Legends of Basketball / Pete Vecsey
- Thread starter jerseyshorejohnny
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beast of the east
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For some reason I never really liked Vecsey personally (Molloy boy maybe), but he tells great stories and can be pretty funny. (His son is a stand up comedian who was in these optimum commercials I think where there are 3 horrible movers).
Great article. Thanks for posting.
Great article. Thanks for posting.
Beast of the East" post=410218 said:
beast of the east
Active member
Great anectdote. Joe is the comedian?SigEpSJU09" post=410221 said:
Pete Vecsey has lived on Shelter Island for a very long time. He got into a nasty disput with his neighbor, but I only heard one side of the argument.
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
SigEpSJU09" post=410221 said:
When a student at SJU in the early 1970s, I had a job working with reporters at the Nassau Coliseum. Pete was covering the NY Nets when Louie was their coach. A particularly annoying reporter for the NY Times was breaking my chops all night. Pete intervened on my behalf and told the Times guy to "Leave the kid the f#@* alone." He'll always have a soft spot in my heart for that gesture nearly 50 years later.
Vecsey didn't make the final cut when he tried out for the varsity at Archbishop Molloy. Was cut by Looie. He also wrote that Willie Hall who played at St. Ann's / Malloy was the best high school player he had ever seen until Alcindor came along.
Beast of the East" post=410218 said:
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beast of the east
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I've met Walter a couple of times and spoken with him. He is a really nice guy and shows up from time to time at games. He also showed up to support Chris at the press conference when Mullin was named HC. I was at a gathering -of players and coaches once during the Norm era - we lost to Rutgers away that night but no one was even watching the sets. I asked Ron Rutledge who his favorite player all-time was, and he smiled broadly and pointed to Walter who was a few feet away, and said "That guy.".redmannorth" post=410269 said:
RMN - not surprised at all by Vecsey not responding. He has written dirt for years and I'm sure has gotten hundreds of letters like the one you sent. Good for you to write him and call him on his crap.
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I have chatted with Pete often. He was a scrub on the Billy Lawrence Malloy team that lost to Loughlin in the infamous triple overtime game losing in sudden death. Ironically Willie Walters a Loughlin big man sub tapped in the winning bucket. He went on to play at BC. CHSAA did away with sudden death rule. I was there at Fordham for this oddity and have talked about it with PV a few times.
A little surprised no one mentioned Pete Vescey's brother , George , who was the better Sports Writer . George worked for the Times , I believe . I use to correspond with him some years ago . A very nice guy who had a million stories . Had some great stories about Lapchick, Louie , St John's BB , etc . He wrote a biography about Barbara Mandrell , back in the 80's when she was a big star on TV . A true Pro of a Journalist ! He also believed , as I do, that Gil Hodges not being in the HOF was a great injustice . Inside info was that Ted Williams had a grudge against Gil and influenced the Voters .
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beast of the east
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Good call. I was thinking of George as I wrote this. I always presumed he was Pete's father. He definitely was a more traditional sports journalist and a better writer overall. Pete Vecsey's stuff was more like the Rona Barrett of basketball, with a lot of quips, inside dirt, and strong opinion. George was a straight up sports journalist. Wasn't his column at the NYT called "Sports of our Times" or something like that?SLYFOXX1968" post=410299 said:
Thanks for posting. Definitely some funny stuff (I was at that ABA finals game). I am hit or miss with him. He always has some good funny stuff but turns me off on some of the mean spirited personal stuff some of which sometimes appears as a carry over of a grudge.
I also remember George as being a good writer.
I also remember George as being a good writer.
Las Vegan" post=410329 said:
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Pete could be funny and mean. He was definitely connected in NBA circles, his was a light read in the NYPost.
George Vescey of Port Washington , NY wrote for the NYT, and his columns were sometimes part of Sports of the Times, but that column had several different writers over the years, like Holy Cross alum Dave Anderson who was a terrific writer like George. Dave and George had a fondness for SJU and wrote some very good positive pieces on the Johnnies over the years, when the Times used to cover local sports. Dave was very connected to the NFL and the Giants as he was good friends with Wellington Mara and I think Art Rooney. Dave was classmates with Bob Cousy when Holy Corss won it all in men's college BB,
Getting back to Pete Vescey, his writing did not come close to his brother's, but in a different way it could be enjoyable. I did not like hearing that Walter Berry story, that was mean-spirited.
George Vescey of Port Washington , NY wrote for the NYT, and his columns were sometimes part of Sports of the Times, but that column had several different writers over the years, like Holy Cross alum Dave Anderson who was a terrific writer like George. Dave and George had a fondness for SJU and wrote some very good positive pieces on the Johnnies over the years, when the Times used to cover local sports. Dave was very connected to the NFL and the Giants as he was good friends with Wellington Mara and I think Art Rooney. Dave was classmates with Bob Cousy when Holy Corss won it all in men's college BB,
Getting back to Pete Vescey, his writing did not come close to his brother's, but in a different way it could be enjoyable. I did not like hearing that Walter Berry story, that was mean-spirited.