Old photos part 2

Me too Victor. He was/is the MAN! :-)

Funny thing is - when I was very young I did not like him at all and was a Joe Frazier fan. I was ecstatic when Joe beat him and broke his jaw! I came to know he was not the persona he put on. By the time of the thriller in Manilla, I was rooting for him to beat Frazier!

Yea. That was 1971, I was in junior high, and everyone was rooting for Ali. That was also when the Knicks had a killer team winning the championship in 1973. I think. The best Knicks ever, in my opinion. I used to be able to rattle off their names. The only ones I remember now are Clyde Frazier and Dave DeBusschere .

hate the knicks too!!

Yes, they were great then. Willis Reed, Earl the Pearl, etc.

Indeed. I used to watch all the games with my dad. He was a big time Yankee and Knick fan. He passed in 1984 and we moved out of the city and after that I lost interest. It just wasnt the same, watching without him.

That's sad. Sounds like he was not too old.

I was at a game in the 80's when Bernard King had over 40 points. he was exciting.

Seems like games are much more exciting when you are there in the stadium... whether your team wins or loses.

Absolutely. I've been lucky enough to witness a no-hitter and a one-hitter. Also saw Dwight Gooden in his rookie year about three times.

So cool! You must have had a hook up with ticketmaster :-)

I went to the old, old Yankee Stadium 1968) on a double header bat day and got a bat inscribed with a team members signature. Back then you got a full size authentic bat. I don't remember the signature except that it wasn't Mickey Mantle , the one everyone wanted. My dad said he saw me on tv in the crowd when we did the wave.

Nice! My bil works at the Stadium a lot and has autographed stuff from all the recent stars.

That works! Relatives in high places. :-)

I went to Yankee Stadium as a kid on bat day too. I was really hoping for Mickey Mantle, but I got Joe Pepitone, lol. My brother got Mickey Mantle but I couldn't get him to swap.

And now I'm married to a Red Sox fan....

Sympathies, Dee!

My neighbor was a young nurse at Lenox Hill hospital in Manhattan when Mantle was there as a patient. She says he was really nasty. She also had Joe Namath - she said he was a doll. I'm not surprised at either.

Sympathies for getting the Joe Pepitone bat, or for marrying a Red Sox fan?

:)

The latter.

she obviously wanted out of the dark side victor.

Digger, You lucked out too eh? Could have been worse. You could have gotten a Red Sox bat and married Joe Pepitone :-) I head he was some piece of work, that one.

LOL, jadajoy, I guess you're right!

I'm missing sports talk!

Victor, I believe it was actually a then little known Ken Norton who broke Ali's jaw (after his loss to Frazier). They figured it happened in the 2nd or 3rd round, but Ali went on to fight the whole fight (and lost). He was still coming back from his forced lay off and after losing to Norton and growing older, it seemed unlikely he could come back and beat Frazier and the new champ George Foreman. But, of course, he did.

The great Knicks started Willis Reed (could never forget him limping onto the court in the championship) Barnett, Dollar Billl(Senator) Bradley, Dave DeBuschere (spelled wrong?) and my favorite Walt (Clyde) Frazier. Like Ali, Clyde often spoke in verse.

As an era, those years incredible. The assertive confidence (hype or arrogance?) of underdogs like Ali, Joe Willie Namath and the Miracle Mets all happening during this period of change in our country. I'm glad I was around for it.

This message was edited Sep 5, 2009 9:59 AM

Yes - Norton did break his jaw. I thought that Frazier's left hook might have broken it too when it sent him to the canvas. The Norton fight was '73 - three years after his comeback started.

Many of my friends like the same teams as me - Mets, Jets, Knicks and Rangers. We joke about which one will be the first to win another championship. So used to disappointment!

Here's the man!

Nice Clyde shot.

It's easy to forget how long Ali wasn't allowed to box and how long, and filled with setbacks, his comeback was. He lost to Frazier , lost to Norton, and when he finally beat Frazier, Frazier was no longer champ. His victory over the younger,bigger, stronger Foreman was the smartest boxing match ever.

I thought Mets, Jets fans tended toward Nets and Islanders. Come to think of it, why doesn't Islanders rhyme with the rest of them?
Anyone beside me remember the NY Lets?

City guys tended toward the Garden teams.

Yes - Ali's prime was lost. I think he would have whipped all those guys - Frazier, Norton, Foreman, etc., during those early years.

Islanders doesn't rhyme because they are a bunch of LOSERS!!!

(Can you tell I'm a Rangers fan?)

LOL Digger!

Thanks for the lineup Dave! Brings back sweet memories. That certainly was a great era. Made you proud to be a New Yorker.

Nice pic of Clyde. I'm drooling :-). He was so handsome and flashy, very much in style back then.Wonder where he is.

Yes. Ali could have beat anyone during those years he was not allowed to play. But his comeback proves why he is the greatest. Only a real champ could have beat those odds.

OK, I'll bite. Who were the NY Lets?

Clyde still broadcasts the Knick games. Dave left out goofy Phil Jackson. All arms and legs!

If memory serves, it was team tennis. There was the Phila. Freedom with Billy Jean King and on Long Island they named the team the NY Lets because"let" is atennis term that rhymedwith Mets, Jets, Nets...
Did they call OTB "Bets"?

Ha! yea, he was kinda lanky. I don't know why, but I always felt sorry for Phil. I always wished he'd do some incredible play to prove his mettle.

Dave, not "Lets" because they were female :))

OTB put a lot of my friends out of business...

My DH wouldn't like to hear Mantle was nasty---he was an idol---but he thinks Billy Martin corrupted him---yeah, & a few others, too.

I think Mickey was a good guy. It was the alchoholism that was nasty

You're so right, Dave.

I'd like to believe that, but I do not. He had a reputation from the beginning for not being friendly. He would not sign autographs, etc. And when he was in the hospital where my neighbor treated him, he was not drunk or suffering from any long-term effects from drinking.

Glad he wasn't drinking then, but that Yankees group was a partying group---at least that's what my DH tells me.

Mickey, Billy Martin & Whitey Ford tipped a few.

The whole country was less responsible about drinking then, not to mention jocks on the road together.

You're right, Dave----lots of smokers then as well.

Still lots of irresponsibility in that area, unfortunately. Lately, there seems to be a rash of women driving drunk with kids in the car.

Yes, what's up with that? It's not like they haven't heard of the consequences! I'm so thankful my DIL is so sensible---she doesn't drink, smoke, swear----devoted to those 3 kids----

Yes - it's weird. Also, for the past few years there has been an 'outbreak' of women teachers having s** with young boys. I think maybe equality has come full circle and women are finally as sick as men.

Now - back to the topic. Here's a shot of my cousins, their neighbors (in the hats), and my brother - in the red hat. How funny.