European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 26, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes june More nervous than adopted son Boxer by Ira Berkow Totowa not it was 8 Oclock at and in about an hour he would enter the ring for his first professional prize it was a significant not just for him but for his famous he was fighting one of the few who had whipped him in the his Amateur record being 90 victories against Only seven this was last wednesday night in the ice world Arena a skat ing rink occasionally converted for boxing Tracy the 130 Pound Junior lightweight who was making his looked almost slight in the Cor Ner of the pal yellow dressing which was crowded with other fighters and handlers and Rock music from someones Harris rummaged through his bag on a Bench and didst find what he was searching Tracy turned to a Broa shouldered Man wearing a White Shortsleeve shirt and Blue Warmup pants and sneakers who is his manager and Trainer and i forgot my said is there an extra one around the As Well As former heavyweight Champion of the Floyd left and returned shortly with that essential piece of sports Wear for his adopted who is 20 years said that neglecting to bring his cup want a sign of in not he its just that i can feel the adrenalin in said i think in More nervous than i was for any of my i Felt i could control what i was going to but i cant control what tra cys going to Tracy is special to Hes exceptionally like i said Patter and Hes got i saw that right from the the Start was about nine years when then 11 years walked into the boxing gym in new that is owned and run by whose Home is on the same Tracy had heard about but had been too Young to know him As a Tracy came off and on to the gym for about a said he sat and he never said one Day i said to would you like to try it he and i got him some shoes and trunks and the youngster kept coming one summer after the gym was locked Patterson saw Tracy sitting on a Rock anything wrong asked said Arent you going Home the boy sensing a asked him if he wanted to work around Patterson doing chores such As mowing the Lawn and the boy said he became Friendly with Patterson and his two Janene and respectively three years and five years younger than one Winter evening the boy asked if he could stay in the gym for a the gym has a bedroom and bathroom and was i said Patterson next thing i two weeks pass and Hes still Patterson looked into tracks Home sit he Learned that Tracy was the oldest of five All of Annie who had worked As a nurses assistant in a Hospital but was now Unzem tracks father had left Tracy had been getting into trouble at school and on the he remembers stealing things anything i could he including food for and sometimes i stole pampers for the he we were Low on at school he was getting into and just Doin ignorant he re Patterson began to provide stability in tracks i was a kid like he said its just that i grew up in a Brooklyn theres nothing Good in any of these and when you cant find anything Good to then you find 1973 photo by Ted Phelps former heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson heart was thumping at sons debut something also from a broken was sent at age 10 to a school for delinquent boys in upstate new it was there he Learned to it changed my he i wanted to be i wanted it so and i found that i had Talent in boxing and so i went at it with All my Harris says that boxing has changed his the better i got at he the better i i want Gettin into any More Annie unable to overcome her financial problems in new decided seven years ago to return with her family to her original i loved my said but i didst want to go Patterson offered to have Tracy live in his and the then Patterson continued to work in the ring with the boy was developing into a Fine Little at Home one afternoon in a year after Harris had Patterson called Tracy we All care for you quite a said referring to his Fame and wed like you to be with us per what do you mean asked we thought wed adopt you that Doest mean you dismiss your real but youd be part of our id like said Patterson recalled that Tracy left the room i remember id done some thing like so no one could see i was said the Roar from the ice world boxing Arena could be heard from inside the dressing and someone opened the door and Harris is tracks Ray was about some four inches taller than but a compact a Good de sense and a stinging overhand right that buckled Doughty Knees near the end of the last round of the scheduled four round bout resulted in a unanimous decision for he earned about double what a Boxer in his first fight would usually but Harris Amateur including his two new York state Golden Glove Cham elevated his what Are your plans after this someone asked Harris to get to the said the Young and How did Patterson feel about the fight my he tugging sever Al times at the breast of his was beating like expos Surprise mets manager says fou team no East race draws crowds by John Nelson a sports writer its Only and the heat is on in the National league four teams Are battling for the and the repartee is of Pennant stretch the Chicago cubs and the new York two preseason engaged in a fou game series earlier this month that received world series Type Public Montreal and Surprise were off in other parts of the the Philadelphia Phillies and Pitts Burgh pirates were trying somehow to Salvage the final two thirds of the sea i thought from the beginning it would be More than two teams in said manager Dave whose mets finished second to Chicago last but i thought it would be Philadelphia up there instead of the cardinals and the expos were hot unlike the of struggling mets and relatively that was a major reason they have Hung in this Johnson said he thought Louis and Montreal probably be so close if they had sustained injuries similar to those of the cubs and the the cards had lost Catcher Darrell por Ter Over two and outfielder Wil lie Mcgee was Hurt in the beginning of the Pitcher Charlie Lea was Hurt on the the had suffered through injuries to by Young award win Ner Rick Pitcher Scott Sander most valuable player award win Ning infielder Ryne and outfielders Bob Dernier and Gary mat the mets lost Pitcher Bruce for the year most while injuries at one time or sidelined or hobbled outfielder Darryl Catcher Gary reliever Roger my outfielder cookie infielder Ray outfielder George Foster and shortstop Ron Gardenhire Over a significant length of the injury to a torn ligament in his right required surgery and he will be Side lined from Midway until probably after the Allstar the mets cubs series at Shea stadium began under a Cloud of harsh be fore coming into Sutcliffe had said that perhaps Pitcher Dwight Gooden was the Only met Good enough to play for the while denying a quote in which he said the mets we rent even the team to he did mention another met by he said Carter want As Good a Catcher As the cubs Jody a statement difficult to his remarks probably were we Linten toned meaning Only that he liked the club he was All i said was i liked our Sutcliffe that i Trade but there is an old adage in baseball let sleeping dogs the like the were Why go out of your Way to aggravate them such remarks also invite and Johnson had this to say we can match injuries with the cubs talk about a Pitcher Sutcliffe who missed three Ive got a starting Pitcher in Bere Nyi who May miss the whole Bob deniers operation want too Hes supposed to be Back in two Johnson they complain about missing Sandberg and Sarge Matthews for three Ive got a Darryl Strawberg who is More important than either of those two Hes an rib and Home run such Are the words that make up a pen Nant it took cubs right fielder Keith Moreland to put things in perspex theres a lot of baseball yet to be he the Winner of the East division since Ive been around and that been since 1979 has been the team that played the Best in sep were still the East division Champi and someone has to take it away from Moreland
