Topic: Bay Area Foosers 1970's

[zydeco2go]

Hi,

My name is Aaron Abaurrea and was a 13 yo Foosball player in the Bay Area, I think I was pretty dominate then, but that could be in my mind .  Now at 50, I look back and think of some pretty nice people that were around it those days.  I remember a guy named Steve Milos, Tommy Drasites (sp), I played in tournaments in bars 3 nights a week, draw your partner.  The tourney in Chico was always awesome.  I remember having to go into a dependent childrens home at 13, and Milo's, Tommy and the lady( Donna?) who was always with them (who I partnered with in a TS Tourney) I just cant remember her name, sent me a care package with a then very cool Zeek Mullins shirt.  There are plenty more people that were just awesome, so if any of you read this.....THANKS!  I play once every 10 years and my push kick is still the best ever!  I remember playing in a TS Tourney against a legend Dan Kaiser and was so mad because he slammed his 5 man so hard!

Aaron

[Buckshot]

Hello Aaron

I also played in the Bay Area in the 70's. I went by the nick name Buck in those days, shot a pull kick for awhile and then discovered my back pin. I didn't know you or the people you mentioned, or maybe I just don't remember. We may have met & played against each other, if you remember a short, skinny handsome lad who shot a lot of fiveman shots, that was me. I remember Dan Kaiser, he won the TS World Championship in doubles with Ken Rivera in 75 or 76, I don't remember which. 

As for bar tournaments, I recall playing in weekly tournaments in The Jury Room in San Francisco and The Alpen Glow in San Leandro. I liked playing on weekends in a wonderful little bar in San Francisco called The Rose & Thistle. They had an old Tournament Soccer green top. This bar was where I first saw someone shoot a back pin, it was love at first sight! This bar was also where I first ran into the Bay Area foosball community in 1976 and where I discovered a great refreshing beverage called an Irish Coffee.

I remember faces and events which I can't really put names to, too much time has passed. This was the poorest time of my life, but full of fond memories. I do remember the names of my favorite people from that time in my foosball career; Victor Fong, Reggie Price, Ken & Peggy Marcinaro, Steve Luis, Bobby Thompson, Phil Shmidt and Thor Donovan. Do any of these names ring a bell?

[zydeco2go]

Dont know those guys at all.  We started playing in tourneys in Palo Alto at a place called the Hodge Podge, I do remember that.  Steve Milos and Tommy Drasites I think owned a vending business, but were kinda legends of original Foosball (ggogle Steve Milos foosball).  The lady that always traveled with them, I now remember her name it was Diane.  Anyway, I played mostly from Redwood City down to San Jose.   Played in several Tournament Soccer events, think my best finish was 2nd in mixed doubles (with Diane), lost to the Kaiser fellow.  I remember I played with a nice guy named Mark Axel in several tourneys and remember a guy named Lewis Winningham, guy they called "koch", in 1976 I won losts of tourneys from Santa Cruz to Monterey.  It was a fun time, with lots of good fun people!  Oh another guy was Joe Baum.

Regards
Aaron