Gene Fisch

[cliftonparksufan]

War stories...from the front...Poor House West..Circa 1972...Layla probably blasting on the juke box.

Above the din I see this obviously desperate, really short guy, look up at her and say in a sickening plea .."Hi, my name is *****...how about you and I go to my place and I'll make you a steak dinner!" No response, no surprise.

He wasn't drunk and he wasn't trying to be funny. I felt a little sorry for him. but at the same time I almost barfed. One of the lamest pitches I ever heard.

Hopefully he's not a reader of this forum.

Maybe the girl was a vegeterian. He should have offered her a nice onion, mushroom and pepper omelet for breakfast.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Maybe the girl was a vegeterian. He should have offered her a nice onion, mushroom and pepper omelet for breakfast.

and taken her to the Little Gem or Poodle's and Jim's.

 

[bevosu]

and taken her to the Little Gem or Poodle's and Jim's.

Or the Westwood Inn...a short walk.

And...I've been trying to remember the name of that place, the James on Grand Ave. No remnants of it left?

I was there maybe twice..heard stories that the creek flowed right through the basement, or something like that.

 

[SkanSU]

Definitely the Little Gem after a hard night of partying ... given you didn't have to goto work.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Or the Westwood Inn...a short walk.

And...I've been trying to remember the name of that place, the James on Grand Ave. No remnants of it left?

I was there maybe twice..heard stories that the creek flowed right through the basement, or something like that.

Nothing left. They tore it down supposedly to build an extension of 690. They tore up Fay and Terry Rd too for the new road that the state never did. I heard that there was a cold spring too in the basement and that's where they kept all the beer etc - no refrigeration costs. Sad that it went for absolutely no reason. Parents took me there once when I was pretty young but I used to see it quite a lot on trips to Marble Farms - another great place that's pretty well history.

 

[SkanSU]

Marble Farms ... on Grand Ave at bottom of hill ,,, that was around for a long time... also used to frquent a place on S. Salina ... Marion Margarets ... I think I took my first date there.

 

[SkanSU]

Just to keep this thread alive and well and on the front page ... anybody want to talk about Sandy Pond?

 

[Cheriehoop]

We alternated between Sandy Pond, Brennan's beach and when rides were more of an issue - Green Lakes.

 

[thecoz1]

Don't get me started on Sandy Pond. Used to do that every Sunday during the Summer and rented "The Honey Girl" Camp for 2 weeks during the Summers of '65 and '66. Don't know how the owner let us back in'66. Seaweed and fish in the bathtub and beer cans piled up in the corner.The "Honey Girl" was just down the path from The Bayview Hotel and across the path from a little grocery store that used to be there. I think it was called "Eddie's" or something. Obviously also frequented The Comfort and The Wigwam.

 

[SkanSU]

Used to go to Sandy Pond with the friends about 3-4 times every summer with a keg... hung out more at Otisco Lake. But my "fondest"memories of SP are 1) after graduation I worked on the railroad and worked the night shift. Getting off shift driving and picking up my girlfriend and heading up to SP where I slept and she pranced around in the dunes; and, 2) at my Senior picnic (day after the prom) we headed up to Sandy Pond ... felt like crap. Couldn't figure out why until my girlfriend's mother (a nurse) advised me that I had the measles ... my day was ruined at SP because I had to sit under a bush out of the sun. My girlfriend cam down with the measles and several other seniors ... just before exams.

Loved Sandy Pond and the hotel... they had bands there.

 

[tipphill]

Or the Westwood Inn...a short walk.

And...I've been trying to remember the name of that place, the James on Grand Ave. No remnants of it left?

I was there maybe twice..heard stories that the creek flowed right through the basement, or something like that.

it was called james rock springs, was built into the side of the hill at the corner on grand ave. had great friday night fish dinners

 

[SkanSU]

This is great ... unlike most threads this one was never meant to die. Continues to bring back wonderful memories ... altho the James Rock Springs is one that I donot recall ... one of the few I guess

 

[tipphill]

if there are any old folks out there that have stories from 1955-60 i'd like them to reply with their memories of the old parochial league, sylvan beach summers garzone's etc.

 

[SkanSU]

We have a ton of "old folks" out here (I prefer mature) ... as shown by the fact that this wonderful thread just won't die ...betcha lots of good stories as well. Ahhhh ... Garzones.

 

[Orangeyes]

Regarding Garzone's:

There was a terrorist group in Central New York called the Elmwood Animals. Yes folks, that's right, we had homegrown terrorist right here in CNY back in the 50's-60's. My first encounter with them came at Archbold Stadium. They would use anything as an excuse to start a brawl. One tactic was to send a little kid over and start harassing bigger people, spit at you, call you names etc. If the bigger people reacted in anyway, boom the Animals would spring into action, seven or eight of them would jump in and start pounding people. If you went down to the ground they would stomp you until chased away. They were crazy mofo's led by two whack jobs named Donnie Zogg and Kevin Byrne, of the Byrne Dairy family. One time I was in line at Garzone's when all of a sudden from behind the door came a punch. It was delivered by Zogg and it nailed the kid in front of me knocking him out. When all was said and done this violent action was not for revenge, it was just done for kicks, on a dare.

In later years I remember seeing Zogg hobbled like an old man using a cane at the age of 20 or so. What a pitiful site for one who was once one of the most feared people in Syracuse.

Byrne moved down to Florida, got involved with the wrong people and was murdered by drug dealers. Before he moved south, he had a bar on Seneca Turnpike by OCC. It had been burglarized several times, so he lay in waiting above the false ceiling with shotgun in hand. Sure enough on one of those vigilant nights the perpetrator broke in and Kevin blew his head off.

Garzone's was the Animal's home bar, after that first experience I never went back.

 

[SkanSU]

There was Donnie, Johnny Sands, Kevin Byrne, and Chuckie Wilson. The Elmwood Animals got their name from their initial hang out in Elmwood Park ... where they formed and would go early in their young lives and drink. I was raised in the area and went to school with most of them. As I said in an earlier post I became good friends with John and Chuck ... which kept me harrassment free at Roosevelt. I used to kid John that he would be the only kid that graduates directly from Junior High School ... they all eventually went to Valley and I went to Central (except Chuck ... he went to Central as well). I guess the positive of knowing them was going to Garzones and never worrying about getting the crap beat out of you ... in fact I used to take my girlfriend there and never worried about her getting hit on ... They particularly "enjoyed" roaming South Ave. and South Salina St. (there used to be a pizzeria there) when they were younger and before Garzone's became their hangout. I learned to play dominoes at the pizza place btw. Rolling drunks was a sidelight to their usual activities.

They were destined to grow up and their fate was sealed very early on. Now OE... a terrorist group they were not ... at least notin the strict sense of the word. They weremore a precursor to today's gangs. But still very nasty. I have another story ... but, again that's for another time.

 

[RoysRunts]

I played against Gene Fisch in practice games; he for Sacred Heart and me for Eastwood. Sacred Heart was a very good team; they had a fast break that beat all hell. He was and is a great guy. We were fairly good friends and have rediscovered one another on the internet.

No one is more deserving of this honor than Gene.

Not sure if he was the best ever to play in the Parochial League. A teammate of mine at Blessed Sacrament, Bob Kallfelz, was the best shooter I've ever seen. If it hadn't been for a ruined knee when he was a junior, he probably would've broken all the scoring records. There was a kid, Lou Napoliwitz (sp) at Assumption who was very good. Chuck Bisesi, I believe also at Assumption, was also terrific. John Caveny at St. John the Evangelist was very good. I'm really stretching my memory on this one. There were many great ones.

 

[RoysRunts]

Anyone from Eastwood or North High School remember a Ed Jarmak?

 

[Orangeyes]

"Now OE... a terrorist group they were not ... at least notin the strict sense of the word."

To kids who grew up in that era who were not a part of their circle they were bullies & hoodlums. In the strictest sense of the word a "terrorist" is one who systematicaly uses terror as a means of coercion. Someone who commits violent acts which are intended to create fear and deliberately target or disregard the safety of innocent people. They weren't a political faction or members of the mob but what they did in that era was terrorize a lot of innocent people.

 

[Orangeyes]

Anyone from Eastwood or North High School remember a Ed Jarmak?

Yup played Babe Ruth baseball against him in Eastwood. Also, in later years I used to umpire with him on occasion.

 

[SkanSU]

"Now OE... a terrorist group they were not ... at least notin the strict sense of the word."

To kids who grew up in that era who were not a part of their circle they were bullies & hoodlums. In the strictest sense of the word a "terrorist" is one who systematicaly uses terror as a means of coercion. Someone who commits violent acts which are intended to create fear and deliberately target or disregard the safety of innocent people. They weren't a political faction or members of the mob but what they did in that era was terrorize a lot of innocent people.

Whoa... ain't disagreeing with you at all. Nice kids they were not ... and yes they were bullies and hoodlums ... without question. For that era they were horrible. However, having worked in a city school district for umpteen years ... compared to today's gangs they were pussycats ... and I do agree that if you were not a south sider you probably were going to have a problem. I always knew what happened to Kevin and Donnie (he met up with someone who beat him senseless) ... but I wonder what happened to the rest. Just out of curiosity.

 

[bevosu]

I heard stories about Kevin Byrne..none of them nice. One involved him getting into a brawl at the Poor House West..law enforcement got into the act. Never met him thank goodness.

Any of you from that Valley area growing up in the late 50's early 60's remember a kid named Jim Dean? He and his family lived on Valley Drive just south of W Seneca Tnpk. He was a good friend of mine in the late 60's. Lives in Kentucky and he's still a big SU sports fan.

 

[Toga]

Bump

 

[Orangeyes]

Saturday at the spring game I spotted Gene, introduced myself and Tomcat. He told me that this thread brought tears to his eyes. His son spotted it and shared it with him. He was taken back by all the kind things that were said. He spotted a post from Alibrat and put two & two together and realized it was his old friend.

You never know the impact that will result when you post something. I had a moment where I debated putting this thread on the board. I figured that most wouldn't know what I was talking about or wouldn't care. Boy did I figure wrong! As a result of pushing enter, one of my childhood hero's is becoming a friend. We are getting together for dinner soon, at what else, a Polish restaurant where I'm going to bring some surprise guests I know he is going to love seeing.

Perhaps that book will still get written.

 

[Orangeyes]

This morning Tom Cat sent me the link below

http://www.redmen.com/forum/4-redmentalk/12653-nyust-johns-discussion.html

These are comments on Gene:

Comment 1.

Don't have any strong memories of the Satch Sanders teams, but during the post-Sanders Barry Kramer era NYU also had Gene Fisch, a short PG (a big HS star in Syracuse) who looked and played a lot like our own Albie Swartz from the mid-60s, and Bob Patton, a 6'-5" Barry Kramer lookalike (though not play-alike). They also had Ray Bennett, a highly touted 6'-9" center who quickly showed that he possibly had the worst hands in the history of the sport.

For those who followed the the Violets in those year, you can read the famous pre-season assessment of them -- they were picked to win the national title -- in SI's December '63 issue at

Comment 2.

Fred was just back from TB rehab along with Tom Stith. Miles Aiken was the star of that team. Gene Fisch was a 2 guard in a small pg body.

NYU was preseason #1 in 1963 no mention of Gene but he did play point guard that year.

He is mentioned in this SI article in 1964

Mention of Gene in Barry Kramer article*

*Funny story, I played in the New York State Senior Olympics about 15 years ago. Playing against Albany, I fought through a pick and got a wicked elbow in the upper left arm. I got in the guys face and said, "Do that again and I'll bring you to your knees." Someone said, "Do you know who you were talking to." I said, "I don't know and I don't care." He said, "That's Barry Kramer the former All American from NYU.

A couple of days latter my wife said, "What's wrong with your arm?" I looked in the mirror and from my elbow to the shoulder I was wearing a deep purple bruise, a souvenir from my hardwood encounter with a former consensus All American.