This panoramic view of lower Manhattan was taken from the Staten Island Ferry in 1916. Looking north towards the Battery in New York harbor you can see the development of the skyline. Continue reading
Who Was That Masked Man?
Gerry Cheevers photo © Pete Mocca
He had the most recognizable mask in the history of the NHL.
And, from what I have been able to research, Gerry Cheevers was the first goalie to decorate his goalie mask.
Gerry Cheevers was with the Boston Bruins from 1965-66 through 1971-72, jumped to the World Hockey Association (WHA) to play for the Cleveland Crusaders for four seasons, and then returned to the Bruins in 1975-76 and retired after the 1979-80 season.
Supposedly Cheevers was not enamored of the all white fiberglass mask, and one day a seemingly unremarkable incident triggered an alteration to the mask.
The distinctive stitch pattern that was to become Cheevers trademark began in the late 1960’s when Cheevers was hit in the mask with a puck during a practice. Even though he was not hurt Cheevers wanted to get off the ice to take a breather. In the locker room, Bruins trainer John “Frosty” Forristall drew a big stitch mark on the mask to show where Cheevers would have received stitches had he not been wearing a mask to demonstrate to the coach the “seriousness” of the blow Cheevers had taken.
The rest of the Bruins thought it was hilarious and Cheevers kept the stitch mark. Cheevers liked the decoration so much he began adding more stitches to the mask season after season every time he took a puck to the face. Cheevers made one other innovation to the mask that was adapted by most goalies in the 1960’s and 70’s, and that was to widen the eye slots so he could see the puck better.
Amazingly, Cheevers says he primarily used that one marked up mask for his entire career. The mask now is on display at the home of his grandson.
After his playing career was over, Cheevers coached the Bruins for four and a half seasons before he was fired in 1985.
Cheevers didn’t just have a great mask, he had a great career posting 230 wins with just 102 losses and a 2.89 goals against average. Cheevers was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985. In what might be Cheevers greatest achievement, he went undefeated in 33 consecutive games in 1972, setting a record that still stands today.
Fundraiser For Boys Towns Of Italy Draws Top Celebrities 1956
The woman seated is Elsa Maxwell, a gossip columnist who was famous for hosting parties featuring royalty, the wealthy and movie personalities. Standing from left to right are stars Cleo Moore, Joe DiMaggio, Linda Darnell and Shirley Jones. At the event, DiMaggio, crowned Shirley Jones queen of the Boys Towns of Italy.
Called the “Ball Of The Year,” the benefit was held on March 22, 1956 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The support for Boys Towns of Italy came primarily from American contributions. The organization was founded in 1945 at the end of World War II to help war refugee children.
At the time DiMaggio was rumored to be dating Cleo Moore, a look-alike to his ex-wife, Marilyn Monroe. Moore was groomed by Columbia Pictures to be their answer to Monroe, but her career never took off and she retired from films in 1957 at the age of 33. Moore died in 1973, three days before her 49th birthday of a heart attack.
This photograph taken on September 24, 1915 looking east across Seventh Avenue between 25th and 24th Streets shows the extent of a tragedy that took the lives of seven people and injured more than 100.
At about 7:50 a.m. on September 22, 1915 during the subway excavation for a new line, an explosion followed by a massive street collapse threw 7th Avenue into a scene of pandemonium and carnage. A blast of dynamite caused the temporary roadway of wood planking to give way. A trolley loaded with passengers plunged 30 feet into the abyss created by the cave in. A beer truck minus the driver also fell into the excavation.
The reason more people were not killed was because the street undulated for a few seconds before collapsing which allowed precious time for people on the street to scatter to safety.
The motorman of the northbound trolley, John Mayne said, “The car sank just where I stopped it. I had no stop at Twenty-fourth street and there was no warning there. When I was half way to Twenty-fifth street I saw a flagman and set my brakes. As I set the brakes I felt the earth going from under me. The next thing I knew I was being pulled out of hell.”
Fanny Borie, 18, of Brooklyn was on the trolley, on her way to work when it went down into the hole. “When the car started to sink there were terrible screams, and I think I fainted,” she said. “I remember feeling people tugging at my feet, as I was buried under some timbers. Then I lost consciousness and came to again when I was being carried up a ladder to the street.” Continue reading
Mickey Lolich Wins Game 7 Of The 1968 World Series – October 10, 1968
ST. LOUIS – Oct. 10 – WORKING ON THE CARDINALS – Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich as he pitches to the St. Louis Cardinals in the final game of the 1968 World Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis Thursday. (AP WIRE PHOTO)
It had been 23 years since the Tigers had last won the World Series. A Detroit pitcher would play a huge role in the 1968 World Series, but it wasn’t who everyone thought it would be.
The Tigers ace pitcher was Denny McLain who posted an incredible 31-6 record in the regular season. He remains the last pitcher to win 30 or more games in a season. But in the World Series McLain went 1-2, unfortunately going head to head twice with the Cardinals star hurler Bob Gibson and losing both times in games one and four.
Mickey Lolich on the other hand, was a very good pitcher and put up a solid 17-9 regular season record. In the World Series he proved to be unbeatable, pitching three complete game victories, including the exciting finale against Bob Gibson. Continue reading
February 27, 1941 – the Oscars are awarded at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. This was the first time sealed envelopes were used to keep the winners names secret. Continue reading
Alvin Dark Slides In Safely As Yogi Berra Drops The Ball And The Yankees Fall Apart
Giants shortstop Alvin Dark is safe at home plate as Yankees catcher Yogi Berra can’t handle the ball
NEW YORK: ERROR FOR BERRA – Giant Alvin Dark is safe at the plate as Yogi Berra drops the ball trying to tag him. Bobby Brown threw to Berra from third on Monte Irvin’s grounder in the Giants big five-run sixth inning. The National League champs made it their second victory over the Yankees in the third game of the 1951 World Series at the Polo Grounds, Oct 6, with a 6-2 score. Credit (ACME) 10-6-51
The New York Giants had every reason to believe that this was the year they would win the World Series. They had defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers just days before in a best of three tie-breaker playoff series. On October 3, Giants fans witnessed the “Miracle of Coogan’s Bluff” – Bobby Thomson’s dramatic 9th inning home run off of Ralph Branca that propelled them into the Series against the Yankees.
The World Series would be a match-up between cross-river rivals and their respective rookie stars Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle and it would end up being the finale for Joe DiMaggio’s career.
On October 6, 1951 with 52,305 fans packed into the Polo Grounds, the largest crowd ever to see a World Series game in a National League ballpark, the Giants fans were cautiously optimistic.
The series was tied at one game apiece and the Giants were holding a slim 1-0 lead in the fifth inning, when depending on how you look at it, the Giants erupted or the Yankees fell apart. Continue reading
The Dodgers All-Star Shortstop Maury Wills Gets His 104th Stolen Base
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 3 – WILLS STEALS AGAIN – Maury Wills of the Dodgers slides safely into third for his 104th stolen base of the season, as the throw from catcher Ed Bailey of the Giants bounces past third baseman Jim Davenport and into left field. Wills kept going and scored on the action to put the Dodgers ahead 4-2. (AP Wirephoto)
Maury Wills lead the National League six straight times in stolen bases from 1960 -1965. When he shattered Ty Cobb’s 47-year-old single season record of 96 stolen bases in 1962, with 104 steals, Wills revolutionized the game. Teams looked at Wills style of play and realized they could change the outcome of the game by having their own speedsters.
Eventually Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson would each succeed in establishing new stolen base records of 118 and 130 bases respectively. But it was Maury Wills who brought back the art of the steal from the deadball era of baseball. In addition to an all-star selection and gold glove award Wills was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1962.
One interesting side note: Wills got caught stealing only 13 times in 1962. In his 96 steals, Ty Cobb was caught 38 times in 1915.
October 1, 1961, A Home Run Record Is Set & Baseball Blows Its Big Moment
Roger Maris emerges from the dugout to tip his cap after hitting his 61st home run of the season. October 1, 1961
52 years ago today, on the last day of the regular season October 1, 1961, Roger Maris hit his 61st home run of the season off of the Red Sox hurler Tracy Stallard in the fourth inning. For those who were fortunate enough to be there, it was a great moment in baseball history.
Unlike many of today’s players who will take a curtain call without any prodding for driving in the go-ahead run, Maris had to literally be pushed out of the dugout to acknowledge the 23,154 cheering fans at Yankee Stadium.
So why were there only 23,154 fans to see Babe Ruth’s record eclipsed?
That has to do with former sportswriter and then baseball Commissioner, Ford Frick who was a great friend of Babe Ruth and his ghost-writer.
Frick had declared that an asterisk be placed next to any home run record set, if it was not accomplished in 154 games, which was the number of games Ruth played in 1927 when he set his home run mark at 60.
Legendary baseball owner Bill Veeck tells this scathing and hilarious story in his wonderful memoir, Veeck as in Wreck written with Ed Linn (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) 1962.
Let us be fair. Ford Frick does not try to do the wrong thing. Given the choice between doing something right or something wrong, Frick will usually begin by doing as little as possible. It is only when he is pushed to the wall for a decision that he will always, with sure instinct, and unerring aim, make an unholy mess of things.
Suppose that, purely as an exercise, I had put the following baseball question to you at any time during the past twenty-five years.
Suppose, starts the question, that someone comes along to challenge Babe Ruth’s record- which is THE record the same way Mt. Everest is THE mountain. Continue reading
Yankees Win Game 1, But Brooklyn Wins Their Only World Series
The World Series began on September 28, 1955. Yes, they actually used to begin the “fall classic” right after fall began. Yankee first baseman Joe Collins slugged his second home run of the game, a two run shot in the bottom of the sixth, to put the Yankees up 6-3 in a game they would go on to win 6-5. The outfielder in the photograph leaping in vain for the baseball is Dodger centerfielder Duke Snider.
This was also the game where Jackie Robinson stole home, which to this day is still disputed by Yankees catcher Yogi Berra who insists Robinson was out.
As covered previously by stuffnobodycaresabout, this World Series would be the Brooklyn Dodgers moment of glory as they ended up beating the Yankees in seven games.