Saint Bonaventure University

Papa’s World – That one special weekend!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

From my early years of growing up – sitting in the kitchen with my father – a small radio on the table-

He with a slip of paper and a pencil in hand –

Listening ever so intently to The Saint Bonaventure men’s basketball game broadcast!

That would be the middle to late 50’s!

The years of the Stith brothers and Whitey Martin.

I grew up a Bonnies fan.

Later – we would go down to SLAVIN’S –

The local hang-out bar and grill.

I would crawl up on the bar stool next to him and the bar would be full.

It seemed like all the townsmen were there –

Russ would have the radio turned up and we would listen to the BONA’S game!

Even later he managed to secure a season ticket for the Olean Armory –

Home of the Bona’s team and faithful.

Those were my introduction to Saint Bonaventure Mens Basketball games.

Today – I still follow them – we had season tickets before we moved to NVA!

I will always remember those special times with my father-

and his influence on my being a BONNIE for life!

This sculpture is by a fellow co-worker at American Olean Tile – Eric Jones.

BILLS MAFIA – SNOW – COLD – ICE and the faithful who sit through it all at the stadium in Orchard Park

Growing up for some reason – ( JIM BROWN – WARFIELD and others ) I was a browns fan.

That changed later in life with Kemp and Cookie and then OJ.

Then the four straight Super Bowl runs.

Kelly – Reed – Smith Thomas and Bennet – Norwood – Tasker.

What a run – and now ALLEN – ALLEN – and ALLEN and COOK!

I still cheer them on –

but 25 years ago – we transferred to NVA!

I could not watch them anymore.

Everything there was REDSKINS!

And they slowly found a place in my heart.

JAYDEN DANIELS – a kid as cool as a cucumber –

A number two pick and a franchise quarterback.

He will be the one over the next decade as long as he does not get hurt.

All the turmoil with the owner – even poaching Smith and Reed from the Bills.

Losing one after another with his idiocy meddling into a once proud franchise.

He even cut trees down on the Potomac River so he would have a view –

They were protected!

WHAT A IDIOT!

Finally, a sexual harassment case brought by dozens of female employees –

He was forced to sell the team – 6/12 BILLION DOLLARS!

He packed up and moved to London – goodbye DANNY BOY!

But in all that time I also became a fan of this team.

I now had THREE teams in my heart –

BONA’S – REDSKINS (COMMANDERS) and THE BILLS!

JAYDEN DANIELS – cool as ice – a rookie – unflustered and breaking the norms

JOSH ALLEN – a one-man wrecking machine. Always a chance with him and his arm and legs.

And the BONNIES – Coach Schmidt – my opinion – a great college basketball coach.

A University that has one of the smallest enrollments in Division I-

1800 hundred plus on a good year –

Taking on National Opponents and winning –

They won’t come to Olean, In WNY –

So he plays them in NYC or Buffalo-

or Rochester or in tournaments elsewhere!

YEP – I have three teams –

and toss in the Nationals and Caps.

Thanks for reading my blog!

PAPA’S WORLD –

my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

Papa’s World – Saint Bonaventure Golf Course.

/ Tom / Leave a comment
Saint Bonaventure University Western New York outside of Olean N.Y.

We lived in this area most of our lives together

The hills – rolling meadows

the lush greenery and yes snow.

But we also belonged to the Bona’s Golf Course!

Situated right next to the very large cemetery

and right across the highway from the University –

sits a nine hole course where we attempted to play golf

sometimes twice a week!

There are special holes here I remember

one is at the tee box of number FIVE

where you are up on a knoll

looking down but out across the trees to the campus

and the hills in many colors of the fall.

Just a beautiful peaceful view.

And then number SIX

where I recorded my only HOLE IN ONE!

Looking across number TWO fairway to number THREE!

The beauty of the course in all seasons

well – in my thought – not SNOW! LOL

But people cross country ski here in the winter.

And now – a brand new clubhouse built overlooking the course

in the exact same place as the old one

which I all the time hit!

The new clubhouse at Saint Bonaventure University

The old club house held many memories

of dinners – events and celebrations for us to remember.

But now – it is brand new

offering a view of numbers one – two and three.

And in the splendor of the fall foliage

The last time we were there

the course was in excellent shape

and I still see the views in my mind.

The course can be challenging

and sort of lulls you to wonderment of the views.

Number SEVEN – very hard to hold the green

if you are short it will roll 75 yards back down the slope

too far and you are in a steep back with 12 in rough!

In its splendor – lush green – views for miles.

Thank you for reading Papa’s World

If you are ever in Western New York –

about 65 miles South of Buffalo and you play golf

Just across the road from Saint Bonaventure University

sits a nine hole course we learned to play together

Take the time to take it all in and play nine!

WHERE FRIENDS MEET THE FAMILY

FAMILY MEETS FRIENDS!

MY SITE: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

Papa’s World – Thoughts – younger years!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

My mother’s name was Mary – she was Irish Catholic – my father’s name was –

Clarence -Russell – Everyone called him Bob.

I grew up on North Main Street in a little town called Eldred – in Pa. near the NYS border.

Bradford, Pa. was 14 miles as was Olean, N.Y.

Bradford was known for OIL – Pennsoil – Kendall –

Olean for Saint Bonaventure – BONNIES BASETBALL!

My father introduced me to those years of BONAS basketball – sitting at the kitchen table –

with a small radio – a sheet of lined white paper – and he would write the names of each basketball starter

for Saint Bonaventure down and those of subs.

It was the age of ROCK and ROLL – for my brother – turned collar – slicked back hair.

He was ten years older.

I would sit with my dad, listening as he did and watching him put down an X for a score.

At the foul line, it was a ZERO, and if made a line on a slant drawn through it!

I must say I went with him when he bowled – yes our small town had a bowling alley!

He taught me how to keep score often saying –

“ADD TEN – THEN SUBTRACT 3 IN YOUR HEAD TO GET THE CORRECT SCORE”

depending on what number you were using to add and subtract.

My dad, you did not cross the line but was also very dedicated to his family.

It was sitting with him during those games at our kitchen table –

in the mid to late 50s- that I became a BONNIE fan.

Then – we would drive down the street to the local watering hole – “SLAVINS”!

A bar- grill and all the men would meet there as RUSS was a huge BONNIE fan.

He had a radio for the bar and everyone leaned in to listen while sipping beer.

Our seats were just by the entrance as the bar top bends around so your back was toward the door.

That went on for several years and then he somehow got a hold of one season ticket at the OLD OLEAN ARMORY!

Now this place was crowded and tickets were so hard to come by

hundreds of fans around the whole court so that you could touch the players sitting on the bench or throwing the ball in !

IN OTHER WORDS – A LOUD PIT OF SCREAMING LOYAL BONAS HOMETOWN FANS!

I had to stay home with the radio at the kitchen table and that is when I took up keeping the scores with Xs and O’S with slanted lines.

He wanted to take me but there were no tickets.

Later in life – after the RILEY CENTER was built on campus – I got my own tickets.

Later – before we moved to NVA – Sherry and I had season tickets along with

a golf membership across from the University at their golf course.

To this day I follow the “BONNIES” – checking news stories – recruiting and transfers –

I no longer keep score – but I remember my times with my dad –

Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD – my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

AND MARY – SHE RULED THE HOUSE – IRISH CATHOLIC – my dad – IRISH PROTESTANT-

That my friends is a whole other blog to come! LOL

Papa’s World – Teaching LOVE and RESPECT to our children in their youth!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

Back in the mid to late 80s – we were youth group leaders for our Lutheran church in little Portville, N.Y.

One of our trips was to a retreat just outside Clarksville where this man once stayed for reflection – Thomas Merton.

He had a deep connection with the Franciscans at Saint Bonaventure University just outside Olean, N.Y.

At that time we went there – the University was maintaining the retreat – they may still be doing this.

Our pastor Dan – who married Sherry and me – was deeply involved in the youth group – so much so that he and I and a doctor of the congregation – took FOURTEEN YOUTHS – 7 to 12th. grade – canoeing on the Alleghany River as a trail run and later a whole week in the Algonquian Park in the far north of Canada for a week.

We went to the retreat to perform a blessing in each room marking the sign of the cross on the beams and headers of the doorways in charcoal ash.

Our purpose for those kids in the youth group was to teach love for all humans.

Looking back on each and every one of them in their now adult life – I think what we wanted to get across to them was a success.

Thomas Merton spent some of his time in this area reflecting on life and left a lasting impression on all of us that went to perform that blessing.

Thank you for reading Papa’s World – my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

TEACHING LOVE AND RESPECT TO OUR CHILDREN IN THEIR YOUTH!

Papa’s World – after sixty two years – I am still a fan – Saint Bonaventure University – BONA’S

/ Tom / Leave a comment

My dad was a big fan of the basketball team at Saint Bonaventure University!

He had season tickets and when they played away games –

He would either listen to them on the radio or go down to SLAVINS!

This was the local town bar he and his close friends would go to have a beer.

Russ and Tootie were the owners and BIG BONA’S FANS also.

Every game the radio would be on and dozens of people would lean close to listen!

To understand the fan base of this basketball team – you first have to know –

this is one of the smallest College Universities in the USA!

If they have over 2000 students -that would be large!

Yet – they are giant killers in Division one basketball!

Have been since the early ’50’s and to the present.

The campus sits in the magical mountains along the Alleghany river –

Just on the town line of OLEAN N.Y. and Alleghany N.Y.

Some 65 miles South of Buffalo.

Yet – they compete on the big stage year in and year out!

To get here – you have to fly into Buffalo and drive the 65 miles through the country and back roads to Olean.

Where you might secure a room in one of the few hotels in the town.

And that is the beginning of your game madness in the Reilly Center – seating some 5200 rabid fans.

Sitting on four sides right on the court!

Mind you – the student body is around 2000 – and the town of Olean on a good day is maybe 12,000.

Yet – while I was young – there was a waiting list for those season tickets.

My father finally got his!

The team has been in that time frame had a high ranking in different years

as Number two or three in the nation!

They have gone to the FINAL FOUR only to lose when they lost their big man –

Buffalo ” BOB LANIER” to a knee injury and out for out for the final game.

Many thoughts throughout the nation – they would of won!

Now – the promise of next year looms before us BONNIE FANS!

PRESEASON POLLS – if they indicate anything at all – has them at the following!

What hurt this year was not the starting five – who all come back – not one senior on the whole team.

Was the bench – not very deep – ( what there was – 3- transferred out)

and when one of there best players twisted his ankle early in the game against SEC LSU –

Well when he returned he was a shadow of himself.

They went on to lose by 11 points!

THE HOPES ARE HIGH FOR NEXT YEAR and that fan base –

from every small town around –

is looking at these preseason polls with hunger in their eyes.

Now the GOOD NEWS!

Early commitments seem to have shored up that bench.

Three have transferred out – hardly playing and could not support that really good starting five.

In their place as of April 13th. FOUR MAJOR RECRUITS ARE COMING!

Two are transfers – who can play right away –

One starting Shooting guard from the ACC – Wake Forest – Quadry Adams – 6′ 4″

One starting power forward from another ACC school – Pitt – Abdoul Karin Coulibaly- 6′ 8″

One high JUCO transfer center

that was recruited by the power five conferences – Oluwasegun Durosinm – 6′ 9″

And a high Canada prep player regarded as a top prospect –

Justin Ndjock Tadjone – a shooting guard listed at 6′ 8″

They still have three scholarships left.

BUT THE CALVARY HAS ARRIVED!

The bench is now there!

My dad -My father would of been so excited – he passed that excitement onto me those 62 years ago!

For years I would bend over close to that same radio and listen to those games –

I would do the same as he did – keeping score with X’S and O’S –

The names of each player written down and the fouls each had.

Yes – I did that and to this day – I watch them on national TV!

We – before we moved South – had those precious season tickets.

The fans right on top of that floor at the Reilly Center –

Rated as one of the most feared and toughest places to play in the entire country!

PAPA’S WORLD livinglifedoingitmyway.blog fitztdf@aol.com

IT IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE YEARS COME FALL WITH THE BONNIES!

Fasten your seat belt – this little Division one University of some 2000 students and Friars

are gonna take you for a ride – who knows – just how far they will go-

They finished 16 and 5 with no bench – now they have one!

SAINT BONAVENTURE – THE LITTLE SCHOOL WHO COULD ONCE AGAIN SLAY GIANTS!

IT’S HAPPENED TWICE BEFORE and maybe – just maybe the third time is the CHARM!