Classic American West Coast Boxing

[kikibalt]

Jack Dempsey's Manhatten Gym, Los Angeles, Calif.
1940

Looks like thats Turkey Thompson stepping out of the ring.

[Rick Farris]

Eli Thompson . . .

Exactly two years ago, on the set of Desperate Housewives, I met the son of the first unit lighting gaffer.
His name was Eli Thompson, and he was a world record holding skydiver, the best on the planet.
Eli also held a union card in the Studio Set Lighting local and would work several weeks a year in the business just to remain qualfied for our medical benefits, etc.
With his father, Lon Thompson, the first unit LD, Eli could slip in and work on the production and log his benefit hours.
When I was lighting the 2nd unit sets, I'd often pick-up Eli when he was ready to work with us.

Eli's interest was not in the film industry, at least not as a technician.
In addition to holding world sky diving records, Eli owned a Sky Diving School in Perris, California.
He created a television reality show for the A&E Network, "Stunt Junkies" and the series aired for nearly two years.
On the show Eli would interview and showcase "extreme athletes", stuff beyond Sky Diving.
He was married, had two young kids and he was on the move. He was one of those guys you wanted to see make it.

I knew when Eli's show got off to a good start he wouldn't be spending much more time logging hours as a lighting technician for benefit hours.
However, in August 2007, he spend a couple days on my crew and I had a chance to get to know him.
He was a good looking man in his early 30's, about my size, very strong, great energy, hard worker.

At the time I hadn't yet met my wife and was involved with a beautiful young actress from Finland.
The girl was a drop dead knockout and in her 20's. She was a lot of fun and told me she had always dreamed of skydiving one day.
She tells me this two days before I meet Eli Thompson. You can imagine the light that went off in my head when I learned Eli was the best in the world and had his own school.
I mention to Eli that I have a hot young girl who wants to sky dive and he invites us out to his school the next weekend.

He told me it wouldn't be necessary to attend any training if you just wanted to take a jump riding tandem with a pro.
Perfect for me. I never intended to go jump out of a damn plane. Boxing was as edgy as I would go. But this girl was so beautiful.
So that night I call my friend, Saana, and ask her if she would like to go skydiving on saturday, and tell her she'll be jumping tandem with the world's best jumper.
She was excited, and a few days later we drove out to Perris and jumped out of the plane.

Eli was cool, walked us thru everything. He was a legend in his field. He provided me the opportunity to help this young girl achieve a goal.
In the end, I also achieved my goal and it was one of those situations where everything worked just perfect.

Today when I came to work on the set of Desperate Housewives I learned that I would be lighting first unit, Lon Thompson would be off for awhile.
Eli had been in Germany, attempting to break another world record.
He told Saana and I that he had done over 16,000 jumps, and that on several occasions his parachute wouldn't open.
In such cases a back-up shoot is deployed and he was saved.

This past week in Germany, Eli's main chute failed, and the back-up also failed.
He plunged to his death.

Eli Thompson R.I.P.


-Rick Farris

Sorry to hear about your friend Eli Thompson Rick, may he R.I.P....

Frank . . . I was mistaken about the location, it was in Switzerland that he was killed.
It seems he hit a wall or something when he came down. He was a solid young guy, real class act.
He was well liked here, we were all excited when first told us that the A&E Network had bought his reality project.
There is a lot of sadness around here today, I pray for his father, wife and children.
He 36-years-old.

-Rick

[Rick Farris]

Jack Dempsey's Manhatten Gym, Los Angeles, Calif.
1940

Looks like thats Turkey Thompson stepping out of the ring.

Great photo!

[Randyman]

Eli Thompson . . .

Exactly two years ago, on the set of Desperate Housewives, I met the son of the first unit lighting gaffer.
His name was Eli Thompson, and he was a world record holding skydiver, the best on the planet.
Eli also held a union card in the Studio Set Lighting local and would work several weeks a year in the business just to remain qualfied for our medical benefits, etc.
With his father, Lon Thompson, the first unit LD, Eli could slip in and work on the production and log his benefit hours.
When I was lighting the 2nd unit sets, I'd often pick-up Eli when he was ready to work with us.

Eli's interest was not in the film industry, at least not as a technician.
In addition to holding world sky diving records, Eli owned a Sky Diving School in Perris, California.
He created a television reality show for the A&E Network, "Stunt Junkies" and the series aired for nearly two years.
On the show Eli would interview and showcase "extreme athletes", stuff beyond Sky Diving.
He was married, had two young kids and he was on the move. He was one of those guys you wanted to see make it.

I knew when Eli's show got off to a good start he wouldn't be spending much more time logging hours as a lighting technician for benefit hours.
However, in August 2007, he spend a couple days on my crew and I had a chance to get to know him.
He was a good looking man in his early 30's, about my size, very strong, great energy, hard worker.

At the time I hadn't yet met my wife and was involved with a beautiful young actress from Finland.
The girl was a drop dead knockout and in her 20's. She was a lot of fun and told me she had always dreamed of skydiving one day.
She tells me this two days before I meet Eli Thompson. You can imagine the light that went off in my head when I learned Eli was the best in the world and had his own school.
I mention to Eli that I have a hot young girl who wants to sky dive and he invites us out to his school the next weekend.

He told me it wouldn't be necessary to attend any training if you just wanted to take a jump riding tandem with a pro.
Perfect for me. I never intended to go jump out of a damn plane. Boxing was as edgy as I would go. But this girl was so beautiful.
So that night I call my friend, Saana, and ask her if she would like to go skydiving on saturday, and tell her she'll be jumping tandem with the world's best jumper.
She was excited, and a few days later we drove out to Perris and jumped out of the plane.

Eli was cool, walked us thru everything. He was a legend in his field. He provided me the opportunity to help this young girl achieve a goal.
In the end, I also achieved my goal and it was one of those situations where everything worked just perfect.

Today when I came to work on the set of Desperate Housewives I learned that I would be lighting first unit, Lon Thompson would be off for awhile.
Eli had been in Germany, attempting to break another world record.
He told Saana and I that he had done over 16,000 jumps, and that on several occasions his parachute wouldn't open.
In such cases a back-up shoot is deployed and he was saved.

This past week in Germany, Eli's main chute failed, and the back-up also failed.
He plunged to his death.

Eli Thompson R.I.P.


-Rick Farris

Rick, sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. My condolences to the family and to you.

Randy

[Randyman]

Jack Dempsey's Manhatten Gym, Los Angeles, Calif.
1940

Looks like thats Turkey Thompson stepping out of the ring.

Now that is a classic photo!!

Randy

[Randyman]

We just got back from having breakfast at Nick's Taste of Texas in West Covina. It's strictly Tex-Mex. The owners are from San Antonio, Texas. That's where Jeri is from as well. This is one of our favorite places for breakfast. The food served here is not gourmet. It is simple cooking. Totally unpretentious. The food looks and taste as if it was made is some small home kitchen. Nick's has a large and loyal following. The only downside for me is that, although they do serve good Menudo, there are no patas. Meranda and the girls went with us.





The meat served here is Tex-Mex style barbacoa. It's a commonly served breakfast meat in Texas. If you are familiar with Mexican barbacoa, this is a completely different dish.


Randy

Looks like a great Tex-Mex breakfast. Man, I wish I could have been there with you!! I love Tex-Mex style barbacoa.

Tom, maybe someday we'll sit down together and chow down on some good Tex-Mex food or some Texas BBQ.

Randy

[Randyman]

Archie Moore

The Ol' Mongoose. Nice, Rog.

Randy

[Randyman]

The Hawk & my Grandmother - 1967



My manager Johnny Flores' oldest daughter, Pat, was graduating from Villa Cabrini High School.
My Grandfather was a retired lighting director, and a great photographer. He simply used a Polaroid.
As a favor to the Flores family, my grandfather shot photos at the graduation party held in Johnny's home after the ceremony.

In this one, he caught one of the greatest featherweights I ever knew with my grandmother. She was a big Hawkins fans, we all were.
Hawkins had become a family friend.

Thruout the long proferssional career of Dwight Hawkins, which began at the age of 15, there were many manager's, but none more respected than Johnny Flores. I remember, years after Dwight Hawkins retired from boxing, long after he'd worked my corner with Flores, I met him at his home.

It was about a year after the death of Johnny Flores.
We talked about Johnny. Dwight told me he used to visit Flores occasionally at his home in Castaic.
Dwight knew Johnny loved his garden, and would bring his lontime handler and friend some flowers for the garden.

This photo was taken shortly before Dwight went toe-to-toe with Bobby Valdez in the Olympic Auditorium's "1967 Action Fight of the Year."
Months later he'd travel to Japan and flatten future featherweight champ, Kiniaki Shibata. A few weeks later he'd return to Tokyo and destroy another top ten 126 pounder, Rokuro Ishyama. The followoing month another Japanese fighter, the great Fighting Harada would be the opponent.

The Hawk and Harada went toe-to-toe for ten rounds. Over eighty head butts counted from ringside.
Both badly battered and cut. Harada was never the same, but was awarded a decision. Most thought the fight a draw.

Memories!


-Rick Farris

Great story Rick. You have a lifetime of great memories. Thanks for sharing.

Randy

[Randyman]

"Don't eat the cheese"

L.A. crackdown on unpasteurized Mexican cheese snares four
One of those charged with misdemeanors says the product is vital to his Oaxacan restaurant. An official says the problem is health risks from unlicensed cheese.



Expresion Oaxaquena Market in L.A. belongs to one of those charged. Quesillo cheese is a lifeblood of his businesses and his Oaxacan culture, the proprietor says. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times / August 27, 2009)


By Hector Becerra

August 28, 2009

For years, relatives of Zeferino Garcia in Mexico's Oaxaca state routinely sent him a cargo of quesillo cheese by airplane. From Tijuana, the bulk of unpasteurized cheese would be brought to his restaurant and two stores in Los Angeles. Life was good, he thought, and tasty.

"If you don't have quesillo from Oaxaca, you practically can't have a Oaxacan restaurant," said Garcia, 43.

Then three months ago, a health inspector first came to his store and told him he was breaking the law by selling unlicensed, unpasteurized cheese. An inspector returned about a month ago, then again about two weeks ago, when Garcia said he had an "audience" with health authorities.

On Thursday the L.A. city attorney's office announced the filing of misdemeanor charges against three businesses and their owners, in addition to a store manager, for allegedly selling illegal cheese. Garcia, president of Expresion Oaxaquena Market Inc., was one of them.

Prosecutors said they are going after businesses that sell unpasteurized, unlicensed and often unlabeled cheeses that could contain harmful bacteria. Quesillo is just one that authorities say is often sold or served illegally.

"We're looking at this as a public health risk," said Don Kass, a deputy city attorney. "This kind of cheese can cause a serious illness when pathogens are present."

Health officials say some of it is spirited into the country in suitcases and is then sold door to door to residents or restaurants and at open air markets out of coolers. In other cases, the cheese is made locally in bathtubs. Many consumers don't know that what they are eating is not regulated, he said.

"The risk of bacteria is worrisome," said Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture. "This is something our agency works on year around. We believe it's a significant problem."

But that doesn't mean the cheese is unpopular. And many people know its provenance is illegal but think it tastes better. Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize-winning L.A. Weekly food critic, said he prefers it.

"I will admit that there are some groceries . . . where you do kind of buy cheese under the table, and it tastes better," Gold said. "If you're the sort of person who believes milk has a soul to it, which I guess I am, then pasteurizing is taking something away." As for the potential danger posed by unpasteurized cheese, Gold added: "Life is filled with risks."

Lyle said unpasteurized cheese and raw milk can be sold legally as long as they are regulated and licensed. But he said the illegal cheese is simply not inspected, making it difficult to tell whether it was made in safe, sanitary conditions.

He said his and other agencies have launched task forces and sweeps to tackle the problem. "If it's not licensed and inspected, we can't vouch for the cleanliness of the product," Lyle said.

As they tried to beat the heat by standing in the shade of a gazebo in Boyle Heights, mariachi musicians Pablo Pulido and Ismael Rojas said that as long as it was made in sanitary conditions, they preferred unpasteurized cheese, whether legal or not.

"When you pasteurize the cheese, you take away from it what nature gave it," said Rojas, 52, who is from the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

Kass, the deputy city attorney, said Garcia and the three others charged with the sale of illegal unpasteurized cheese -- Faviola Martinez Garcia, Sabrina Aguilar and Maria Justo -- faced thousands of dollars in fines. They could also get up to 100 days of jail time, but he said that was unlikely. "We're trying to deter others," Kass said.

Garcia said the situation has indeed deterred him, but only from skirting the law. He said that after the inspectors started coming, he knew he had to find a legal way to get quesillo, also known as queso Oaxaca. It is a lifeblood of his businesses and his Oaxacan culture, he said.

"Our community is very large, and you can't not have quesillo in a Oaxacan restaurant or even with your family," Garcia said. "Without quesillo, a Oaxacan fiesta is not a Oaxacan fiesta."

[email protected]

I remember back in the mid to late 80's there was a big scare with Mexican cheese. The problem was similar. It was unpastuerized milk. I love the stuff myself but I'll stick with the name brands. None of that homemade bathtub cheese for me.

Randy

[Randyman]

Report on Austin Trout, David Rodriguez and Abie Han

From Louie Burke

Austin’s had a great camp for his upcoming battle against Nielson Julio Tapia. Yesterday was the last day of the hard sparring and he’ll have a few light rounds of sparring today. This’ll be his last real hard day of training. He’s weighed out at 157 ½ after practice. He’s trained hard and only took a couple of days off after his last fight a month ago. He’s looking forward to tapering down training camp and stepping in the ring Sept 5th , where the number 3 WBA ranking will be at stake. Originally we were going to import sparring, but after seeing video on Tapia, we felt Siju’s style of boxing was close enough that we could keep the sparring in house. Besides Siju, Austin was helped this time around by Tim Meek and Abie Han along with Cornelius Shuler.

David Rodriguez been preparing for his fight against veteran Robert Davis, also for the number 3 spot with the WBA. This will be in Monterrey, Mexico on Sept. 12th . The last week of camp Dave looked as good as I’ve ever seen him, we worked out some kinks in his foot positioning, after that he was looking good and cracking hard. This should be a good fight for David and set him up for some name opponents and bigger pay days During camp, Dave probably had the most consistent sparring in his career. The guys that got Dave ready for his bout were "Big Rod" Willis and Arron Lyons. Since I’ll be in Panama on Tuesday, Dave went on to Houston to finish his training there with Bobby Benton. We’ll all hook up in Monterrey the day after Austin’s fight in Panama.


Also fighting in Monterrey on David’s undercard will be Abie Han, who’s looking very good. We had to nurse a bruised bicep in his right arm for a couple of weeks, he still worked with Austin, but minimized the use or his right hand. As of today he said it feels a lot better and can now straighten it out. He will be ready by the 12th !

We plan on leaving Las Cruces at 5 Tuesday morning to the Juarez airport then leaving for Panama at 9am and arriving at 6:30pm.

Sammy was told by the Dr. to take it easy on his shoulder for at least 6 weeks to let the rotor cuff tear to heal, if all heals well he should be back in action in a couple months if not sooner. Also, Ricky Vasquez has been training hard and is looking for a fight.

Thanks for your support and I’ll try and keep you updated while we’re in Panama and Mexico.

[kikibalt]

L.A. today

[Randyman]

L.A. today

Frank, I have that same view from my front yard. Looks like a nuclear bomb went off. Amazing. Did you take the photo?

Randy

[raylawpc]

We just got back from having breakfast at Nick's Taste of Texas in West Covina. It's strictly Tex-Mex. The owners are from San Antonio, Texas. That's where Jeri is from as well. This is one of our favorite places for breakfast. The food served here is not gourmet. It is simple cooking. Totally unpretentious. The food looks and taste as if it was made is some small home kitchen. Nick's has a large and loyal following. The only downside for me is that, although they do serve good Menudo, there are no patas. Meranda and the girls went with us.





The meat served here is Tex-Mex style barbacoa. It's a commonly served breakfast meat in Texas. If you are familiar with Mexican barbacoa, this is a completely different dish.


Randy

Looks like a great Tex-Mex breakfast. Man, I wish I could have been there with you!! I love Tex-Mex style barbacoa.

Tom, maybe someday we'll sit down together and chow down on some good Tex-Mex food or some Texas BBQ.

Randy

Randy, I look forward to that day!

[raylawpc]

L.A. today

Frank, I have that same view from my front yard. Looks like a nuclear bomb went off. Amazing. Did you take the photo?

Randy

You Angelinos are getting a view at what our clouds look like in the Midwest. We get those big cumulus clouds quite frequently, and they are a sight to behold.

FYI, that particular clouds is called a "Calvus type Cumulonimbus cloud."

[kikibalt]

L.A. today

Frank, I have that same view from my front yard. Looks like a nuclear bomb went off. Amazing. Did you take the photo?

Randy

No, I didn't shoot that photo, I got it from the LATimes web site.

[Chuck1052]

It is my understanding that Bernie Dempsey, Jack's older brother, ran the Manhattan Gym until his death during the early 1930s. I read that Bernie's widow ran the gym afterwards.

- Chuck Johnston

[Chuck1052]

According to a rumor, Fernando Vargas is going to fight Hector Camacho, Jr. I hope that Vargas doesn't fight again for his sake.

- Chuck Johnston

[kikibalt]

L.A. today

Frank, I have that same view from my front yard. Looks like a nuclear bomb went off. Amazing. Did you take the photo?

Randy

You Angelinos are getting a view at what our clouds look like in the Midwest. We get those big cumulus clouds quite frequently, and they are a sight to behold.

FYI, that particular clouds is called a "Calvus type Cumulonimbus cloud."

A what?!! Tom, that from the fires....

[dagosd2000]

Eli Thompson . . .

Exactly two years ago, on the set of Desperate Housewives, I met the son of the first unit lighting gaffer.
His name was Eli Thompson, and he was a world record holding skydiver, the best on the planet.
Eli also held a union card in the Studio Set Lighting local and would work several weeks a year in the business just to remain qualfied for our medical benefits, etc.
With his father, Lon Thompson, the first unit LD, Eli could slip in and work on the production and log his benefit hours.
When I was lighting the 2nd unit sets, I'd often pick-up Eli when he was ready to work with us.

Eli's interest was not in the film industry, at least not as a technician.
In addition to holding world sky diving records, Eli owned a Sky Diving School in Perris, California.
He created a television reality show for the A&E Network, "Stunt Junkies" and the series aired for nearly two years.
On the show Eli would interview and showcase "extreme athletes", stuff beyond Sky Diving.
He was married, had two young kids and he was on the move. He was one of those guys you wanted to see make it.

I knew when Eli's show got off to a good start he wouldn't be spending much more time logging hours as a lighting technician for benefit hours.
However, in August 2007, he spend a couple days on my crew and I had a chance to get to know him.
He was a good looking man in his early 30's, about my size, very strong, great energy, hard worker.

At the time I hadn't yet met my wife and was involved with a beautiful young actress from Finland.
The girl was a drop dead knockout and in her 20's. She was a lot of fun and told me she had always dreamed of skydiving one day.
She tells me this two days before I meet Eli Thompson. You can imagine the light that went off in my head when I learned Eli was the best in the world and had his own school.
I mention to Eli that I have a hot young girl who wants to sky dive and he invites us out to his school the next weekend.

He told me it wouldn't be necessary to attend any training if you just wanted to take a jump riding tandem with a pro.
Perfect for me. I never intended to go jump out of a damn plane. Boxing was as edgy as I would go. But this girl was so beautiful.
So that night I call my friend, Saana, and ask her if she would like to go skydiving on saturday, and tell her she'll be jumping tandem with the world's best jumper.
She was excited, and a few days later we drove out to Perris and jumped out of the plane.

Eli was cool, walked us thru everything. He was a legend in his field. He provided me the opportunity to help this young girl achieve a goal.
In the end, I also achieved my goal and it was one of those situations where everything worked just perfect.

Today when I came to work on the set of Desperate Housewives I learned that I would be lighting first unit, Lon Thompson would be off for awhile.
Eli had been in Germany, attempting to break another world record.
He told Saana and I that he had done over 16,000 jumps, and that on several occasions his parachute wouldn't open.
In such cases a back-up shoot is deployed and he was saved.

This past week in Germany, Eli's main chute failed, and the back-up also failed.
He plunged to his death.

Eli Thompson R.I.P.


-Rick Farris

Sorry to hear about your friend Eli Thompson Rick, may he R.I.P....

Frank . . . I was mistaken about the location, it was in Switzerland that he was killed.
It seems he hit a wall or something when he came down. He was a solid young guy, real class act.
He was well liked here, we were all excited when first told us that the A&E Network had bought his reality project.
There is a lot of sadness around here today, I pray for his father, wife and children.
He 36-years-old.

-Rick

Rick
Sorry about losing your pal. Hang in there bud. Rog

[dagosd2000]

Ok Roger...

Frank
I got the word that the parade is 4 in the afternoon on Friday. I'll be on my way to San Jacinto for that golf tournament at that time. I'm sure the parade will be on the all the channels including the national news. At least the highlights. I've got to deliver the images for the cover of the WBHOF program to Armando Muniz too. Rog

[kikibalt]

Ok Roger...

Frank
I got the word that the parade is 4 in the afternoon on Friday. I'll be on my way to San Jacinto for that golf tournament at that time. I'm sure the parade will be on the all the channels including the national news. At least the highlights. I've got to deliver the images for the cover of the WBHOF program to Armando Muniz too. Rog

Ok Roger...

[dagosd2000]

A WALK IN THE PARK

Before the cops played the sheriffs in the annual Copper Bowl Football game and before they discontinued that game because too many lawmen were going out on permanent disabilities,the cops and sheriifs would combine their squads to play the Ghetto Messengers at Ocean View Park in Logan Heights.

Now Ocean View Park was in the heart of the Ghetto so our team(yes I was the only cracker on the team)was named appropriately. What we delivered was a message that if you came to play football in our house you were up against it. The neighborhood was nothin' to look at,but I can say in those days it a lot more safe than today. No Crips.No Bloods. No major drug dealing. No crack.No drive bys. It was the late 60's. All that sh-t was just around the corner.

We had a tough bunch. We were tough and weren't afraid to show it on the 'ol gridiron. The lawmen?Well to be honest they didn't seem so tough without their badges and guns.I never thought they were that tough with all that stuff anyway.

When you live in the hood(I didn't)it was like saying you're here in the sh-t and now we're going to show you how unhappy we are having to live here.

The cops and sheriffs would arrive and the Messengers would watch them warm up. I could see our guys licking their chops. It was a racist thing on both ends. Now it was the time to show who was the man. The playing field was leveled. The rules applied to both teams equally.

To tell the truth we never had much of a problem with them .I think they were a little scared having to meet the "Brothers" on equal terms. The badgemen seemed like they needed more deputies.

The thing about these games though is that they never finished one of them. I have to admit the Messengers were transmitting a feel of dislike for "San Diego's Finest". The Ghetto players would get more and more worked up as they saw the will drain from the other side.

The cops would start to say something like,"Hey boys aren't you hitting after the whistle?"Boom one of the Messangers would mail a right hand to Joe Friday's mouth.
"Now fellas' isn't that against the rules?"
Now a left hook. I mean those guys on our team would really get pissed to see the cops starting to get weak in the knees.

Eventually after being on the receiving end of various blows delivered by the Messengers,the Cops didn't want to play anymore. The Messengers would laugh and say that this was the only time they could hit a cop in the mouth and only get a 15 yard penalty.

Don't tell the Messengers,but I was glad that series ended. I mean I didn't live in the hood. If those cops saw me driving around in my neighborhood,I would have been a mark. But there is a little part of me that misses those games in the park. For me I had nothing to worry about.

[dagosd2000]

We just got back from having breakfast at Nick's Taste of Texas in West Covina. It's strictly Tex-Mex. The owners are from San Antonio, Texas. That's where Jeri is from as well. This is one of our favorite places for breakfast. The food served here is not gourmet. It is simple cooking. Totally unpretentious. The food looks and taste as if it was made is some small home kitchen. Nick's has a large and loyal following. The only downside for me is that, although they do serve good Menudo, there are no patas. Meranda and the girls went with us.





The meat served here is Tex-Mex style barbacoa. It's a commonly served breakfast meat in Texas. If you are familiar with Mexican barbacoa, this is a completely different dish.


Randy

Looks like a great Tex-Mex breakfast. Man, I wish I could have been there with you!! I love Tex-Mex style barbacoa.

Tom, maybe someday we'll sit down together and chow down on some good Tex-Mex food or some Texas BBQ.

Randy

Randy and Frank
After looking at all the pictures of the food we eat, I wouldn't want to see a picture of our arteries.

[raylawpc]

A what?!! Tom, that from the fires....

Sorry Frank, I thought you and Randy were referring to that big cumulus cloud. I thought the gray stuff was just LA smog. I forgot about the fires you guys are having. I hope you and yours are all safe and sound from the fires.

[Rick Farris]

Ok Roger...

Frank
I got the word that the parade is 4 in the afternoon on Friday. I'll be on my way to San Jacinto for that golf tournament at that time. I'm sure the parade will be on the all the channels including the national news. At least the highlights. I've got to deliver the images for the cover of the WBHOF program to Armando Muniz too. Rog

Good, Rog.
Mando, Trudie Latka and myself, will be in charge of the program this year.
It's going to be a beautiful cover. I don't want too much information laid-on over the art. Your signature must be visable.
The Logo is a must, the event title, date, location, etc. also necessary. However, I'd like the info to be subtle.
People know where they are, and what it is . . . so let 'em enjoy the art!

Good luck at the golf event.


-Rick