The Cyber Boxing Zone -- Garfield's Corner

Connections:
Jack Dempsey

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January 24, 2003:
Heroes Up Close

When I was a youngster, my dad took me to Jack Dempsey's Restaurant on Broadway in New York.

It was a landmark...a fixture...but no longer there. ( I hate progress)

There was Dempsey sitting in a booth at a window table signing autographs.

My dad took me in to meet him.

Dempsey looked at me for a moment, bent down and challenged me: "Put up your dukes!" I jumped into a stance, and Dempsey did likewise, rolling those HUGE fists in front of my nose..

Then he broke into a big smile, scooped-me-up with one arm and ruffled my hair.

Till this day, I can still see that legend face, big as a monument, right up next to me.

* * * * *

When I was in my 20's, I had a buddy named Sal, who was a tough street fighter and gave it a shot as a pro heavyweight . No amateur experience--just balls and a big punch.

Sal worshiped at the idol of Joe DiMaggio; everything out of his mouth was: Joe DiMaggio this and Joe DiMaggio that, and he was 'the best Italian athlete ever.'..and blah, blah, blah. It never stopped.

Every day Sal took a pounding, sparring, and it was worse in the few prelims that he got.

When he packed-it-in, Sal opened an Italian restaurant in Queens, named after his idol: "Joltin Joe's. Every inch of inside was covered with pictures and paintings of DiMaggio, newspaper clippings about him, and the wall paper was all Yankee pinstripes.

For years, the guys would go in Joltin Joe's for dinner at least once a week, but you could hardly eat, with all Sal's DiMaggio stories.

I had a friend who did some business with people connected to DiMaggio, and I told him all about Sal and what a thrill it would be for him if DiMaggio would come to his restaurant.

Not too long after, the guy calls me back and says '"Joe will do it this Friday at 8 P.M.

" So, I roundup all our friends, and we make it our business to be in the restaurant early. We couldn't wait to see Sal's reaction when DiMaggio walked in the door.

We all made small talk...but it was killing us. Finally, the door opens and there's DiMaggio--"Joe D," in person-- as dapper as you could imagine in a double breasted sharkskin suit.

I thought Sal was going to have a coronary. His mouth dropped open; his eyes went wide. He practically leaped over to where DiMaggio was: "Joe...Joe! This the greatest dream of my life! I never thought I would ever meet you. Look... your pictures are every place!... You've been my hero since I was kid!"

It was all we could do to keep it together.

"Sit! sit! Joe. I make you something personally" Sal almost kissed us as he headed into the kitchen.

Joe was seated and waited. We were flying, seeing Sal's dream come true.

When Sal came out and placed the food on the table, he said to Joe, with his eyes glistening: "My son feels the same way about you that I do, Joe. Could you autograph this menu... to Paulie?"

DiMaggio looked up: "I get $5 for that."

All the air was sucked out of the room.

Sal looked at him... not believing what he heard, then hurled himself on top of DiMaggio, trying to strangle him, yelling, "YOU MISERABLE MUTHA FUCKER!

It took all of us to pull him off DiMaggio. Sal kept trying to dive back at him. We were barely able to get DiMaggio out of there and back into his car.

Be careful what you wish for... you may get.

* * * * *

This was back in New York at the old Gramercy Gym on 14thSt.

I was sitting ringside watching sparring and talking fights with some of the other regulars, and another guy joined the conversation and introduced himself as Harold Green.

Harold Green was a helluva middleweight from the 40's , who beat Rocky Grazino twice.

As soon as one of the guys heard him say: Harold Green, he was all over him with questions. He wanted to know every detail of what it was like facing Graziano: Was Graziano as hard a puncher as everyone said? Did Graziano every hurt him?

The guy couldn't have been nicer; he spent about two hours answering every question before he had to leave.

The guy that was asking the questions was Harold Green.

- John Garfield