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I was 11 years young in 1962 when my parents with me in tow relocated to Pasadena from the Caribbean. I had never seen nor heard of basketball. One fine day I am searching the radio dial for some music amd I run across a "wild man", speaking machine gun like fast, with school girl enthusiasm and dropping words and phrases I had no idea what they meant. Naturally that was the world's greatest NBA announcer and the greatest Laker of all time, Sir Francis "Chickie Baby" Hearn.
I became hooked and have been a Laker fan ever since, crying year after year when the dreaded Cee's would beat the Lakers, the worse was Russell's final year in 1969 when Wilt had joined the team and Don nelson threw up and made the luckiest shot ever to win the game in the last second for the Beantown boys. My happiest season, all year long was 1971-72 with the 33 games winning streak and the first L A crown. I treasure my Lakers season recap LP narrated by Chick I bought to commemorate that season
I recall seeing Coops, my Pasadena home boy when he was just a frosh at PHS, then his first 2 years at PCC. I saw Pistol Pete Maravich just about an hour before he died because he would play ball at the Pasdena Nazareth church across the street from Victory Park because they had a fantastic gym where my boys and I would play and he would too against college players as well as other retired NBA-ers
I remember Hot Rod Hundley when he was Chick's side kick, I also recall Lynn Shackleford as color man. I've been to the Sports Arena, Fabulous Forum and Staples. I recall Chick hosting Bowling for Dollars in the off season too.
That's my story
