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Too much epic ’70s rock climbing goodness not to share–
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The Stonemasters: California Rock Climbers in the Seventies
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The Stonemasters: California Rock Climbers in the Seventies
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Tag Archives: sports
MASTER CLASS | THE EPIC CALIFORNIA ROCK CLIMBERS OF THE SEVENTIES
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The Stonemasters: California Rock Climbers in the Seventies
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Their ranks included John Long, John Yablonski, John Bachar, Tobin Sorenson and Richard Harrison, this long-haired band of bros from Southern California, who, armed with little more than frayed cut-offs, dark shades and folded bandanas, heralded the golden age of American rock climbing. They called themselves the Stonemasters—cheeky, but deserved—in their stripped-down, bare-bones approach to climbing, they devised revolutionary techniques, underscored by their renegade attitudes. Balancing intensity and exuberance, the Stonemasters were a team of some of the most innovative daredevils the world has ever seen, and in the early 1970s, these laid-back originators of adventure sports were risking life and limb, long before the X Games had a moniker, before Title IX passed legislation, and before the Z-Boys had a pubic hair to scratch between them.
EL REY DE BASEBALL | ROBERTO CLEMENTE
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From the desk of Contributing Editor, Eli M. Getson–
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Roberto Clemente is, was, and will always be the standard that all Latino ball players will be measured against. He and Lou Gehrig are the only players to have the five year Hall of Fame waiting period waived so they could gain immediate entry. A legendary baseball player– the classic five tool guy, but he also was someone who rose above sports– his selflessness and dedication to help other human beings transcended baseball, and lifted all people regardless of color, creed, or religion. He was a trailblazer for Latin players who carried himself with grace & dignity– and possessed a fierce will to excel.
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July 1966, PA — Pittsburgh Pirates Outfielder Roberto Clemente — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis
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Nothing was as breath taking as watching Clemente’s batting helmet fly off as he legged out a triple after clubbing the ball into the gap or watching one of his defensive gems in old Forbes Field. Most will never forget the fact that his 3,000th hit was achieved at his last at bat– almost as if the fates knew he would not be among us much longer.
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Sept 30th, 1972 — Roberto Clemente made his 3,000 hit. Doug Harvey, umpire, is shown handing him the ball on the field. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis
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STEVE McQUEEN | LE MANS & BEYOND GRATUITOUS 1970s RACING GOODNESS
Steve McQueen at the legendary 1970 12 Hours of Sebring Race where McQueen (partnered with co-driver Peter Revson) raced with a broken left foot in a cast against racing great, Mario Andretti. McQueen is sporting his iconic ’67 Rolex Submariner that went for $234,000 at auction in 2009. BTW – Anyone else feeling the “Brian Johnson AC/DC ” vibe here with the black leather 8-panel cap?
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Steve McQueen’s 1971 epic, Le Mans, is the racecar film that is widely hailed as the gold standard for which all such films are measured– now, and certainly well into the future. It was filmed largely live at the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, without the benefit of computer generated imagery and modern day trickery that we rely on today. It feels raw because it is raw. McQueen had originally planned to enter the #26 Porsche 917K with co-driver Jackie Stewart. Fate had other ideas– their entry car was rejected, and McQueen was unable to get insurance for the race. As such, Jo Siffert and Brian Redman were now given driving duties. While it was never a commercial success, it is long on guts, and is a sensory feast when it comes to the sounds and sights of what racing is all about. Looking back at this incredible era, it’s hard not to be struck between the eyes by the strong graphic elements of the cars, logos, racing gear, and attitude on display at every turn.
In preparation for the filming of the movie “Le Mans”, Steve McQueen went to the 1969 race to scout filming spots around the Le Mans course. When they returned in 1970 with all their camera equipment they knew all the best camera locations for the footage they would need for the movie “Le Mans.” I wonder who has all that film footage that they took in 1969? –Nigel Smuckatelli
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1970 — Steve McQueen at Sebring hanging out with Carroll Shelby.
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1970 — Steve McQueen at Sebring
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QB “BROADWAY JOE” NAMATH | NEW YORK, BROADS & BOLD PREDICTIONS
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From the desk of Contributing Editor, Eli M. Getson–
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Teammate Sherman Plunkett gave Namath his nickname after seeing this 1965 Sports Illustrated cover with Namath standing in front of New York City’s infamous avenue. The Hall of Famer lived up to the name with both his brash fur coats and bold predictions, the most well known coming in 1969 when he guaranteed his 19-point underdog Jets would defeat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. They did, 17-6, and Namath was named MVP. Photographed by: James Drake for Sports Illustrated
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Try to wrap your head around this– you’re the quarterback for the New York Jets in 1968-69; leading an upstart team from the counterculture AFL into Super Bowl III against the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts. You’re the poster-boy in the battle of the longhairs and freaks (Jets) versus the ultimate symbol of straight, corporate NFL excellence (Colts). You’re young, very single, and beyond sexy — like catnip to the ladies — you own NY. You have that sense of immortality that comes with being young, rich, and very, very good.
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New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath lounges by the pool with press and fans before Super Bowl III. Photographed by: Walter Iooss Jr. for Sports Illustrated
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To say it’s a charmed life is the understatement of the century. Those heady days leading up to Super Bowl III, rewrote the script for the celebrity athlete, the Super Bowl, and the fortunes of an upstart league of misfits, outlaws & free spirits. No matter what happened afterward, Joe Namath etched himself into our collective consciousness in that first month of ‘69. We all dreamt of being like Joe–carousing Manhattan’s hottest spots all hours of the night with a blond and brunette as bookends, armed with a bottle of Jack, letting it all hang out– and still having enough to burn the Raiders the next day. Dick Schaap, Namath biographer (and later co-host of the Joe Namath Show), said he witnessed just this before the AFL Championship that year. A legendary story celebrated by us fans– the ultimate testament to how cocksure our QB was. Today he would have been pilloried for his lack of “focus”, back then we celebrated how fun it all was and lived vicariously through “Broadway Joe”.
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Circa 1970– Rome, N.Y.: Jets’ star quarterback Joe Namath turns equestrian for his role in the forthcoming motion picture, C.C and Company. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS
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We all know what happened next– Miami, The Orange Bowl, the “Guarantee”, and then going out and making it happen. Miami Beach must have been a helluva good time that week. New York is a demanding town– you come to be great or be gone. If you can back up your bravado with action and bring home the prize then we will love you forever, no matter how much you embarrass yourself or us later on. We owe you that much for the memories alone.
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GREATEST RIVALRY IN ALL OF SPORTS | THE ARMY VS. NAVY FOOTBALL GAME
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From the desk of Contributing Editor, Eli M. Getson–
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The first reported kidnapping of "Bill the goat" was perpetrated one week before the Army-Navy football game of '53. West Point cadets snuck onto the Annapolis grounds, assisted by a West Point exchange student living at the Naval Academy. After locating the goat behind the stadium, the cadets stashed "Bill" in the back of a convertible-- however, their cover was blown when the goat's horns shredded the car's top. The cadets successfully made it back to West Point and presented the goat to the entire Corps at a raucous dinnertime pep rally-- however, many Navy midshipmen refused to resume classes until "Bill" was returned. After the goat's return was ordered by officials from West Point (as well as President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself, a West Point grad), the Army cadets staged a mass protest which was posted on the front page of several New York papers as "Goat Rebellion at West Point." The Army football team went on to defeat Navy 20-7.
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"Billy" the goat, under the watchful eye of Naval Academy caretakers.
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Every year since 1890, the Navy Midshipmen and Army Cadets meet in the cold of Early December, to play one of the great games in all of American sports. I’m hard-pressed to think of any other rivalry in all of sports extending that far back, with as much history, sentiment and anticipation as Army-Navy.
While the football fortunes of both service academies have risen and fallen– the grace, tradition, and style of this game endures.
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Original caption, November 1923-- This photo shows the Navy goat and the Army mule wishing each other good luck, in their own peculiar language, before the game. --- Image by © Bettmann. In 1899, at the Army-Navy Game, the Navy football team appeared with a mascot, a handsome if smelly goat. Army fans looked hastily for a mascot of their own. The Army mule was already legendary for its roughness and endurance, so the mule was obvious. A quartermaster in Philadelphia stopped a passing ice truck, and the big white mule pulling it became the first Army mascot. Dolled up in leggings, a collar and a gray blanket, with black gold and gray streamers fluttering from his ears, this mule met the Navy goat and - according to West Point legend - "hoisted that astonished goat toward the Navy stands to the delight of the laughing crowd." Army won the game too, 17-5. --via The Army Football Club.
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1912 -- The Army Mule at Army-Navy Football Game -- Image by © Bettmann.
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“I WANT TO TAKE YOU HIGHER” | THE TAO OF JULIUS ERVING
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Introducing the first of hopefully many guest posts by TSY’s good friend and resident menswear savant– Mr. Eli M. Getson. Eli and I worked together years ago at Polo Ralph lauren– I always appreciated his quick smile, incredible humor, and fun-loving style. Mr. Getson has long been threatening to contribute to TSY with his own nostalgic ramblings & rants on sports, music & menswear– and now he’s finally making good on his word.
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Tao can be roughly translated into English as path, or the way. It is basically indefinable– referring to a power which envelops, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. The Tao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the Universe. It has to be experienced in order to be truly understood.
For me, no other athlete better embodies this “flow” — using the natural passive power in the universe that flows through all of us and turning it into kinetic energy — than Julius “Dr. J” Erving. I will never forget watching him back in the day– high socks, short shorts, Converse high tops, his luxurious Afro blowing slightly back as he elevated, and the red, white, & blue ball of the ABA held in his massive hand so it looked like a grapefruit as he prepared to ascend to the hoop to wreak utter devastation on the opposition, and leave the earthbound mortals unable to do anything except gape in awe.
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THE GREAT BABE RUTH | THE BIGGER THEY ARE, THE HARDER THEY FALL
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“Some 20 years ago, I stopped talking about the Babe for the simple reason that I realized that those who had never seen him didn’t believe me.”
— sportswriter Tommy Holmes
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Simply put, Baseball’s biggest legend. Ever. Not just a great baseball player– the great Bambino was also an all-around avid sportsman, outdoorsman, notorious _______, drinker, and most of all, one helluva natty dresser. Some great candid shots of the Babe after the jump.
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Babe Ruth clutching his bat, and ready for action -- June 4th, 1920.
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It was not uncommon for Ruth to knock the cover off of the ball at Griffith Stadium, what was uncommon was the day Griffith Stadium knocked out the great Babe Ruth. On July 5, 1924 the Washington Senators first baseman Joe Judge hit a fly ball to right field, Ruth ran as hard as he could after the ball that was slicing foul, before Ruth got to the ball he got knocked out when he ran into the concrete wall. There he was the Great Bambino knocked out cold for five minutes. The Babe recovers after Yankees’ trainer Doc Woods pours some cold water on his face. The next day in the top of 8th inning Ruth gets his revenge when he hits his 22nd home run of the season off of Senators’ pitcher Joe Martina.
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(Babe) "Ruth Knocked Out" in a game against the Washington Senators -- July 5th, 1924.
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VINTAGE ROLLER DERBY BAD GIRLS | SASS ON WHEELS!
As a kid I recall catching glimpses of old Roller Derby matches on t.v. and being absolutely fascinated by what I saw. Tough as nails gals, some pretty and some just pretty rough– speeding around the track pulling hair, throwing elbows, and sending each other flying around, and even off the track. All I know is I wanted more. The sport is still alive and well today, but these vintage skaters possess a magical naivete and quality that just can’t be replicated. Count me as a fan.
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Midge Brasuhn of the Brooklynites.
The Jack Nicklaus & Arnold Palmer Rivalry | Vintage Golf’s Hottest Young Guns
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The beautiful weather today has me itching for a friendly round of golf (and refreshments) with a buddy– if only my game was good enough to keep me from embarrassing myself out there. I’ve got a crazy “baseball swing” for a drive– my short game is a little better, but not much.
I wonder (like the rest of us, surely) how Tiger Woods’ career would fare if he had a true master rival? Don’t get me wrong– Tiger is incredible, but he hasn’t really been tested against talent anywhere equal to his own. Not at all like the days of the Nicklaus/Palmer rivalry.
It was also a time when the sport had a lot more style and flair– the shirts fit actually fit like a shirt should, and smoking a butt on the course was no big deal. Arnold Palmer was easily the coolest cat on the green. His good looks and easy, devilish grin (matched with his skills) made him the one to watch.
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Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus check their driver clubs before teeing off for a tie breaking playoff in the 1962 US Open-- Oakmont Country Club, Pennsylvania.
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Coming into the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont, there was no doubt which player was the fan favorite. Arnold Palmer had won his third Masters the previous April and had notched 30 tournament titles over the previous seven years. In 1953, he was a mere 23-year-old amateur when he competed at Oakmont, but now he was the charismatic, go-for-broke swashbuckler. Palmer’s connection to the masses was remarkable. And the Open being played in his backyard created even more appeal. He was a western Pennsylvania native and Oakmont was this region’s signature championship layout.
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Squinty-eyed Palmer had style, charm, looks and skill. Jack Nicklaus more than made up for his personality and presentation deficits with an amazing game and heart that became legendary, and is still unmatched to this day.
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Jack Nicklaus was the anti-Palmer. Some people referred to him as “Fat Jack” because of the 22-year-old’s physique. But he arrived at his first Open as a professional with plenty of fire. The former Ohio State University All-American had won the 1959 and ’61 U.S. Amateur titles, and in between, he nearly took the 1960 U.S. Open, falling two strokes short of Palmer – although as play began at the ’62 Open Nicklaus was still searching for his first victory as a pro.
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The Selvedge Yard 