The Akron Sound Bands Official Athletic Association!

OK we were punks, but we were also ATHLETES BABY!  Someone decided to start a Sunday softball game, playing at Akron U, every week, just for fun.  The teams would be made up of all the people in the bands.  We HAD to look like freaks, of all the things we did in the day, this is what I wish I had filmed.  Brothers of band members played, girlfriends, whatever it was so fun.  I think Mikey from Hammer Damage started the whole thing.  There were members of (some of the entire bands were there actually most everyone came) Hammer Damage  The Action  Chi Pig  Unit 5  The F Models  Trudee and the Trendsetters and more.  I think Johnny Teagle played (brother of Augy from U5 and a musician himself he was one of the Walking Clampetts).  We split into 2 teams every week and played softball.  It was very apparent that I was going to be the last one picked most of the time, especially after the first week when I showed my softball skills.  I remember Mike Hammer got mad at me because I was in the outfield and the ball was coming at me and I held my hand up, but then it looked so "close" and like it could kill me so I ducked.  Mike didn't pick me again.  Tony was fantastic, Tony had been a high school athlete and actually was scouted by The Pitsburgh Pirates or someone, he could pitch left or right handed and I guess that was a big deal.  I remember he told me he was so nervous about the try out for the team he drank to much and blew the whole gig, but he was great at the Sunday games!  Tony was also a golden gloves boxer, he had so much potential to do SO MUCH with his talents but I think he just never believed he was good enough.  Well, I digress but he was fun to watch on a baseball field.  Some of us were really serious, some of us were joking the whole time which made the more competitive sportsy punks mad.  BUT there we were...Akron U.  softball field right on Exchange St.  Spandex, cut offs, tight t shirts, spikey hair, striped tights, dog collars, tattoos, cigarettes and beers, playing some "ball" on Sunday,  some of us hadn't even been to bed yet, some of us nursing hang overs, some of us......loving every single minute of our youth. One week we played touch football at the school next to my house on Smith Road.  My Mom was incredible, she was lovely and gracious and funny and crude and all the bands filed in and hugged her and some even asked her to play football, then we all walked over to the school (GOD what my neighbors must have thought..probably seemed like Armaggedon or something) and played touch football and guess what?? I was really good at that!  I remember Iggy and I were suprisingly "not bad" and we were pretty much the last to get picked for every team but it was so fun. Iggy was in The F Models, he was the skinniest, rock star looking guy ever and he wore his guitar so low when he played I thought he was just groovy, he ended up dying way young, and I miss his face.  So here we are walking from my house in Bath Twp. over to Herberich Elementary to play some touch football.  Again, spandex, metal belts, short cropped t shirts, safety pins, Beatle Boots, spiked hair, shaved heads, blue haired heads, tall skinny lanky looking freaks and geeks with cigarettes and beers and football, on Sunday morning.  Those were the days my friend, I thought they'd never end, we'd sing and dance forever and a day, we lived the life we choose, we'd fight and never lose, those were the days oh yes those were the days....