Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Rick Farris]

A breakfast of champions

My father told me that when things were going good- steak with eggs on top for breakfast. I think that was on mornings of his fights. He didnt fight on empty stomach, but ate early dinner on fight nites.Hydrated well-but not feeling sluggish.

Your father was right Charlie, every once in a while I'll have steak and eggs with some good home fries. Biscuits and gravy too when I can get them. Man, I'm getting hungry all over again.

Sounds like the perfect recipe for a heart attack.

[Rick Farris]

You want Pastrami? . . .

Randy, Art's Deli is awaiting your arrival.
You like a big sandwich? Monica will have one made just for you!
You might need a wide-angle lens on your camera.

[Rick Farris]

Having an Absolut, cigar (Paragas 1845) and listening to some killer blues

Me too!

[Rick Farris]

Gotta love Aretha!
"I say a little prayer" . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHKWBxDz ... re=related

Made in Detroit

[CNorkusJr]

You want Pastrami? . . .

Randy, Art's Deli is awaiting your arrival.
You like a big sandwich? Monica will have one made just for you!
You might need a wide-angle lens on your camera.

Remember-on rye bread with mustard. If you like a little more heat-I chop a little red & green hot peppers(no seeds) on them.

[CNorkusJr]

Rick- In the 40's & 50's. those great westerns, didnt they roll the backgrounds by the stationary horse riders ? Maybe in some of the stagecoach shots too.
I watched alot of Tom Mix stuff and it appears that he was actual him riding in the shots with a real background, but the Cisco kid shows look like a rolling background when Cisco & Pancho are sauntering by slowly talking.Alan Ladd movies too. Not sure about John Wayne though-all that looked real.
I would think the movies did the same.
Those in-studio shots with rolling backgrounds-they dont use those things anymore, but some special TV shows I'd seen lately explain how they use that "blue screen" effects.It must be tough to light stars when blue screen is used ! Gotta hand it to Hollywood-it all looks good to me. Watched "Hang Em' High" for the umpteenth time yesterday.

[bennie]

Having an Absolut, cigar (Paragas 1845) and listening to some killer blues

What is an Absolut, Frankie?

[kikibalt]

Having an Absolut, cigar (Paragas 1845) and listening to some killer blues

What is an Absolut, Frankie?

Just a Vodka brand Bennie....I have a few small bottles of ready mixed Absolut Vodka cocktails...

[bennie]

Sounds good, Frankie.

[bennie]

Junior Witter usually struggles if he fails to budge opponents so the Hitter's move from his light-welterweight wrecking zone to welterweight was always fraught with potential disappointment. It worked out that way over the weekend as 36-year-old Junior (or should I say Senior) dropped a unanimous 10-round decision to Romania's promising but unheralded Victor Lupo in Canada, which is a long way to go to suddenly find yourself a stepping stone. Witter's career looks just about finished after 14 years and 43 fights, after three losses in his last four fights.
You know, Witter was held to a draw in his very first fight back in 1997 but you could see the potential and he developed quickly under legendary Sheffield trainer Brendan Ingle - and developed quickness. His speed combined with natural power began spilling one opponent after another but the real turning point came, ironically, after he failed to fire on a rainy night in Glasgow in June 2000 against brash American southpaw Zab Judah and was outscored over 12 dull rounds.
"I saw where I was going wrong," said the switch-hitting Bradford man who took the fight at nine days' notice for an injured Jason Rowland and he proceeded to reel off 21 straight victories (17 early) to spark talk - relentless talk - of a showdown between him and big domestic rival Ricky Hatton, a 'natural' showdown which could and should have happened. Even when the two men lifted different world belts - and major world belts they were too - promotional differences kept them apart at a time when the BBC and ITV were still sniffing round the sport. Make no mistake about it, Witter's dangerous counterpunching ability would have gelled superbly with Hatton's non-stop aggression and body work, and who knows which way it would have gone, and how much it hurt the sport.
Hatton made his way to the States to cash in on his pigmentation as Witter stayed and retained his WBC light-welterweight belt a couple of times, including a career-best seven-round destruction of "Vicious" Vivian Harris in Doncaster in 2007. However, he dropped the belt a year later on a split decision to America's Tim Bradley in Nottingham. Witter would have won but for a flash knockdown he suffered in the sixth round from an overhand right everyone could see coming bar the champion himself. His lightning reflexes were waning, and two fights later the clever but unremarkable Devon Alexander stopped him in eight rounds in the States, where Hatton, by this time, was also getting hammered.
The dream was over, but to sum it up and the two men will always inevitably be intertwined, Hatton could fight and Witter could fight. They just didn't fight each other.

[Rick Farris]

Randy, I agree with everything you wrote, damn ref!!!.... . I had seen Montiel fight before, had never been sold on him.....

Montiel took a couple of shots from Donaire after he got up. It should have never happened. The referee was Russell Mora. What was he thinking?

Mora needs to go to referee school. I can't believe the way Montiel fights, with his hands low, chin up in the air, who in his right mind would teach a kid to fight like that???

Today's ring officials are a big problem, and the put boxers at risk with their inexperience.
As for Montiel, Hap Navarro pointed him out to me a few years ago. Hap said he reminded him of some of the better Mexican fighters he remembered from his day. I followed Montiel, who could never get a major, high profile fight. The opposition he faced was the best who would face him, and he has traveled the world in search of that opposition. I don't rate him with the great Mexican legends such as those Randy mentioned, Olivares, etc. no way. However, in today's world he was a good one, I believe. A waste of talent who fell between the cracks during a talent starved era. As for Donaire, I welcome him with open arms, another great Filipino on the rise. I loved when he flattened the over-rated Vic Darchinyan. Personally, I have never seen an Armenian boxer I consider great, or even exceptional. They have this bully mentality much like the Russians, and the truly tough guys always out game them. I see the same with Arabic boxers, lots of noise until they are challenged. The Filipino's & Mexicans fight with the same intensity and courage. Pacquaio has already secured his all-time great status, maybe Donaire will be next?

[Rick Farris]

Hey Frank, Don and I are going to meet for lunch at Art's Deli today.
I won't be taking photos of Don's sandwich. I don't think he'd understand what we do here.
Randy, one weekend when Monica is working and it's convenient for you and Jeri, lunch is on me.
Give Art's Deli a try. It's certainly the best Deli in the SF Valley, and it'll be great to see you and Jeri again.
We'll take some photos of the "De La O Special"!

[Rick Farris]

Having an Absolut, cigar (Paragas 1845) and listening to some killer blues

What is an Absolut, Frankie?

Just a Vodka brand Bennie....I have a few small bottles of ready mixed Absolut Vodka cocktails...

If I order Vodka, it's Absolut.
My Brit girlfriend would drink Absolut & tonic when she was visiting.

[Rick Farris]

Rick- In the 40's & 50's. those great westerns, didnt they roll the backgrounds by the stationary horse riders ? Maybe in some of the stagecoach shots too.
I watched alot of Tom Mix stuff and it appears that he was actual him riding in the shots with a real background, but the Cisco kid shows look like a rolling background when Cisco & Pancho are sauntering by slowly talking.Alan Ladd movies too. Not sure about John Wayne though-all that looked real.
I would think the movies did the same.
Those in-studio shots with rolling backgrounds-they dont use those things anymore, but some special TV shows I'd seen lately explain how they use that "blue screen" effects.It must be tough to light stars when blue screen is used ! Gotta hand it to Hollywood-it all looks good to me. Watched "Hang Em' High" for the umpteenth time yesterday.

Charlie . . . We have what we call a "Poor Man's Process" and that is where a screen is placed behind car windows, or a stage coach, etc. and thru rear projection, you'll see a movie of moving background. If we are shooting thru the front window of a car (on stage) a screen will be placed behind the back window and you'll see the background of cars following projected upon the screen. when we cut to an over-shoulder shot of the driver from the passenger side viewpoint, the car will be repositioned so the screen will be outside the drivers window, and then a different side image will be projected, showing the buildings, trees, etc. passing by. Sometimes we just film the real thing, using a camera car to tow a vehicle. Grips will shake the car to give it a sense of movemnet, and lighting technicians will cross the faces with a beam of light adding to the illusion of movement. Sometimes we will just wipe our hands across the beam of light to create a movement shadow.

[Rick Farris]

Jeri and I had pastrami on our minds today. We were thinking about Grinder Haven in Ontario but switched gears and decided to head to L.A.. We headed for Langer's Deli just west of downtown L.A. in the MacArthur Park area. Langer's is famous for their pastrami sandwiches. Langer's has been around since the 1940's and judging by the look of it it is probably the only hold over from Los Angeles' glory days.

Jeri ordered the number 19 or as they like to call it "The Legendary number 19", a pastrami sandwich on rye with swiss cheese, cole slaw and Russian dressing. Jeri asked for her sandwich to be served with toasted sourdough.The slaw is served in the sandwich. Jeri looked like she was enjoying it so I asked " How's the sandwich? All she could say was "Hmmm!" It's good? I asked again. "Very good" she said. So I said "Better than Grinder Haven"? "Just as good but different.

I ordered a half pastrami on rye with swiss cheese and Russian dressing along with the chicken matzo ball soup with noodles. Everything was outstanding. It amazes me how pastrami could be so good and so different from restaurant to restaurant. I've had both the corned beef sandwich and pastrami sandwich at Carnigies in New York, when it comes to quantity Carnigies has it over on Langer's but Langer's holds it's own in quality and taste. Also, the pickles at Carnigies were the best I've ever had.

After we ate we drove over to Main Street. I wanted to look at the spot where the old gym once stood. It has been gone for years but this time I wanted to get a picture. I was amazed at how the area has changed. Downtown has been trying to rebuild and reinvent itself for years. No more bums in the street. Frank and Rick will remember stepping over and around the poor souls that littered Main Street near the gym, many of them former fighters. Across the street where Johnnie's Shrimp Boat once stood is a new building. Nothing stays the same.


Langer's Deli on the corner of 7th and Alvarado.


The Legendary number 19


My half pastrami sandwich above and

Matzo Ball and Noodle soup below. (Good Stuff)


Two views of the empty space where the Main Street Gym once stood

Randy, I just showed Monica that little sandwich and tiny bowl of Matza ball soup. She laughed.
I see you have coleslaw on your sandwich and that's what I like as well.
Monica says the photo above is comparable to a "half-order" at Art's.

Bring your appetite and let's do it soon.

[Rick Farris]

You want Pastrami? . . .

Randy, Art's Deli is awaiting your arrival.
You like a big sandwich? Monica will have one made just for you!
You might need a wide-angle lens on your camera.

Remember-on rye bread with mustard. If you like a little more heat-I chop a little red & green hot peppers(no seeds) on them.

Charlie, NYC has great Delis, no question. At Art's, they will make your sandwich anyway you want. Mustard, rye bread, or whatever?
Next year, if you can make it to the CBHOF lunch, Art's Deli is right down the street 2 blocks.
A "Work of Art" awaits you, too! You'll like it!

[kikibalt]

Salty Dog.



My preferred Vodka drink is a salty dog, the salty dog can also be made with gin.
A Salty Dog is a cocktail of vodka or gin and grapefruit juice

[Rick Farris]

Salty Dog.



My preferred Vodka drink is a salty dog, the salty dog can also be made with gin.
A Salty Dog is a cocktail of vodka and grapefruit juice

Frank, the first cameraman I worked for as an LD was old timer, who had worked with my grandfather.
His name was Archie Dalzell, and Arch's drink was a "Salty Dog".
He'd have the prop master bring one to his chair just before the very last shot of the day.
If I drink Vodka, I like it on the rocks, preferably a double.

[kikibalt]

Salty Dog.



My preferred Vodka drink is a salty dog, the salty dog can also be made with gin.
A Salty Dog is a cocktail of vodka and grapefruit juice

Frank, the first cameraman I worked for as an LD was old timer, who had worked with my grandfather.
His name was Archie Dalzell, and Arch's drink was a "Salty Dog".
He'd have the prop master bring one to his chair just before the very last shot of the day.
If I drink Vodka, I like it on the rocks, preferably a double.

I drink a double Vodka and I'll be falling of the bar stool....

[Rick Farris]

Salty Dog.



My preferred Vodka drink is a salty dog, the salty dog can also be made with gin.
A Salty Dog is a cocktail of vodka and grapefruit juice

Frank, the first cameraman I worked for as an LD was old timer, who had worked with my grandfather.
His name was Archie Dalzell, and Arch's drink was a "Salty Dog".
He'd have the prop master bring one to his chair just before the very last shot of the day.
If I drink Vodka, I like it on the rocks, preferably a double.

I drink a double Vodka and I'll be falling of the bar stool....

That's OK, Frank. When I fall off the stool I just get up and order another. It takes away the pain.

[Rick Farris]

Don Fraser . . .

Had a great time visiting with Don Fraser today.
Don ordered half of a Pastrami sandwich, which is about the size of a large sandwich at most places.
The half sandwich was too large for Don to eat comfortably, so Monica had them make it on two full slices of bread, like a regular sandwich.
That's one batter down. Randy, you're on deck.

[Rick Farris]

Dwight Hawkins . . .

Don Fraser informed me today that he received a response from Dwight Hawkin's wife on his pending CBHOF induction.
Dwight is living in an assisted care facility, due to dementia, but will be present to accept his honor at this years CBHOF event.
I'm really excited for the opportunity to see Dwight Hawkins once again. D

[CNorkusJr]

Rick- In the 40's & 50's. those great westerns, didnt they roll the backgrounds by the stationary horse riders ? Maybe in some of the stagecoach shots too.
I watched alot of Tom Mix stuff and it appears that he was actual him riding in the shots with a real background, but the Cisco kid shows look like a rolling background when Cisco & Pancho are sauntering by slowly talking.Alan Ladd movies too. Not sure about John Wayne though-all that looked real.
I would think the movies did the same.
Those in-studio shots with rolling backgrounds-they dont use those things anymore, but some special TV shows I'd seen lately explain how they use that "blue screen" effects.It must be tough to light stars when blue screen is used ! Gotta hand it to Hollywood-it all looks good to me. Watched "Hang Em' High" for the umpteenth time yesterday.

Charlie . . . We have what we call a "Poor Man's Process" and that is where a screen is placed behind car windows, or a stage coach, etc. and thru rear projection, you'll see a movie of moving background. If we are shooting thru the front window of a car (on stage) a screen will be placed behind the back window and you'll see the background of cars following projected upon the screen. when we cut to an over-shoulder shot of the driver from the passenger side viewpoint, the car will be repositioned so the screen will be outside the drivers window, and then a different side image will be projected, showing the buildings, trees, etc. passing by. Sometimes we just film the real thing, using a camera car to tow a vehicle. Grips will shake the car to give it a sense of movemnet, and lighting technicians will cross the faces with a beam of light adding to the illusion of movement. Sometimes we will just wipe our hands across the beam of light to create a movement shadow.

The magic of Hollywood. Very fascinating stuff. Thank You for your insight Rick.

I certainly would love to attend a nice lunch at Art's Deli. Sounds good, no matter whats your choice of bread or served. Always with a smile I'm sure.

A "Work Of Art". I'm sold.

[bennie]

Lee McAllister was stopped in eight rounds by unbeaten John Murray in a crack at the British lightweight title in January 2009, since when Joe Jordan has been busier than the slippery Scot, out for over a year with an elbow injury. The 28-year-old McAllister, a ticket-seller from the granite city of Aberdeen, finally returns against Hungarian trier Istvan Nagy on Saturday night in Aberdeen, bizarrely scheduled for 12 rounds.
Frankly, this is just a warm-up for McAllister, 31-2 (7), as he checks out his left elbow before concentrating on defences of his Commonwealth lightweight title against the potential likes of Alex Arthur, Willie Limond, Derry Matthews or even hot Cardiff puncher Gary Buckland, who stopped Nagy in the first round in November 2009 in Stoke (down twice).
Nagy, 29, regularly tours the European fight circuit and lasted five rounds with young Scot Paul Appleby in Motherwell in 2007, so he knows what he is up against. In fairness, the gutsy visitor rarely gets stopped and he carries a bit of a dig at 15-8 (8), but McAllister is big, quick and talented enough to halt Nagy from the middle rounds.

[kikibalt]

Jersey Joe Walcott, Joe Louis, James J. Braddock, & Muhammad Ali