My 1972 Topps Rookie Pick-up

[nicknock-2013]

Great story indeed. I know this is a basketball story but you mentioned Yorkville so I thought I'd chime in. Yorkville was a tough (Irish German) neighborhood. As a kid from the Bronx we played roller hockey, the Nationals were a Yorkville roller hockey team. The West Side Jokers were another Manhattan roller and ice hockey team we played against. Several boys that played for those teams made it to the NHL. Joey and Brian Mullen were two of the most famous. Didn't mean to step on your story Herb but you conjured up some memories of my own. Thanks

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[herbc]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Great story. So Roche lit you up? Well, don't feel bad; at least your butt-kicking was metaphorical. A friend of mine was an amateur boxer until he got in the ring and got destroyed by a fighter named "Hagler".

For those who don't know the geography, Yorkville is south of Harlem (72nd-96th Street). I am from there originally (72nd street as a tyke, then over to 84th street). The best basketball player from there is Bob Cousy, who moved to Queens when was a teen. The best athlete from the area is Lou Gehrig.

I looked up Roche and found that Roche is an attorney at the Denver office of the law firm Taylor|Anderson. If you want to get him to sign the card, you could probably track him down. Might be a fun memento from the old days!

Small world, I lived on 83rd street for 22 years. I've thought about trying to get it autographed, but will wait to get a duplicate in case it's not returned.

Originally Posted by nicknock-2013

Great story indeed. I know this is a basketball story but you mentioned Yorkville so I thought I'd chime in. Yorkville was a tough (Irish German) neighborhood. As a kid from the Bronx we played roller hockey, the Nationals were a Yorkville roller hockey team. The West Side Jokers were another Manhattan roller and ice hockey team we played against. Several boys that played for those teams made it to the NHL. Joey and Brian Mullen were two of the most famous. Didn't mean to step on your story Herb but you conjured up some memories of my own. Thanks

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Yes, roller hockey was very big there. As a matter of fact, it became popular up the entire Eastside into East Harlem for a while.

[jb67]

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

[WillBBC]

That is great! Thank you for sharing!

[brian1961]

Fascinating story and well told. Happy for you on your pick-up. What a swell accoutrement to go with your story. That's what I'd call the perfect conversation piece!

Being from metropolitan NYC, were you acquainted with Stahl-Meyer hot dogs? Were they as good as I've heard people remember them to be? Sorry to be so off-topic; I rarely get to converse with a New Yorker, and back in 53-55 they issued baseball card sets. So, I just thought I'd take the opportunity to ask you.

Thanks again for the story. It sure kept my interest. ---Brian Powell