When I was a kid in KC (Leawood: shop, cars)

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by thriftylefty

I remember Whizzo the Clown, Tory and Old Gus and riding horses at Benjamin Stables. In Old Quindaro Town there were horses everywhere , there is still a stable there near the river where you can ride a horse (if you know some one )

Occasionally you see people riding horses along Leavenworth Road and even Parallel. I think they might also participate in the Leavenworth Road Parade. When I was a little kid growing up in the area I found my way to the stables on my bike, the people were nice.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

The old Municipal Stadium was iconic. In the early 60s I lived in Minnesota and watched nearly every televised Twins game and it is the A's games that I remember most. With the goats behind right field and the mechanical rabbit that rose out of the ground with new baseballs for the umpire at home plate.

It was demolished before I had a chance to see it live. But when I worked downtown I went to the site several times after lunch to stand there and envision my old memories and the days when Maris, Mantle, Killebrew, Kaline, and so many other greats played ball on that hallowed ground.

We had season tickets one year and I missed all of three games, two due to school (several afternoon games back then) The All-Stars even came to town and it was my only chance to see Musial and Mays and Aaron et al. I have the program and my own scored card somewhere.

You could walk on the track after the game and out a big door in the centerfield fence to your car. Sam's Parking was the big proprietor, although lots of neighborhood families sold parking on their driveways or front lawns. Really.

Charles Gray was the long time Ch 9 anchor, serious and subdued, later moved to news at 610 WDAF am. There was also 610's David Lawrence and Diana Downdraft ? as a duo in the mornings. A crazy guy did the traffic copter (Get out of the way!) . . . John Wagner "Sky Spy" that was him.

Don Harrison was another anchor.

The legendary WHB had its DJs and tons of commercials, along with call in games and quizzes. One summer featured a song with funny, distorted voices. The prize was to submit the correct lyrics, it went on for weeks, ad nauseum. A friend said it'd be easy if you had a tape recorder, of course none of us did (luxury item, sorta). I've tried to find a tape of the voices online to finally figure it out, to no avail. All I remember is one line was about "tweezers"

Indeed, the good ol daze.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

We had season tickets one year and I missed all of three games, two due to school (several afternoon games back then) The All-Stars even came to town and it was my only chance to see Musial and Mays and Aaron et al. I have the program and my own scored card somewhere.

You could walk on the track after the game and out a big door in the centerfield fence to your car. Sam's Parking was the big proprietor, although lots of neighborhood families sold parking on their driveways or front lawns. Really.

Charles Gray was the long time Ch 9 anchor, serious and subdued, later moved to news at 610 WDAF am. There was also 610's David Lawrence and Diana Downdraft ? as a duo in the mornings. A crazy guy did the traffic copter (Get out of the way!) . . . John Wagner "Sky Spy" that was him.

Don Harrison was another anchor.

The legendary WHB had its DJs and tons of commercials, along with call in games and quizzes. One summer featured a song with funny, distorted voices. The prize was to submit the correct lyrics, it went on for weeks, ad nauseum. A friend said it'd be easy if you had a tape recorder, of course none of us did (luxury item, sorta). I've tried to find a tape of the voices online to finally figure it out, to no avail. All I remember is one line was about "tweezers"

Indeed, the good ol daze.

That would have been 1960, one of the years that there were two All-Star games.

1960 All-Star Game

What a lineup - Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Eddie Matthews, Willie Mays, Bill Maseroski, and Stan Musial on the NL side. Yogi Berra, Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Brooks Robinson, and Ted Williams on the AL side. What I'd give to turn back the clock and transport myself to that game.

That summer on WHB we would have been hearing The Everly Brothers' Cathy's Clown, Hollywood Argyles' Alley-Oop, and Brian Hyland's Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini.

Ohhhh....what we've lost.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

That would have been 1960, one of the years that there were two All-Star games.

1960 All-Star Game

What a lineup - Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Eddie Matthews, Willie Mays, Bill Maseroski, and Stan Musial on the NL side. Yogi Berra, Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Brooks Robinson, and Ted Williams on the AL side. What I'd give to turn back the clock and transport myself to that game.

That summer on WHB we would have been hearing The Everly Brothers' Cathy's Clown, Hollywood Argyles' Alley-Oop, and Brian Hyland's Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini.

Ohhhh....what we've lost.

Yep, that was it. Summer of 1960, the only realistic opp I had to see many of the HOF National Leaguers. If you can imagine HR hitter Mays leading off . . . he was probably the MVP and I can still see him running the bases with his cap flying off. I also remember Alley Oop from that summer. Either earlier that year or the year before the A's traded Maris. I recall him banging one off-field and denting the metal fence in left field. I believe his family still lived at 51st and Blue Ridge when he hit 61 in 61.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Yep, that was it. Summer of 1960, the only realistic opp I had to see many of the HOF National Leaguers. If you can imagine HR hitter Mays leading off . . . he was probably the MVP and I can still see him running the bases with his cap flying off. I also remember Alley Oop from that summer. Either earlier that year or the year before the A's traded Maris. I recall him banging one off-field and denting the metal fence in left field. I believe his family still lived at 51st and Blue Ridge when he hit 61 in 61.

Interesting....I didn't realize that Maris had played for the A's. I don't remember ever hearing of him before he came to Yankee prominence.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Interesting....I didn't realize that Maris had played for the A's. I don't remember ever hearing of him before he came to Yankee prominence.

The A's had quite the rep for trading players to the Yankees who would blossom in NY. I believe Maris came over from Cleveland.

Kansas City Athletics (1958–59)

Maris was traded to the Kansas City Athletics with Dick Tomanek and Preston Ward for Vic Power and Woodie Held. He played in 99 games and hit 19 home runs. In 1959, he hit 16 home runs and represented the A's in the 1959 All-Star Game in spite of missing 45 games due to an appendix operation.
In the late 1950s, Kansas City frequently traded their best young players to the New York Yankees – a practice which led them to be referred to as the Yankees' "major league farm team"[8] – and Maris was no exception. In a seven-player deal in December 1959, he was sent to the Yankees with Kent Hadley and Joe DeMaestri in exchange for Marv Throneberry, Norm Siebern, Hank Bauer, and Don Larsen.[9]

[PVPete]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Interesting....I didn't realize that Maris had played for the A's. I don't remember ever hearing of him before he came to Yankee prominence.

The KC A's have also become known for being a breeding ground for great future manager. Dick Howser, Whitey Herzog, Tony LaRussa, Dick Williams, and Billy Martin all played for the A's before becoming great managers. I guess all that losing taught them what NOT to do.

[luzianne]

Saw Kevin Kietzman mentioned in the original post. And now he has been let go.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by luzianne

Saw Kevin Kietzman mentioned in the original post. And now he has been let go.

I don't remember Kevin Kietzman and I had never heard about Andy Reid's son. But this thread was on email notification for me, so your mentioning this naturally made me curious.

So I googled Kevin Kietzman and found this piece. Played the short clip and must say there seems to be an over-reaction here, especially considering this guy's program was called Between The Lines.

My gut reaction is that this seems to fit a disturbing PC trend where you don't dare say anything not scanned and pre-screened by a team of lawyers and nervous-Nellie editors for fear of losing your job.

Little wonder that media generally is almost nothing but fluff.

[westender]

I remember when Crown Center opened - a huge deal for KC even if Calvin Trillin disapproved. Where Hall's escalator now drops into the second floor was "West Village" full of artists and tradesmen, all surrounded by wrought iron and beechwood. Kaleidoscope was a must for children. I remember a store that sold George Nakashima furniture. Hall's Crown Center location was across the bridge, and had a large room full of toy trains, all sizes. Hall's on the Plaza even sold antiques -- English sterling and fine art. It had a Steuben sales room painted in a beautiful charcoal.

The Plaza was where many people bought clothes -- Woolf Brothers and Swanson's for the swell set, Sears for the middle class. La Mediterranee was the fancy restaurant then. The Alameda Plaza had the Pam-Pam Room for brunch after Sunday church.

I took dance classes (remember "touch disco"?) and piano lessons at the Toon Shop in Prairie Village, "for the best in music." Also bought all of the 1970s hits there on 45s. Kids roamed everywhere -- cars drove much more cautiously and slowly then. Upthread, someone asked about Mission Road -- it dead-ended in Leawood's City Park, they hadn't finished a bridge over Indian Creek. 119th was a dirt road.