It happens to the best of us; I’m sure it’s happened to you. We run out of gas (figuratively or literally, take your pick).

After two weekends of shows, I’m so out of gas I missed my muse deadline yesterday. But I’m talking about the real thing today, well, almost.

Last Saturday, Alexandra and I hopped in the car, rushing to get to the show, and my range indicator told me I only had 10 miles of gas. What a close call.

Abort the car! Run into the house frantically ask Alex if he’ll get gas in the red car. He’s already saying yes, he knows me to well, shooing me out the door. And then I turned around because I thought of another problem, “Oh yeah, where are the keys?” But he solved that, too. “In the car.”

Alexandra and I get in Alex’s car with the full gas tank ready for us to drive off, still on time, as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t even a good enough story for us to tell.

If it hadn’t been for modern technology and Alex, I would have run out of gas the old-fashioned way.

Back in the day, it was a common enough occurrence to run out of gas, but we depended on the kindness of strangers to get us out of it. And then we’d chalk it up to another good story.

And speaking of stories and since we’re talking about running out of gas, it’s the perfect time to dial number 25 of the Top 75 NBA stories series. Let’s see where that takes us.

There’ll be no classic basketball story this time, this is not why Dad made the top 75 best basketball players, as you can see where this is going. It’s a fun story instead when Dad was 25 years old and ran out of gas on his way to 76ers practice.

It’s not every day that running out of gas makes the papers.

Here’s the Bulletin sports headline on November 9, 1968.

“Billy’s Doing Roadwork. Who’s Jogging On Expressway?”

Mom must have loved this story so much that she saved two copies. And it provided essential details. “The 76ers have a strict rule about being prompt for practice and there’s a $1 a minute fine for tardiness.”

Along with the articles was an anonymous typed memo that someone must have sent Dad just for fun. No one wants to miss this!

To: All Personnel
Subject: Absenteeism

It has been brought to my attention that the attendance record department is a disgrace to our gracious benefactor, who, at your request, has given you your job. Due to lack of consideration for your jobs with so fine a company, as shown by such frequent absenteeism, the following changes are in effect as of today:

SICKNESS: NO EXCUSE…We will no longer accept your doctor’s statement as proof as we believe that if you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

DEATH: Other than your own. This is no excuse…there is nothing you can do for them, and we are sure that someone else with a lesser position can attend to the arrangements. However, if the funeral can be held in the late afternoon, we will be glad to let you off one hour early, provided that your share of the work is ahead enough to keep the job going in your absence,

LEAVE OF ABSENCE: (for an operation) We are no longer allowing this practice. We wish to discourage any thoughts that you may need an operation as we believe as long as you are an employee here, you will need all of whatever you have and you should not consider having anything removed. We hired you as you are and to have anything removed would certainly make you less than we bargained for. Anyone having an operation will be fired immediately.

DEATH (your own) This will be accepted as an excuse, but we would like a two-week notice, as we feel it is your duty to teach someone else your job.

Also, entirely too much time is being spent in the restroom. In the future, we will follow the practice of going in alphabetical order. For instance, those whose names begin with “A” will go from 8:45 to 9:00; “B” will go from 9:00 to 9:15 and so on. If you are unable to go at your time, it will be necessary to wait until the next day when your turn comes again.

If any infraction of the above is noted, the immediate termination of employment will result.

Best of Health,

The Management

But back to Dad’s predicament.

“Darrall Imhoff could scarcely believe his eyes.

It was 11: 31 A.M. and Imhoff had his automobile headed south on the Schuykill Expressway toward the Spectrum for daily practice with the 76ers.

Real Dedication
“I had to take three quick looks to make sure it was Billy,” Imhoff reported. “I knew he was left-handed and I also knew he was a dedicated basketball player. But nobody does their roadwork on the Expressway before noon.”

Imhoff jammed on the brakes of his car and hollered over to Cunningham, “I know (coach) Jack Ramsey has been driving us pretty hard in those practice sessions lately, but running away isn’t going to help.”

Puffing gently like any well-conditioned athlete, Cunningham trotted over to the auto and told Imhoff: “I don’t know if you ever heard this one before–but I ran out of gas. I mean, my car ran out of gas. It’s down there beyond the bend.”

So Imhoff risked getting a fine to help Dad, and they showed up 11 minutes late. It was up to the other players to decide whether the two forwards should pay or be excused.

The thought of Dad paying a fine makes me laugh. There’s no way he would have parted with that $11.

But Dad was concerned he’d have to pay. “They’ll nail me for sure,” Cunningham said.”I don’t think I’ve had anything like that happen to me since I was in college.”

But it shows that sometimes it happens to the best of us–we run out of gas, whether figuratively or literally, or both. But only Dad would be spotted running down the Expressway and given me a great story to muse about because of it.