Moses Malone died on Sunday at the age of 60.
That would be the same age I just turned at the beginning of this month.
The news of the passing of a Sixers icon, the man most responsible for fulfilling the team's unlikely motto of "We Owe You One," was a thunderbolt, coming just weeks after the loss of another beloved Sixer, Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins. Ironically, both of the big men set precedents by going directly from high school to the NBA.
As sad as the news of Malone's passing was, I have to admit it also brought a smile to my face.
Let me try to explain.
Moses Malone played a pivotal role in one of the most infamous front pages in Daily Times history.
A little history is in order.
The Malone story actually had been percolating for a couple of weeks. The superstar center had become a free agent after another spectacular year with the Houston Rockets in the 1981-82 season and signed a $13 million offer from the Sixers on Sept. 2, 1982. The Rockets didn't want to lose Malone, but with a change of ownership, didn't especially want to pay him that kind of money either. Late in the day on Sept. 15, they traded him to the Sixers for center Caldwell Jones and their No. 1 draft pick.
Unfortunately, that was not the only big story going on in Philadelphia that week.
Two days before, Princess Grace of Monaco, the former Grace Kelly of Philadelphia, had been killed in a car crash in Monaco. On Wednesday, she was lying in state at the palace in Monaco.
Philadelphia was mourning its very own princess. Flags were lowered to half-staff and a memorial Mass was planned for the Cathedral Basilica SS. Peter and Paul
Pictures of her lying in state moved on the wire. The plan was for the story and photo of Princess Grace would be the lead element on the next morning's Daily Times.
Then late in the day, the Sixers pulled the trigger on the Malone deal.
Keep in mind that this was a completely different time in the news business. There was no Internet, no online versions of the photos or either the Princess Grace tragedy or the Malone trade.
The way we created newspapers back then was different as well.
They weren't done on a computer screen the way they are today. Instead, they were built by craftsmen called "compositors," a position that does not exist today.
They would take different pieces of film and literally "paste up" the pages one item at a time.
I think if editors had been able to see the impact of the decision that was made right in front of them on a computer screen a different decision likely would have been made.
As it turns out, the decision was to keep the photo of Princess Grace lying in state as the lead image, but change the lead headline to reflect the Sixes trade for Malone.
I think I can confidently say it was not the right decision.
This is the front page that graced Delaware County the next morning, on Sept. 16, 1982:
At the time, I had yet to join the night desk. I had been at the paper only a few months, and was the day city editor. My job that day was to answer the phones.
It was a very long day.
Rest well, Moses. Thanks for the memories. Yes, even the ones that make us wince.
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