Every president has these moments.Β They get to have a ceremony honoring a team that just won a sports championship, the captain of the team provides the President with a custom-made jersey with the President’s name on it, and the President says a few words.
So recently, the Dallas Mavericks paid a visit to the White House for their ceremony – considering that they are the most recent NBA champions, that’s fine.Β And as I’ve said before, it adds to the list of former Albany Patroons that have earned championship rings, either as a player or as a coach in the NBA.Β The list includes Phil Jackson, Mario Elie, and now Rick Carlisle – who played for Bill Musselman’s 48-6 trophy-winning Patroons squad in 1988 (that roster included Derrick Rowland, Lowes Moore and Micheal Ray Richardson).
Now listen to this clip – at about 5:00 into the clip, the President of the United States remarks about Rick Carlisle’s achievements.
“It wouldn’t have worked without an outstanding coach, and Coach Rick Carlisle has now won a player – won a title as a player with Larry Bird in the 80’s, has a title as a coach, and he just informed me that he had also won – what is it, the Pantoons? The Albany Patroons, many of you did not know that Rick Carlisle had also won … one of those … it’s a minor league team.”
< putting on Patroons fan gear>
Mr. President, with all due respect, you may not be aware of this, but the Albany Patroons were the greatest minor league sports team that the Capital District ever had.Β They were better than the Firebirds.Β They were better than the River Rats.Β They brought a community together and, during the 1980’s, they were the team that no one in the Continental Basketball Association could ever beat.Β And we took that name “Patroons” because it meant something to our area.Β Patroons were the Dutch landowners who first bought and settled tracts of land.Β It’s those “patroons” whose names now dominate our cities and our towns and our rivers and our green spaces.
It’s “Patroons.”Β Not “Pontoons” or “Pantones” or “Pop tunes” or anything like that.
Mr. President, I’ve supported you through a lot.Β I’ve supported you through the Cash for Clunkers program.Β I supported you through the health care insurance reform.Β I’ve supported you in credit card reform.Β I’ve supported you through so much.
But for you to mangle the legacy of my beloved sports team… and to call them the “Pantoons”?
</ taking off Patroons fan gear>
Let me say this… I don’t think Mitt Romney would have made that mistake.
Chuck The Writer 
What if he would have said “Pantaloons”. I blush just thinking about it.
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That’s what happens when Barry goes off-script. I believe he also congratulated Chuck Miller for his work with a PBJ.
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Not you too Chuck!?! C’mon, give the guy a break! The Albany Patroons may be the BEST CAPITAL DISTRICT minor league sports team ever – but who else in the rest of the nation gives a hoot? We can not expect the President of the United States to know every team name in every sport for every who ever may grace the steps of the nations capital. UGH!
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CAK – I don’t care if he knows or doesn’t know every single minor league sports team in the United States. But come on now, could he actually believe that there’s a team named the Pontoons or Pantones or whatever he called it? Yikes!
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The thought the Mavericks were a football team.
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SMH – Yikes is right! It’s not like there’s an economy or an on going war to worry about. He needs to get his sh** straight. UGH!
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Yeah, give the guy a break…it’s not like he was born here. You probably couldn’t name any sports teams from Kenya.
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No, but I bet with a little thought I could name all the Kenyans who came in first in the Boston Marathon. π
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CAK is now banging her head against the desk – but not before asking:
D357 – Kenya has sports teams?
Chuck – If President Obama had google at his fingertips he could have found the Patroons too, now couldn’t he?
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They might be the greatest within our living memories, older folks might remember better days for local sports. When I was young we bought our comics at Baums News Room in Schenectady and I dimly remember that the proprietor Harry Leva was an old friend of Tommy Lasorda from his days playing for the Schenectady Blue Jays. I just looked up to see what the internet has on the Blue Jays, and though there is no Wikipedia page for the team, there is an index of 28 former players who went on to the majors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Schenectady_Blue_Jays_players
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I really don’t get how anybody cares about this. “Patroon” is not a word that occurs outside the Dutch colonies, and isn’t a word I’d expect anyone who hasn’t lived here to know. And I don’t know why anybody who didn’t live here would ever have heard of them — in fact I’d have had trouble thinking of the name. Why would anyone expect someone who never lived here or anywhere near here to have heard of this team and get the name right? He was hearing the word for the first time, and got it wrong.
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I agree with you, Carl. And the same goes for when he said he had been campaigning in all 57 states…how can anyone expect someone from another country to know all these details?
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@Tim. The Blue Jays played at what is now the Stadium Golf Course in Schenectady. They have some team pictures in the clubhouse. Check it out.
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