Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Randyman]

When Bob Johnston's Sports Palace was on its last legs on lower Market Street,my dad took me in there to meet Johnston. He managed Arch and went way back to the Old Madison Square Garden,Louis,and Jack Dempsey. Inside Johnston's office was sittin' Doc Kearns. My dad and them had a drink and were taliking about thing that were out of this world to me.

Wow, that's direct link to boxing's golden age. What a moment!

[Expug]

Thanks Randy.
Gramps was quite a guy.
He was a baliff at the Cook County Courthouse where he met my Grandmother who was a Chicago Cop.

You're grandmother was a Chicago cop? Chicago is and was a tough town (never been there but as they say, it's reputation precedes it). Now she sounds like quite a lady. There just has to be a story there.

She was on the job for 35 years.
She worked in homicide for awhile too.
This was back when there were hardly any female police.
She had a million stories and she was in the papers all the time.
She had a certain glamour to her.
She was also always a lady.
She never had to act like a guy or be foul mouthed to act tough.
Her name was Lois Higgins. She was really something else.
She just died three years ago at 94 years of age.

[dagosd2000]

Hey randy

Real qiuck with this repeater. One night Murphy and Hatfield are in the Arizona trying to raze the building,when Radovich tells the two that there's a party on Santa Monica with all kids of free booze and whores. As added incentive,Radovich says it's a Mexican party. Now the boys can fight after f----n'. Or visa versus. Well Santa Monica is the street where the Arizona is on. Murphy and Hatfield leave. They're forgotten. Probably in jail. George is waitng for the bail bondsman's call. Well 2 hours later the phone rings. It's Murphy. Him and Hatfield are drivin' around Santa Monica, CALIFORNIA. They want directions to the party.

Somebody should have got these guys a compass and a map. The real tragedy here is that they missed good Mexican party. They'll never know what they missed.

Believe me Randy.
You wouldn't have wanted Bob Murphy at your daughters' "Quinciniera."

[Randyman]

CLICK

I ain't much for betting on sports. It takes the fun out of it for me. But when they signed up Roy Jones to fight Ruiz,I figured this was like takin' candy from a baby. Besides I didn't like the way Ruiz fought in the ring. Holding,grabbing,fouling,complaining. He was gonna lose and wanted to make some money on it.

The Coahuila is still the sin hole of TJ. A real Honky Tonk And Tin Pan Alley rolled into one. I tell people about the place and they ask me if it isn't dangerous. Hell no. There's more cops there than anywhere else. Well one night all the cops in the Coahuila might not have prevented my demise if it had not been the sound of a "Click." So here's the story.

Like I was relatin',anything goes in the Coahuila if you got the dough. Dames,liquor,drugs,smuggling,and anything else that's against the law. It's all OK if you have "Theee Moneee."

They put a Caliente Sports Book right in the middle of Coahuila Street. Shows they have no mercy. If the bars and the dames and the cops don't get it,the gamblers will take the rest. More empty pockets leaving that place than tourists getting off a subway in Rome.
The Book in the Coahuila isn't very classy, so there's no cover. The most degenerate of the gambling degenerates can be found strewn around tables with racing forms spread out,smoking,chewing on stale popcorn, and betting on everything from dog racing to Jai Lai Games. Television sets all along the walls with the sound off. To me it's boring but to the gambling degenerate,they have died and gone to heaven.

Jones I can't figure can lose. He's at his peak,and unless he fouls Ruiz,he' a lead pipe cinch. I just got to figure on how to bet it. i'm thinking Jones by KO,but I figure Ruiz can hold enough to go the route. I bet it that way. I get the short odds,but load up the bet. It ain't much of a fight,but I picked it correctly and go to the window to collect my money. Now the fun part. How to spend it? Or should I say ,blow it? I think",easy come,easy go." So I go across the street to the Monaco Club.

The Monaco is my kind of night club. A low ceiling and even lower morals. The place is pretty full up. Lots of girls ,and drunks swinging them around the dance floor before swinging them around the bedroom. I see good 'ol Beatriz with a crowd around her at the other end. She sees me. I'm one of her favorites. I throw a lot of money at her and we drink it up and dance it up and then we go up. I'm fat, so it's all gravy. Might as well put that gravy on Beatriz.

Funny about her. She has buck teeth,but a dynamite figure. She dances like a wild animal and she's always wearin' something that sparkles and fits her tight. Who cares about buck teeth anyway?

Well we're sittin' in a booth soaked in beer enjoying the music and shots of tequila when I notice some dude waliking right towards us. Probably a drunk,but nothing is worrying me. I'm looking at the waiter to order another round and catch this guy out of the corner of my eye. I'm about to push him away when he pulls this howitzer from his belt and puts it in my face.

Now don't believe this shit about your life passing in front of you. I didn't see my life,only the barrel of a gun. I'm stiill waiting to see my maker when I hear"Click". Misfire. The gun didn't go off. Ever see a polaris missile launched from a submarine?That's what I looked like when I pounced on this guy along with the rest of the bar. There's girls screaming and guys shouting. The cops explode inside. There's confusion. They beat the shit out of the alleged assassin and slam him in a police car. Turns out the guy was Beatrix's husband, Followed her up to TJ from Jalisco and found her sitting next to me in the Monaco Club. After things quieted,I figured I better not push my luck. I left and walked up the street to the corner. I flagged a cab.
"Where you going,amigo" asked the cabby.
"As far away from here as possible."

Now that my friend, is a story. Too, too close for comfort. Sounds like a classy joint. Been back?

You know Pal

I've been back once. After that episode,I didn't go back for a long time. I finally did about a couple of years ago.It was during the day. The place was just opening up. It was empty. You could smell the stale beer from the night before. I had a beer at the bar. The bartender was putting out cases of Corona. I asked him if Beatriz still worked at night. The bartender said she married some guy a while back.. An old man that used to come in. The old man just wanted to dance with the girls. That's probably all he could do now. He just wanted to dance and talk to a woman. I guess his wife had died. Well Beatriz married him. The bartender said the old guy had a big house and some property. Beatriz had a kid. A little girl. The bartender said he hadn't seen any of them since he heard they got married. That old man must have been a pretty good guy. He couldn't have married a better woman than Beatriz.

I'll bet the first question out of your mouth now when meeting a dancer/stripper/whatever is "Tienes esposo, Mija?" Si? Adios muchacha!!!!

[kikibalt]

Irish Bob Murphy

[dagosd2000]

Thanks Randy.
Gramps was quite a guy.
He was a baliff at the Cook County Courthouse where he met my Grandmother who was a Chicago Cop.

You're grandmother was a Chicago cop? Chicago is and was a tough town (never been there but as they say, it's reputation precedes it). Now she sounds like quite a lady. There just has to be a story there.

She was on the job for 35 years.
She worked in homicide for awhile too.
This was back when there were hardly any female police.
She had a million stories and she was in the papers all the time.
She had a certain glamour to her.
She was also always a lady.
She never had to act like a guy or be foul mouthed to act tough.
Her name was Lois Higgins. She was really something else.
She just died three years ago at 94 years of age.

Sounds like quite a Chicago gal. All the qualities rolled into one. Don't let no one kid ya'. People like Lois Higgins are the type of people that Hemingway,Lardner,Jack London,O'Henry,and the great American Sports writers like Broun and Cannon came in contact with that inspired them to write. It didn't necessarily have to be Ruth or Dempsey. It was a Lois Higgins or a Joe Esposito. Get plenty of inspiration there.Put all that in Chicago or New York City, and MAGIC!

[Randyman]

Hey randy

Real qiuck with this repeater. One night Murphy and Hatfield are in the Arizona trying to raze the building,when Radovich tells the two that there's a party on Santa Monica with all kids of free booze and whores. As added incentive,Radovich says it's a Mexican party. Now the boys can fight after f----n'. Or visa versus. Well Santa Monica is the street where the Arizona is on. Murphy and Hatfield leave. They're forgotten. Probably in jail. George is waitng for the bail bondsman's call. Well 2 hours later the phone rings. It's Murphy. Him and Hatfield are drivin' around Santa Monica, CALIFORNIA. They want directions to the party.

Somebody should have got these guys a compass and a map. The real tragedy here is that they missed good Mexican party. They'll never know what they missed.

Believe me Randy.
You wouldn't have wanted Bob Murphy at your daughters' "Quinciniera."

Point well taken!! What a bunch they must have been!

[dagosd2000]

Irish Bob Murphy

OK I'm painting that crazy bastard. I'll be inspired. Saturday will be my homage to "Irish" Bob.

[Randyman]

Thanks Randy.
Gramps was quite a guy.
He was a baliff at the Cook County Courthouse where he met my Grandmother who was a Chicago Cop.

You're grandmother was a Chicago cop? Chicago is and was a tough town (never been there but as they say, it's reputation precedes it). Now she sounds like quite a lady. There just has to be a story there.

She was on the job for 35 years.
She worked in homicide for awhile too.
This was back when there were hardly any female police.
She had a million stories and she was in the papers all the time.
She had a certain glamour to her.
She was also always a lady.
She never had to act like a guy or be foul mouthed to act tough.
Her name was Lois Higgins. She was really something else.
She just died three years ago at 94 years of age.

My condolences. That's still pretty fresh. Heaven just got a little safer. Considering the times, she really was a pioneer. Forget the Dempsey movie, let's see one about Lois Higgins. Someting tells me that she kept your grandfather in line. What a tough cookie!

[dagosd2000]

Randy my good friend. Remember how you answered my PM? I won't say it,but do you think any of those girls are going to tell you that they're married? That would be bad business. I remember when some of them would say that they were virgins. If I had a dollar for all the lies that have been said in those places,comin' and goin',I'd be up there with Gates.

[Randyman]

Irish Bob Murphy

OK I'm painting that crazy bastard. I'll be inspired. Saturday will be my homage to "Irish" Bob.

Great picture Frank. Rog, I can't wait for this one. Don't forget to put a compass and a map in his hand.

[Expug]

Thanks for the kind words about Lois, Rog.
She was hilarious at times also.
At my Brothers wedding , my sister pulled out her new badge, she has a job in probation in Boston.
My Grandmother said "thats not a badge, this is a badge". She pulled out her old Police badge. She still carried it 40 years after she retired.
I also would have enjoyed meeting Joe Esposito.
What a Guy!A mans man Im sure.

[Expug]

Thanks Randy.

[Randyman]

Randy my good friend. Remember how you answered my PM? I won't say it,but do you think any of those girls are going to tell you that they're married? That would be bad business. I remember when some of them would say that they were virgins. If I had a dollar for all the lies that have been said in those places,comin' and goin',I'd be up there with Gates.

Oh, I knew that. I was just having fun. I'm dense but not that dense.

[dagosd2000]

Thanks for the kind words about Lois, Rog.
She was hilarious at times also.
At my Brothers wedding , my sister pulled out her new badge, she has a job in probation in Boston.
My Grandmother said "thats not a badge, this is a badge". She pulled out her old Police badge. She still carried it 40 years after she retired.
I also would have enjoyed meeting Joe Esposito.
What a Guy!A mans man Im sure.

Pal
I know guys like you and me remember them when we try to be ourselves. Sounds funny, being ourselves is being a part of them

[dagosd2000]

Randy my good friend. Remember how you answered my PM? I won't say it,but do you think any of those girls are going to tell you that they're married? That would be bad business. I remember when some of them would say that they were virgins. If I had a dollar for all the lies that have been said in those places,comin' and goin',I'd be up there with Gates.

Oh, I knew that. I was just having fun. I'm dense but not that dense.

One day you, me,Pug,and if we can pry Frank out of the house,we'll take a little spin down there. It might be our last Hurrah. But what a way to go!

[dagosd2000]

Irish Bob Murphy

OK I'm painting that crazy bastard. I'll be inspired. Saturday will be my homage to "Irish" Bob.

Great picture Frank. Rog, I can't wait for this one. Don't forget to put a compass and a map in his hand.

Forget the map and compass,Pug just told me if I don't paint his trunks green he's never speaking to me again.

[kikibalt]

Randy my good friend. Remember how you answered my PM? I won't say it,but do you think any of those girls are going to tell you that they're married? That would be bad business. I remember when some of them would say that they were virgins. If I had a dollar for all the lies that have been said in those places,comin' and goin',I'd be up there with Gates.

Oh, I knew that. I was just having fun. I'm dense but not that dense.

One day you, me,Pug,and if we can pry Frank out of the house,we'll take a little spin down there. It might be our last Hurrah. But what a way to go!

For me to go, these two have to go too

[dagosd2000]

Bring em along. We'll use them for back up.

[Expug]

Heck Rog, even though hes been dead since 61,I think ya gotta paint his trunks green cuz we still dont want to piss Murphy off.

[Expug]

Thanks for the kind words about Lois, Rog.
She was hilarious at times also.
At my Brothers wedding , my sister pulled out her new badge, she has a job in probation in Boston.
My Grandmother said "thats not a badge, this is a badge". She pulled out her old Police badge. She still carried it 40 years after she retired.
I also would have enjoyed meeting Joe Esposito.
What a Guy!A mans man Im sure.

Pal
I know guys like you and me remember them when we try to be ourselves. Sounds funny, being ourselves is being a part of them

Right on Rog.
Right on my friend.

[raylawpc]

Randy, My Grandfather was the same way about Dempsey as you.
Growing up he was the only athlete, along with Mickey Walker that he ever talked about.
He was forever pissed off about the long count.
He never forgave Tunney.

Well, your grandfather picked the two correct ones. The long count happened before my time but I have been retroactively angry (is that even possible?) about it since I was a kid. Man I love that photo that Frank posted. It is so symbolic of the times. Dempsey or Marciano? Who wins?

I think he was further infuriated that the long count happened right here in Chicago at Soldier field .

I'll catch hell for it, but in my opinion, there was no long count. Dempsey didn't go to a neutral corner. The ref was right.

[dagosd2000]

Quick Monaco Club Story. This guy I mended the fences with,well his little brother just got married. Married less than a week. I don't know what happened, but somehow the three of us wound up one night in the Monaco Club. We're pourin' it down pretty good. We're out there swinging all the girls around havin' a ball. Well there's always some guy walking around inside with a camara. You know,take a picture with your new girlfiend. There's no way this guy's little brother is going to sit down with someone like Beatriz and have his picture taken just after gettin' married,but we want to put somrthing over on him.

We bring the photograph guy over and slip him 20 bucks. We tell him while junior is making like Fred Astaire with Beatriz to sneak up and take some pictures. This guy's little brother worked at one of those 4 Day Tire Stores. The next day i'm driven my junky car with new Michelins. Don't ask me what I paid for them. Let's just say it was a steal.

[kikibalt]

Four generation of Baltazar's
L-to-R..Rocky, Frankie, me and my dad Aurelio

[Expug]

Ray, your right. Dempsey hovered over him and shouldnt have.
However , whats important in the context of boxing history is the fact its a great story.
Could Tunney get up or couldnt he?
Who knows.The important thing about it is it keeps folks talking about it. Arguing about it.Its historical.
100 years from now they will still be talkin about it.
Does anyone remember who won the NBA title three years ago?