Classic American West Coast Boxing

[scartissue]

Rog, great story on Saad. Heard a couple of different stories at the time of how he got the name Matthew Franklin. The Franklin part always seemed to be consistent, but on Matthew, I heard two. The first was like you mentioned, the saint. I heard that one of the nuns named him that after her favorite saint (can you have a favorite saint? I mean, it's not like having a favorite fighter who you can cheer on. Lucky for Matt I didn't find him, otherwise he would be called Armandomuniz Franklin). The other story I heard was he was actually calling himself Maxwell when they asked his name, but they couldn't understand him and thought he was saying Matthew. Regardless, what a warrior!

[Expug]

Hi guys, well the Kings eliminated us last night in overtime of game seven in the conference finals. The series was one for the ages and memorable for all that saw it.
The Kings will move on to face New York Rangers for The Cup.
I wish I could have gotten together with you Rick and some of the other guys too but it was really tight scheduling back and forth to Chicago.
Time to recharge the engine after a helluva exciting year and a half or so. Winning The Cup and all the excitement with trying to defend it which we just about did.
Great fun .
I will talk to you guys soon. Bri

[dagosd2000]

Loser

"Watch the Blackhawk game last night?"asked Ed the bartender as he was sweeping up behind the bar.
"Yeah,I saw it,"I answered.
I had a ginger ale in front of me.Again there wasn't much action in the morning when Ed opened up the bar.
"Too bad about the Blachawks,"said Ed. He knew my backround coming from the Windy City.
"It didn't really affect me much."
"Don't tell me that becoming a native out here you were pulling for the Kings?"
"No,it hasn't anything to do with it. I just don't care who wins in sports."
"Aren't you a fan anymore?"
"Not like I used to be. I don't follow it much anymore."
"Well I keep up with it a little ,"said Ed picking up a cloth and wiping off the liquor bottles."I've always got some game on for the customers."
Ed hadn't turned on the TV.I didn't feel like asking him to.
"I remember when I was a kid in Chicago,"I went on." If the Bears or Notre Dame lost I'd go cry in my room."
"I never was that way,"said Ed rearranging the liquor bottles.
"I was a White Sox fan too,but I never cried when they lost."
Ed kept his back to me as I was talking.
"I remember I'd pray to God to make the Bears and Notre Dame win."
"And what did you think when they lost?"
"That I had sinned and that was the reason."
Ed laughed a little.
"That's pretty heavy stuff,"he remarked.
Ed stopped wiping the bottles and draped the cloth on the counter.
"I'd be praying real hard and asking God to forgive my sins and that I'd be a good boy if the Bears and Notre Dame would win the game."
"Sounds very stressful,"said Ed picking up the remote control."When did you get over that?"
"When I realized that I didn't have control over a game."
"So did you think God wasn't answering your prayers if your team didn't win?"
"Put it this way,"I said grabbing the ginger ale."God had to answer the other guy's prayers sometimes too."
"Maybe he was testing your faith."
"Yeah.That was it.It was a test of faith."
Ed turned on the TV.A couple of sportscasters were recapping last night's hockey game. I finished the ginger ale and walked outside to the street.

[dagosd2000]

Two Windy City pals. Dan Hanley and Brian Higgins.WBHOF Banquet 2009. Dan ,I guess, is making a point

[El Gallo]

Two Windy City pals. Dan Hanley and Brian Higgins.WBHOF Banquet 2009. Dan ,I guess, is making a point

LOL! I have one of Dan making a point with Armando Muniz. In truth, they were having a great talk, but Dan looked serious, pointing at Armando like he was mad. Armando's face had the same look. Dan was on one side of the table, Mando across from him, with Pops and I standing in the background, arms around each other's shoulders and laughing. I posted it on Facebook a couple months back with some old HOF pics.

[El Gallo]

1980 "Round of the Year" . . .
Matthew Saad Muhammad vs. Yaqui Lopez-2 (Round 8)

Nice to look back at days when light-heavyweights could fight and did!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2uspofbEX4

[El Gallo]

West Coast Boxing History . . .
Who was the man behind boxing promoter Aileen Eaton?

Frank Garbutt

This is the man who built the Olympic Auditorium, the exclusive Los Angeles Athletic Club, the Riviera Country Club, a real estate developer and much more! His best friend was the L.A. Times' founder Harry Chandler, his passions were boxing & Yaughting. He was without question THE most powerful man in the City of Los Angeles during his years. More powerful than the mayor or the mobsters.

This is the man the put Aileen (LeBell) Eaton in charge of promoting boxing at the Olympic. She would later marry promoter, Cal Eaton. But it was Aileen Eaton who was the brains behind the Olympic.

I learned of Mr. Garbutt from Gene LeBell, son of Aileen Eaton. I then began to investigate and was quite amazed by this man.

-Rick Farris, WCBHOF

[dagosd2000]

Gatorade

My friend from school where I used to work at called me a few weeks ago and asked me if I'd like to go to the graduation.I'd been thinking of going back to visit,but for one reason or another had put it off. In fact I hadn't even been back to the neighborhood let alone the school. The school is located in Imperial Beach.I just did not want to go back.I'd drive by the off ramp enough times ,but never made the turnoff. But there was always that curiosity. And I wanted to especially wanted to see Olga again.

Olga worked in the room down the passageway f4rom my classroom. I'd been at the school for five years before I'd paid any attention to her. It was Olga who paid attention to me first.Olga grew up in the barrio in Fresno,California..Her parents worked in the fields.Her father died when she was 4 years old.She had a lot of brothers and sisters.Her mother remarried an older man who whose motive with the union was to molest Olga and her sisters.When Olga graduated from high school she moved to San Diego to live with her brother who was stationed in San Diego. She's in her mid 40's.Been married twice.Has four kids in their teens that give her nothing but grief and has a husband who's a fly by his pants construction worker. In other words Olga carries the load with her family.

She's not a bombshell when it comes to looks,but the women I've usually gone for aren't necessarily glamour queens. You see the thing that attracted me to Olga was that I could easily make her laugh. She'd tell me what was going on with her life and then I'd make some joke and she would laugh and feel much better. She wasn't a whiner,but it was obvious that she was burdened.
"You light up a room,"she'd say to me."There're not many men around like you anymore."
That was enough for me. I liked her and she liked me.

But we both knew with our families being the major part of our lives,there wasn't anything that would evolve into anything more between us than seeing each other at school. It was bittersweet,but it was for the best.But with the invite from my former colleague,the door was opened. I had a legit reason. in the back of my mind I could see Olga again.

I was to meet my friend at the site before the graduation ceremony. He was to be part of the ceremony getting the kids lined up properly to get their diplomas. I arrived a little early to circulate around and get reacquainted with some old faces.I entered the front office. I saw the girls at the front desk.Then the principal.They were surprised and happy to see me. A lot of abrazos and kisses. You see I could always make them laugh too. The dramas that they got themselves mired in were ammunition for my levity.

I visited the head custodian,Cobian,on my way to the stage where the ceremony was to take place. Cobian is also one of the local fight referees in town. I see him at all the fights.
"Roger,"he exclaimed outside his office."Come inside.I want to show you something."
All of a sudden I felt a little dizzy. I didn't know what it was. Maybe it was because I wasn't wearing my hat and the sun was beating down on my head. Whatever it was I was a little unsteady.
"Roger I want you to see what this girl gave me for her graduation,"said Cobian.
Cobian opened a box that had a ribbon on it.Inside the box were a dozen cupcakes.
"Look what this girl made for me. She left this in my office.She also gave me this card.I want to read it to you."
Cobian began reading.
"Dear Jose. Thank you for being so kind to me.Although I am legally blind you always helped me get safely to my class and made sure no one knocked me over.You are my favorite person I met at Mar Vista. I hope you like the cupcakes. I made them myself. Love,Marta."
Cobian offered me one of the cupcakes. He also gave me a small bottle of Gatorade.
"This was in the box too. Take it."
I took the Gatorade, opened the bottle and began taking sips.
"You know Roger,I am a tough guy. But after reading her letter and seeing the homemade cupcakes,I cried like a baby."
"You meant very much to her. It's surprises like that that make working with kids worthwhile."
Cobian then told me that he needed to go to the stage area and set up more folding chairs for the ceremony.

I casually walked around the old school before I finally got to the stage area.There were remberances. The fond ones were things like the musky smell of the teacher's lounge,the breeze from the ocean that always kicked up in the late afternoon,the big dry dirt athletic field that was too big for a small school like that.There were always weeds growing all over the unused parts.

When I got to the stage area,the families of the students were starting to fill the bleacher seats. I saw my friend outside the gate lining up the kids. Olga was working with him.As the kids filed in and sat down I was watching Olga.The principal began leading with the Pledge Of Allegiance. Then the president of the ASB sang the National Anthem.One of the school board directors made a speech. Then the city councilman from the district made a speech. The senior class president followed. Last, the principal. All more or less the same speech. No one really paying much attention. The wind was beginning to kick up.It was getting cold. The counselors then called each student up one at a time to get their diplomas.It was taking a long time.

I kept staring at Olga,. I wondered if she still thought of me. I wanted to talk to her. I know I could easily make her laugh. But then I wanted something more and that was meaningless.It would ruin what was good. I got up to walk back to my car and leave.As I began walking I felt better. The dizziness was gone.I had my legs under me again. Maybe it was the Gatorade.Whatever it was ,I felt much better again.

[dagosd2000]

The Good Person

Jimmy Ellis wanted to be remembered as a "good heavyweight and a good person." He was inspired by Ali,a Louivllan like Muhammad,and Jimmy went to the same high school as his idol. Jimmy began fighting in the amateurs as a small middleweight,entered the pros as a heavier middleweight,and somehow grew up to be a small heavyweight.It wasn't a steroid aide that got him there. You could tell just by looking at his frame. It was kinda' soft.

Jimmy was a "good heavyweight"(and a good middleweight too).He came along in that "Golden Era" of heavies. His contests with the other "good heavyweights" resulted in some wins and some losses. His fights with the great Joe Frazier were overwhelming for a guy who suffered from some ailments including a breathing problem.Smoking Joe went through the game little heavyweight.Then against the greatest of them all jimmy finally faltered in the 12th round.Ali was trained by Angelo as was Jimmy,but Angelo also managed Jimmy so the Italian's cut would be more substantial if he was in Jimmy's corner. It was understood by Ali even though Dundee did some self promoting alluding that he was closer to Ellis.(Come on Angelo,why not say you did it for the money?).

Ellis didn't like to be known as Ali's sparring partner even though once he was.However, he looked like a sparring partner in the ring with Ali and the rap still stuck. But the inside guys in the sport knew that Jimmy was a good fighter. He "won" the belt in a run off with other "good"heavyweights." But by the time Ali and Ellis fought each other neither was the real heavyweight champ.

After losing to Frazier the second time around Jimmy sank into desperation. The tag now was "over the hill."Like so many exes and formers he belonged to the stable of "fighters dementia." A cruddy way to wind up.His wife and children watched over him.Took care of the "good heavyweight."

I didn't know Jimmy Ellis. Most of what I've read are from scribblers like me who didn't know him either.But if anyone who knew Jimmy Ellis wants to throw any dirt on his grave,let him come forth. As far as I'm concerned Jimmy Ellis was a good person also,and I'm omitting the quotation marks on that opinion.



Jimmy Ellis

[Chuck1052]

West Coast Boxing History . . .
Who was the man behind boxing promoter Aileen Eaton?

Frank Garbutt

This is the man who built the Olympic Auditorium, the exclusive Los Angeles Athletic Club, the Riviera Country Club, a real estate developer and much more! His best friend was the L.A. Times' founder Harry Chandler, his passions were boxing & Yaughting. He was without question THE most powerful man in the City of Los Angeles during his years. More powerful than the mayor or the mobsters.

This is the man the put Aileen (LeBell) Eaton in charge of promoting boxing at the Olympic. She would later marry promoter, Cal Eaton. But it was Aileen Eaton who was the brains behind the Olympic.

I learned of Mr. Garbutt from Gene LeBell, son of Aileen Eaton. I then began to investigate and was quite amazed by this man.

-Rick Farris, WCBHOF

Rick- I doubt that Frank Garbutt had anything to do with the building of the Olympic Auditorium. A certain group of men, which included Jack Root (the former world light-heavyweight champion), apparently were involved. But the construction of the Olympic resulted in quite a bit of debt. I think that is when the Los Angeles Athletic Club and Frank Garbutt became involved. During the early part of 1927, the club took physical possession of the building and leased it to Jack Doyle, the promoter and owner at the still-new Vernon Arena.

- Chuck Johnston

[dagosd2000]

Unmasked

When me and the wife got married way back when,I was pulling in a whopping 72 dollars a week as the garden shop manager at Two Guys Department Store. Things were tougher than I thought,but that's because I look back now and it scares the hell out of me. I'm spoiled now.72 bucks a week wouldn't pay my phone bill now.

We lived in Tijuana in one of the old colonias called Canon Jhonson.The neighborhood hasn't changed much since then except the city finally paved the street running through the canyon.Cars don't break their axles anymore on what was once a rock strewn dirt road,but when it rains,it's still the same. With no drainage dirches,the water wiil build up during a down pour and, if your unlucky the torrent of water rushing through the canyon will pull your car(if it's parked on the street) all the way into downtown.

But that's not the point of this story. This is a long ago little history of how I used to take the kids to the movies on Saturday morning to one of the old traditional movie theaters in "Centro." It was a " peseta"(a quarter) a piece to get in and on 72 smackers a week that was about all I could afford for weekly entertainment. But kids are kids and going to the movies with everyone piled inside my 73 Dodge Dart was an adventure.

The movies were the standard kiddies fare. They were Mexican flicks. At that time the U.S. pics were neither here nor there with Mexican kids' tastes. Things were a lot more traditional in Mexico then. Now it's American movies or Mexican copies of what is popular here. Ask a Mexican kid along the border about Pedro Infante and he'll probably say something like"my grandmother listens to his music."

One of the big kids' stars, and a personality that captured adult Mexican audiences too, was the famous hero of the Mexican screen,"El Santo."Yes,"El Santo,"the masked wrestler who was the adversary of the bad guys inside the squared circle. Don't let anyone tell you different,"El Santo was as big as they get in Mexico. Across the border's answer to our Superman. A fighter for truth,justice,and the Mexican way.

Wrestling was,(not so much today)even more popular than the macho of all Mexican sports,boxing. You see wrestling was an event you could take the entire family to.Boxing,well if your wife had the stomach for it and it was time for your son's rite of passage...maybe.

But like I said,"El Santo"was a living legend. He always wore his mask even when he walked in public. It was the mystery. Who was their hero?What did he look like? He was like the Lone Ranger. "El Santo"didn't want to divulge who he was to the wrong people. There were other masked grapplers,but"Santo" was number one. Number one with fans for close to fifty years.

It was those movies on Saturday mornings that my kids looked forward to..I remember those noisy theaters where they sold the tacitos and ham sandwiches and the fresh squeezed lemonade.The grainy film and you couldn't hardly hear the sound above the noise from all those kids running around. It was circus like.

"El Santo",I remember, was entering his fifth decade of the sport when he made an appearance on a very popular show called,"Contrapunto."He was being interviewed when he suddenly pulled up his mask and revealed his face. It was the talk of the town the next day."Did you see Santos' face on the television?"

It wasn't clear why he did it. Maybe he wanted to tell his fans that it was over. He was getting too old to put his body through the grand of a wrestling career anymore. But just like that,maybe it was in the stars,"El Santo",the hero in the minds of many,whose pictures filled up the scrapbooks of his plethora of little Mexican kids,was dead within two weeks. Dropped dead from a heart attack.

Maybe the young ones today who live in the land of the Aztecs,don't remember "El Santo",or maybe it's a name they hear their grandparents mention once in awhile,but I won't forget him.The were many copies after he left,but the images were all very pale.
http://youtu.be/bQJNJAFCvmU

El Santo Contra La Llorona,co starring Mantquilla Napoles!

[dagosd2000]

Time Off

"You had a pretty good workout today,"I remarked to my grandson Adam as he was taking his hand wraps off.
"That other guy is good to spar with",he answered as he put the rest of his gear in his bag."He gives me a good workout."
Tiger Smalls didn't lead the class on Wednesday afternoons.That's why,when Matt,is the leader,the class was a lot smaller.Tiger makes the class more fun. Not that Matt doesn't try,but Tigre is more at ease with it.He was a fighter once.He knows he's not working with any future contenders.
"Tomorrow is your graduation.You won't be coming to the gym,"I said knowing what the reply would be.
"No,but I might as well come on Friday. It will be my last day before my school trip to New York."
"You'll be off a week.Then we go to Spain at the end of the month."
"I'll get some workouts in inbetween,"said Adam as we walked to the car.
As I drove to Jack In The Box so Adam could get his usual six tacos,I asked him about the neighbor kid and Adam's pal,Jim.
"I hear Jim is going to Turkey for six weeks during the summer,"I said.
"His grandma is really sick.His dad wants him to see her one last time before she dies."
"That's only right."
"Jim's JV football coach is really pissed off."
"Why?"
"He wants Jim to stick around for the summer to play in the passing league games."
"F--k that guy."
I remembered my last year coaching high school football. I remembered al the" gung ho" stuff about passing leagues and working out in the gym and attending clinics during the summer. I got sick of seeing these young coaches living their lives through 15 and 16 year old kids. On them all the time.Always questioning their manhood.If they weren't"dedicated",then came laying on the guilt.Letting the other guys down.Letting yourself down.Even letting your family down. Working any angle to keep control of the kid during the summer because coach wanted to go to the playoffs.
"Jim's coach wants him to lift weights in Turkey,"said Adam.
"The coach is a punk. One of these blowhards who walks around campus thinking he's a man and all the other coaches and teachers are sissies because they don't coach football. Screw him."
"I'm sure they're all not like that,"said Adam."Jim likes the varsity coach.Jim says he's understanding."
I pulled the car up to the drive in window and ordered.As we waited at the next window for the tacos,I turned to Adam.
"Yeah,you're right. They ain't all like that."
The kid at the window handed me the bag of tacos.
"Abuelito,did you remind him to put extra hot sauce in the bag?"asked Adam as I drove off.
"I forgot.I'm sorry."
"That's ok ,"said Adam.You must of had your mind on something else."



Adam at the beach in Spain with two friends.2008

[El Gallo]

Time Off

"You had a pretty good workout today,"I remarked to my grandson Adam as he was taking his hand wraps off.
"That other guy is good to spar with",he answered as he put the rest of his gear in his bag."He gives me a good workout."
Tiger Smalls didn't lead the class on Wednesday afternoons.That's why,when Matt,is the leader,the class was a lot smaller.Tiger makes the class more fun. Not that Matt doesn't try,but Tigre is more at ease with it.He was a fighter once.He knows he's not working with any future contenders.
"Tomorrow is your graduation.You won't be coming to the gym,"I said knowing what the reply would be.
"No,but I might as well come on Friday. It will be my last day before my school trip to New York."
"You'll be off a week.Then we go to Spain at the end of the month."
"I'll get some workouts in inbetween,"said Adam as we walked to the car.
As I drove to Jack In The Box so Adam could get his usual six tacos,I asked him about the neighbor kid and Adam's pal,Jim.
"I hear Jim is going to Turkey for six weeks during the summer,"I said.
"His grandma is really sick.His dad wants him to see her one last time before she dies."
"That's only right."
"Jim's JV football coach is really pissed off."
"Why?"
"He wants Jim to stick around for the summer to play in the passing league games."
"F--k that guy."
I remembered my last year coaching high school football. I remembered al the" gung ho" stuff about passing leagues and working out in the gym and attending clinics during the summer. I got sick of seeing these young coaches living their lives through 15 and 16 year old kids. On them all the time.Always questioning their manhood.If they weren't"dedicated",then came laying on the guilt.Letting the other guys down.Letting yourself down.Even letting your family down. Working any angle to keep control of the kid during the summer because coach wanted to go to the playoffs.
"Jim's coach wants him to lift weights in Turkey,"said Adam.
"The coach is a punk. One of these blowhards who walks around campus thinking he's a man and all the other coaches and teachers are sissies because they don't coach football. Screw him."
"I'm sure they're all not like that,"said Adam."Jim likes the varsity coach.Jim says he's understanding."
I pulled the car up to the drive in window and ordered.As we waited at the next window for the tacos,I turned to Adam.
"Yeah,you're right. They ain't all like that."
The kid at the window handed me the bag of tacos.
"Abuelito,did you remind him to put extra hot sauce in the bag?"asked Adam as I drove off.
"I forgot.I'm sorry."
"That's ok ,"said Adam.You must of had your mind on something else."



Adam at the beach in Spain with two friends.2008

This is great, the photo, the boxing, his grandfather. My grandfather was my best friend, who made it possible for me to box. Without boxing, I might not be here today? What you are doing, and have done, with Adam and his sister, is the greatest thing in the world. Much respect to you, Roger!

[dagosd2000]

On The Street Where You Live

As I was climbing the stairs to my place ,I saw the card stuck in my screen door,removed it,and looked to see what it said before opening the door.It was from one of the kids I coached at the school I used to work at. On the front of the card it read"I Got Beats" and a phone number. On the back it read"Rog,I was in the neighborhood.Give me call, Aaron."I was happy to know that AJ had dropped by.Of course I'd give him a call.

Aaron Jameson was one of the black kids that was bussed in from Logan Heights to Clairmont High School out by the beach.He played on the football team,wrestled ,and ran track.Back then he looked like Mike Tyson in his prime.Since he got married he'd grown fat.It was football where I got to work with him a little. Because he was a running back I didn't spend much time with him on the field except when he was involved with the offensive line ,the unit I coached,when it came to a blocking assignment. He was a force on the football field,but his real potential was on the mat as a light heavyweight wrestler. This guy went through everyone he faced.He had wrestled in youth programs prior to reaching high school and was way ahead of everyone. I mean he'd pin guys in 30 seconds or less. I think he still holds the section record for pinning an opponent in 6 seconds.Tragically,before one match Aaron told me he was going to try something new on his opponent.The guy was a mark so AJ was going to toy a little with him.Some sort of hold he wanted to try ,I think they called it a "suflex", but when he went for it he dislocated his shoulder.He was never the same after that. The shoulder kept popping out on him.Later,he coached the running backs at the school while I still handled the O line.

When I got to my room I picked up the phone and got in touch.It was good to hear his voice. Always a happy kid,now all grown up with a wife and two kids.His son,Devon,his oldest, was going to enter UC Riverside in the fall.
"That's great AJ,"I beamed."What's he going to major in?"
"He wants to be a doctor."
"Fantastic."
"He got 48 grand in grants."
"Well that's good."
"Rog,I haven't worked in three years."
"What happened with you making those porn theaters for that outfit going around the country?"
"The internet put us out of business.Now I'm trying to sell headphones."
It was great hearing that Aaron's son was doing good. They hadn't gotten in trounble like his sister's kids. But his sister's husband hauled ass on the family and then things went down for her. She let herself get caught up with the dark side of life.When I asked about her,he tried to stay positive. He always did when it came to his family. When his father passed away when he was in high school,AJ's mother couldn't handle anything anymore either.Aaron made good as a husband and father and we talked about how it was important for a man to be responsible to his family.But after talking about that it was time to switch gears.
"You still going to LA with the boxing?"Aaron asked me.
"Once in awhile."
"You know my wife's brother in law is connected with De La Hoya promotions."
"That's good."
"I got to be in Erik Morales's entourage when he fought Junior Jones down in the bullring in TJ."
"How was it?"
"Man.Let me tell you.I'm with Morales and his guys and we're walking to the ring and the Mexicans start yelling at me calling me a f-----g n----r and throwing all kinds of s--t and I'm thinking can't they see I'm with Morales."
"It doesn't matter.You're black."
"Man,"he said laughing."The dudes must have really given Junior Jones a ration of s--t."
"I can imagine,"I said."That's why when I was teaching down by the border the kids knew not to play the race card with me."
"Yeah.Mexicans can be pretty racist themselves,."
"It's a two way street."

[dagosd2000]

Yaqui Lopez

[Chuck1052]

According to the January 6, 1925 edition of the Los Angeles Times, the same contractor who built the Culver City Speedway (which was for auto races) was lined up to build the Olympic Auditorium. The planned capacity of the auditorium reportedly was to be over 15,000. Note- When the Olympic Auditorium was built, the capacity was 10,400.

According to the January 11, 1925 edition of the Los Angeles Times, Jack Dempsey, sporting a new nose and with Estelle Taylor at his side, helped break ground for the Olympic Auditorium in ceremonies on January 10, 1925. It was said that the club (construction?) would be finished by March 1, 1925.

According to a January 23, 1925 New York City news item in the Los Angeles Times, Jack Root reportedly completed agreements with Pancho Villa and Mike McTigue for them to appear at the Olympic Auditorium during the spring.

According to the January 24, 1925 edition of the Los Angeles Times, Jack Root signed Jack Zivic and Pinkey Mitchell for the April 1, 1925 opening boxing show at the Olympic Auditorium.

According to a January 26, 1925 Chicago news item in the Los Angeles Times, Tom Andrews accepted the job as the matchmaker of Jack Root's Olympic Club.

Note- The first boxing show at the Olympic Auditorium didn't take place until August 5, 1925, about seven months after ground was broken. As a result, it is probable that the construction of the famed boxing arena fell far behind schedule. The presence of the Olympic Auditorium led to a saturated boxing scene in the Los Angeles area. For the rest of the year starting on August 5, 1925, weekly boxing shows took place at the Vernon Arena on Tuesdays and at the Olympic Auditorium on Wednesdays, resulting in some small crowds at both venues.

Due to an edict by the California Athletic Commission, boxing shows were staged at the Vernon Arena and the Olympic Auditorium on alternating weeks starting in 1926. This meant that boxing shows could be staged at each of the venues only 26 times a year instead of 52. This situation lasted until the early part of 1927.

I have read that the Olympic Auditorium cost $700,000. to $1,000,000. to build, depending on the source. That was a lot of money for an arena devoted to boxing during the 1920s.

While looking at micro-film rolls of the Los Angeles Times, I did not see any mention of the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) or Frank Garbutt in connection with the construction of the Olympic Auditorium. It wasn't until the LAAC took legal action in order to gain physical possession of the Olympic that I saw any such connection.

Thomas S. Andrews was the first matchmaker at the Olympic Auditorium, but didn't hold that job for very long. According to a news item in the October 15, 1925 edition of the Los Angeles Times, it was announced on October 14, 1925 that Joe Levy, a veteran boxing man, replaced Andrews. Levy would serve as the matchmaker of the Olympic until Jack Doyle leased the building and started promoting boxing shows there in early 1927. Hayden "Wad" Wadhams, Doyle's longtime matchmaker at the Vernon Arena, essentially replaced Levy as the matchmaker at the Olympic.

With Levy as the matchmaker, there were quite a number of boxing shows at the Olympic which drew large crowds and had impressive gates, especially during 1926. I have read that there was a profit of $35,000. from the Olympic boxing shows that year. Such success was tempered by the fact that boxing shows could only be staged at Olympic every other week rather than every week at the time. Also keep in mind that there were reports about boxing shows at Hollywood Legion Stadium (which had a capacity of only about 4,400) generated an annual profit of $75,000. during the 1920s. But the Hollywood Legion Stadium boxing shows did get a tax break because of its veterans organization connection (as a non-profit?).

Up to 1925 when California's "Ten-Round Law" went into effect, Jack Doyle had staged boxing shows with a great deal of success in Vernon for close to a decade. With Los Angeles having more restrictive boxing laws compared to nearby Vernon since 1907, the latter was where many boxing shows took place for close to twenty years until 1927.

After the Ten-Round Law came into being, there was less of a need to stage boxing shows in Vernon. But during late 1923, Doyle had opened a much larger new arena near his older one, a situation which may have made him more reluctant to quit promoting boxing shows there even after the opening of the Olympic Auditorium. It was also reported that Doyle increased the capacity of the Vernon Arena to 8,500 in late 1925. But he may have seen the writing on the wall by early 1927.

It took court action for the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) to gain physical possession of the Olympic Auditorium during the early part of 1927. Reading about the LAAC, it is quite evident that Frank Garbutt was the driving force in the club at the time. About the time the LAAC gained possession of the auditorium, there was news about Doyle signing to lease it. This resulted in the
following:

1. Doyle ceased promoting professional boxing shows at the Vernon Arena, essentially shutting it down and eliminating the main competing boxing venue to the Olympic Auditorium. The two boxing venues were located about three miles from each other. The newer version of the Vernon Arena was destroyed by a fire later in 1927 after being in existence for only about four years.

2. Shutting down the Vernon Arena and having Doyle signing to lease the Olympic Auditorium also meant that the number of potential dates for weekly boxing shows at the Olympic Auditorium for a given year was increased from 26 to 52.

3. Having Doyle lease the Olympic Auditorium meant that the top Los Angeles boxing promoter at the time was going to stage boxing shows there for years to come.

4. Doyle was going to be able to stage boxing shows in a somewhat larger and far more expensive venue which was located nearer to the downtown area of Los Angeles than the new version of the Vernon Arena.

Note- The Olympic Auditorium and the Hollywood Legion Stadium were located about seven miles from each other, which meant the two venues less likely to compete for the same fans. It also helped that the Olympic (with Doyle at the helm) and the Legion Stadium weekly boxing cards were staged on Tuesdays and Fridays respectively rather than on consecutive days.

- Chuck Johnston

[Chuck1052]

After leasing the Olympic Auditorium during the early part of 1927, Jack Doyle wouldn't have completely smooth sailing as a boxing promoter at the beginning. For one thing, a promoter named Dick Donald staged a number of boxing shows on a large scale at Wrigley Field at the time, one during the latter part of 1926 and seven during the entire year of 1927. Before promoting shows at Wrigley Field, Donald had promoted other big boxing shows at Ascot Park (an auto racing track) in the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles, 3 times during 1925 and once during 1926. Doyle and Donald competed for both fans and popular fighters. Among the fighters who fought on shows promoted by Donald at Ascot Park and Wrigley Field included Jack Dempsey (exhibition bouts), Ace Hudkins, Bert Colima, Sgt. Sammy Baker, George Godfrey, Fidel LaBarba, Frankie Genaro, Bud Taylor, Tiger Flowers, Leo Lomski, Eddie Huffman, Jackie Fields, Vince Dundee, Sammy Mandell, Johnny Adams, Willie Ritchie and Dick Hoppe.

Despite having some large crowds and impressive gates, Donald's shows at Ascot Park and Wrigley Field often weren't a financial success. Donald ceased to stage shows at Wrigley Field after an astounding fiasco involving a scheduled world welterweight title bout between Joe Dundee, the champion, and Ace Hudkins which didn't take place during his last promotion there in November 1927. Doyle appeared to have an easier time of it with Donald out of the way. In fact, Doyle started staging big boxing shows at Wrigley Field during 1928.

It appears that Doyle did quite well while promoting boxing shows at the Olympic Auditorium and Wrigley Field during 1928 and 1929. At Wrigley Field during 1928, Doyle promoted a boxing show featuring a heavyweight bout between George Godfrey and Paulino Uzcudun which had the first boxing gate of over one hundred thousand dollars ever in the state of California. Godfrey won a clear decision in the bout. Doyle also promoted a boxing show featuring a world middleweight title bout between Mickey Walker, the champion, and Ace Hudkins at Wrigley Field which had drew another record gate for California during 1929. In the bout, Walker won by decision and retained his title for a second time against Hudkins. It appears that no other California boxing show drew a gate of over $100,000. until after World War II.

It was reported that Doyle's boxing shows drew about $685,000. in total gate receipts during 1929. During the same year, Lou Daro, the wrestling promoter at Olympic Auditorium, also staged shows which had impressive gate receipt totals. It appears that the total gate receipts for professional boxing and wrestling shows was about three million dollars in California for the year of 1929. Also keep in mind that there were over one thousand professional boxing shows in California that year. In spite of the huge number of professional boxing shows in California during 1929, the total gate receipts from Doyle's shows were an amazingly large percentage of the total gate receipts from professional boxing and wrestling shows in the state that year.

- Chuck Johnston

[Chuck1052]

The huge stock market crash of 1929 signaled the beginning of the "Great Depression," the worst economic period in the history of the United States. It is a tough task to convey how how much more massive the depression of the 1930s was in comparison to the large economic downturn in the United States which started in 2008. By 1933, the U.S. unemployment rate was about 25% and the stock market dropped by close to 90% from its peak which it achieved in 1929. Despite some decreases in unemployment during the rest of the 1930s, the U.S. economic depression really didn't end until World War II.

The huge economic downturn hit professional boxing very hard in Los Angeles and the rest of the United States. As a result, it became much harder to attract fans unless there was a drastic decrease in ticket prices, generally leading to far smaller gates at boxing shows staged in the United States during the 1930s than during the 1920s. The effect was especially brutal when it came to Jack Doyle's boxing promotions at the Olympic Auditorium and Wrigley Field during the 1930s. Doyle and his matchmaker, Wad Wadhams, seemed to hold things together despite some setbacks until 1933, one of the two worst years of the Great Depression along with 1932.

During 1933, the attendance was very low at so many of the boxing shows at the Olympic Auditorium, according to ringside reports in the Los Angeles Times. It is probable that the low attendance was the main reason why there were far fewer weekly boxing shows staged at the Olympic during that year than during any of the previous six years with Doyle as the promoter. For instance, there were only 11 shows staged at the Olympic during the first six months of 1933. After a boxing show at the Olympic on the 2nd of May, there wasn't another one there until the 25th of July.

Possibly the most crushing blow for Doyle and Wadhams was the large financial flop of the boxing show featuring world welterweight bout featuring the world welterweight championship bout between Young Corbett III, the champion, and Jimmy McLarnin which took place at Wrigley Field on May 29, 1933. It was reported that the gate of the show was only about $40,000. and the loss to Doyle was $20,000. Wadhams, the matchmaker for Doyle since the middle 1910s at Vernon and the Olympic Auditorium, was so distraught that he quit shortly afterwards. It appears that Doyle also was completely out of the picture before year ended.

- Chuck Johnston

[dagosd2000]

The World

It's hard to believe that soccer is the main game in the world if you live in the 'ol USA. I wish I had a dollar for every American who has kicked soccer to the curb. Of course we call it soccer.The rest of the world calls it football.But don't try to persuade the American pig skin fan that soccer is really football. Unless you're a recent immigrant,the sports fans in this country think soccer is more boring than watching the grass grow in your back yard.Besides, what kind of game is it where you can't use your hands?It has to be frustrating.

I'll admit I wasn't a follower of soccer. Never played it in PE class. Was never on TV. Didn't know of any teams here in the states.There wasn't a pro league. Out of sight,out of mind. It wasn't until I traveled a little outside the country that the sport grew on me. Club teams are as enthusiastically adored as the local NFL franchise. The stadiums are more dirt and rocks than let's say an Estadio Azteca or the pitch at Wembley,but the fervor is just as intense with the crowds.

Aficianados of soccer see the play as artful when performed at its best. Descriptions like "genius" and "beautiful"are adjectives that are thrown out at a striker who dribbles through the defense and scores a goal. Legends like Pele and Maradonna have been equated with heavenly and God like references.

Every four years there is the World Cup. Between the Cup the national teams work their way into qualifying for a seat to the most watched event in sports.The World Cup started this week. Countries live their lives through their national team. The hysteria is crazy. People take to the streets all night long when their team is victorious. The Mardi Gras is a whisper compared to the celebration of a World Cup soccer win.

I remember when England crossed the Atlantic to recapture the Falkland Islands from Argentina who thought the property was righteously theirs. The land of the Pampas was humiliated by the Brits.The land of tea and crumpets ventured all the way across an ocean to kick Argentina's military in the ass right off their own shore. But there was an opportunity for redemption. The 1986 World Cup, and England and Argentina drew a match.Forget losing a war. This was Futbol. Well the divine Maradonna with his "hand of God"goal and another score when he dribbled through almost the entire English defense made him immortal.Bigger than any general. Who could even name one of those English generals anyway? People equated Maradonna with manna from heaven. Maradonna is considered, perhaps ,the greatest player who ever lived.To seal the immortal stamp,Argentina won the World Cup.

But think of where these gods began their development. On the dirt and rock strewn fields in their home towns,often villages and pueblos. Stepping on broken glass was not a deterrent for a dream that wouldn't break. A long journey that was as intense and unforgiving as the "walk on" player who proves himself an equal on an NFL squad.

Where I used to live in Tijuana in Canon Jhonson,the old a worn down colonia near downtown,there are these precious little arenas for the hopeful. Where the dreams come true with hard work and passion,and of course, with a large amount of natural ability.

So here we'll watch Miami and San Antonio play against each other for the NBA trophy. You can bet the rest of the world isn't too much interested.


Local boys playing on their field of dreams. Canon Jhonson,Tijuana

[JABARDELLI]

Here's a second vote, Roger, with a pinch of Mantle thrown in for savory!

JAMES FRANCIS THORPE

There is so much subjectivity in trying to determine who the greatest athlete of the century was/is that it must be remembered that the film and video footage and concept of recency gives a tactical advantage to today's athlete as opposed to the greats of yesteryear in the selection process. However, if one is looking for the best all around athlete, there is one name above and beyond all the other athletes which surfaces time and time again in poll after poll and that athlete is James Francis Thorpe. He was not a one dimensional athlete and excelled in every sport in which he was called upon to participate.

This man was an athlete beyond comparison! His strength and stamina were beyond imagination and were born as a consequence of growing up before the turn of the century causing him to be subjected to hard work and development of his legs. He could not ride and he walked or ran where ever he had to go. An example of his tremendous leg strength is revealed by Thorpe walking and running 275 miles to see his father who had been hurt while Thorpe was in the equivalent of a high school. He broke horses, farmed, rustled fire wood, and increasingly grew stronger, all honing events for the revealing of the athlete he was to become.

Today's fan cannot conceptualize what Thorpe could and DID do as an athlete because no one is doing what he did as a composite athlete. Understandably, we have athletes who run faster and who are, indeed, stronger, who punt, pass, and kick the football "better." The same was true in Thorpe's time. There were other athletes who excelled Thorpe in individual athletic achievement and events. But none of them, throughout the breadth of the entire twentieth century, could do so much as well as Thorpe did consistently, day in, day out, throughout his career.
.
Thorpe consistently ran the hundred yard dash in 10 seconds. NEVER was he afforded the luxury of having run on an asphalt track, he never used starting blocks, he never was provided streamlined wind deflecting track suits, and he never trained to become just a track and field athlete. In 1912, when he won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon, Thorpe dominated on pure natural ability and underwent none of the specialized training afforded to today's athlete. Yet, his achievements are comparable to any of the decathlon winners from 1912 to the present time. Where Thorpe stands out alone, however, is when you ask how many of those other great decathlon winners went on to play and excel in professional football or professional baseball as did Jim Thorpe? The answer is that none did.

Thorpe had blazing speed and incredible strength. His son, Jack Thorpe, relates a story during the 1930's when Thorpe, his son, and another man were traveling by car on the back roads when a tire went flat. They were miles from nowhere and realized that they had a replacement tire but no jack. Thorpe went to rear of the car and lifted the car while the other man changed the tire! Jack Thorpe didn't place a lot of emphasis on this feat because he thought all father's were blessed with such strength.

Thorpe could drop-kick a football consistently over 50 yards and ranks probably only second to Pat O'Dea as the greatest dropkicker football has ever seen. I believe that his collegiate record of a 63 yard field goal is still a record. Tom Dempsey set the professional field goal record with a 63 yard kick that was recently tied. After Thorpe retired from the pro ranks he would put on demonstrations at half time and drop kick the ball through the goal posts from 50 yards out, turn the other direction and repeat the performance much to the delight of the awestruck fans.

It was routine during his collegiate days for Thorpe to punt the ball 60, 70 or 80 yards. Perhaps the size differential of the ball benefited Thorpe in his kicking game. However, he was capable of passing the football consistently 70 and 80 yards and there are some references to Thorpe passing that same football 100 yards and it must be remembered that he was not using the streamlined version present on today's football which benefits both the punter and the passer.

Today's fan won't believe these accomplishments because they feel it impossible and mind boggling for any athlete to have achieved what Thorpe achieved during his lifetime. Pass a football 80, 90, 100 yards? The modern day fan is shocked and won't believe it. They are literally being asked to imagine a composite of the speed and breakaway excitement of a Gale Sayers, the power, speed, and endurance of Jim Brown, the passing touch of Joe Montana, speed comparable to Bullet Bob Hayes, and the kicking exploit of a Jon Stenerud and the tackling ferocity of Dick Butkus all being thrown into a mix with the end result producing a single athlete with the featured talents of EACH these gridiron greats. No way, they maintain. But history tells us differently over and over again and all from prime sources.

In that same sense of disbelief, today's fan, thinks that no one could possible hit the titanic shots that Mark McGuire is hitting before our very eyes. Those fans can't imagine that Ruth hit a home run that traveled 605 feet and that Mantle lodged one which was measured out at 565 feet and another in an exhibition game against Southern California measured out at 600 feet. There is a "Doubting Thomas" built into all of us and with the increased passage of time, and "no doubt," the feats being accomplished by today's athlete will in some measure be forgotten and disbelieved until someone pulls out a video or film footage to make the doubters of a future generation sit up and take notice.

The observation that today's best supersede the best of the generations of the past is pure bunk and serves only to give the person who makes such a representation a feeling of self-worth as he or she lives vicariously within the athletes they follow who make them feel good about themselves as, inwardly, they benefit from their own adrenaline rush. It is as if one were saying that Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Rodin, as artists and sculptors could not compete with nor can their works compare favorably with today's artists and their works because the technological advancements made available to the crop of today's artists gives them the advantage. One should be able to clearly see through the fallacy of that argument. In reality, the same is true when the creme de la creme of athletes from different generations are examined.

Was Jim Thorpe the greatest all around athlete? An excellent argument can be made that he was indeed. In that same breath, an even stronger argument can be made that he was the greatest football player who ever graced the gridiron with the understanding, that by comparison, Red Grange, Marion Motley, Ollie Matson, Hugh McElheney, Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, O.J. Simpson, Walter Payton, Sammy Baugh, Otto Graham, Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway and all the rest, were great football players in their own right but came nowhere near to being the composite all-around player capsulated in the man they called Bright Path. On the gridiron, Thorpe could do it all! He ran, passed, punted, drop-kicked field goals, returned kickoffs and punts which such success that he ranks amongst the record holders in each of these categories some 90 years after setting these records.

Not only did Thorpe excel in track and field and college football, but he excelled in professional football, basketball, played major league baseball, lacrosse and was an accomplished boxer and wrestler. While playing for the New York Giants under the managerial ship of John McGraw, McGraw forbade any of his players to wrestle with Thorpe for fear of their getting hurt such was Thorpe's prowess and strength. Yet, beneath this strength was a grace, poise, and confidence that allowed him to win collegiate dance contests.

Yes, Michael Jordan ventured into the professional world of baseball but could not be classified as a baseball player in any stretch of the imagination on a par with what Thorpe was capable of doing at the major league level. Jordan is to be commended for trying. We must remember, also, that Jordan had a secret ambition to be an elite golfer. History revealed to us that the only time that Jim Thorpe golfed he scored a 75! Make no mistake about it. Jordan, at the professional basketball level, was a greater basketball player that was Jim Thorpe. In every other category of athleticism, the records ring loud and clear and enunciate to the world of sport that James Francis Thorpe was the greatest athlete of the twentieth century.

To your memory, Jim.

John A. Bardelli
December 31, 1999

[dagosd2000]

Here's a second vote, Roger, with a pinch of Mantle thrown in for savory!

JAMES FRANCIS THORPE

There is so much subjectivity in trying to determine who the greatest athlete of the century was/is that it must be remembered that the film and video footage and concept of recency gives a tactical advantage to today's athlete as opposed to the greats of yesteryear in the selection process. However, if one is looking for the best all around athlete, there is one name above and beyond all the other athletes which surfaces time and time again in poll after poll and that athlete is James Francis Thorpe. He was not a one dimensional athlete and excelled in every sport in which he was called upon to participate.

This man was an athlete beyond comparison! His strength and stamina were beyond imagination and were born as a consequence of growing up before the turn of the century causing him to be subjected to hard work and development of his legs. He could not ride and he walked or ran where ever he had to go. An example of his tremendous leg strength is revealed by Thorpe walking and running 275 miles to see his father who had been hurt while Thorpe was in the equivalent of a high school. He broke horses, farmed, rustled fire wood, and increasingly grew stronger, all honing events for the revealing of the athlete he was to become.

Today's fan cannot conceptualize what Thorpe could and DID do as an athlete because no one is doing what he did as a composite athlete. Understandably, we have athletes who run faster and who are, indeed, stronger, who punt, pass, and kick the football "better." The same was true in Thorpe's time. There were other athletes who excelled Thorpe in individual athletic achievement and events. But none of them, throughout the breadth of the entire twentieth century, could do so much as well as Thorpe did consistently, day in, day out, throughout his career.
.
Thorpe consistently ran the hundred yard dash in 10 seconds. NEVER was he afforded the luxury of having run on an asphalt track, he never used starting blocks, he never was provided streamlined wind deflecting track suits, and he never trained to become just a track and field athlete. In 1912, when he won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon, Thorpe dominated on pure natural ability and underwent none of the specialized training afforded to today's athlete. Yet, his achievements are comparable to any of the decathlon winners from 1912 to the present time. Where Thorpe stands out alone, however, is when you ask how many of those other great decathlon winners went on to play and excel in professional football or professional baseball as did Jim Thorpe? The answer is that none did.

Thorpe had blazing speed and incredible strength. His son, Jack Thorpe, relates a story during the 1930's when Thorpe, his son, and another man were traveling by car on the back roads when a tire went flat. They were miles from nowhere and realized that they had a replacement tire but no jack. Thorpe went to rear of the car and lifted the car while the other man changed the tire! Jack Thorpe didn't place a lot of emphasis on this feat because he thought all father's were blessed with such strength.

Thorpe could drop-kick a football consistently over 50 yards and ranks probably only second to Pat O'Dea as the greatest dropkicker football has ever seen. I believe that his collegiate record of a 63 yard field goal is still a record. Tom Dempsey set the professional field goal record with a 63 yard kick that was recently tied. After Thorpe retired from the pro ranks he would put on demonstrations at half time and drop kick the ball through the goal posts from 50 yards out, turn the other direction and repeat the performance much to the delight of the awestruck fans.

It was routine during his collegiate days for Thorpe to punt the ball 60, 70 or 80 yards. Perhaps the size differential of the ball benefited Thorpe in his kicking game. However, he was capable of passing the football consistently 70 and 80 yards and there are some references to Thorpe passing that same football 100 yards and it must be remembered that he was not using the streamlined version present on today's football which benefits both the punter and the passer.

Today's fan won't believe these accomplishments because they feel it impossible and mind boggling for any athlete to have achieved what Thorpe achieved during his lifetime. Pass a football 80, 90, 100 yards? The modern day fan is shocked and won't believe it. They are literally being asked to imagine a composite of the speed and breakaway excitement of a Gale Sayers, the power, speed, and endurance of Jim Brown, the passing touch of Joe Montana, speed comparable to Bullet Bob Hayes, and the kicking exploit of a Jon Stenerud and the tackling ferocity of Dick Butkus all being thrown into a mix with the end result producing a single athlete with the featured talents of EACH these gridiron greats. No way, they maintain. But history tells us differently over and over again and all from prime sources.

In that same sense of disbelief, today's fan, thinks that no one could possible hit the titanic shots that Mark McGuire is hitting before our very eyes. Those fans can't imagine that Ruth hit a home run that traveled 605 feet and that Mantle lodged one which was measured out at 565 feet and another in an exhibition game against Southern California measured out at 600 feet. There is a "Doubting Thomas" built into all of us and with the increased passage of time, and "no doubt," the feats being accomplished by today's athlete will in some measure be forgotten and disbelieved until someone pulls out a video or film footage to make the doubters of a future generation sit up and take notice.

The observation that today's best supersede the best of the generations of the past is pure bunk and serves only to give the person who makes such a representation a feeling of self-worth as he or she lives vicariously within the athletes they follow who make them feel good about themselves as, inwardly, they benefit from their own adrenaline rush. It is as if one were saying that Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Rodin, as artists and sculptors could not compete with nor can their works compare favorably with today's artists and their works because the technological advancements made available to the crop of today's artists gives them the advantage. One should be able to clearly see through the fallacy of that argument. In reality, the same is true when the creme de la creme of athletes from different generations are examined.

Was Jim Thorpe the greatest all around athlete? An excellent argument can be made that he was indeed. In that same breath, an even stronger argument can be made that he was the greatest football player who ever graced the gridiron with the understanding, that by comparison, Red Grange, Marion Motley, Ollie Matson, Hugh McElheney, Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, O.J. Simpson, Walter Payton, Sammy Baugh, Otto Graham, Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway and all the rest, were great football players in their own right but came nowhere near to being the composite all-around player capsulated in the man they called Bright Path. On the gridiron, Thorpe could do it all! He ran, passed, punted, drop-kicked field goals, returned kickoffs and punts which such success that he ranks amongst the record holders in each of these categories some 90 years after setting these records.

Not only did Thorpe excel in track and field and college football, but he excelled in professional football, basketball, played major league baseball, lacrosse and was an accomplished boxer and wrestler. While playing for the New York Giants under the managerial ship of John McGraw, McGraw forbade any of his players to wrestle with Thorpe for fear of their getting hurt such was Thorpe's prowess and strength. Yet, beneath this strength was a grace, poise, and confidence that allowed him to win collegiate dance contests.

Yes, Michael Jordan ventured into the professional world of baseball but could not be classified as a baseball player in any stretch of the imagination on a par with what Thorpe was capable of doing at the major league level. Jordan is to be commended for trying. We must remember, also, that Jordan had a secret ambition to be an elite golfer. History revealed to us that the only time that Jim Thorpe golfed he scored a 75! Make no mistake about it. Jordan, at the professional basketball level, was a greater basketball player that was Jim Thorpe. In every other category of athleticism, the records ring loud and clear and enunciate to the world of sport that James Francis Thorpe was the greatest athlete of the twentieth century.

To your memory, Jim.

John A. Bardelli
December 31, 1999

[dagosd2000]

Here's a second vote, Roger, with a pinch of Mantle thrown in for savory!

JAMES FRANCIS THORPE

There is so much subjectivity in trying to determine who the greatest athlete of the century was/is that it must be remembered that the film and video footage and concept of recency gives a tactical advantage to today's athlete as opposed to the greats of yesteryear in the selection process. However, if one is looking for the best all around athlete, there is one name above and beyond all the other athletes which surfaces time and time again in poll after poll and that athlete is James Francis Thorpe. He was not a one dimensional athlete and excelled in every sport in which he was called upon to participate.

This man was an athlete beyond comparison! His strength and stamina were beyond imagination and were born as a consequence of growing up before the turn of the century causing him to be subjected to hard work and development of his legs. He could not ride and he walked or ran where ever he had to go. An example of his tremendous leg strength is revealed by Thorpe walking and running 275 miles to see his father who had been hurt while Thorpe was in the equivalent of a high school. He broke horses, farmed, rustled fire wood, and increasingly grew stronger, all honing events for the revealing of the athlete he was to become.

Today's fan cannot conceptualize what Thorpe could and DID do as an athlete because no one is doing what he did as a composite athlete. Understandably, we have athletes who run faster and who are, indeed, stronger, who punt, pass, and kick the football "better." The same was true in Thorpe's time. There were other athletes who excelled Thorpe in individual athletic achievement and events. But none of them, throughout the breadth of the entire twentieth century, could do so much as well as Thorpe did consistently, day in, day out, throughout his career.
.
Thorpe consistently ran the hundred yard dash in 10 seconds. NEVER was he afforded the luxury of having run on an asphalt track, he never used starting blocks, he never was provided streamlined wind deflecting track suits, and he never trained to become just a track and field athlete. In 1912, when he won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon, Thorpe dominated on pure natural ability and underwent none of the specialized training afforded to today's athlete. Yet, his achievements are comparable to any of the decathlon winners from 1912 to the present time. Where Thorpe stands out alone, however, is when you ask how many of those other great decathlon winners went on to play and excel in professional football or professional baseball as did Jim Thorpe? The answer is that none did.

Thorpe had blazing speed and incredible strength. His son, Jack Thorpe, relates a story during the 1930's when Thorpe, his son, and another man were traveling by car on the back roads when a tire went flat. They were miles from nowhere and realized that they had a replacement tire but no jack. Thorpe went to rear of the car and lifted the car while the other man changed the tire! Jack Thorpe didn't place a lot of emphasis on this feat because he thought all father's were blessed with such strength.

Thorpe could drop-kick a football consistently over 50 yards and ranks probably only second to Pat O'Dea as the greatest dropkicker football has ever seen. I believe that his collegiate record of a 63 yard field goal is still a record. Tom Dempsey set the professional field goal record with a 63 yard kick that was recently tied. After Thorpe retired from the pro ranks he would put on demonstrations at half time and drop kick the ball through the goal posts from 50 yards out, turn the other direction and repeat the performance much to the delight of the awestruck fans.

It was routine during his collegiate days for Thorpe to punt the ball 60, 70 or 80 yards. Perhaps the size differential of the ball benefited Thorpe in his kicking game. However, he was capable of passing the football consistently 70 and 80 yards and there are some references to Thorpe passing that same football 100 yards and it must be remembered that he was not using the streamlined version present on today's football which benefits both the punter and the passer.

Today's fan won't believe these accomplishments because they feel it impossible and mind boggling for any athlete to have achieved what Thorpe achieved during his lifetime. Pass a football 80, 90, 100 yards? The modern day fan is shocked and won't believe it. They are literally being asked to imagine a composite of the speed and breakaway excitement of a Gale Sayers, the power, speed, and endurance of Jim Brown, the passing touch of Joe Montana, speed comparable to Bullet Bob Hayes, and the kicking exploit of a Jon Stenerud and the tackling ferocity of Dick Butkus all being thrown into a mix with the end result producing a single athlete with the featured talents of EACH these gridiron greats. No way, they maintain. But history tells us differently over and over again and all from prime sources.

In that same sense of disbelief, today's fan, thinks that no one could possible hit the titanic shots that Mark McGuire is hitting before our very eyes. Those fans can't imagine that Ruth hit a home run that traveled 605 feet and that Mantle lodged one which was measured out at 565 feet and another in an exhibition game against Southern California measured out at 600 feet. There is a "Doubting Thomas" built into all of us and with the increased passage of time, and "no doubt," the feats being accomplished by today's athlete will in some measure be forgotten and disbelieved until someone pulls out a video or film footage to make the doubters of a future generation sit up and take notice.

The observation that today's best supersede the best of the generations of the past is pure bunk and serves only to give the person who makes such a representation a feeling of self-worth as he or she lives vicariously within the athletes they follow who make them feel good about themselves as, inwardly, they benefit from their own adrenaline rush. It is as if one were saying that Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Rodin, as artists and sculptors could not compete with nor can their works compare favorably with today's artists and their works because the technological advancements made available to the crop of today's artists gives them the advantage. One should be able to clearly see through the fallacy of that argument. In reality, the same is true when the creme de la creme of athletes from different generations are examined.

Was Jim Thorpe the greatest all around athlete? An excellent argument can be made that he was indeed. In that same breath, an even stronger argument can be made that he was the greatest football player who ever graced the gridiron with the understanding, that by comparison, Red Grange, Marion Motley, Ollie Matson, Hugh McElheney, Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, O.J. Simpson, Walter Payton, Sammy Baugh, Otto Graham, Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway and all the rest, were great football players in their own right but came nowhere near to being the composite all-around player capsulated in the man they called Bright Path. On the gridiron, Thorpe could do it all! He ran, passed, punted, drop-kicked field goals, returned kickoffs and punts which such success that he ranks amongst the record holders in each of these categories some 90 years after setting these records.

Not only did Thorpe excel in track and field and college football, but he excelled in professional football, basketball, played major league baseball, lacrosse and was an accomplished boxer and wrestler. While playing for the New York Giants under the managerial ship of John McGraw, McGraw forbade any of his players to wrestle with Thorpe for fear of their getting hurt such was Thorpe's prowess and strength. Yet, beneath this strength was a grace, poise, and confidence that allowed him to win collegiate dance contests.

Yes, Michael Jordan ventured into the professional world of baseball but could not be classified as a baseball player in any stretch of the imagination on a par with what Thorpe was capable of doing at the major league level. Jordan is to be commended for trying. We must remember, also, that Jordan had a secret ambition to be an elite golfer. History revealed to us that the only time that Jim Thorpe golfed he scored a 75! Make no mistake about it. Jordan, at the professional basketball level, was a greater basketball player that was Jim Thorpe. In every other category of athleticism, the records ring loud and clear and enunciate to the world of sport that James Francis Thorpe was the greatest athlete of the twentieth century.

To your memory, Jim.

John A. Bardelli
December 31, 1999

John,too bad Jim wasn't the baseball player as he was the best in football and track and field. Football wasn't the game in popularity as it is today.He came along around the same time as the Babe,but his skills at America's pastime weren't the equivalent compared to what he could accomplish with the other sports he partook. But then there wasn't the media hype either. Can't get that hysterical reading a newspaper. It's hard to see here that soccer is the world's most popular sport.Granted,Maradonna would never win an Olympic decathlon,but his name is a household word in every continent except Antarctica. When I think of tragic sports figures,boxers pop into my mind...and Jim Thorpe.


The greatest athlete who ever lived,Jim Thorpe

[dagosd2000]

Source Of Joy

When I got it into my head that I'd like to try to pick up a brush and start to paint faces,my first subject was going to be my father. That was a gimme. He'd been gone for seven years,but his image was going to make or break me. Surprisingly,I liked what I saw after my first attempt so I kept on going.Not that I thought of myself as another Rembrandt,but I was satisfied that I could be a minnow and swim the rest of the fishes.

After my father's portrait,I had to choose another face. A face of a person that I admired. It had to be a decision sparked by inspiration.I didn't ponder for long. Tony Gwynn would step into the batter's box next. I found a baseball card of Tony that was of my liking so I got to work. I labored and finally I came up with a face that I was content with.

The first time I saw Tony Gwynn play a game it was on a basketball court. Tony was the starting point guard for San Diego State's basketball team. I didn't know he was also a baseball player.But Tony selected baseball as his way to make a living. I don't think I ever saw a more dedicated player in the game. He was the first one to arrive at the stadium and the last one to leave. He had film of every at bat he had in the bigs.When he finally left the game after 20 years he had a 338 lifetime average. Only Ted Williams batted higher in the post war years.

Tony referred to himself as a "Punch and Judy hitter".To hear him talk about his career,you'd think he was just up in the majors for a cup of coffee. But he was the master of hitting for those 20 years.Consistency was his trademark. Never under 300,8 batting titles,15 All Star games.After five years since he hung it up,Tony was anxious about being selected to the Hall Of Fame. He was a shoe in on the first ballot.

But Tony was much more to the people of San Diego than a ball player. He was a friend and part of the community. He could have jumped to a high profile media center like new York or LA,but wanted to stay in San Diego. The cheap skate owners of the team never compensated him for what he was worth,but Tony wasn't in it for the dough. He was living comfortably. After he hung up his spikes,he did some announcing for the home team and signed a contract to coach San Diego State's baseball team. That was his last at bat in life.

Tony was vary approachable sort. He loved talking baseball to anyone. He never left anyone starstruck. Whether it was at a father and daughter lunch at the school,an autograph signing party in your community to raise money to build a park,or just bumping into him at the super market,Tony was always gracious. His kids grew up in San Diego and went to the local public schools. Tony was just another one of the dads.

When Ted Williams(another San Diegan who didn't show his face in this city very much)saw Tony hit,Teddy Baseball took Gwynn to task.
"Stop that inside out swing on the inside pitches. Turn on that pitch and drive the ball to right field."
Tony was humbled.Of course he listened to the master .Tony did what was suggested and started driving the ball down the line. His homerun production increased.
""I thought Ted was going to kick my ass,"said Tony.

Tony Gwynn was selfless. He was a team guy. He was modest and soft spoken. He was like a kid in Little League putting on his" uni" for the first time.Here's a side note. Tony holds the school record for lifetime assists with State's basketball team. Always wanting to do what was best for the team.When he caught on with the school's baseball team,he said the biggest thrill he had was his first practice and the kids called him"Coach."

I'm glad Tony made it through Father's Day. I knew something was up when Tony JR. was pulled out of the Phillies lineup over the weekend. His dad was in a hospice in Orange County when his cancer finally struck him out.But you can bet Tony wasn't resting the bat on his shoulder.


My 2nd painting of a man who will always be number one in our hearts,Tony Gwynn

[dagosd2000]

Finding El Boxeo

Last October I had the honor of driving up to Los Angeles to view the premier of Alan Swyer's documentary film "El Boxeo."The film mostly profiled the golden era of boxing in the Southland.Synonymous with its title the episodes pertained to the Hispanic influence on the sport.Of course the most intense area was the LA where the Chicano was pitted against the Mexican national.Mexican legends like Ruben Olivares,Mantequilla Napoles,Vicente Saldivar,Julio Cesar Chavez drew tremendous crowds to venues like the fabulous Forum and the Olympic Auditorium.


Angelinos like Mandos Muniz and Ramos,Raul Rojas, and Albertos Sandoval and Davilla gave as much as they took against their cousins below the border. Even the massive Los Angeles Coliseum showcased some of these magnificent warriors. But where did these Mexican Hall Of Famers hone their skills?Granted their careers blossomed in their regions of their births,but when they got the ticket to the big dance in the States(via the opportunities from Aileen Eaton and George Parnassus)they had to go to the woodshed. From the interiors of Mexico,they wanted to migrate north.Of course they'd find plenty oof tough fighters to train with in LA eventually,but before they crossed the border,they knew that there was a gym in Tijuana,a gym where there wasn't any room for the weaker aspirants.It separated the macho men from the guys with the "juevitos."The name of this gym is the CREA.

The CREA is located on Padre Kino Boulevard just east of downtown. It's a government recreation facility that is comprised of an athletic field,track,basketball courts,baseball fields ,and a swimming pool.The place gets a pretty good workout.Many locals take advantage the resources.But ask anyone what the CREA is really noted for and they'll tell you it's the boxing gym. The gym is noted throughout the republic as the place where you make it or break it if you want your juevos to be bigger than the next guys'.

All the great Mexican fighters have trained at the CREA.Antonio Margarito and Erik Morales, who live in Tijuana and have their own gyms, used the CREA as their base of operations in TJ to prepare for a fight.When I was working in Tijuana at a school training high school kids to play American football,local heros Jibaro Perez and Dinamita Estrada used the Crea to get into fighting trim.The locals would gather daily to watch these two train.

I've suggested to Tiger Smalls ,who's handling his son Prince,that they'd find plenty of quality work across the border at the CREA. Sparring partners in San Diego are a rare commodity.There's a lot of hungry kids in TJ that want to prove themselves,but they find out quickly that it is an arena that's unforgiving. A Philly fight gym Mexican style.

Once in a great while,if I'm in the area,I'll drop in at the CREA.The fighters start arriving in the late afternoon.The gym is basic and crude like the attitides of the fighters.It was bullt under the stadium, tough looking for a tough crowd.A badge of honor to say that you cut your teeth there even though in the process you might have lost a few from a punch or two. Not a sanitized place on purpose because real fighters sweat and smell and that's the way it should be.Nothing pretty or fancy.Two rings,plenty of bags,a locker room that's old school.Nobody would want it any other way.




Erik Morales

[dagosd2000]

Push,Pull,Evolve

We remember the words he said while he was appealing his case before the Supreme Court.
"No Viet Cong never called me a n====r."
If he'd gone to Viet Nam they probably would have called him something to that effect. He also said that no Viet Cong had "raped his mother." No white person never did either.And he also didn't want to go to Viet Nam because he didn't "want to kill black people."The only black people over there at the time were U.S. servicemen.By the way, Vietnamese women who had babies with U.S. servicemen over there where considered outcasts and the woman were more than glad to put their kids on the next flight back to the States to get adopted,especially if the father was a black man.

He said all white people were devils.I wonder how Angelo felt about that,Gene Kilroy his finance manager,and his Louisville backers?He said he practiced Islam,but left his second wife Belinda who was a true believer and stuck by his side during the three and a half years he was banished from the ring. He tried his hand at acting in the play"Buck White"and would come out on the stage talking about being a slave and getting whipped and hung from the tallest tree.

The state of Georgia commision hood winked the fight world into granting him a license(pissed off Lester Maddox) and he beat Jerry Quarry. Prior to the fight the Supreme Court had ruled against him(5 to 3.Thurgood Marshall sitting it out),but then later the court overturned their decision saying that his due process was violated.

He turned to Elijah Muhammad at the start,became close to Malcolm X,but when he denounced the leader of the Nation of Islam,the heavyweight champ abandoned his friend. Later ,after Elijah Muhammad died,he became a follower of his son,Wallace,who embraced ALL muslims regardless of skin color.Martin Luther King considered him dangerous,but changed his stance later and they were arm in arm.

When Iran held the hostages,he offered to swap himself in their place. It wasn't the chickens coming home to roost because the hostages were white and probably all Christians. In 2005 he was awarded the Medal Of Peace by a President who also didn't go to Viet Nam. Before that, blacks like Jackie Robinson and Floyd Patterson denounced his refusal to enter the military even though they never served their country.Joe Louis once stated that he was against his stance because he wouldn't bear arms. Neither did Joe. He never left the States.The champ was offered the same deal,but refused.

So what does all this mean?Everyone remembers him climbing up and lighting the torch at the Olympic games in LA. They didn't choose Frazier or Foreman. They were also Gold Medalists.

But things change over time. White men aren't all devils like black men aren't still playing the race card. Bringing up the rhetoric of the Civil rights movement is a very worn record.I believe the truth is always a moving target, and sometimes it isn't worth hitting it.