Classic American West Coast Boxing

[kikibalt]

Antonio Margarito And His Loaded Wraps Give Boxing One Of Its Worst-Ever Scandals

By Tim Starks

It has been three days since news broke that the California Department of Justice determined Antonio Margarito had ingredients of plaster of Paris in his hand wraps before he went out to fight Shane Mosley Jan. 24. I'd withheld final judgment, since only one news outlet reported it; since the report mentions the presence of two ingredients, sulfur and calcium, but not the third, oxygen -- and readily available as that element might be, it's unclear why the DOJ wouldn't just call the substance plaster of Paris if it were plaster of Paris; and since the California State Athletic Commission has yet to remark publicly about the lab results.

For three days there has been only silence from the involved parties. But there is one regard in which that silence is most damning. Margarito, in a recent interview, would not discuss the lab report. Two different outlets have reported that promoter Bob Arum, whose defense of Margarito has had an air of religious fanaticism, declined to comment on the report. At first he said he hadn't seen it. But surely he's looked at it by now. And that appeal Margarito's lawyers planned of his license revocation is nowhere to be seen or heard from.

All of this quiet leaves me with no alternative to conclude that the former #1 welterweight in the world, a man who'd become a hero to Mexican fans, a boxer who had ascended to the elite ranks of the best fighters in the sport, is guilty beyond defense. And even if, by some strange coincidence, this was the first time Margarito and his trainer Javier Capetillo loaded his gloves -- Miguel Cotto's face, above, is exhibit A in the unlikelihood of such a coincidence -- it still ranks among the worst scandals in the history of a sport that has had its share. It is a scandal that has its heroes, like Mosley trainer Nazim Richardson, but that tarnishes many: Margarito, obviously, but also Arum, one of the most powerful figures in boxing for decades.

At minimum, Margarito and his team have tried to cheat once. This much we know. Comparisons to Billy Collins-Luis Resto are valid, since that, too, involved plaster of Paris according to Resto. But neither Collins nor Resto were at the top of the sport the way Margarito was prior to this scandal. Also comparable are the stories about Jack Dempsey loading his gloves with plaster of Paris prior to his destruction of Jess Willard. But many boxing historians question whether the tales were an invention of Dempsey's trainer, a known provacateur. Margarito's plaster of Paris use is confirmed. I'm not saying Margarito's situation trumps them. I'm just saying it has nasty things going for it that others don't, and that it's in the class of some of the worst of boxing's worst.

The thing is, it may be worse that we'll ever know. I can make an argument that this was just a one-time thing. It goes like this: Margarito, having trouble making weight after over-celebrating following his career best victory over Cotto, felt he needed an edge just this once. The clumsy, fumbling manner in which Capetillo was busted suggests he wasn't adept at cheating, and the clumsy, fumbling manner in which Margarito and Capetillo defended themselves after getting caught frankly makes them seem too dumb to be successful career criminals. The lack of punching power Margarito exhibited against Mosley is proof not of prior cheating, but only of his weight difficulties and difficulty connecting cleanly on a competent defender. His late-career power surge can be attributed to constant improvement; after all, look at the way he improved even after the Paul Williams loss, when he began starting fights faster instead of building up steam only for the end.

But I have to tell you, it was hard for me to even make the argument. The only thing I believe in what I just wrote was the notion that Margarito was weight-drained for the Mosley fight and that he indeed took it upon himself to fight faster early in fights after the Williams loss.

If you need evidence that Margarito and Capetillo could get away with this scheme despite their stupidity, look no further than the fact that the CSAC inspector on duty didn't notice the illegal wraps. Richardson did. Maybe Margarito improved over time, but in six of his first 12 wins, he scored knockouts. Usually, that's when a fighter gets the most KOs. Eight of those 12 opponents had losing records. Against elite competition late in his career -- Cotto, Josh Clottey, Kermit Cintron, others -- his knockout ratio is went way up, to 10 knockouts in his latest 12 wins. It is counterintuitive at best. Then there are all those reasonable assumptions about whether someone who cheated once cheated just that once. And just the appearance of Cotto's face, which Cotto said was swollen for longer than after any other fight he'd been in, abnormally so. And the time Margarito ripped Sebastian Lujan's ear half of his head with mere punches. And the way Freddie Roach pulled one of his fighters, Rashad Holloway, out of sparring with Margarito after suspecting Margarito's gloves were loaded, with Holloway's orbital bone being broken, his vision blurred and his face numbed after being hit with what he said felt like "a bag of rocks." And the way most people who have long watched Margarito have always felt his punches didn't look like they were that kind of devastating-hard.

Margarito's "I didn't know about it" excuse has fallen off the radar, so that carries less water than it once did. But considering that his excuse already was so unbelievable, it's less so in conjunction with the argument that this was the first time. Every fighter who's ever spoken about this, and even weekend warriors writing about this on message boards, have said they know when their hand wraps have changed. They can feel the difference. That leaves two options: He's was lying when he said he didn't know, or else every single hand wrap he's had over the course of his career has had plaster of Paris on his fists without him knowing.

I'd called early on only for a multi-year suspension, license revocation and substantial fine. But now that the incontrovertible evidence of loaded gloves is upon us, I'm feeling more like the book should be thrown at him than ever. All of the mitigating factors -- the possibility that Margarito didn't know, the fact that he didn't get away with his scheme -- have either fallen to the side or seem less mitigating than they did when this was theoretical. Margarito should banned for life. Capetillo should be banned for life. Maybe both will be banned for life, de facto, since they'll have to reapply for their licenses, and it's hard to imagine how they get them back. But officially issuing a lifetime ban would send the right signal to the boxing world that this kind of thing can't be tolerated. And I'd like criminal charges to be brought against both. And investigations opened in every state in which Margarito has fought.

The individual losers and winners in this are numerous.

The biggest loser is Capetillo. He is the most red-handed. I recently raised questions about junior flyweight Giovanni Segura for employing Capetillo post-suspension. Anyone who Capetillo trains from here on out warrants skepticism. He's that much of a pox upon boxing. Maybe he'll keep getting business in Mexico, where regulators don't appear bothered by much of anything, but he's finished in the United States.

Margarito is not far behind. Every win of his career deserves to be questioned. It is extremely likely that the whole career is a mirage. And it's a mirage built on the suffering of fighters he beat that probably would have gone on to better things than if they hadn't had setback losses against Margarito. That he recently refused to talk about the lab results but laid out his future plans for a rematch with Mosley or Cotto suggests he may be out of his mind, too. That is delusional talk, barring a dramatic reversal of the evidence that you couldn't write believably into "Days of Our Lives." He may fight again in Mexico, but in the span of about six months, he went from very near the top of the sport to pariah.

Arum is a particularly galling case. He went so far as to accuse the CSAC of issuing the suspension based solely on the fact that Margarito was Mexican. Arum leveled charges of racism against public officials who did the right thing, and he did it in the service of defending a boxer who, were he to end up in jail for what he did, nobody would feel very sorry for him. Arum is one of the top two promoters in the sport now, and at times has been the most powerful of them all. I spend a fair amount of time criticizing Arum in this space because I think he gets a free ride from a lot of writers, although I also acknowledge when Arum does something well. But his defense of Margarito is one of the two worst stains on his whole career, second only to his admitted bribing of the IBF during the 1990s. That such a powerful figure in boxing would defend this kind of behavior is evidence of a sport that is still, in many ways, deeply dysfunctional. And you can say, "Well, he was just sticking up for his guy," but when I've stuck up for friends who've done horrible things before, it was always with the acknowledgment that they did those horrible things or a strong conviction based on the facts that they didn't. If Arum didn't do a thorough vetting of the facts here prior to sticking up for Margarito, he was blind. If he did a thorough vetting of the facts and believed Margarito was guilty of something, he should have pressed Margarito to come clean then argued that Margarito deserved a less-harsh punishment for admitting his wrongdoing. If he did a thorough vetting of the facts and believed Margarito had done nothing wrong, he is an idiot -- and I think we all know that, whatever Arum's flaws, he's a brilliant man, so this "if/then" doesn't even make any sense. At least he's stopped talking now.

Margarito's fans, amongst whom I counted myself after being a non-believer for years, are big losers here as well. He let us down. Of course, we almost surely never would have been fans if he was just an average fighter who didn't triumph in the specific way he did. But if you liked Margarito, you feel betrayed now. The fans who defended him when all the evidence was against him may have loyalty going for them, but there's loyalty and then there's the kind of denial that is born more of a kind of zealotry than anything. I hope people who have been burned by sticking up for Margarito will realize it's one thing to be a fan of a boxer, but it's another thing to think a boxer is infallible. There are backers of Margarito and Arum in the press who have been stunningly quiet. I'm generally a big fan of Maxboxing, for instance, but in its own forums, Maxboxing has come under heavy fire for treating the Margarito scandal like, in the words of one reader, "a non-story." There are too many boxing outlets and writers who have been far too slow to treat this whole affair like the sorry incident that it is, and I think that is born of a stubborn refusal to admit they were wrong about Margarito, or an unwillingness to turn on a source like Arum, whose temper is legendary.

There are some smaller losers in all this. One that comes to mind is Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission who was quick to defend his state as a place where it would be impossible to cheat the way Margarito did. Instead, Kizer should have -- and still should -- undertake an investigation, no matter how difficult it might be to prove anything, about what happened in the Cotto fight. Roach should have come forward with his allegations immediately, not waited until after Margarito was busted. What if someone had gotten hurt because of his silence? The other losers are hypothetical: anyone in the Margarito camp who knew this was going on and didn't come forward before, during or after.

There is a class of folk who are somewhere between winners and losers. The CSAC did the right thing to revoke Margarito's license, but its inspectors should have caught the initial cheating. Anyone who lost to Margarito, like Cintron and Clottey, has had his career permanently altered by those losses. But anyone who held those losses against them should no longer. They are losses that are now more excusable than ever.

Cotto is one of those who lost to Margarito, but he emerges, for me, as a full winner in this. There is little evidence that the loss to Margarito has done much damage to him mentally or physically. He may have lost a little steam on his career, but the turnout for his last fight, a "get-well" fight against a against a no-hoper, was pretty good, all things considered. Like the others, his loss to Margarito is now more excusable than ever. What gives him a little bit more of a "W" is the way he has conducted himself throughout this entire scandal. He has behaved in a way that commands respect. He has made no inflammatory, over-the-top allegations, responding with a simultaneous grace and firmness that has drawn raves. His threat to leave Arum is wholly understandable, and while there are skeptics that he could successfully promote himself on his own, Cotto would look like a patsy if he'd stood by a promoter who abandoned him in favor of defending Margarito.

Richardson is one of the biggest heroes. Not only did he bust Margarito and Capetillo, but he led Mosley to a knockout victory over Margarito. I hardly ever root for a fighter to get hurt in the ring, and never root for a fighter to get hurt badly. But Mosley dished out a little justice on Margarito's noggin, and he did it with a big assist from Richardson. It is with some small measure of satisfaction that I view Margarito's knockout loss. Anyone who beat Margarito under this cloud -- Williams, even Daniel Santos -- ought to look even better now, given that they may very well have overcome an opponent fighting them with weapons in his hands.

While some news outlets have underperformed, the Los Angeles Times, particularly Lance Pugmire, has done incredible work on the Margarito story. He has reported every development prominently and, more often than not, before all the competition. Some other reporters have had breaks in the story, too, like Kevin Iole, but Pugmire and the Times deserve special commendation.

There is a part of me that is nonetheless slightly thankful that this scandal hasn't gotten much attention. If anyone was paying attention, they'd be pointing at it and screaming the old cliches about how boxing is corrupt. I'm not of the mind it's any more corrupt than most other sports these days, but this scandal reflects very poorly on the sport as a whole. It has been my belief, though, that it must be called attention to, because in my own small way, I try to both tell it like I see it and shine sunlight on that which I feel needs sunlight, be it a good boxer who's not getting enough love or a wrong that ought to be criticized. This scandal has reached the point where some of the caveats can be ditched. But as I've said before, there's still a lot more we don't know, and much more than we should try to find out. If the sport does this right, we'll still be writing about what Margarito did for a while longer. And no matter what happens, it ought to be remembered forever as a black mark on boxing.

[Rick Farris]

FYI....I know folks in AZ, NM and NV and CO who are dropping in and reading this thread on a regular basis. Most are to shy to chime in, and here mostly for the history lessons.

So I figured I'd just drop a dime on them.

Just a pack of old friends and associates who used to park their butts in seats in a lot of the out west boxing venues. I get the same feedback from them that this is appreciated as a great time capsule of info.

Rob . . . There's a lot of boxing history in those parts of the country. I got a lot of Arizona info during the years I lived there, met some legends, and got a lot of inside stuff from those on the "inside".

Speaking of Arizona, I spoke with my friend Ricky Ricardo Rodriguez. I knew that Danny Carbajal had gotten in trouble over money connected with his brother, Michael, but was unaware that he was doing time in State Prison for the crime.


-Rick Farris

[kikibalt]

FYI....I know folks in AZ, NM and NV and CO who are dropping in and reading this thread on a regular basis. Most are to shy to chime in, and here mostly for the history lessons.

So I figured I'd just drop a dime on them.

Just a pack of old friends and associates who used to park their butts in seats in a lot of the out west boxing venues. I get the same feedback from them that this is appreciated as a great time capsule of info.

Rob . . . There's a lot of boxing history in those parts of the country. I got a lot of Arizona info during the years I lived there, met some legends, and got a lot of inside stuff from those on the "inside".

Speaking of Arizona, I spoke with my friend Ricky Ricardo Rodriguez. I knew that Danny Carbajal had gotten in trouble over money connected with his brother, Michael, but was unaware that he was doing time in State Prison for the crime.


-Rick Farris

Rick...There is also talk that Danny had something to do with the killing of his wife. That case is not close by any means.

[kikibalt]

Danny Carbajal, brother of boxing great Michael Carbajal, is going to prison for theft
By Paul Rubin

Published on February 26, 2008 at 4:44pmMichael Carbajal, Phoenix's greatest boxing champion, sat on his front porch on East Fillmore Street, watching the world go by.

He looked healthier and sounded better than he has in years. Though his battle with alcoholism has been no secret, the champ, now 40, says he's been off the sauce for months and hopes to keep it that way.

It was one day before he was to square off against his most unlikely of opponents, his big brother, former trainer/manager, financial guru, and best friend Danny.

Danny was scheduled to appear for sentencing in Maricopa County Superior Court after pleading guilty to three felonies stemming from his theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement accounts and properties from his late ex-wife, Sally. ("Family Secrets," June 23, 2005, and "Brother's Keeper," November 1, 2007).

The couple's adult daughters, Josephine and Celia, conspired with Danny in the theft and earlier pleaded guilty to lesser felonies. Neither served jail time.

As Michael sipped a Gatorade on his porch and quietly contemplated aloud what he was going to tell the judge, Danny drove by.

He didn't look over at Michael and slowed down only briefly when he reached Carbajal's Ninth Street Gym, a converted church about 100 yards down and across the street.

The gym once seemed to symbolize the alleged unity of this gritty Latino clan.

"He don't scare me no more," Michael said of his 57-year-old brother. "He done what he done."

Michael said he was planning to ask Judge Andrew Klein to sentence Danny to the maximum prison term of more than 10 years behind bars.

That once would have seemed unthinkable to those who knew how tight the brothers used to be, how Danny had molded Michael from a scrawny street kid into a beloved five-time world champion and Hall of Famer.

But greed wound up driving Danny Carbajal more than teaching his little brother how to throw a nasty left hook.

Michael, who earned at least $7 million in the ring, says he's broke and financially dependent on his girlfriend of more than a year, Laura Hall.

According to court records, Phoenix police now are investigating Danny and others for stealing Michael's money, and for embezzling more than $1 million in IRA funds from the Carbajal family's unsuspecting matriarch, Mary.

Danny also remains the prime suspect in the unsolved February 25, 2005 shooting murders of ex-wife Sally and her boyfriend Gerry Best.

The murders occurred in Phoenix three days before Danny was to do battle with Sally at a divorce trial that would have revealed his financial scams.

Judge Klein's courtroom was packed on the morning of February 21.

Wearing his usual dark glasses, Danny sat with his attorney and awaited his legal fate.

Deputy County Attorney Annielaurie Van Wie asked the judge to impose a five-year prison sentence, the average term.

"Michael made the Carbajal name in this community," she said, gesturing at those in attendance supporting a probation term for Danny. "Without Michael, Danny would not be the community icon that all these people think he is . . . Now he knows his brother is in dire straits, and he turns his back on his brother."

Former boxer Ruben Castillo, who had flown in from California for the sentencing, told Judge Klein that "Michael trusted in Danny more than he trusts anyone in the world. I don't know this Danny Carbajal . . . this malicious, devastating person he has come to be. He taught his kids how to steal. You don't teach your kids to do that."

Usually a man of few words, Michael spoke passionately for several minutes.

"I would have given him anything. Anything!" Michael said, as he pleaded with Judge Klein to allow him to turn and address Danny directly.

The judge told Michael that he could speak to Danny, who was sitting a few feet away, but could not look at him.

"All I said to you, Danny, was, 'Take [financial] care of my mother, first of all, and take care of my kids first of all,'" Michael said.

Michael told Judge Klein that their late father, Manuel, warned him in the early 1990s that Danny had been stealing from him, but he didn't want to believe it.

Michael balled up his fists and kind of danced around the speaker's podium, not unlike when he used to try to dodge opponents' punches.

He said he had asked Danny several times to explain where his money and real estate assets had gone.

"I have no assets," Michael said. "He left me broke, with nothing, Judge! Just like he left Sally.

"I don't got nothing! All that hard work! I want you to feel this, Danny. My kids, Danny! Oh, I wish I could look at you. You're my brother, and I love you. But I don't love what you did. Judge, he deserves the max. He don't care about nobody but himself and his kids. He's vicious.

"To this day, I'm the same person as I always was," he said. "I'm gonna rise again. And I'm not gonna let you destroy me, Danny!"

Danny Carbajal's defense attorney, Mark Berardoni, told the judge about the "groundswell" of support for Danny, including letters from "community leaders" like Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox.

Berardoni also noted that Danny suffers from diabetes and that his health is deteriorating.

Danny's two daughters were among about a dozen supporters who urged the judge to impose probation.

His youngest daughter, Celia, called her uncle Michael "a belligerent drunk" who is incapable of caring for himself, financially or otherwise. She suggested that whatever Danny had done was for the greater good.

As for her slain mother, Celia said, "I loved my mom to death, and I just miss her."

Celia's older sister, Josephine, blamed their mother's alcoholism for the subsequent intra-familial thefts.

"I'm not only my dad's daughter, but I'm his best friend," Josephine said, adding that she had decided to break the law on her own, not because Danny had told her to.

Danny Carbajal spoke briefly.

"I'm here because I broke the law," he told the judge, "and I apologize for that."

Judge Klein spoke about Danny's positive qualities but said his story, unfortunately, didn't stop there.

Klein said the facts of the case were "very disturbing," a family tragedy that included "greed and a pattern of wrongdoing spread out over three years . . . a sophisticated scheme."

Speaking slowly, the judge referred to Sally's homicide, saying it had "inexplicably" occurred shortly before her ugly divorce trial with Danny was set to start.

Klein told Danny he couldn't consider Sally's murder for this sentencing because "you have not been charged with that crime."

But the judge's powerful words hung heavy over the courtroom as a Phoenix homicide detective took notes in the back row.

Finally, he ordered Danny to serve 54 months in prison, six months less than the five years requested by prosecutor Van Wie. He must serve at least 3 1/2 years before he is eligible for parole.

As his two daughters looked on, Danny Carabajal was handcuffed and taken into custody by sheriff's deputies.

[kikibalt]

Danny Carbajal TKO'd

The big brother of a Phoenix boxing champ pleads guilty to ripping off his late wife. He remains the chief suspect in her unsolved murder

By Paul Rubin

Published on August 01, 2007 at 11:56amA curious moment occurred inside Maricopa County Judge Andrew Klein's courtroom on July 25.

Danny Carbajal, the older brother and former trainer/manager of retired local boxing great Michael Carbajal, was about to plead guilty to three counts of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in property and retirement accounts from his estranged (and now late) wife, Sally. Carbajal's two daughters, who had been in cahoots with their dad in the scheme, also had pleaded guilty to felony charges at earlier hearings. Both were placed on probation, without having to serve jail time.

The 56-year-old Phoenix native stood at a lectern awaiting the start of his plea-bargain hearing with his attorney, Sherry Bell.

Without prompting, Bell marched over to the spectator's gallery and testily addressed a New Times writer who had been chatting with Bell's law partner, Henry Florence.

"I know he didn't kill her," she told the writer, referring to her client loudly enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear.

"How do you know that?" the reporter responded.

"There is no tangible evidence against him at all," Bell responded.

The attorney was referring to the February 25, 2005, homicides of Sally Carbajal and her boyfriend, Gerry Best.

The pair were shot from close range shortly before dawn in a parking lot just outside their apartment, at 20th Avenue and Indian School Road.

They were killed just three days before Danny and Sally were scheduled to square off in a divorce trial with momentous financial implications for both parties.

Court records in that case suggest that Sally would have won about $750,000 of assets under Arizona's community-property laws.

Phoenix police at the murder scene found a folder near Sally's bloody body that held reams of paperwork related to the divorce case. Other evidence at the scene seemed to indicate that robbery was not the underlying motive for the homicides.

The murder spelled the end of the divorce case, and Danny Carbajal retained full ownership of the properties he allegedly had stolen from his wife with the use of forged quit-claim deeds and other means.

Detectives were convinced from the start (and remain so) that Carbajal was behind the twin-killings, either as the actual hit man or, more likely, as the contractor of a murder for hire — the prime motive being the money.

But Carbajal vehemently denied involvement in Sally's killing during a 2005 interview with New Times, saying it would be "the last thing I would think of."

No one has been arrested, much less convicted in the Carbajal/Best murder case, which made attorney Bell's courtroom outburst so peculiar. Danny Carbajal was in court to acknowledge his guilt in the financial fraud case, not to admit culpability in an unsolved double-murder.

Before returning to Carbajal's side at the dais, Bell also referred disdainfully to the "relationship" between her client and the writer.

(New Times wrote the first story on Michael Carbajal and his close-knit family back in 1987, "A Hit With His Family," when Michael was an up-and-coming amateur, and published a retrospective piece "A Long Day's Journey" (April 10, 1997). Then came "Family Secrets" (June, 23, 2005), which told of Sally Carbajal's murder and of the financial fraud and other scams that led to the September 2005 grand jury indictments of Danny and daughters Josephine and Celia.)

Soon after the hearing began, Judge Klein asked Bell to give a "factual basis" for her client's guilty pleas.

Instead, the attorney chose first to criticize Sally Carbajal, calling her a drunken thief whose actions had pushed previously law-abiding Danny into acting out of character.

The judge listened patiently until Bell finally gave a bare-bones account that explained why Danny had whispered the word "guilty" to two counts of theft and one count of committing fraudulent schemes.

The pleas were an admission that county prosecutor Annielaurie Van Wie had enough evidence to prove what Sally Carbajal's divorce attorney had been ready to establish at the aborted 2005 divorce trial — that Danny had enlisted the aid of his daughters through forgeries submitted to the County Recorder's Office and other deceptions to rip off his wife of 34 years.

What Judge Klein didn't hear was the chilling account given earlier to New Times by Sally's divorce attorney, Ken Winsberg. The veteran lawyer spoke in 2005 of his last conversation with Sally, a day before the murder:

"She told me, 'Danny will never let me get the money that's coming to me.' She was genuinely scared of getting murdered by him. I told her, 'No one's killed you yet, right?' Just trying to lighten things up a little."

Earlier, Judge Klein had sentenced the Carbajals' daughters, Josephine and Celia, to probation after their guilty pleas for their role in the schemes.

A probation officer wrote in Josephine Carbajal's presentence report, "[She] appears to have assisted in the fraudulent activities to enable her father to steal community property assets, including several real estate properties, from her mother . . . Tragically, the defendant's mother, and the victim in the extensive fraudulent schemes, was a victim of homicide just days before her divorce proceedings from [Josephine's] co-defendant and father, Danny Carbajal.

"As such, justice may never be served for [Sally] Carbajal, as her family members, who perpetrated this fraud, have received the benefits of their actions."

Judge Klein advised Danny Carbajal that he can't back out of his guilty pleas unless he proves that a "manifest injustice" must be corrected.

Judge Klein scheduled Carbajal's sentencing for September 25 and allowed him to remain free until then. Prosecutors are expected to ask the judge to impose, at least, a five-year prison sentence, the average term under Arizona law for the crimes to which Carbajal pleaded guilty.

But, according to the terms of the plea bargain, Danny Carbajal is also eligible for probation.

Despite Carbajal's legal problems, the judge permitted him to leave Arizona for Las Vegas on a recent weekend to attend a boxing tournament in which Danny Carbajal said his grandson was participating.

[Rick Farris]

FYI....I know folks in AZ, NM and NV and CO who are dropping in and reading this thread on a regular basis. Most are to shy to chime in, and here mostly for the history lessons.

So I figured I'd just drop a dime on them.

Just a pack of old friends and associates who used to park their butts in seats in a lot of the out west boxing venues. I get the same feedback from them that this is appreciated as a great time capsule of info.

Rob . . . There's a lot of boxing history in those parts of the country. I got a lot of Arizona info during the years I lived there, met some legends, and got a lot of inside stuff from those on the "inside".

Speaking of Arizona, I spoke with my friend Ricky Ricardo Rodriguez. I knew that Danny Carbajal had gotten in trouble over money connected with his brother, Michael, but was unaware that he was doing time in State Prison for the crime.


-Rick Farris

Rick...There is also talk that Danny had something to do with the killing of his wife. That case is not close by any means.

FRank . . . Thanks for updating us on the situation with Danny.
All I can say is . . . "Oh what tangled webs we weave ".

-El Bandito Gringo

[BoxBuzz]

FYI....I know folks in AZ, NM and NV and CO who are dropping in and reading this thread on a regular basis. Most are to shy to chime in, and here mostly for the history lessons.

So I figured I'd just drop a dime on them.

Just a pack of old friends and associates who used to park their butts in seats in a lot of the out west boxing venues. I get the same feedback from them that this is appreciated as a great time capsule of info.

Rob . . . There's a lot of boxing history in those parts of the country. I got a lot of Arizona info during the years I lived there, met some legends, and got a lot of inside stuff from those on the "inside".

Speaking of Arizona, I spoke with my friend Ricky Ricardo Rodriguez. I knew that Danny Carbajal had gotten in trouble over money connected with his brother, Michael, but was unaware that he was doing time in State Prison for the crime.


-Rick Farris

Sheriff Joe is a boxing fan. Let's hope he goes easy on him.

[Rick Farris]

FYI....I know folks in AZ, NM and NV and CO who are dropping in and reading this thread on a regular basis. Most are to shy to chime in, and here mostly for the history lessons.

So I figured I'd just drop a dime on them.

Just a pack of old friends and associates who used to park their butts in seats in a lot of the out west boxing venues. I get the same feedback from them that this is appreciated as a great time capsule of info.

Rob . . . There's a lot of boxing history in those parts of the country. I got a lot of Arizona info during the years I lived there, met some legends, and got a lot of inside stuff from those on the "inside".

Speaking of Arizona, I spoke with my friend Ricky Ricardo Rodriguez. I knew that Danny Carbajal had gotten in trouble over money connected with his brother, Michael, but was unaware that he was doing time in State Prison for the crime.


-Rick Farris

Sheriff Joe is a boxing fan. Let's hope he goes easy on him.

No comment on Sheriff Joe. And personally, I hope Danny gets everything coming to him for what he did to his brother and family.

[kikibalt]

FYI....I know folks in AZ, NM and NV and CO who are dropping in and reading this thread on a regular basis. Most are to shy to chime in, and here mostly for the history lessons.

So I figured I'd just drop a dime on them.

Just a pack of old friends and associates who used to park their butts in seats in a lot of the out west boxing venues. I get the same feedback from them that this is appreciated as a great time capsule of info.

Rob . . . There's a lot of boxing history in those parts of the country. I got a lot of Arizona info during the years I lived there, met some legends, and got a lot of inside stuff from those on the "inside".

Speaking of Arizona, I spoke with my friend Ricky Ricardo Rodriguez. I knew that Danny Carbajal had gotten in trouble over money connected with his brother, Michael, but was unaware that he was doing time in State Prison for the crime.


-Rick Farris

Sheriff Joe is a boxing fan. Let's hope he goes easy on him.

No comment on Sheriff Joe. And personally, I hope Danny gets everything coming to him for what he did to his brother and family.

Sheriff Joe should be locked up with Danny and be made to wear pink chonies....

[dagosd2000]

FYI....I know folks in AZ, NM and NV and CO who are dropping in and reading this thread on a regular basis. Most are to shy to chime in, and here mostly for the history lessons.

So I figured I'd just drop a dime on them.

Just a pack of old friends and associates who used to park their butts in seats in a lot of the out west boxing venues. I get the same feedback from them that this is appreciated as a great time capsule of info.

Buzz
I emailed Frank Baltazar about this the other day. I'm getting correspodence from friends and strangers saying that they've become readers of our thread. It's everyone's thread of course,but if people just want peruse that's fine. Like reading the morning paper enjoying a cup of coffee. Thanks

[Rick Farris]

Sheriff Joe should be locked up with Danny and made to wear pink Chonies.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

You are right about that, Frank.
Sheriff Joe is a coward and should be sentenced to just one night among the inmates of "Tent City".
We'll see how "tough" America's self-appointed "Toughest Lawman" really is.
I have a feeling he'd spending a lot of time face down.


-Rick

[kikibalt]

Sheriff Joe should be locked up with Danny and made to wear pink Chonies.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

You are right about that, Frank.
Sheriff Joe is a coward and should be sentenced to just one night among the inmates of "Tent City".
We'll see how "tough" America's self-appointed "Toughest Lawman" really is.
I have a feeling he'd spending a lot of time face down.


-Rick

And he would get what he deserves....

[Rick Farris]

Sheriff Joe should be locked up with Danny and made to wear pink Chonies.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

You are right about that, Frank.
Sheriff Joe is a coward and should be sentenced to just one night among the inmates of "Tent City".
We'll see how "tough" America's self-appointed "Toughest Lawman" really is.
I have a feeling he'd spending a lot of time face down.


-Rick

And he would get what he deserves....

Yep

[kikibalt]

George Benton
2007 World Boxing Hall of Famer

[raylawpc]

Sheriff Joe should be locked up with Danny and made to wear pink Chonies.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

You are right about that, Frank.
Sheriff Joe is a coward and should be sentenced to just one night among the inmates of "Tent City".
We'll see how "tough" America's self-appointed "Toughest Lawman" really is.
I have a feeling he'd spending a lot of time face down.


-Rick

And he would get what he deserves....

Yep

What do you guys have against Sheriff Joe?

[Rick Farris]

George Benton
2007 World Boxing Hall of Famer

Interviewing George Benton . . .

Benton was a guy that fought professionally from the age of sixteen, until he was shot in the back, more than 21-years later, at age 37. Thruout his career, he was a winning fighter. Although past his prime, George didn't finish with a lot of losses later in his career. He won and lost against the best, was in line to fight Joey Giardello for the middleweight title (he had already beaten Giardello) but was passed over when a better connected manager, Lou Duva, got the shot for his fighter. Years later, Benton would train boxer's for Duva's stable for 17 years.

He was a great interview, and one that Dan Hanley and I put before the camera on a moments notice. We had not prepared to interview George Benton, so we had to shoot from the hip. Luckily, Dan and I were knowledgable about Benton, and I credit Dan for pulling off one of the best surprise interviews possible.

We ask the questions, but we also encourage the boxers to just talk, say what they want to say, what they need to say. The exciting part of an interview is when you drop in that unexpected question that opens up the boxer, takes him back in time. You see the emotion and pride, or anger, etc. George Benton is a gentleman, reserved and carefully chooses his words. Dan Hanley had Yaqui Lopez`in tears, and El Gato was also in tears. Mando Ramos was laughing so hard he nearly fell out of his chair, Carlos Ortiz was gracious, as always, Mando Muniz was candid and serious, Lou Filippo was reflective and humble, and Gwen Adair was her beautiful self.


-Rick Farris

[kikibalt]

Sheriff Joe should be locked up with Danny and made to wear pink Chonies.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

You are right about that, Frank.
Sheriff Joe is a coward and should be sentenced to just one night among the inmates of "Tent City".
We'll see how "tough" America's self-appointed "Toughest Lawman" really is.
I have a feeling he'd spending a lot of time face down.


-Rick

And he would get what he deserves....

Yep

What do you guys have against Sheriff Joe?

Don't like the dude, he thinks he is big s*&t, and all he is, is a dick.... :)

[Rick Farris]

Gwen Adair . . .
The only female in history to referee a World Championship boxing match.


-Rick Farris

About Gwen Adair . . .

Gwen Adair is the daughter of one of the most successfull African-American business women in history, Lovee Yancey. As a young girl, Gwen grew up in South Los Angeles until her mother turned her Western Ave. hamburger stand, "FATBURGER" into a national chain. Overnight, Gwen went from a home in South L.A. to a Beverly Hills mansion on Alta Drive. Gwen would take over much of the business including their Beverly Hills store while her four children were growing. Her husband had season tickets for ringside seats at the Olympic and Gwen would be at the 18th & Grand arena every thursday. After being voted the Olympic's "Fan of the Year" by Aileen Eaton, she bought the contract of a boxer, Howard Jackson, and became a fight manager. Shortly afterwards, Aileen Eaton recommended she try becoming a referee and said that she would support Gwen in that effort. The rest is history. Gwen credits Joey Olmos and Johnnie Flores for being a help in her learning the "tricks of the trade". She also credited Frank Baltazar for allowing her to "practice" her ref moves in sparring sessions involving the Baltazar boys. "That's how I learned", Gwen says.

-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

What do you guys have against Sheriff Joe?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Don't like the dude, he thinks he is big s*&t, and all he is, is a dick.... :)[/quote]
_____________________________________________________________________________

Ditto!

[raylawpc]

What do you guys have against Sheriff Joe?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Don't like the dude, he thinks he is big s*&t, and all he is, is a dick.... :)

_____________________________________________________________________________

Ditto![/quote]

Okay . . .

[kikibalt]

Monte Hale dies at 89; cowboy actor helped found Autry museum in L.A.
Hale was a top B-western box office draw in the 1940s. He had his own series of action- and song-packed films, and later had a memorable role as Rock Hudson's lawyer in 'Giant.'

By Myrna Oliver
March 31, 2009

Monte Hale, one of the last of Hollywood's celluloid "singing cowboys" and a founder of what is now the Autry National Center of the American West, has died. He was 89.

Hale had been in failing health and died Sunday of age-related causes at his home in Studio City, according to a statement from the Autry National Center.

In the 1940s, Hale was a top B-western box office draw, right along with Roy Rogers, Eddie Dean and Hale's friend Gene Autry. Hale made nearly three dozen films for Republic Pictures, including 19 action- and song-packed films as the hero Monte Hale. Later, he had a small but memorable role as Rock Hudson's lawyer Bale Clinch in the 1956 epic "Giant."

Hale made his debut in the small role of a singer in 1944's "The Big Bonanza." He had similar bit parts as a cowboy or a ranch foreman in several more westerns before he was given his own series for Republic in 1946.

First came "Home on the Range," followed rapidly by "Sun Valley Cyclone," "Out California Way," "The Man From Rainbow Valley," "California Gold Rush" and more.


Hale's westerns featured more action scenes and fewer musical production numbers than those of Autry or Rogers, meaning he usually sang fewer songs per film. Because he was also less aggressive in pursuing recording contracts, Hale's singing is less known today than that of Autry, Rogers, Dean, Rex Allen or Tex Ritter.

But that's no reflection on Hale's talent.

According to "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and Its Performers," while he "sang somewhat less than the others, he did sing as well and in a natural, appealing, down-home style."

Among Hale's better-known songs are "In My Stable There's an Empty Stall" and "Statue in the Bay."

Hale made a significant splash too in the lucrative international comic book market of the era. Six Monte Hale series of the dime picture books were published in 27 languages.

Off the screen, his most lasting contribution was helping to establish the Autry museum.

Over the years, Autry -- an astute businessman who had become a wealthy media entrepreneur as well as the original owner of the Los Angeles Angels baseball team -- had expressed an interest in starting a museum dedicated to the American West.

Dining one night in the early 1980s with their wives at the Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs, Hale asked Autry: "When are you going to build the museum you wanted to start?"

Jackie Autry and Joanne Hale, both successful businesswomen, were the driving forces. Joanne Hale held the post of executive director from the initial planning stages until her retirement in 1999. Monte Hale served on the board from the outset and remained active until his death.

Hale made other contributions to the museum after its 1988 opening by greeting guests and enabling them to chat with a real, live singing cowboy.

He also started cajoling fellow cowboy stars to contribute their signature memorabilia for permanent display in the museum's movie gallery.

He donated his own white hat, guns, gun belt and other prized treasures -- then rounded up more contributions, including Chuck Connors' shirt from "The Rifleman" TV series, Buffalo Bill's saddle and a Lone Ranger outfit.

In Griffith Park, the museum took its current name -- the Autry National Center of the American West -- in 2003 after the merger of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Women of the West Museum and the original components of the Gene Autry Museum.

Born Samuel Buren Ely in San Angelo, Texas, June 8, 1919, Hale grew up loving music and trying to emulate his screen hero, Ken Maynard. With money he saved from a childhood job picking cotton and pecans, he paid $8.50 for his first guitar. By age 13 he was singing in local clubs.

He worked county fairs and radio stations until World War II, when he joined the Stars Over Texas Bond Drive as a singer. Its chairman, theater owner Phil Isley, the father of actress Jennifer Jones, later recommended Hale to Herb Yates, the head of Republic Pictures. He got a seven-year contract.

By 1950, Monte Hale had gone back to singing in clubs around the country, often with Ray Whitley, and appearing occasionally in guest roles on television westerns.

There were also spots in the films "Yukon Vengeance" in 1954 and "The Chase" in 1966 with Robert Redford as a Texas prison escapee and Marlon Brando as the sheriff. Hale's final film was "Guns of a Stranger" in 1973, with Marty Robbins as a singing cowboy.

In 2004, Hale was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In addition to his wife of 31 years, he is survived by a brother, Dick Hale.

Services will be private.

Instead of flowers, his widow suggests that donations be made to the Autry National Center of the American West.

[email protected]

Oliver is a former Times staff writer. Staff writer Jon Thurber contributed to this report.

[dagosd2000]

This article is the the story of my life

Testosterone replacement and prostate cancer: Is therapy safe?

For men with low testosterone, taking supplements can mean greater libido, energy and muscle. It also goes against decades of medical thinking.

Judy Foreman, Health Sense
March 30, 2009

Manny Hamelburg, 68, a retired businessman, had fought prostate cancer for years. First, he tried radiation, then a drug with side effects that nearly killed him, and finally Lupron, a drug that blocks production of testosterone, the hormone that can fuel prostate cancer.

The cancer disappeared. But life was miserable.

Without normal levels of testosterone, Hamelburg says, he had no energy, and "zero libido for seven years. I was like a eunuch. I was chemically castrated. Sex was just hugs."

So three years ago, with his cancer undetectable and his oncologist and urologist cautiously on board, the Holbrook, Mass., man made a decision that many doctors consider anathema: He took testosterone supplements.

"The cancer hasn't come back," Hamelburg says, "but my libido has, my sense of being alive. It's like a fog cleared. It's being aware of things, being more vibrant."

For decades, the idea of giving testosterone to a man who had had prostate cancer was forbidden -- "verboten" in the words of Hamelburg's urologist, Dr. Abraham Morgentaler of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "It would have been considered heresy, or malpractice," Morgentaler says.

That thinking is changing, due in part to Morgentaler and his new book, "Testosterone for Life."

Morgentaler argues that although depriving tumors of testosterone does make them shrink, other evidence is beginning to suggest that it may be safe to give testosterone to men who have been successfully treated for prostate cancer and who appear to be cancer free.

One revolutionary aspect of Morgentaler's theory is the observation that prostate cancer is often found in men with low testosterone levels, not high ones, underscoring the idea that taking it may not be an added risk. It's not surprising that Morgentaler -- who has received honorariums and research funding from companies selling testosterone-related products -- has generated such controversy with his ideas.

"To say that testosterone replacement therapy is safe because we have no evidence it's harmful is making an assertion on faith, not facts," said Dr. Ian Thompson, chairman of the department of urology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, echoing the view of other doctors who disagree with Morgentaler.

But amid often-confusing testosterone research results, there are hints that Morgentaler and like-minded physicians may be on to something. In the test tube, prostate cancer cells have been shown to grow faster when testosterone is added, but only up to a point. Then the growth plateaus, even if more testosterone is added.

In 2006, Morgentaler co-wrote a study on 345 men with low testosterone. The study -- published in the journal Urology and not industry funded -- showed prostate cancer risk was higher in men with the lowest testosterone, a finding supported by a handful of other small-scale studies using human subjects.

That was contrary to findings suggested by the Physicians' Health Study in 1996, a discrepancy doctors cannot fully explain. And in February, an analysis of data from 18 studies around the world involving nearly 4,000 men with prostate cancer, and more than 6,000 without, showed no correlation between high testosterone levels and cancer risk. The study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Understanding the pros and cons of testosterone replacement is not easy.

An estimated 2 million to 6 million American men have low testosterone, and the benefits of replacement therapy can be huge: revival of sagging libido, better mood, more energy, more muscle, better bone density, more red blood cells.

But there are also risks, in large part because many seemingly healthy men have undetected prostate cancer, which could be stimulated by taking testosterone. Studies suggest that prostate cancer is lurking in as many as 25% or more of men 50 and older. Only when a man has a "clean" biopsy -- an invasive procedure in which snippets of the prostate are surgically removed and tested -- can a doctor confidently say the man doesn't have cancer.

As an extra measure of safety, Morgentaler says, he biopsies men older than 50 before he prescribes testosterone for them. But most doctors don't, says Dr. Marc Garnick, a cancer specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and editor in chief of Harvard Medical School's publication "Perspectives on Prostate Disease."

Even with apparently healthy men, "Nobody has proven that it is completely safe" to give testosterone," says Dr. Philip Kantoff, head of the Prostate Cancer Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

So, what's a guy to do?

The traditional recommendations are to steer clear of testosterone supplementation if you have prostate or breast cancer; or if you meet one of several criteria: your physician can feel a nodule on the prostate during a digital rectal exam, your PSA (a marker of potential cancer) score is higher than 3 nanograms per deciliter, your hematocrit (the proportion of blood volume occupied by red blood cells) is greater than 50%, or you have untreated sleep apnea, severe urinary tract symptoms or heart failure. These standards are set by the Endocrine Society, a professional group of doctors who study and treat patients with hormones.

And if you have had prostate cancer that appears to be gone? Proceed with caution.

"Most physicians consider testosterone replacement therapy contraindicated for men with a history of prostate cancer," says Dr. Matthew Smith, director of genitourinary medical oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.

But if you do wish to explore testosterone supplements, it's smart, given the controversy, to get a second opinion. Grill your doctors on how serious your prostate cancer was to start with -- that is, how high your PSA was, and how many gland segments contained cancer.

Also, keep being monitored for cancer recurrence.

Hamelburg is glad he eventually opted for testosterone. "My body was my enemy," he says. "Now, I just feel like a man again."

[email protected]

JOYRIDE

I guess they didn't test for it then. At least not in the sport of boxing. Two of the fellas I trained with down at the old Coliseum were on the juice. I won't use names because one is very sick now. The other,I guess, dodged a bullet. They tried to shoot me,but for some reason I stayed away from it.
I know the guy that turned those guys onto it died of brain cancer. I knew that guy pretty well too.My two friends said he never stopped using steroids.

Both of my friends and myself lifted weights,played football,and boxed. The guy who dodged the bullet had a decent amateur career. We were all big. Heavyweights without a chance of going down to cruiser.

We weren't fat. At least not then. We were athletic. With the exception of the amateur,our boxing skills were negligible. But I want to talk about steroids. Most guys I knew that were using,did it behind the doctors' backs.

The guy that died of brain cancer? He did everything that ended in the letters "OL". Didn't matter if it was for cows or humans. The stuff made you strong. And they were strong. From what I saw my two friends were using about the same amounts. Mega doses. 250 mg a day of Dianabol for samplers.

The guy that got sick got kidney cancer and a heart attack. Today,he's frail and on disabilty. The other guy is very athletic still. Wind surfs,rides his bike, and looks very young for his age. Both guys quit the habit a long time ago. Both wound up with different long term results.

By the way,I have a story to tell about the stuff also. I might have mentioned it on the thread,but I've been afflicted with a bi polar thing. Ever since I was a kid. Back in those days it was just considered something wrong with your personality. Nothing medical. Nothing to do with chemical unbalances.

About twenty years ago I wasn't managing my moods very well. In fact I was on the brink of a collapse. I went to the shrink and he put me on Prozac. It was new then. Something to keep the seratonin levels up. The happy hormones.

Well the shit worked. I was a new man.. But after about ten years the Prozac was losing its influence. I started to fall back into the abyss. The shrink increased the dosage and put me on Valium. I was a zombie.

The something happened. As I was waiting in the pharmacy to refill my prescriptions,I picked up a TIME magazine. I read an article on testosterone replacement therapy for men suffering from depression. I was near the end. I gave it a whirl.

I researched it myself on the Internet. I went to TJ to the drug store. The stuff is inexpensive there. The brand I bought was called Testropin 250. Iwent home ,took off my pants,and bang.

The next morning the depression was gone. In the morning is when it's the worst for me. My seratonin level is zero. But that morning I was a "new" man.I couldn't believe it .When someone suffers from depression,he knows it . It's crippling.So I stayed with it. One shot a month like was recommended in the testamonials I read. It went like that for ten years. Threw away the Prozac and Valium.

But in the last year,I tried to quit the juice also. Stay clean. Try to make it without any help. It's been a year since I've whacked myself in the butt. I feel good. I know I'm still horny. My blood pressure is normal. But most of all I feel good that I don't need a crutch. But if that terrible feeling ever came back,I wouldn't hesitate. I know about the physical risks. It's just waking up to a living hell everyday that I never want to bear again . Paranoia about nothing. It's dehabilitating beyond belief.

Like I said. I feel good today. The best I've felt in my life. At least between the ears. I hope the joyride is over. Besides ,there wasn't much joy in it anyway.

[dagosd2000]

Monte Hale dies at 89; cowboy actor helped found Autry museum in L.A.
Hale was a top B-western box office draw in the 1940s. He had his own series of action- and song-packed films, and later had a memorable role as Rock Hudson's lawyer in 'Giant.'

By Myrna Oliver
March 31, 2009

Monte Hale, one of the last of Hollywood's celluloid "singing cowboys" and a founder of what is now the Autry National Center of the American West, has died. He was 89.

Hale had been in failing health and died Sunday of age-related causes at his home in Studio City, according to a statement from the Autry National Center.

In the 1940s, Hale was a top B-western box office draw, right along with Roy Rogers, Eddie Dean and Hale's friend Gene Autry. Hale made nearly three dozen films for Republic Pictures, including 19 action- and song-packed films as the hero Monte Hale. Later, he had a small but memorable role as Rock Hudson's lawyer Bale Clinch in the 1956 epic "Giant."

Hale made his debut in the small role of a singer in 1944's "The Big Bonanza." He had similar bit parts as a cowboy or a ranch foreman in several more westerns before he was given his own series for Republic in 1946.

First came "Home on the Range," followed rapidly by "Sun Valley Cyclone," "Out California Way," "The Man From Rainbow Valley," "California Gold Rush" and more.


Hale's westerns featured more action scenes and fewer musical production numbers than those of Autry or Rogers, meaning he usually sang fewer songs per film. Because he was also less aggressive in pursuing recording contracts, Hale's singing is less known today than that of Autry, Rogers, Dean, Rex Allen or Tex Ritter.

But that's no reflection on Hale's talent.

According to "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and Its Performers," while he "sang somewhat less than the others, he did sing as well and in a natural, appealing, down-home style."

Among Hale's better-known songs are "In My Stable There's an Empty Stall" and "Statue in the Bay."

Hale made a significant splash too in the lucrative international comic book market of the era. Six Monte Hale series of the dime picture books were published in 27 languages.

Off the screen, his most lasting contribution was helping to establish the Autry museum.

Over the years, Autry -- an astute businessman who had become a wealthy media entrepreneur as well as the original owner of the Los Angeles Angels baseball team -- had expressed an interest in starting a museum dedicated to the American West.

Dining one night in the early 1980s with their wives at the Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs, Hale asked Autry: "When are you going to build the museum you wanted to start?"

Jackie Autry and Joanne Hale, both successful businesswomen, were the driving forces. Joanne Hale held the post of executive director from the initial planning stages until her retirement in 1999. Monte Hale served on the board from the outset and remained active until his death.

Hale made other contributions to the museum after its 1988 opening by greeting guests and enabling them to chat with a real, live singing cowboy.

He also started cajoling fellow cowboy stars to contribute their signature memorabilia for permanent display in the museum's movie gallery.

He donated his own white hat, guns, gun belt and other prized treasures -- then rounded up more contributions, including Chuck Connors' shirt from "The Rifleman" TV series, Buffalo Bill's saddle and a Lone Ranger outfit.

In Griffith Park, the museum took its current name -- the Autry National Center of the American West -- in 2003 after the merger of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Women of the West Museum and the original components of the Gene Autry Museum.

Born Samuel Buren Ely in San Angelo, Texas, June 8, 1919, Hale grew up loving music and trying to emulate his screen hero, Ken Maynard. With money he saved from a childhood job picking cotton and pecans, he paid $8.50 for his first guitar. By age 13 he was singing in local clubs.

He worked county fairs and radio stations until World War II, when he joined the Stars Over Texas Bond Drive as a singer. Its chairman, theater owner Phil Isley, the father of actress Jennifer Jones, later recommended Hale to Herb Yates, the head of Republic Pictures. He got a seven-year contract.

By 1950, Monte Hale had gone back to singing in clubs around the country, often with Ray Whitley, and appearing occasionally in guest roles on television westerns.

There were also spots in the films "Yukon Vengeance" in 1954 and "The Chase" in 1966 with Robert Redford as a Texas prison escapee and Marlon Brando as the sheriff. Hale's final film was "Guns of a Stranger" in 1973, with Marty Robbins as a singing cowboy.

In 2004, Hale was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In addition to his wife of 31 years, he is survived by a brother, Dick Hale.

Services will be private.

Instead of flowers, his widow suggests that donations be made to the Autry National Center of the American West.

[email protected]

Oliver is a former Times staff writer. Staff writer Jon Thurber contributed to this report.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLEGcD0FCNk

Back In The Saddle Again

Gene Autry

[kikibalt]

[dagosd2000]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qoi4BQ23xCA

Tumbling Tumble Weeds

Sons Of The Pioneers