Well, Stormin' Norman is no longer with us - RIP

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009 ... at-67.html

Wow. That's sad. Really liked him...

_________________
This is my signature...

Yet another reason to not watch Bulls pre & post...

_________________
There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

That's too bad. I'll miss him.

And I'll miss the ATTITUDE!

Yeah I noticed last night that he wasn't on with Kendall Gill so I was thinking that maybe he took the day off for his daughter or something. I loved me some Norm.

"I'll tell you WHAT! I'd put a FOOT in in ASS".

_________________

It's appropriate that it is Storming out today. Stormin Normin.

_________________
Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

Yeah, you could always count on that crotchety old cuss to tell it like it is...

sad. I got to meet Norm a few times with my Dad at the MJH Autism golf outings. He carried on a nice conversation with us and Chet a couple of times.

_________________
@audioidkid

I feel bad now. Watching the pre-game post trade the other night, I made the comment to Mrs Hawkeye Vince that he looked like he was knocking at death's door. Guess I wasn't too far off. Damn. Always honest, typically entertaining. He'll be missed.

From listening to Norm, you would think that guys pretty much killed eachother while playing ball back in the day...

_________________
This is my signature...

I feel horrible. I feel even worse that on October 29th I posted this:


I wonder how the Bulls feel about not inviting him to Red's ceremony now.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

They will probably retire his jersey now. Should have been done when he could have seen it...

_________________
This is my signature...

Tht is sad. I met Norm a couple times. He was a wild guy but very nice and hilarious.

RIP Norm.

_________________
You know me like that.

_________________
You can't see me because of internet.

The landowner effectively owns part shares in millions of part-time slaves called, "taxpayers." -Roy L
A Personal Relationship with Jesus?

I'm stunned that Norm Van Lier is no longer with us. I wasn't aware that his health was in that bad a shape. He always preached the kind of attitude & intensity that his former team sorely lacks on a nightly basis, but he lived his life to its fullest. Bulls' fans will definitely miss him for sure.

yeah, that is sad. like b+b are saying, sounds like he did his thing and lived his life to the fullest, but still, sucks when people go too early.

_________________

He loved the drink. A lot.

Yeah. This sucks.

Now I understand why he complained about not being at Red's ceremony. He knew he didn't have much longer to live. So you want to be there for your friend who is dieing. It makes sense now.

He was only 61. He never told anybody he was in bad health.

I remember Norm put his shoulder down and run over a ref who was giving bad calls all night.
The playoff game againts the Lakers where Wilt switch with Norm's man and looked like Godzilla coming out of the water swatting away Norms shot as time expired, but the one thing I'll always remeber Norman for was leavin' it on the floor every damn night! You will be missed..I goin to listen to some Stones now and toss back a couple of Crowns!

_________________
I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

Yes I know, it seems every picture of me is in that damn Da Bears shirt or my Marcus Robinson jersey.

_________________

Very nice, spmack!

Where was the "Snoop point?"

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

Norm: What the hell are you pointing at me for? Do you want a foot in your ass?

_________________
This is my signature...

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

I was in the pic with the dad and Norm...Gotta act civil in front of pops you know

_________________

Too many awful things have happened of late and now my good friend Norm Van Lier has left us. Stormin Norm was found dead in his near West Side Apartment early Thursday at the age of 61. Fire Department personnel responded to a request to check him out and found him unresponsive.

Norm was drafted by the Bulls out of St.Francis of PA,was traded to the Cincinnati Royals,but they got him back during the 1971-72 season and along with Jerry Sloan,they formed the most feared back court in the NBA. Legends like Jerry West and others said time and time again they hated playing against the Bulls since Norm and Jerry would 'let them know they were there'. Norm made the All-Star team three times and was a key on the team under Dick Motta that also featured Bob Love,Chet Walker and Tom Boerwinkle,never won anything,but they came close.The only Division Title the Bulls ever won other than in the six Championship Years of the 90's was the Midwest Division Title in 1975 with Norm and Company. The only Playoff rounds they won were in 1974 in seven games over the Pistons(they then got swept by the Bucks 4 straight when Sloan was unable to play due to a bad ankle)and in 1975 they defeated the Kansas City-Omaha Kings 4 games to 2 before dropping the Western Conf Finals in seven games to Golden State. Norm was still with the Bulls under Ed Badger in 1976-77 when they had one of the best finishes ever with Artis Gilmore,Wilbur Holland,Mickey Johnson,and Scott May to make the playoffs but lose a best of three mini series to Portland in the first round as the Blazers went on to win it all.

I continued to have a lengthy friendship with the man we simply called "Storm" to this very day. We worked together at both the original WMVP-AM 1000 from 1991 until that Station dropped it's all sports format in June 1996, and then at the Score from 1997 until Aug 2001. My overnight show was followed each morning for a couple of years by "The Bear and the Bull" program with Doug Buffone and Norm and we had a blast each morning when the station still had 'cross talk'. Of course the off the air stuff was even more entertaining. Norm introduced the short lived bit called "I'm gonna put a foot in your ass!" which allowed listeners to call in their their own version of that line until management made them cease that bit.

Norm was never afraid to speak his mind! He once went after the Blazers 6-10 Sydney Wicks with a chair! Wicks,a tough guy in his own right,backed off. I also remember a game in March 1972 at Detroit's Cobo Arena when the Bulls were playing the Pistons.It was their third game in three days(which can not happen these days). The Bulls had won a home game on a Friday night with Buffalo,and beaten the Cavaliers in Cleveland the day before.So now on this Sunday afternoon, Dave Bing and Bob Lanier were giving the Bulls all they could handle and this game was going right to the wire. Sloan had already picked up a technical foul early in the game. Now, with about five minutes to play and the Bulls up by about four points, Norm got a 'T' from Darryl Garrettson(whom he hated!). The PA announcer said "Technical foul on Jerry Sloan!". Jerry and Motta looked up in shock. Well Norm went up to the PA Announcer and calmly said "No man, I SAID THAT!" Garrettson then got in Norm's face and said "That's it, Technical foul, you're outta here!" which was a joke. I know because I was at the press table and all of this happened right in front of me. Norm then went after Garrettson and it took about four of his teammates and the trainer to pull him away and get him to head to the locker room. That of course was an un-justified 'T', but it held up. Walker took over,and the Bulls won. Norm told me some things about Garrettson after that game, and even more about that incident just a few weeks ago in the United Center (you bet he never forgot it!)about that ref!

All I know is that Norm's #2 should been hanging in the Stadium and in turn the UC a long time ago. Now that he is gone, hopefully it will happen some day soon. Walker's #25 belongs up there also!

I have lost two good friends in the past two weeks, Larry Gross of the Chicago Defender and now Norm! I cherish my longtime friendship with the Storm!

Shocked that Norm went before Johnny Red the other day. Sad day Norm was entertaining as hell even if the Bull and the Bear was one of the hardest to listen to programs that has ever been on the radio.

RIP Norm

_________________

Following the 4:30p "Scoreboard Update" this afternoon, Boers & Bernstein are planning to rewind their last interview with Norm, which seems bittersweet on a day he passed away. The interview came a day after the controversy surrounding his snub on the night of the Johnny "Red" Kerr tribute about 2 weeks ago.

Les-Thanks for your memories of Norm. Couldn't agree more that his jersey should be up there.

_________________
-"God is great. Beer is good. And People are crazy!"