Smokin' Joe and the under-the-radar Frogs

Remembering Smokin’ Joe

“Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”

That famous call by Howard Cosell used to make my stomach turn.

Still does.

You see, growing up in Dallas in the 1970s, I was a Joe Frazier fan – and I was in the minority. There was something about him I liked. Probably that he kept his mouth shut, and just kept coming at his opponents like a mole from underground, always looking for that killer upper cut. He was tough, too. I liked that.

Although he was overshadowed by Ali, Frazier had style, too. I liked the cool blue paisley trunks he wore when he beat Ali in Madison Square Garden in 1971. I was in third grade and my parents made me turn off the radio and go to sleep. “It’s a school night,” Elouise Denton quipped.

The next morning, when I awoke to hear Frank Glieber on KRLD Radio report that Frazier had won, I was pumped. How fun it was to walk through the halls of Mark Twain Elementary School with 500 “I told ya so’s” to hand out.

We all start to show our age when we fawn for the “good old days.” That occurred yesterday when the news came down that Smokin’ Joe had died.

I had the good fortune to meet Joe Frazier back in 2006 in Dallas. He was at a fundraiser, and I cornered the champ at the pre-event reception. He was funny and approachable and seemed to appreciate my vivid memory of his win that night in New York. He liked to talk about the good times. It seemed unreal, but for 15 minutes, it was me and Joe Frazier, talking about the sport that had been so good to him.

I asked him when boxing was going to get back to the stature that it had during the Ali-Frazier era. He turned sentimental, the smile left his face. He paused, then said, “That was a different time and boxing was in a different place. I don’t know if it will ever get back to when they let fighters be fighters.”

Well said, Smokin’ Joe. We’ll miss ya!

Forgetting the Frogs?

It seems to me that many around the country have forgotten the Frogs. With two losses, the Men in Purple have gone undercover to some experts. The seven wins are lost on pollsters who have just barely let TCU climb back in the polls before this week’s donnybrook with Boise State. As of this morning, Vegas had the Frogs as a 15-point underdog. When was the last time that happened? Fifteen points?

Now I know – we’re talking No. 5 Boise, the blue turf and the voodoo of Bronco Stadium. However, check the Frogs’ accordion file and you’ll find nice work in places like Salt Lake City, Clemson, Provo and Norman – all road venues, all against ranked and very tough opponents. Pardon me if I suggest that the school of thought and attention should turn to the outcome of the previous three games played by these two teams. A total of 11 points separates winner from loser in the three previous contests – TOTAL.

These two programs are the lighthouses for the “little guys” (hello, Brent Musberger) and change in college football. Boise’s had its Fiesta. TCU’s had its Rose. The fans will have this Saturday – and it will be a good one.

More on the Broncos later in the week.

Kick 'em high!