Column: Shoe’s Firsts
By Tim “Shoe” Sullivan
Everyone in Stevens Point has had “firsts”. You know, like there’s a first time for everything. Well, I don’t know what yours are, but here are some of mine.
The first thing I ever bought at Tempo in Point was a cheap camera that I used twice in 10 years.
The first time I ever bought a frozen Portesi cheese and sausage pizza was at Dan’s Ice Cream Parlor. Cooked it up and it was delicious.
The first time I went to a casino, I took along $40 and was back in the car about five minutes after I got there. This taught me a valuable lesson. If you’re gonna take only $40 to the casino, don’t even bother going.
The first .45 record I ever bought was from Graham-Lane. “The Wanderer” by Dion & The Belmonts. What was yours?
The first beer I ever had at a bar was a shoop of Point at Club 10. It was right out of high school and tasted great.
The first wedding I ever crashed was at Wildwood Gardens. It was the first of many. Also went to several at Skipp’s and the American Legion.
The first thing I ever had mailed to me from the White House was a new putter which is still in the box. It was during the Bill Clinton era. Slick Willie loves to golf.
I got my first official Secret Service flashlight the morning after George Bush gave a talk at the railroad station in Point. The bartender at the Dewey helped me get it.
The first and only time I tried to grow a watermelon, it ended up being the size of a pickle.
My first and only motorcycle was a new 1966 Super Sport Honda 65. The first time I drove it, I went down the street, turned onto Elk, went up a curb after popping the clutch, kept on going past the sidewalk, ran into a brick wall, and went flying into the bushes which were behind the wall. There were no injuries and the cycle held up for 20 more years.
My first and only musical instrument was a clarinet in high school. I hated that thing with a passion.
The first parade I ever saw was one that went down Strongs Avenue when I was just a kid. It was some kind of military parade maybe eight years after the end of World War II. Will never forget the sight of Sherman tanks rumbling right down the street. Scared the hell out of me.
The first movie I saw at the 10-51 Outdoor was “Romeo & Juliet”. When the movie ended and all the beer was gone, my buddies put me back in the trunk.
The first wiffleball I ever had came in a spiffy cardboard box with a picture of Pete Rose on the side. That wiffleball was great for throwing curveballs.
The first fort our kids in the neighborhood built lasted about 10 years.
I bought a Twinkie the first time I went into Bob’s Food King.
The first baseball card of Jose Canseco that I had was his rookie 1986 Donruss card. A guy offered me $100 cash for it. I kept it, and now it books for about ten bucks.
The first gun I ever had as a kid was a really nifty plastic six-shooter that actually shot plastic bullets. It was great fun blasting those little plastic army men. And if you took the plastic bullets out and replaced them with crayons, you could damn near knock down anything.
The first time I batted in Little League, I was hit by a pitch. The ump awarded me first base. On the next pitch, I ran to second and tried to spike the shortstop with my tenner shoes and sprained an ankle.
The first thing I ever did upon entering Wanta’s Bowling Lanes downtown was eat one of Big Ern’s hot beef sandwiches.
The first time I played Monopoly, I landed on Boardwalk, maybe a half hour into the game. Some opponent had a hotel on it and I was toast.
I got checkmated in four moves in chess.
The first time I tried to ice skate, I fell right on my ass and never tried to skate again.
My first time being a security guard was a great success. Three years at Joerns, and nobody ever took the building.
The first kiss I ever had was wrapped in tinfoil and had a little piece of paper coming out of the top. It also had an almond in it.
The first scorekeeper/announcer I ever had in organized softball was a gentleman named John “Hoot” Sebora. The guy was fantastic!
The first time I went to a major league baseball game with Ma Pesch and Randy Wievel was way back in 1969. We rented a motel room and went to nine Minnesota Twins’ games at the old Metropolitan Stadium. We caught 19 foul balls and ended up on NBC.
The first time my teammate Tom “Boda” LaBoda played first base for JL’s Pub, he played all seven innings at first and never touched the ball. That has to be a record.
I’m terrible at directions. Who else do you know who got lost in Edgar? I tried to drive to Milwaukee County Stadium once and almost ended up in Sheboygan.
My first yo-yo broke. And it wasn’t a Duncan.
Wasn’t really known for playing defense in city basketball. The first time I actually guarded anybody was in 1982. I started playing in ‘67.
Don’t remember the first movie I ever saw at the Fox, but Randolph Scott might’ve been in it.
The first cheeseburger I ever had was at Robby’s.
The first time I played Bingo, I yelled “Bingo!” but didn’t really have it and everyone was ticked off.
The first time I went fishing in the Wisconsin River, the river was just terrible. It was all polluted and slimy. I caught a bullhead. I put it on the dike and it begged me not to throw it back.
The first time I had a hula hoop was never. By the way, Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan’s wife was something like “Miss Hula Hoop” of Lynn, Texas.
The first time I was at Red Lantern, I had a pizza sent over from Bill’s.
First time I went bow-hunting, I never saw any bows to shoot at.
The first time they dropped paper plates out of airplanes on Krazy Days, I picked up a plate that was good for a prize. Won a cap gun.
The first time I went to the Municipal Pool, I was banned for doing a cannonball in the wading area.
I knocked over the chessboard during a tournament when my opponent captured my bishop. Was arrested and charged with disturbing the pieces.
And just remember those famous words: If at first you don’t succeed…the hell with it.
If you would like to share your “firsts” with us, go for it.