Swede at Camp Greylock 1941

Each summer Camp Greylock had a junior side v. senior side faculty basketball game. Swede was the junior side's weapon this year (1941). Swede scored 20 in the game and his team won.

Swede's Competitors

My father competed directly against some fabulous athletes, but three of them, discussed in some detail in the book, were true originals. Unfortunately, they are mostly forgotten.

Monte Irvin was one of Jersey's all-time great athletes. He was all-state in football, basketball, and baseball, and set the state record in the javelin. He went on to star in the Negro Baseball Leagues, and was considered a strong candidate to be the first black player to break the "color line" to major league baseball. Monte and Swede guarded each other in a high school basketball game 75 years ago...the details of which Monte remembered astonishingly well. Monte Irvin is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bob Davies was a two time all-American at Seton Hall University, playing for a team that would win 43 straight games. At the same time, Swede's Panzer College team won 44 in a row. Unfortunately, the two teams, perhaps 5 miles apart, never met in a regulation game. But they did have a scrimmage game, and Panzer, with Swede guarding Davies, reportedly had the upper hand. Bob Davies went on to star in professional basketball; he was all-pro for many years. A true original, he was the first player to master the art of dribbling and passing behind his back and between his legs. He is in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame.

Al Blozis was truly one of a kind. He was a giant for the times, at 6'6", 260 lbs. of muscle. He was all-pro for the New York Giants, and he was the best shot-putter in the world. Swede competed against the so-called "Human Howitzer" in the prestigious Penn Relays track meet in Philadelphia, and won the silver medal behind Bloziz's gold. Al Blozis was killed near the end of WWII. He is in the pro football Hall of Fame.

Three remarkable athletes, all in major Halls of Fame, totally original...and quite forgotten. Hopefully by discussing them in "SWEDE", people interested in sports will get a peek at these originals. Swede was very proud to have competed directly against them

Swede vs. the Housewives

In certain ways Swede was ahead of his time. An example: he often did the family food shopping. The local Shop-Rite would be filled with housewives and Swede. I don't think he realized he was out of his league. My poor father thought that shopping should be a science, with a logical, pre-arranged strategy of what food categories, which aisles, coupon usage, etc. Naturally, he was always considerate, making sure not to block an aisle with his cart, moving along quickly, etc. To do it any other way would be illogical, and he wouldn't have that.

He would arrive home appalled at "how inconsiderate some of these women can be...the way they shop!" "They block the aisles, they ram my cart...one women even took one of my items out of MY cart!" We'd be very entertained with Swede's weekly food-shopping adventures. The only negative...he never bought junk food. My sibs and I always preferred Estelle doing the shopping, since we knew she'd come through with some stuff that, though bad for us, satisfied out sweet teeth.

"Quanto sei bella"

My Italian-American grandfather, Anthony Lepore, occasionally spoke a few words in Italian. They were usually swear words. But as kids they went over our heads. He often would pinch (my siblings) Dale, Patty and Doug on the cheek, saying "quanto sei bella" ("you are so beautiful)." Then he'd come over and pinch my cheek and say "quanto sei bruto" ("you are so ugly)." Sheesh.

Anthony liked to tell the story of when he took the family to a local college basketball game...they knew a couple of the players on one of the teams. But their team lost because "some big lug" on the other team totally dominated the game, getting all the rebounds, scoring most of the points, all quite effortlessly. Anthony rooted quite aggressively against this guy, who turned out to be his future son-in-law, Swede Masin, playing for Panzer College.

One more thing...

Perhaps the best part about the things mentioned in the previous post is that it's a true story...all of it.

Thinking about a screenplay

I've been writing notes about a possible screenplay inspired by (certain portions of) "SWEDE". It seems most movies today are either 3D and/or animated, are F/X dominated, have gore, monsters, or vampires. I'm thinking there is an appetite for a period piece movie with action, humor, romance, etc. I'm thinking of movies like "Hoosiers", "The Blind Side", etc., both of which had sports themes but were not just sports movies. Both seemed to have universal appeal.

Some of my thoughts regarding what would play well on screen:

1)The time and place; pre WWII, depression area Newark, NJ, in an historic all-Jewish neighborhood

2)Tiny, unknown Panzer College, led by Swede, which captured the imagination of fans by winning an all time college best 44 straight games.

3)It's forgotten today, but at the time there was an organized movement by a Nazi organization to spread the Nazi "ideal", and the Newark area was their prime target. A local Jewish gangster, Longy Zwillman, organized "The Minutemen", made up of ex-Jewish boxers, to disrupt the Nazi Rallies.

4)Humor. Much of the cast would be young, attractive (eye candy for viewers), fast talking and feisty.

5)An intriguing love interest: The star Jewish athlete, Swede, and the beautiful Italian Catholic girl, Estelle.

6)At the center of everything would be Swede, who develops from a big, clumsy, unassuming kid who doesn't have a clue about sports to a heroic sports icon, a source of pride of the Weequahic Jews.

So there could be plenty of sports action, focusing on Swede in his various sports stardom; romance, but one that causes more than a little drama with the dis-approving parents; a Jews vs. Nazis sub-theme; a young, funny, good looking supporting cast; and the bigger than life, gentle giant persona of Swede.

So I think there is a lot of entertainment potential, and an opportunity to do something a bit different. If nothing else it will be fun to work on!

"Best of 2010"

Kirkus Discoveries, an international review house of new authors, named Swede "Best Biography" in  it's Best of 2010" rankings. Very exciting for this new author. The review itself, attached in my previous post, was wonderful (if I do say so myself) and a nice surprise. 

A woman who just started reading the book told me she was balling after reading the introduction.  I asked her if she was bored to tears, and she reassured me it was because she felt it was so touching.  Nice getting that kind of feedback!

Swede by Rising Star author Robert G. Masin won best biography "Best of 2010" from Kirkus Discoveries 
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/non-fiction/robert-g-masin/swede/

SWEDE by Robert G. Masin | Kirkus Book Reviews

www.kirkusreviews.com

SWEDE: Weequahic's Gentle Giant, Robert G. Masin

Review of "SWEDE"

I was thrilled with a review that just came out about "SWEDE".  Kirkus Reviews is an independent, nationally known book review outfit.  Their reviews help libraries and bookstores make product decisions.  I was quite excited to read it, and I have shared a link to it for those interested.

http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/non-fiction/robert-g-masin/swede/

The Three Thugs (plus me)

When I wrote "SWEDE", I took advantage of the opportunity to besmirch the reputations of many of my oldest and closest friends.  That included the Purzycki brothers and Joe Abruzzese.  They are pictured with me above: Joe P. (out of uniform) on the left, Mike P. on the right, and Joe Abruzzese, the tiny little trouble-maker, who routinely found a way to place us in peril, 2nd from left.  All three grew up in the rough and tumble Vailsburg section of Newark.

Growing up in South Orange my siblings and I lived sheltered lives.  When I left for college, and became friends with the thugs, er, gentlemen in the photo, that changed.  They were at times outrageous personalities; there was never a dull moment when I was in their presence.  The impressive thing is that in spite of all their brawls and shenanigans, they are in their own way brilliant, creative people, and all three are wildly successful in their adult lives.  (Yes, miracles do happen).

We have remained close friends over the years, and when we get together (way too infrequently) the sharp wits and trash talking are a sight to behold.  Fortunately, one of us (that would be me) maintains his dignity and rises above the immature banter that predictably ensues when we reunite.  One word to the wise...as Iron Mike, the Purzycki boys's father used to preach, "always keep an arms reach away" (so as not to get sucker punched).

All kidding aside, they are terrific, creative, guys.  

Well, except for Abruzzese.

Swede and Lonnie

On numerous occasions my father has been mentioned along with another phenomenal New Jersey athlete: Lonnie Wright.  Both were from Newark, and both were known for their remarkable versatility.  Conventional wisdom is that they are the two greatest all-around athletes Newark ever produced, and both were included when the Star Ledger of Newark named New Jersey's top 50 athletes of the 20th century.

Swede and Lonnie were in the inaugural group of inductees into the Newark Sports Hall of Fame.  I approached Lonnie and told him that he was my idol when I was a kid.  He laughed and said that Swede had been HIS idol.

Wright was all-state in everything in high school.  At Colorado State he was an All-American basketball player and  set the school shot-put record.  Perhaps his most impressive sports accomplishment came later.  Lonnie is the only athlete in the modern era of pro sports to play the two sports of football and basketball (Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets).  There have been a small hand full of two sport pro athletes, but not football and basketball.  Wright is the only one.  My father always knew he was in special company when he was compared to Lonnie Wright.

I spoke to my buddy Joe Abruzzese today, and he reminded me that he played baseball against Wright in high school.  Joe, a catcher, tried to throw Lonnie out while he was stealing second base, and joked that by the time the ball got to second, Wright was on third.

It's somewhat unfortunate that Lonnie Wright's name is not a household name.  It should be.  He was that special.

The Rivalry: Weequahic vs. Hillside High

My father received more attention with his basketball exploits in high school, college and as a professional than he did in other sports.  But he felt his best sports would have been as a decathlete in track and field or as a football player.  His size, strength, speed and athleticism must have stood out on the gridiron; he was not only Weequahic's best runner, receiver and linebacker...as a Freshman (!), but based on articles in the scrapbook, his punting was out of this world.

It was unfortunate that Swede's Russian Jewish immigrant parents had no knowledge of or appreciation for football.  They did not attend his games (and that included basketball) until the final game of Swede's Sophomore year...the Thanksgiving Day game against their football rival, Hillside High.  My Uncle Leo, Swede's older brother, took Max, and they watched as Swede was involved in virtually every play, whether it be offense, defense, or special teams.  

Late in the game, Swede was gang tackled after a very long run, and was knocked cold.  As my father's prone body lay motionless in the muddy turf, Leo ran on to the field.  But he was just as worried about Max, who was beside himself in the stands, wondering about the fate of his son.

Swede suffered a concussion, but otherwise there was no permanent damage.  But seeing his son knocked cold was all Max needed to see.  He put his foot down...there would be no more football for his son.  The following two years my grandparents were visited at home by the football coach (several times), the athletic director, other parents, etc.  It was quite frustrating for the student body that the school's top player, arguably the best in the state, was not playing.  I was amazed at how many articles were written in the Newark papers about the  "parental objections" to Swede playing football.

Somewhat miraculously, Swede's crying and nagging finally got Max and Sonia to relent for the final four games of his senior year.  The write-ups of those games are full of his exploits all over the field.

One thing that struck me as I was working on the book was how many people remember that game (played 75 years ago)!  Obviously it was a big rivalry, but it seemed like everyone from my parent's era witnessed Swede get knocked out that day.  And they passed it on to their children!  And everyone had their own spin.  Many were positive that Hillside had it in for my father, and "went after" him, trying to put him out of the game.  (I doubt it).  Many had differing recollections about the details; but more importantly, everyone was there.  Unfortunately, including Max.  Who knows...if Max didn't attend that game, Swede might have ended up playing professional football.

As for Swede, he told me the only thing he ever remembered was making a long run and was about to be met by some defenders.  He had no recollection of what happened after that...other that he didn't play any more football for two years.  

Tubby

Recently I received a phone call from "Tubby" Raymond, my college football coach at the U. of Delaware.  The College Football Hall of Fame member, and one of the very few coaches of all time with 300 or more wins, had read the book.  The first thing he said was "Bobby, I never knew any of my players could read or write!"  After that he was extremely complimentary; he was very impressed by my effort (something he drilled into us all the time!), and said he was proud of me.

He had never known much about my father.  And he never knew that Swede and Iron Mike Purzycki were Newark's best athletes back in the day, and were direct rivals in high school.  Iron Mike's sons, Joe and Mike, were Delaware teammates of mine and life long friends.  In any event, I was excited to receive praise from Tubby...he's not one to throw it around lightly.

A couple of days ago my son Max's friend remarked that her mother started to read the book and found herself in tears.  (I assume she wasn't bored to tears!).  Seriously, I like that "SWEDE" means different things to different people.      

Discovery

One of the most gratifying things in writing the book about Swede is that many of my contemporaries, after reading it, have emphasized that it was a great motivator for them to explore and assess their relationships with their own fathers.  Some have been quite emotional while describing this.  This is somewhat different from my father's contemporaries, who seem to have truly loved remembering old times, as well as remembering someone who clearly made an impact with his warm, gentle nature, combined, of course, with his athletic stardom.

But for my contemporaries, I think many have seized the opportunity to take a positive look at growing up with their families, particularly their fathers.  Like my own experience, many have a new appreciation of their fathers.  If so, it makes me feel great that I may have nudged some old friends in this direction.  

My father, in may ways, was very ordinary.  He wasn't a genius, he wasn't wealthy, he didn't invent anything, he did not aspire to lead people, he wasn't an artist, and he wasn't a hero.  But in researching "SWEDE", I learned that in his own way he did lead people, he was a genius in his own way, to some he was a hero, he was inventive, and he certainly was beloved, which made him very wealthy, but in a non-monetary way.  The same holds true for most people, and that is why I'm thrilled to have enjoyed discovering these things about my father, and I'm thrilled that others are discovering similar things about their own fathers.

There is nothing more satisfying and enlightening than a son realizing how extraordinary his ordinary father really was. 

Hall of Fame

My father is currently in 4 different Halls of Fame:  The Newark Sports Hall of Fame, the Panzer College Hall of Fame, the JCC Metro West Hall of Fame, and the Weequahic HS Hall of Fame.  In each case he was in the very first group of inductees.  I am in the process of preparing a bio of Swede's athletic accomplishments to send to another Hall of Fame for consideration of him being inducted.  His "credentials" are pretty incredible.  And what stands out the most is that, compared to the vast majority of inductees who tend to dominate in one sport, my father was dominant in virtually every sport he tried.  His versatility is what separates him from the rest.  A brief summary:

In high school, Swede was all-state mention in football, even while missing the majority of his games due to parental objections.  As a senior, he received the most votes of any player in New Jersey on the all-state basketball team, and in track and field he dominated the city of Newark in the shot put, discus, low hurdles, long jump, high jump, and sprints.  He was 2nd in the state in the shot put, losing to Al Blozis, who went on to be the best shot-putter in the world.

In 2000, the Star Ledger of Newark named Swede as one of the top 50 New Jersey high school athletes of the 20th century.

In college, Swede took up soccer, knowing his parents would not give him the okay to play football, and went on to make the Coaches All-American team as he was named the best center halfback in the country.  In track and field, he once again starred in many events, and was the state AAU champ in the shot put and discus.  He won the silver medal (discus) in the prestigious Penn Relays, again losing to the great Blozis.  As in high school, he was also his teams best jumper and sprinter.  

It was in basketball that Swede garnered the most attention, earning Little All-American on a spectacular team that won 44 straight games...at the time an all-time collegiate record.  The rave reviews in Swede's scrapbook were over the top, with some writers and opposing coaches suggesting he was the best they'd ever seen.  He captained all three teams in college.

Besides the sports he played in school, my father was an amazing swimmer and diver, volleyball player (nobody could spike like Swede), racquetball and tennis star, and a great ice skater.  

I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I suggest that Swede might have been the most versatile, all-around Jewish athlete...ever.  No wonder his contemporaries referred to him as "God-like", "Superman", "Tarzan", etc.

Despite his extraordinary versatility, the most impressive thing about my father was his humility.  He never really took athleticism too seriously.  And that's what we loved about him the most.

I inadvertently came across a post/comment by one Bob Knuppel.  He was responding to someone else's post about Swede on a website that discusses various novels...in this case "American Pastoral".

Bob Knuppel's father, Herman Knuppel, was the great 6'8" center, and Swede's teammate, on Panzer College's dominant, record breaking (44 straight victories, which at the time was an all-time collegiate record) basketball team.  Like Swede, Herman went on to play professional basketball in a league that was a precursor to the NBA.

In his post, Bob said that his father received plenty of acclaim for his basketball ability.  But Herman always talked about Swede Masin, and that he was easily the star of the team. He said his father claimed Swede was by far the best all around athlete he'd ever known, and added that besides being competitive, was also gracious.  He also remarked that it was interesting how well they got along...the German and the Jew.

I love the accolades I've been hearing about my father since I wrote "SWEDE".  They just keep on coming.

Another Contemporary Reaches Out

Yesterday I heard from yet another contemporary of Swede.  He was two years behind my father, and he was very emotional on the phone as he remembered the big guy, despite the fact they were not close friends.  He was particularly saddened by the last chapter, which describes my sadness and frustration of being 3000 miles away as Alzheimer's Disease was taking it's toll on Swede.

Coincidentally, this man related that he lived downstairs from "Iron Mike" Purzycki, South Side High's super athlete and my father's direct competitor whom I highlight in the book.  Iron Mike and Swede would become good friends later in life.

One of the things this gentleman said was that my father's "name was so famous!".  It seems every person I talk to about Swede introduces another superlative to describe him.  And nothing would make him more uncomfortable than to hear people talk about him that way!  

 

Word has gotten out about the book to old friends from as early as grammar school.  Guys I haven't communicated with for years (decades in some cases) have reached out via email, and the comments are pretty identical...they absolutely love the reminders of our childhoods growing up in South Orange, and in particular, our own little universe that was the Montrose Grammar School playground.  The modest school grounds is where we played softball, hardball, touch football, stickball, basketball, flipped cards, and just hung out.  We argued over the Yankees and Giants, Mantle and Mays, and all other things related to sports.   The name-dropping has been hilarious; I'm talking about people we haven't seen, in some cases, since the late 1950's, and yet we remember them as if we were with them last week.  We've all remembered Gene Carcia, a playground star and one of the leaders, who tragically died at age 13 when he took his mother's car and crashed into a tree just a few blocks from the playground he thrived in.

All have said they read the book in one day after receiving it.  I think it's proof of what a great childhood setting we had.  All remember Swede so well, as he often would join us in the playground and "compete" with us.  All heartily agree that "gentle giant" is the perfect description for him.

These communications, which are coming from Maine to Florida, are soooo enjoyable to read.  They are great reminders of how good we had it!

Radio interview broadcast

A taped interview of me discussing "SWEDE" will air tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 3rd), at 11:00 A.M.  Ed Goldberg conducted the interview for Portland's KBOO radio station (90.7 FM).  The session is approximately 1/2 hour, and I think it will be enjoyable to hear.  At the time I felt Ed did a great job conducting the interview, asking questions that I have not heard before about my father, my family, and the book in general.  

If you would like to listen live from out of the area, it will be streaming live from KBOO's website http://www.kboo.org/.  You may want to test the site beforehand to make sure it works!

A Violet Who Would Rather Blossom Unseen...

The book signing/celebration hosted by the Weequahic HS Alumni Association was a true love-fest. There were people of all ages present (a few kids as well as WHS grads from the class of 1936, making them 91 years old).

One of my father's life-long friends, Irwin Traurig, (class of '37, making him one year ahead of Swede), was there, and after my presentation he was one of the attendees who made a comment. Irwin is one of the sweetest, most gentle people I've ever known. He had his high school yearbook, where there is a reference to Irwin "passing along" his characteristic of being "a violet who would rather blossom unseen" to Swede Masin. In other words, both seemed to go out of their way to avoid the spotlight.

Sure sounds like the Swede we knew.

Swede's Contemporaries

One of the most pleasant surprises about writing about my father is the reaction I've gotten from some of Swede's contemporaries.  I have received numerous letters and phone calls from around the country from folks who genuinely loved the book; not only because they loved my father (they clearly did), but also because they enjoyed the trip down memory lane it provides.

I got a real charge a week ago or so when two days in a row I received calls from two different men (strangers to me) who knew Swede back in the day.  I spoke with each for more than a half hour, and coincidentally, both exclaimed toward the end of our conversations "I can't believe I'm speaking to Swede Masin's son!".

I've answered every letter I've received, and I love doing so.  In communicating with these folks I feel I'm communicating a bit with my father, which is a wonderful bonus for me.  It's been remarkably gratifying.