Monday, March 23, 2009

NY Knicks and Rangers of the 1970s


My late Dad used to procure tickets for my brother and I from a partner of his for NY Knick and Ranger games during the 1970s. My parents would let us take the train into NYC and then would drive in to pick us up after the game. They must have figured since we were born in NYC we could handle ourselves, and they were spot on.

We sat in the "nose bleed seats" which had a price of around $6.00, which is pretty cheap when you consider that court side seats now fetch as much as $2500 each. These seats were located directly behind the Newspaper writers and we listened attentively to all their conversations, as much as we watched the games. There was a memorable comradeship among all those of us who had to sit up in "Heaven" at the World's Most Famous Arena that delights me to this day.

The Knicks in those days were a very good team, and tonight at Madison Square Garden they are honoring the old time Knicks. There have been some very good players since then like Patrick Ewing, Bernard King, and Charles Oakley but no championships.

The thing I remember about the Rangers was that on Sunday afternoon games which were being televised on TV the players would all slick back their hair so they would look good for the cameras. Nobody wore helmets in those days.




Here is a picture from that era of two of the three members of the GAG line.
The GAG line was a famous ice hockey line for the New York Rangers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It consisted of Jean Ratelle at center, Rod Gilbert on right wing and Vic Hadfield on the left side. They became famous for playing on a great New York team that never won a Stanley Cup. The GAG line was an acronym for Goal-A-Game line.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Songs of the Seventies

I am sitting at my desk today with my iPod set to Shuffle play, and it is apparent how much our teen years form tastes that never go away. In the space of three hours, the following songs came up at random:

  • “It’s Too Late” by Carol King.
    Though we really did try to make it . . .

  • “Killing Me Softly” by Roberta Flack.
    Strumming my pain with his fingers . . .

  • “Killer Queen” by Queen.
    Dynamite with a laser beam . . .

  • “How Sweet It Is” by James Taylor.
    It’s like sugar sometimes . . .

  • “Jet Airliner” by the Steve Miller Band.
    Don’t take me too far away . . .

  • “Incident On 57th Street” by Bruce Springsteen.
    “Spanish Johnny you can leave me tonight but just don’t leave me alone . . .

  • “I’m Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight” by Atlanta Rhythm Section.
    “Tomorrow I might go as far as suicide . . .

  • “Holly Holy” by Neil Diamond.
    Sing it out, sing it strong . . .

  • ”Tequila Sunrise” by the Eagles.
    Take another shot of courage . . .

    I listened to all these songs just this morning, not 30 years ago. Sure, there was some newer stuff interspersed in there (mostly country and folk music), but that’s a heck of a heavy dose of the 70s for one morning. Kinda felt like watching one of those Time Life infomercials.

    “But wait, order now and we’ll also send you this bonus CD!”
  • Sunday, March 15, 2009

    Summer of 1977 at the Jersey Shore



    Many thanks to Paul Ruck for posting countless photos on Facebook from our time at RHS. If you aren't a member then I suggest you join, if only to see the photos.


    It calls to mind the old Simon and Garfunkel song, "Bookends":

    Time it was, and what a time it was, it was

    A time of innocence, a time of confidences

    Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph

    Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you


    Tuesday, March 03, 2009

    Some Vintage Ridgewood Photos!

    Here's some vintage Ridgewood photos I recently found. Some are not dated and others are. I love finding old photos of Ridgewood! Enjoy!

    Above is an undated photo of students in class at George Washington Junior High School.

    Above photo shows students in the cafeteria at Ridgewood High School - undated photo.

    Above is a photo of Oak Street Ridgewood - the original caption was dated 1933.

    And finally here's a photo of former New York Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton painting in his spare time inside his Ridgewood NJ home. It was said that Bouton had over 100 paintings in the house at the time - circa 1964. Bouton used to get his haircut at Johnnie's Barbershop in town!