Greenwich Village, 2016

Things are the same
and things change.
Porto Rico is still
where it’s always been,
But Old El Paso
has gone Italian.

Caffe Reggio on Mcdougal
since nineteen twenty-seven
hasn’t changed one bit
except for the prices,
of course.

Students walk by
in the late afternoon,
as young as ever,
perhaps as ambitious
and idealistic as ever.
Certainly, more diverse
than ever.

Today, Greenwich Village
reflects the constant
and the changes
in New York City,
perhaps the US
and our world
as well.

May it ever be so.

Goosebumps

So, as I parked my car in Asbury Park, this big goose calls me from across the street. "Hey, you, with the tie-dyed shirt and that beautiful woman. Take my picture. Take it now, before the sun sets!" 

So, I did.

Ballad of the 59th Street Subway Station

by Lou Bruns

Deep to the bowels where the smells and stench reek,
go the strong men and women, the fools and the meek.
But the scene here unfolds, like a madman's nightmare,
and if you are sane you'll just stay away from there.

The stage is New York, and the actors are men,
with strong supporting roles from the dead and the damned.
The setting’s all perfect...a bum’s at the door,
and then from a distance, you hear a dull roar.

The station is cleared for the coming onslaught,
the transit cop waits, his nerves tied in knots.
And then from the earth comes the five o'clock train,
rolling and rocking like an old drunken lame.

Hundreds and thousands (and then maybe more),
were squashed in that train, right up to the door.
The train grinds its wheels to force itself halt,
and then from the cars came a flash and a bolt.

Hundreds and thousands crammed fighting for space,
it mattered not who you were or what was your race.
And then from the lungs came a cry of despair,
it seems that another train had pulled up in there.

Fat ladies and models; yes even the meek,
the hippies, the hardhats, the cops and the freaks.
They all pushed and shoved to get down the hall,
and out through the gates where the smog greets them all.

For some odd ten minutes, this scene here went by,
and all that I've written is not just a lie.
The screams of the infants, whose mom’s breast they wish,
the odor of armpits that smelled like old fish.

Then suddenly, as if God himself heard our call,
the station went quiet; you could hear a pin fall.
And the wino; whose eyes have just witnessed this scene,
swore off of the bottle, to prevent more DTs.

Written by Lou Bruns with pen on paper in spring of 1972, now published digitally for the first time.

Voice of Amsterdam Houses:

“I was here first, Lincoln Center.
And I housed many New Yorkers
of all shapes and colors
long before all the other
tall new buildings in the ‘hood.

"So, show me and my people respect
as you’re entertained.
Be kind as you go to and from
cafes and restaurants,
stores and offices around town.

"It’s a great big city,
and it can be a good place
for all of us, poor and rich.”

The Seton Hall-Rutgers rivalry

When Seton Hall University's baseball team scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie Rutgers en route to a 7-6 win in 10 innings on Tuesday, my college friend Dave and I were ecstatic. We cheered and high-fived each other like some of the undergraduates in the stands. After all, it wasn't just another team our Pirates were playing that day. It was Rutgers, our intra-state rival. Yeah, the Rutgers we always get extra pleasure in beating.

A win against Rutgers, in any sport, on any day, has been extra special to me since I was a student at Seton Hall in 1976. That was the year Rutgers' mens basketball team finished its schedule undefeated, posting an NBA-like 119-93 win over the Pirates early in the season.  Seton Hall finished a very respectable 18-9 thanks to some outstanding play by Glenn Mosely, Greg Tynes and Tom Flaherty. But no, the headlines and talk were all about the great Rutgers team featuring Phil Sellers, Mike Dabney, Ed Jordan, Hollis Copeland, James Bailey and, off the bench, Abdel Anderson. Yeah, you could say I took some pleasure in seeing the Scarlet Knights getting beat (twice) in the Final Four round of the NCAA tournament at the end of March.

It was payback for the Pirates 13 years later, when Seton Hall trounced Rutgers at the Meadowlands, 96-70, en route to the NCAA championship game. That Seton Hall team, featuring John Morton, Andrew Gaze, Ramon Ramos, Daryll Walker and Gerald Greene, beat Indiana, UNLV and Duke in the NCAA tournament before being edged by Michigan in overtime of the final.  To some Seton Hall fans, however, the early-season win against a Rutgers team that would finish 18-13 was among the sweetest.

The Seton Hall-Rutgers basketball rivalry dates back 100 years. I'm happy to say the Pirates have more often gotten the better of the Scarlet Knights during that time, winning 38 of the 67 games they've played. Some of Seton Hall's wins against Rutgers occurred during seasons when the Pirates had mediocre teams. But, as long as the year included a win against the Scarlet Knights, it was not a lost season.

Many of the Seton Hall-Rutgers basketball games have been nail biters -- 20 of the last 24 matchups were decided by six points or less or went into overtime -- but not since the rivalry began contesting the Garden State Hardwood Classic two seasons again. The Pirates trounced the Scarlet Knights, 81-54, in Newark two winters ago, and humiliated Rutgers in Piscataway, 84-55, last December. Yeah, I like that!

The two New Jersey universities have also played 110 baseball games against each other during the last 70 years. Seton Hall holds a 56-53 (with one tie) advantage in the series. Few of the wins, however, could have been as sweet as Tuesday's. Down to its last out of the game with a runner on first base, Seton Hall batters drew three consecutive walks and then came through with a pair of hits to tie it. In the bottom of the 10th, the Pirates again drew three walks and then used an infield hit to bring in the winning run.

Seton Hall nearly did it again today at Rutgers, scoring with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth to pull within a run, but it was not to be as the Scarlet Knights held on to a 3-2 win. So, the Pirates tossed them a bone. Yeah, we'll remember the next time we beat them on the basketball court, baseball field or any other competition.

 

Remembering "El Flaco"

Missing from nearly all the tributes to the great Johan Cruyff today, as news spread of his passing away from lung cancer at age 68, was the impact he had on U.S. soccer fans. Well, some of us, anyway.

After his contract with F.C. Barcelona expired and he declined to play for Holland in the 1978 World Cup, Cruyff came to the U.S. to resume his career. Initially, it was hoped he would be the next big star to sign for the Cosmos. After appearances in a few exhibition games with the team that fall, however, a longer term deal was not worked out.

Instead, Cruyff signed to play for the North American Soccer League's Los Angeles Aztecs during the 1979 season. He wound up winning the NASL's Most Valuable Player award and boosting the team's fortunes on the field and at the gate that year, although Aztecs crowds averaging 14,000 looked tiny in the huge Rose Bowl.

The following year, Cruyff moved on to Washington D.C. to play for the Diplomats. His 45 minutes of brilliance in a match against the Cosmos at the Meadowlands that summer included a moment I will never forget.

With his back towards Cosmos defender Andranik Eskandarian, Cruyff controlled a pass with one foot raised to his waist and, a split second later, used his other foot to juggle the ball over his head and that of Eskandarian. In a flash, Cruyff ran onto his own pass as Eskandarian -- a starter on Iran's 1978 World Cup team and among the NASL's best defenders-- could only turn around, flat-footed, and watch Cruyff race towards the goal.

That stroke of skill and genius by a 33-year-old Cruyff made flying back home from my brother's wedding early that Sunday morning worthwhile. Cruyff was substituted at halftime -- he disliked playing on artificial surfaces -- and within a year he was out of the NASL altogether, choosing to end his brilliant career back in Europe.

"El Flaco," as he was affectionately known to Spanish soccer fans  during the mid-1970s, was a unique talent, a visionary both on and off the field. Certainly, he will be remembered as one of the greatest players of all time.

(Photo of Johan Cruyff from Pinterest)

Little Lewie, the gentle giant

When he was just a teenager in New York City, the man who became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was affectionately known as "Little Lewie" in the neighborhood around Power Memorial Academy, the high school that once stood on Amsterdam Avenue and 61 Street. 

It's been over 50 years since Kareem, named Lew Alcindor at the time, graduated from Power (which closed in 1984), but many people who lived in the neighborhood still have fond memories of the gentle giant who went on to stardom on three UCLA national championship teams and became the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

Flipping through the current issue of Esquire, this picture caught my attention. Besides recognizing Kareem when he was still Lew, I also recognize the setting for the photo — it’s the P.S. 191 playground on Amsterdam Avenue between 61-60 Streets.

When this photo was taken in 1963, I lived in the Amsterdam Houses neighborhood at 40 Amsterdam Ave., across 61 St. from P.S. 191. Just a first grader at St. Paul the Apostle School on 60 St. between Amsterdam and Columbus Aves., I only vaguely recall Alcindor walking with friends to/from school directly across Amsterdam Ave. from me. Of course, his height made him stand out. I recently asked other St. Paul students on Facebook if they had any recollections of him walking past the school or around the neighborhood when he was at Power. 

They sure did!

"I was with Lew when the photographer was taking the pictures and also have this picture and others of that same day. I was just thinking about the few dances we went to together," wrote Eva, who also lived across the street from Power at 40 Amsterdam Ave. 

"Lew used to visit us," wrote Enid. "He and my sister Eva were good friends. He was a nice person. Very humble and respectful. When he would sit down on the sofa, my father and he would be eye to eye level!"

Enid added that Kareem was "a shy person" but trusted her sister, Eva.

Constance shared a similar memory: “I danced with Lew when I was 15-16 years old at the 'Rooftop' club, ages ago," she wrote.

"I remember him dipping his head to enter the door of Fisher's Grocery store," wrote Linda H. "He bought a soda and it looked so tiny in his hand. Little Lewie showed up for a Power dance with a cute little gal that was about my size. The contrast made me smile." 

Andrew wrote with similar memories of the tall teenager. Nancy also recalled him at the Power dances.

"Lew was friends with my brother John (my brother was on Power's basketball team too!)," wrote Nora. "He was at our house a few times too. But my fondest memory is he and my brother tossing me back and forth at the pool. I never hit the water! (I always joke that I made him a better player.)"

"I remember he wore a tan raincoat, similar to one my father had," wrote Linda O. "He was on Amsterdam Ave., walking either to or from Power, in front of that Palisades Amusement Park poster that was on the construction site in front of what would become Fordham, I think." 

"I used to be scared of the 'giant' until one day he said hello in such a gentle voice!" wrote Diane.

"When i saw him I used to say 'hi Little Lewie'," wrote Andrea. Kathy and Karen also wrote that they remembered him as "Little Lewie."

"I will never forget the time he gave me a ride on his shoulders," wrote Tara.

"He used to play with me when I was in my carriage and pick me up and toss me in the air," recalled James C., who is probably grateful the future basketball great did not use him to practice his sky hook shot.  

"He walked past St. Paul's every day on his way to the subway," wrote Pat. "My brother played basketball with him at Power. I have his autograph signed Lew Alcindor." 

Theresa also wrote recalling him walking past St. Paul's as she was walking home, as did Helen.

"We would pass him all the time when we were on the way to the subway," wrote Helen. "Never had a clue as to who he would become."

“All the kids had talked about him and I remember finally seeing Lew Alcindor for the first time probably when I was in the fifth grade," commented Saida. "Lew was walking past St. Paul's toward the subway. I had never seen anyone that height before and I was also impressed by his dignity and seeming determination. He was dressed in a wool jacket and carried a briefcase."

"My mom told me stories about him when she worked part-time at Power," wrote Angelica. "At 4'11" she was amazed by this teenager's height."

"I had the privilege of seeing him play at Power Memorial as a young girl going to St. Paul's," wrote Terri H. "I knew then he would grow (no pun intended ) to be someone special. It was fun watching him not even have to leap to make a basket."

“I lived at 50 Amsterdam and saw him all the time," remembered Catherine. "Went to many of his basketball games. He was a little uncoordinated in the beginning and soon became a great player.”

Hilda wrote that she remembered seeing Kareem "many times around Power."

Robin wrote that she "also saw him a few times at (the) P.S. 191 night program."

"I was very little but my mother would point him out to me and I do remember that," wrote Bill.

Still, boys will be boys, whether they're elementary school children at St. Paul's or high school students from Power.

"Some of the boys playing in the street, waiting for St. Paul's line-up bell, used to throw snow balls at him as he walked down 60th street towards Amsterdam Avenue," wrote Gina. "I think he retaliated a few times."

“Many times my siblings and I walked alongside him as we went to St. Paul's and he went to Power Memorial," recalled Velda. "Sorry to say, we use to tease him about his height.”

Hector summarized the feelings of many people from the neighborhood when he wrote, "Basically anyone who lived in the projects at one time or another saw him. I lived in 70 Amsterdam and saw him quite frequently."

Please feel free to comment on your own sightings of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, either as a youngster, professional basketball player or author. It's unlikely you've forgotten him if your paths ever crossed in New York City or elsewhere! 

(Photo of photo from Esquire March 2016 issue copyright The Richard Avedon Foundation)