Feature Story
THEN & NOW
Written by Frank Rosenthal on January 27, 2003
A few weeks ago I received and inquiry regarding honing ones skills as an apprenticeship handicapper. Here's my abbreviated answer.
Faze one, that I began during my apprenticeship back when I was your age - perhaps a bit younger.
Winter
sports while residing in Chicago, Illinois. Up at 6:30 am 5 days a
week. That was the easy part. Departed from home at 7 am, on my way
heading towards the heart of downtown Chicago. Location: The corner of
State & Madison. Flocked with traffic and pedestrians on their way
to work.
Sometimes,
during the severe winter months, temperatures below freezing, and windy
as hell, with snow chains on all 4 tires, I'd arrive on the busiest
corner in the entire city at 8:15 - in order to be one of the first on
the scene waiting for the out-of-town newspapers to arrive. On my first
trip, as I pulled up to the corner I recall the temperature was a few
degrees below zero. Finding a close parking space was a score in
itself. The closest indoor garage was 2 blocks away, and under those
conditions, your balls could freeze up before you reached the outdoor
covered newsstand.
As I approached the stand - absolutely blue-faced and half frozen, I recognized a few semi-friendly sharpies. Hymie the Ace - a college hoop genius, levels above anyone I've ever met. There were times that I wondered - "does the Ace come from another planet?" Mustache Wally - a tough and successful wiseguy.
Morris
(the shoe box) Brotson - another college hoop killer - and McNeil -
alias Dillinger, for his look-alike appearance to the real John
Dillinger. Mac - as he was called was a mathematical guru, while he
dressed like a street bum, but he was a 4-letter-man who'd send you
home COD - if you weren't extra careful.
Anyway, I was impressed - they were not. The Ace was wearing a full-length fur-coat, and looked like an Eskimo. The others were also bundled up. Me, I was the young idiot. Short jacket, earmuffs, no gloves. But, I was a young-gun, and youth does have it's advantages. The Ace nodded towards me in a friendly manner. I walked towards him, and he said "Congratulations Kid - the next time it's this cold give the copper a ($10) a saw-buck, and he'll let you park up-close for 20 minutes." I said, thanks Ace, where you heading for? Answer, "the library." Picked up my dozen or so papers and headed back home. After I thawed-out I felt like I was in seventh-heaven.
Rubbing shoulders with all those top pros; little did I realize that there was much more ahead, and the road would be full of bumps, sharp-curves, and dead-ends. That was "then." Now, it's a piece-a-cake. No driving, no snow chains, etc. Just click below, and you'll find every major newspaper in the country.
PS. You can even go International. Just about anywhere on the Globe. NEWS.COM.AU