RIP Ron Newman

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...-newman-death-sockers-mls-20180827-story.html



I have many fond Ron Newman memories. The awful 70s clothes. His wit. Sun Sentinel/Fort Lauderdale News columnist Bernie Lincicome, on Gerd Mueller's debut, compared him to a tree stump and said his feet appeared to be spreading roots. But when he had a breakout game, Henry Whatsit, on the WIOD post game show, observed to Ron that "Your tree stump did pretty good!" Ron replied, "Yeah, well, he's branching out, Henry." Classic. He was a player's coach. When George Best debuted for the Strikers, Newman took him off early because he wasn't 90 minutes fit yet. Besty being Besty took his shirt off and threw it at Newman. In the postgame show that night, Newman took it in stride and said that they would have a talk. There was a players strike one season that most players ignored, but Strikers rep Dennis Vaninger convinced the foreign players (almost all of them) that they might get deported if they don't observe the strike. So the Strikers became strikers. Ron scraped up a scab team with a short bench. He ran out of subs late in the game as the almost full strength Washington Diplomats were blasting the Strikers 4-0, so he put himself in. I can still hear the legendary Rick Weaver in my head saying, "And Ron Newman is coming into the game!" In that postgame show, a panting and weezing Newman observed, "We'll see tomorrow if the entire Washington side gets deported." And then, of course, he went on to great feats in the indoor game. He was a builder among builders. Their would be no 2010 The Goal, no Josef Martinez playing to 72,000 etc. but for Newman and his ilk. RIP, Coach.

 

Those were the days.