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Coach Speedy Hecht
Posted on: July 04, 2005
We recently recieved this special story from "Coach Hecht" I certainly hope you enjoy it as much as I.
I am just putting down Damon Runyon's book "On Broadway" back to the bookcase. It's an old book. My, that man could spin tall tales.
I got to thinking about Opa Locka, where I had a little men's store, named The Dashery. Dean Martin married a little girl from there and was the biggest thing that hit that town until we arrived. Oh, maybe we shouldn't bypass the Old Scandia Restaurant, where me and Kenny Johnson buckled down the door with our parking concession. We also had the Western Union agency and I will never forget the old black lady who wanted to send a wire. It was the shortest wire we ever sent and we told the lady she could get another six words for the same price but she said "no", it was good enough. Her message read "Poppa passed - come."
We lived in Hialeah then and still do. It is a little town that bordered Opa Locka. It housed, arguably, the most beautiful race track in America. Fast Eddie was the change maker for the track and he could flip out change for a hundred dollar bill that would make your head swim. You would walk away from the window knowing you had just beat him out of a twenty, when the truth of the matter was he had just beat you for one. He would tell you to come back after the last race, after he checked out, and if he was over you would get your money back. It never happened. He was never over.
Saturday was the big day at Hialeah and my father-in-law came down to see the flamingos and the big statue of Citation over the lily pond where all of the trainers went on their way to the club house. Old Bill Hildebrand wasn't much of a player but he sure knew how to pick horses. The first day we were there he bet a horse that finished first and I caught him throwing the ticket away. He told me he threw them away because he had bet the horse to show and it won. He came from Bucyrus, Ohio, the world's bratwurst capitol.
He was much better in selecting horses. One day I asked him who his choice was and he told me it was a horse named Quimedito. I said, dad, could you pick something with just a little better chance? The odds on Quimedito were 99 to 1. That's as high as the odds board goes. Well he said number 2 looks pretty good from here. Those were the days before trifectas and perfectas and all that jazz and I was down to my last two dollars anyway.
Well the number 2 horse flew to the front and led all the way around that race track. Quimedito, a 13 hear old gelding, who broke last, continued to pick up horses along the back stretch and turned for home with only the 2 horse in his sights. Needless to say he caught him at the wire. The mutuals were the largest payoff of the season. Quimedito paid over $200.00 to win on the front end. I'm still looking for those kinds of horses, with a big spotted rump and shiny silver dollars on their coat. They don't come often but when they do, bet the farm.
Bill
Posted by jackson63 on July 4, 2005 03:16 PM
Comments
On October 7, 2005 07:55 PM, alanricks said:
On December 21, 2005 05:30 PM, ogie keneipp said:
hi coach, just read your memories on the jackson reunion page, it was great to think of all the old times. many times i've told my players about the "jackson family" and what an influence they had on me. after a game all the coaches would be in the coaches office...smoking cigars,bragging,telling jokes on each other,they seems to like each other. that was neat!
great memories for ... roy french. red tobin,john sain, joe brodsky, whitey campbell,
norm gross, frank downing, and bill "speedy"hecht
On April 7, 2006 04:47 PM, Bill "Speedy" Hecht said:
Allen Ricks" I don't know the name of the restaurant in Hialeah that showed all the pictures of famous people like the Kennedys. The place that did show them was the Club House at the then beautiful Hialeah Race Track All these great coaches you mentioned worked at the track on Saturday and just hearing their names again, with so many of them gone, makes me sad. Red Tobin - Roy French - Tommy Jackson - Hoyte Sparks - Joe McNulty - Norman Gross. Still hanging in there, Whitey Campbell, Joe Brodsky, Bill Dawkins, Bill Diaz and Speedy Hecht.
On April 7, 2006 05:12 PM, Bill Hecht said:
Ogie:
Yes, I remember the coaches and some of the kids that passed before their time was up. I miss them. Tommy Jackson, Hoyt Sparks, Red Tobin, Roy French, and Joe McNulty. Some of us are still hanging in there. Joe Brodsky, Bill Dawkins, Whitey CAmpbell, Bill Diaz, Frank Downing and Speedy. Hang in there guys.
On April 8, 2006 01:06 PM, Speedy said:
Nancy: I may have the wrong guy but when we started coaching round ball at Jackson we used the finger count. To call a play the guard simply held up his fingers. Well Boggs changed all that. He told me the way they did it in Georgia. When the guard crossed mid-court,where he crossed it was the key. I thought it was a heck of sustem. Some teams in the final four last week, were still using fingers. So Boogs, you are stll my star, where ever you are.
On April 9, 2006 09:50 PM, Bill Hecht said:
Allan Ricks:
My memory is gone but my wife, Katie, came up with the answer. The name of the bar in Hialeah was The Seminole. It had a huge picture behind the bar of a triple dead heat at Aquaduct Race Track in New York. It was the first one ever photographed. Now Katie says the bar had pictures of famous people. The owner closed it down and opened a new bar in down town Miami. Katie says the bar owners son is a horse trainer. She may be having a pipe dream. Let me know if it rings a bell. "Speedy"
On May 8, 2006 11:17 PM, Alan Ricks said:
Alan;
My daughter Pam and I drove to the Texas track saturday. She piched a 30 to 1 shot in the Kentucky Derby. It was born and raised in Texas and finished second to the 8 horse Barbarosa. For 5 across she got over 120 bucks. Now will you please look at my answer to your question about the Seminole Bar in Hialeah?
On December 15, 2008 05:35 PM, Ron "Whitey" Martz said:
Played basketball for Speedy. Had Fredy Norman, Jim DeWitz and Danny Riverio on the team. Baseball under Tobin and Speedy was even greater. We had a much better baseball team. I only attended Jax my senior year but it was the greatest year in high school. Still in close contact with Jim DeWitz but haven't seen Fredy since he left Cincinnati and Danny when he coached at Plant High. What a wonderful time and great, great memories.
my friend who still lives in an old house in opa-locka were talking about the old scandia.today.we were just kids but we thought the place was cool .we would like some more scandia stories from 60s-70s.what was this about dinos wife.iread ed mcmahon was stationed at opa locka during korea
he said at winterfest in lauderdale a few years ago his first house was in hialeah.shame what happened to the track.do u know name of restaurant that had pictures of famous diners there like the kennedys etc.thanks for memories