in 81 and the team was joke! Even Best in 1981 was injured but played becuase the team was depleted and he wanted to give it his all. Most people now remember him as a lush hanging out in bars but he had a lot of heart and cared anout the team and owner Milan Mandaric. In the morining of when he scored his most memorable goal, he had said to his wife "Angie, that there is no way I will play this evening"! When he got to Spartan he looked around the lockeroom and told coach Jimmy Gabriel he would go for as long as he could, and he did well into the OT!

Back to naming the field after a player, how many soccer stadiums in both Europe and South America can you really name that have their grounds named after a player? Not too many. The only one I can think of is Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan but its also called San Siro and one in Austria is named after Governor Arnold and he never played the game. Usually, they name their stadia after someone famous or a famous architect etc etc.

[Earthshaker]

I think it's tacky to name things after people who are still alive. It's traditional to name things after fallen heroes, not just ones who are retired. So naming after Best, Van Voorhis, Bridgwater, or someone of that ilk is fine but De Rosario is still in the league and Moore could yet again be GM if we get our druthers, so naming the stadium after one of them (no matter how much they might deserve it) would be absurd.


I was not serious about naming the Ep after Dero, or anyone. But, naming the place after Greorge Best is also absurd.

[Quakes05]

I was not serious about naming the Ep after Dero, or anyone. But, naming the place after Greorge Best is also absurd.

I sort of like it...

[falvo]

Alan Merrick tackling George Best from their days in England.
http://i13.tinypic.com/5zozz82.jpg

[falvo]

More tribute to George Best!
http://i11.tinypic.com/4kbg7bt.jpghttp://i17.tinypic.com/4md70qr.jpg

[sj_oldtimer]

More tribute to George Best!
http://i11.tinypic.com/4kbg7bt.jpghttp://i17.tinypic.com/4md70qr.jpg



The Adidas NASL ball is in those shots. I have one that was the game ball for a Quakes exhibition game in 1979 (it has the autographs of that year's team....Gersdorff, Cryns, Munk, Hewitt, Etterich, Child, Rowlands, etc.). I took it to the 30 year reunion dinner held at Lou's Village a few years ago. Just about every player there (and there were many) told me that the Adidas NASL ball is just about the best soccer ball they had ever used. The last couple of years of the league, the NASL contracted another company (I don't recall which one, but the quality was much poorer) and some of the guys who used the new ball said it was not very good (Godrey Ingram was one).

[QuakeAttack]

Again, the Quakes were horrible in those years. Therefore, Best could only do so much. They had no defense, their goalkeeper (Mike Hewtitt) was injured especially in 1981 and they went thru 3 different GK's. You had a mostly American lineup with Mike Hunter, Jim McAlister, Joe Silveira & Gary Etherington, Tony Crescitelli and when Bob Steler started in goal, you had 6 starting American players which in those days was unherd of. Even Team America didn't have that many starting American players in 1983 as they had Paul Hammond, Alan Merrick, Alan Green and a few other non Americans on the pitch. Although the Americans were ok , they were in no way a match for the rest of the NASL foreigners and struggled on the pitch. You had Slavko Licinar and Vasa Rutonjski Joe Horvath but they all stank badly! Paul Cahill, David Irving & Phil Parks were NASL English vets but they were all past their prime and done and only played part of the season. Talking about Alan Merrick again, he was all class and was traded unexplicably to Minnesota in 81 and the team was joke! Even Best in 1981 was injured but played becuase the team was depleted and he wanted to give it his all. Most people now remember him as a lush hanging out in bars but he had a lot of heart and cared anout the team and owner Milan Mandaric. In the morining of when he scored his most memorable goal, he had said to his wife "Angie, that there is no way I will play this evening"! When he got to Spartan he looked around the lockeroom and told coach Jimmy Gabriel he would go for as long as he could, and he did well into the OT!

Back to naming the field after a player, how many soccer stadiums in both Europe and South America can you really name that have their grounds named after a player? Not too many. The only one I can think of is Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan but its also called San Siro and one in Austria is named after Governor Arnold and he never played the game. Usually, they name their stadia after someone famous or a famous architect etc etc.

Yes, they were horrible which is why I stopped going to games after 1982. Best was only with the team a couple of years. Plus, he played for LA! You really need to get over your love feast with Georgie...

By the way, I tell people that he is the best player that I have ever seen play. His vision and technical skills were incredible. I just don't agree with naming a stadium or even providing much of a tribute to him. How many people remember the NASL Quakes, attended the games, and are still fans of MLS Quakes. There is not that many of us (couple of hundred)...

[Goodsport]

love feast

:eek:

GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! :cool:


-G

[falvo]

The Adidas NASL ball is in those shots. I have one that was the game ball for a Quakes exhibition game in 1979 (it has the autographs of that year's team....Gersdorff, Cryns, Munk, Hewitt, Etterich, Child, Rowlands, etc.). I took it to the 30 year reunion dinner held at Lou's Village a few years ago. Just about every player there (and there were many) told me that the Adidas NASL ball is just about the best soccer ball they had ever used. The last couple of years of the league, the NASL contracted another company (I don't recall which one, but the quality was much poorer) and some of the guys who used the new ball said it was not very good (Godrey Ingram was one).
Was this the ball?
http://i15.tinypic.com/67e9isw.jpg

This isn't really directed towards you oldtimer , I'm just speaking in general terms. However, as far as naming the stadium after George I could care less. "To get over the the love feast I or whomever has with George", the NASL and the original Quakes for me and many other of us original soccer fans, is another story.

We tend to forget that if it weren't for them, we would have never had a World Cup played in this country, an MLS start up, Americans playing abroad, the soccer mom syndrome or for that matter, a thread discussing the sport of soccer!

Therefore, I believe we owe everything having to do with soccer to those NASL pioneers. Just like we owe everything to the early settlers and immigrants who laid the groundwork and foundation of the US history. Its sad that many of us tend to forget where we came from or how we got started especially with the sport of soccer. George Best next to Pele was the greatest player of all time and for those of us who had the privelige to see him play in San Jose, was a dream come true!

[sj_oldtimer]

Was this the ball?
http://i15.tinypic.com/67e9isw.jpg

This isn't really directed towards you oldtimer , I'm just speaking in general terms. However, as far as naming the stadium after George I really never cared about that and could care less. "To get over the the love feast I or whomever has with George", the NASL and the original Quakes for me and many other of us original soccer fans, will never die!

If it weren't for them, we would have never had a World Cup played in this country, an MLS start up Americans playing abroad or for that matter, a soccer thread! Therefore, we owe everything having to do with soccer to those NASL pioneers. Just like we owe everything to the early settlers and immigrants who laid the groundwork and foundation of the US history. Its sad that many of us tend to forget where we came from or how we started.


That's the ball. I recognize the autographs right away... Mine also has autographs of players who were not on the '79 team. At the reunion, I was able to get many to sign it, some of whom never actually used that particular ball. Purists might suggest that I devalued the ball by doing that, but I don't really care....the ball is valuable to me and that's all that matters.

I agree with you regarding the significance of the NASL. The younger people sometimes don't acknowledge what that was all about. Yes, it ultimately failed, but those years did establish a modern baseline for pro soccer in the US. There were many who saw that pro soccer could survive, even flourish, if managed correctly. There are disagreements about what constitutes good management, but MLS has addressed many of the problems that doomed the NASL.

If the stadium or field is to be named after a person, I would prefer that it be someone who is instrumental in the stadium construction and not a player or coach.

[falvo]

George Best & Milan Mandaric

http://i19.tinypic.com/5x8hvfl.jpg