The Hebrew Oilers?

I had a similar thought. Gag line?

I'd always thought that he said Hebron. There are towns by that name in at least three states; Connecticut, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Always sounds to me like he said "Heber Oilers".

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/closer/020918.html


"In Reel Life: Hobbs tells New York Knights manager Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley) he's been playing for the Hebrew Oilers, a semi-pro team.

In Real Life: This is probably a sideways reference to the House of David barnstorming teams, which many excellent players of that era played for (or against). The House of David was a religious colony formed in Benton Harbor, Mich., in 1903. Sports were emphasized by the colonists (who were not Jewish -- they considered themselves Christian Israelites), and they started barnstorming seriously in 1920s. Eventually, they started using players not of the faith, as long as they agreed to wear long hair and beards (George Steinbrenner, take note). The House of David teams were consistently excellent, drew large crowds, and played against major-league teams and great Negro League teams such as the Kansas City Monarchs. It would not have been difficult for a star of Hobbs' magnitude to quickly draw the attention of a major-league scout after a couple of weeks with the House of David."