I grew up in Dorchester, MA and have fond memories of going to the public library to read sports books. My favorite was a biography of Hank Aaron. his is in 1965. My Dad and Hank Aaron were on the Jackonsville affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 or 1954.
Funny---I just read this now, but last night I looked up that 60-footer on YouTube. Amazing to think it was worth only two points. Today that would've won the game. I recall reading somewhere that in addition to being Mr. Clutch, he should have gone by Mr. Clutched, since he was so often fouled (whether it was called or not). I do think that it's unfortunate he was depicted so horrendously in the HBO series--so much so that he threatened legal action: https://deadline.com/2022/04/jerry-west-hbo-adam-mckay-winning-time-1235006267/
As a Laker fan, the 50 ft shot was legendary, but hardly the thing that comes to mind about him. His battles, mostly to his advantage, against Walt Frazier & Oscar Robertson are what comes to mind. He was the best against the best. But somehow he came in 2nd a lot. He had several finals losses, mostly against the Celtics. And he came in 2nd in MVP voting several times. A couple of the finals losses should have gone the other way. He always had big games in losing efforts. Strangely the year they won, he didn’t have a good series. He was all NBA all but his first and last year. I remember his last year. He was still a good player, but started missing shots he always made. He could have been a productive player for at least a couple of more years, but he couldn’t tolerate anything less than greatness. We fans took him a bit for granted, then he was gone & irreplaceable. Then he tried coaching a less than great team and he didn’t seem very happy. It’s tough for great players to coach average players. He was definitely way better helping to put the Showtime Lakers together and later getting Kobe and Shaq. He really was the Lakers. We miss him.
Wow, I knew that we lived near each other (I'm 61 so I've got a couple of years on you), but not this close. I lived on Colony (right behind the movie theater) and walked past the Cleve Hts. - Univ. Hts. library twice a day going and coming from Northwood elementary, stopping in at least twice a week. The first books that I remember borrowing and reading were from the Punt, Pass and Kick library, https://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-punt-pass-and-kick-library-book.html. I think that I still have some that I got as Birthday and Channukah presents packed away somewhere. Even though we lived in South Euclid, our street was in the Heights School District. FYI, though it's changed, Cedar Center is doing well, and so is the Library. I still get my haircuts there, less frequently, (the shop has moved around the corner next to Greaci's) and use the meeting rooms at the Library to meet with clients from that part of town. Thanks for these awesome memories!
Is there any record of Jerry West whiing about a call, complaining about losing, gloating over winning, faking a charge (flopping), dissing his opponents? Those are rampant in NBA and unfortunately into the WNBA? I may be nostalgic, but I don't remember that happening with West, nor Baylor, nor Erving, nor any of the Spurs, among others.
Jerry West was indirectly responsible for me dancing with and smooching a bit with Tiffany Amber Thiessen. Let me explain.
Jerry was friendly with my incredibly beautiful next-door neighbor back in the late 90s, and he got her tickets for the Super Bowl in San Diego in 1998, as well as the Saturday night NBC gala at the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad. She couldn't make the Saturday night gig, so she gave her two tickets to me at the last minute. My buddy and I went, and we were seated at a table with John Lithgow, among others.
When the band started playing, the Beach Boys by the way, I asked Tiffany to dance, not knowing who she was. We enjoyed ourselves for a half hour or so, until she told me her name, and I didn't react with shock and awe because I had no idea why I should care. She didn't like that at all, and that was it for me.
I guess because we are close to the same age, the main thing ingrained in me about Jerry West is that 60-foot shot. I'm a Knicks fan and heard it on the radio. If you say Jerry West, it's the first thing I think of every time. Amazing.
A couple of notes about that ridiculous, miraculous shot. First, only a few years later, that shot would have won the game as a 3-pointer. And it would have won the Lakers and West the championship in 1970, since they ended up losing the game and losing the series in 7 (the Willis Reed game).
I don’t think I ever scored double figures in an organised basketball game, but I did hit a half court buzzer beater once (sadly a half time buzzer so doesn’t really count I guess) but still, 1 and only 1 thing I have in common with Jerry West
I remember watching that game in my dorm room my junior year in college, along with some fellow New Yorkers who were Knicks fans as I was. West's shot at the buzzer was incredible- a dagger to the heart after we thought DeBusschere had just sealed the game. As astonishing as West was as a player, he may have even been better as an executive.
If we can call a head coach an executive, then hands down nobody beats Dan Gable in wrestling. His high school and college wrestling record was 182-1. (And the story of that 1 loss was a doozy). He won the Olympic gold medal in 1972, an era when American wrestlers never won wrestling gold medals. He gave up ZERO points in that Olympics. And as a coach at Iowa he won 15 NCAA championships in 21 years, and all 21 Big Ten Championships. He coached 152 All-Americans.
With all due respect to Jerry West, that is some record.
I grew up in Dorchester, MA and have fond memories of going to the public library to read sports books. My favorite was a biography of Hank Aaron. his is in 1965. My Dad and Hank Aaron were on the Jackonsville affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 or 1954.
Your best story in a while, I reckon
Funny---I just read this now, but last night I looked up that 60-footer on YouTube. Amazing to think it was worth only two points. Today that would've won the game. I recall reading somewhere that in addition to being Mr. Clutch, he should have gone by Mr. Clutched, since he was so often fouled (whether it was called or not). I do think that it's unfortunate he was depicted so horrendously in the HBO series--so much so that he threatened legal action: https://deadline.com/2022/04/jerry-west-hbo-adam-mckay-winning-time-1235006267/
As a Laker fan, the 50 ft shot was legendary, but hardly the thing that comes to mind about him. His battles, mostly to his advantage, against Walt Frazier & Oscar Robertson are what comes to mind. He was the best against the best. But somehow he came in 2nd a lot. He had several finals losses, mostly against the Celtics. And he came in 2nd in MVP voting several times. A couple of the finals losses should have gone the other way. He always had big games in losing efforts. Strangely the year they won, he didn’t have a good series. He was all NBA all but his first and last year. I remember his last year. He was still a good player, but started missing shots he always made. He could have been a productive player for at least a couple of more years, but he couldn’t tolerate anything less than greatness. We fans took him a bit for granted, then he was gone & irreplaceable. Then he tried coaching a less than great team and he didn’t seem very happy. It’s tough for great players to coach average players. He was definitely way better helping to put the Showtime Lakers together and later getting Kobe and Shaq. He really was the Lakers. We miss him.
Wow, I knew that we lived near each other (I'm 61 so I've got a couple of years on you), but not this close. I lived on Colony (right behind the movie theater) and walked past the Cleve Hts. - Univ. Hts. library twice a day going and coming from Northwood elementary, stopping in at least twice a week. The first books that I remember borrowing and reading were from the Punt, Pass and Kick library, https://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-punt-pass-and-kick-library-book.html. I think that I still have some that I got as Birthday and Channukah presents packed away somewhere. Even though we lived in South Euclid, our street was in the Heights School District. FYI, though it's changed, Cedar Center is doing well, and so is the Library. I still get my haircuts there, less frequently, (the shop has moved around the corner next to Greaci's) and use the meeting rooms at the Library to meet with clients from that part of town. Thanks for these awesome memories!
Is there any record of Jerry West whiing about a call, complaining about losing, gloating over winning, faking a charge (flopping), dissing his opponents? Those are rampant in NBA and unfortunately into the WNBA? I may be nostalgic, but I don't remember that happening with West, nor Baylor, nor Erving, nor any of the Spurs, among others.
Jerry West was indirectly responsible for me dancing with and smooching a bit with Tiffany Amber Thiessen. Let me explain.
Jerry was friendly with my incredibly beautiful next-door neighbor back in the late 90s, and he got her tickets for the Super Bowl in San Diego in 1998, as well as the Saturday night NBC gala at the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad. She couldn't make the Saturday night gig, so she gave her two tickets to me at the last minute. My buddy and I went, and we were seated at a table with John Lithgow, among others.
When the band started playing, the Beach Boys by the way, I asked Tiffany to dance, not knowing who she was. We enjoyed ourselves for a half hour or so, until she told me her name, and I didn't react with shock and awe because I had no idea why I should care. She didn't like that at all, and that was it for me.
That is such a great story. I imagine that is why you are, "The Man."
A legend in my own mind....
You made out with Tiffany Amber Thiessen... That is pretty epic. Maybe she's a reader and will reach out...
Ha, I man can dream...
This already-great story is made even more wonderful by the very tenuous connection to Jerry West.
He made it happen, albeit indirectly........
I guess because we are close to the same age, the main thing ingrained in me about Jerry West is that 60-foot shot. I'm a Knicks fan and heard it on the radio. If you say Jerry West, it's the first thing I think of every time. Amazing.
Beautiful, Joe. Thank you.
I still remember the call, “West, from 80, good!”
RIP Jerry West, a great player, a great GM...
A couple of notes about that ridiculous, miraculous shot. First, only a few years later, that shot would have won the game as a 3-pointer. And it would have won the Lakers and West the championship in 1970, since they ended up losing the game and losing the series in 7 (the Willis Reed game).
Yep. The game in which Wilt wouldn’t take it to the hole against a one legged man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzWGnA4Ll-0
60-footer
I don’t think I ever scored double figures in an organised basketball game, but I did hit a half court buzzer beater once (sadly a half time buzzer so doesn’t really count I guess) but still, 1 and only 1 thing I have in common with Jerry West
I remember watching that game in my dorm room my junior year in college, along with some fellow New Yorkers who were Knicks fans as I was. West's shot at the buzzer was incredible- a dagger to the heart after we thought DeBusschere had just sealed the game. As astonishing as West was as a player, he may have even been better as an executive.
Help me out people...is there ANYbody, in ANY sport, who was this great as both a player and an executive?
If we can call a head coach an executive, then hands down nobody beats Dan Gable in wrestling. His high school and college wrestling record was 182-1. (And the story of that 1 loss was a doozy). He won the Olympic gold medal in 1972, an era when American wrestlers never won wrestling gold medals. He gave up ZERO points in that Olympics. And as a coach at Iowa he won 15 NCAA championships in 21 years, and all 21 Big Ten Championships. He coached 152 All-Americans.
With all due respect to Jerry West, that is some record.
Good stuff with Gable, although in wrestling that's becoming common with John Smith and now Cael.
Matt Millen.
The only name that comes to my mind is Ozzie Newsome, but I think West has him beat on both counts.