Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Indianapolis, Indiana

I realized that I have yet to post any postcards from Indiana, so here they are. with my apologies for neglecting this state.

I notice that Indianapolis has some very interesting names for its high schools. Broad Ripple High School was originally in the town of Broad Ripple before it became part of Indianapolis, so that's where that name originated. Crispus Attucks High School was named after a black laborer, killed at the Boston Massacre in 1770 and regarded as a revolutionary hero. Arsenal Technical High School campus still has many of the early building from the days when it was originally a U.S. Civil War arsenal.


There is also some very imposing Art Deco architecture. The coliseum, now known as the Pepsi Coliseum, was built in 1939 replacing an earlier building from 1907.  In 1960, John F. Kennedy spoke to a capacity crowd here.  In 1963, it was the scene of a horrific explosion when a propane tank ignited during the opening night of the Holiday on Ice show, killing 74 spectators. In 1964, you could have attended the Beatles concert at the Coliseum for $5.


And then there's the Cadle Tabernacle, built in 1921 by revivalist Howard Cadle, who redeemed himself from a life of gambling and drinking to preach a message of fire and brimstone. He based the building design for the tabernacle on the Alamo.  The tabernacle and Cadle's radio show were successful enough that they enabled him to have a Cadillac and an airplane during the Depression, when most people were just barely getting by. After Cadle's death in 1942, the tabernacle quickly fell into decline and was rented out for events such as Shortridge High School graduations and Klu Klux Klan rallies.


The tabernacle was eventually razed in 1968.  Now, the Firehouse Square Condos stand in its place.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Japanese Baseball - Hiroshi Oshita

Hall of Famer, Hiroshi Oshita, who played for the Nishitetsu Lions,  was one of the best Japanese baseball hitters of the 1940s and 50s. This picture was taken in 1951 or '52.

 Rob of Rob's Japanese Cards, has this to say about him:
After leading the league with 20 homers in his rookie season, he went on to win three batting titles, and three home-run crowns. He held the record for most hits in a game (7), and his .383 BA in 1951 remained the single-season record until Isao Harimoto topped it by .0003 in 1971. He was named to eight Best Nine teams. His best season for the Lions came in 1954 when he won the MVP Award, hitting .321 with 22 homers, 88 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He also won the 1957 Japan Series MVP award. 

Jerry, who used to live in the house next door to me, had a pen pal in Japan just after World War II - which is how I came to have this card. They are hard to come by.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Paddy's Clam House - New York City

Lunch for $1.29 sounds good to me. So does the 5-course lobster dinner. I would suggest that we meet there for lunch, but Paddy's has been closed for many years.


This is from New York City - Around the World in 80 Dinners, originally published in 1959. Paddy died in October 1964.

Paddy's Clam House, 215 W. 34th St., is one of the largest and oldest seafood establishments in New York. Paddy (Joseph Patrick) White opened his first clam house in the Bronx more than 60 years ago and moved to the present location 26 years ago. He is now 80 and engaged in writing a book to be titled Eat Fish, Live Longer.
Paddy, born in Philadelphia, learned his trade at the oyster bar of Delmonico's. He still maintains that Lorenzo Delmonico was the greatest restaurateur of all time. Paddy established a record 59 years ago for opening clams  100 in 3 minutes, 20 seconds and claims this record has never been beaten. Today, his West 34th St. restaurant serves 1,000 people daily; disposes of 5,000 lobsters, 50 bushels of shellfish and 1,700 pounds of fish per week. The restaurant features wooden-topped tables and makes no pretensions to elegant service or appointments. And, Paddy boasts, people stand in line for his $2.55 five-course lobster dinner on Sundays.
Paddy is an avid fight fan, has known all the champs, and used to travel around the country to catch all the big fights of the past half century.

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