Page 6 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 3, 2024 ~ Malden Musings ~ Summer of ’79 Revisited By Peter Levine I 50 t was the summer of ’79...Larry Bird’s rookie season, “The Eastern Bank Building on Rte. 1S 605 Broadway, #301 * Saugus (781) 233-6844 www.bostonnorthdental.com Warriors,” Jimmy Carter’s lustful heart and disco. Locally the Malden Men’s Recreational Basketball League was in its infancy. Year 2 saw the games being played that summer at, where else, Amerige Park. Joe Gaff ey was Rec Director. Larry Gilbert and I received $75 from City Hall to get the league on its feet – eight teams, two games a night, twice a week, starting in July, wrapping up by early September. Opening night saw some of Malden’s finest hoop players converge for some spirited roundball. I am reaching back, way back deep down inside the cobwebs of my mind for a brief synopsis of the two games from that long-ago night (in the spirit of full disclosure I have the scorebook right here in front of me): • Game one: Kelly Klub v. WilkDr. Priti Amlani Dr. Bhavisha Patel * Restorative Dentistry * Cosmetic Dentistry * Implant Restoration * Zoom Whitening * Teeth in a Day - All on 6 * Invisalign * CEREC Crowns (Single Visit Crowns) * Root Canal Treatment * Sedation Dentistry ~ Full Mouth Rehabilitation ~ Before After ie’s Warriors. The Warriors eked out a 62-60 opening night upset against a team stacked with some of the best athletes in Malden. Johnny Wilcox’s (the “Wilkie” in “Wilkie’s Warriors”) collection of hoopsters wasn’t too shabby either. Lincoln Park’s Johnny Stanasek paced the Warriors (“Warriors, come out and play-i-ay...”) with 22 points on 11 fi eld goals. Stana was untouchable back in the ’70s; arguably, pound for pound, Malden’s fi nest athlete. John had a sweet touch, never took a bad shot and was a born leader. Eric “The Red” Dannenberg was a terror on the court. He chipped in with 12, all with that Dannenberg game face scowl. Tall and lanky at 6' 4" (running the court like a point guard), Eric had just completed a stellar season of hoop for Jack Schlagel at M.H.S. Joe Bartosiewicz had 10 points. Pictured from left to right: Standing: Greg Phaneuf, Melrose guy Steve Johnson, Medford’s Rick Raymond, Mark Burn; kneeling: Melrose guy (and Steve’s brother) Dave, Peter Levine and Danny Lynch. Joe Bart was a legendary high percentage shooter for M.H.S. as a senior in 1974. At 6' 4" with an uncanny ability, if left open, drain it more often than not. Joe seriously needed attention every second on the court. John Furlong had 8 points. Furgie, as many Maldonians know, was an outstanding athlete at M.H.S. (now in the MHS HOF) who went on to have a stellar hoop career at Salem State. Captain Johnny Wilcox had 4 points. Think about this. Stana, Furgie and Wilkie as your guards. What!? Check out who also contributed to the win: Lesley Hume, (everybody’s best friend – the late) Paul “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick, Vance Ferratusco, Billy Murray and former M.H.S. Principal Dana Brown (wasn’t his Ferryway Park Chronicles wicked good?!). They combined for 6 points. Hey, there’s only one basketball! • Kelly Klub was formidable, to say the least. (The late) Tom Kelly recruited a nice balance of brute force and athletic ability – talented cats one through seven! Not all “hoop players,” so to speak, but all seasoned competitors/ athletes. Kell was a “colorful” character: athlete, coach, mentor and, at times, mishigas. So, arguably the top gun in Malden in 1979 was Amerige Park’s own Danny Meyers. Stana, Rod “Puggy” Forbes, Harold “Puggo” Sparrow, Bruce Vining – all outstanding. But nobody could stop Danny. He could score 30 in his sleep as the old saying goes. Again, in the spirit of full disclosure, I was a Danny Meyer’s fanboy. I watched him play more pickup and park league games and traveled to watch him play more high school and college games than anybody, Danny Lynch and I, that is. Catholic Memorial’s Ronny Perry, Don Bosco’s Dwan Chandler, Medford’s Tommy Ryser, Everett’s Hank Vetrano and Mike Marchese, Somerville’s Dave Knight all tried, to no avail. I even saw them stick 6' 7" Rudy Williams (Providence College Friars star & New Jersey Nets 1981 draftee) on him one night in this same Rec League. He made Rudy earn whatever Bobby Chew at Broadway East was paying him that night. Bottom line on Danny was he was a better shooter than you. He out hustled you. He out toughed you. And he was in better shape than you – the perfect storm of athleticism. In this 62-60 loss, Danny carried the KK. His 32 points on 15 for 22 shooting (2 for 2 from the line) far outpaced teammate Shawn Brickman’s 10 points. M.H.S. mid ’60s hoop legend Billy Hanifan brought up the rear with 9 points. WW’s swarmed Danny all night. I remember the night. I kept score. It was a hard-earned 32 points. Check out the athletes playing tough hard-nosed defense (typical of the way D was played back then) to keep the game close: Kell, Paul “Flash” Norton, Johnny Salmon (yes, that Johnny Salmon) and Mike “Pitty” Pitts. • Game two: The young and hungry for respect Devir Park squad matched up against the veteran ringers that Cliff Cioffi put together and called Mr. James. With a short bench this night, Devir Park upset Choff ’s cagey old veterans, 63-59, behind 20 points from team captain Peter “Pistol Pete” Levine. Levine shot a dazzling 9 for 13 from the fi eld (Levine never took a bad shot, so they say), hitting two free throws. The whole team contributed to the win actually. They were pumped for game one. Word got back to the Devir Park 5 that Cliff had been running his MUSINGS| SEE PAGE 18
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