Photo by T Peter Lyons:
Joe Goldstein, a master presser of flesh and bender of ear who was a fixture in the New York sports scene for four decades, died Friday of a stroke in Boca Raton, Fla., at age 81.
Goldstein, who had a home in Old Westbury for many years, was a public relations wizard who worked for the old Roosevelt Raceway from 1954 until 1969, when he started his own company.
He represented ESPN and the New York City Marathon, Mobil Oil Co. in its sponsorship of high-end track and field events, RJR Nabisco for golf, Bob Hope on his East Coast appearances and even the Saudi Arabia Olympic soccer team.
A public relations coup while at Roosevelt Raceway built his reputation and thus his portfolio. Roosevelt's biggest race, The International, was contested among trotters from around the world. In its first running in 1959, Goldstein let it be known that a French horse, Jamin, craved artichokes (a commercial rarity in the East) and had them flown in from California, where a helicopter picked them up at Kennedy Airport (then Idlewild) and delivered them to the track. The bemused horse gobbled them and the bemused press wrote about it. Jamin won the race.
Some would call him a hustler, but in a 1987 Sports Illustrated feature about him, Goldstein described himself thusly: "I am not a hustler. I am a practitioner who enlightens the American populace and brings joy to the world."
"I will never forget his passion for his work and for his friends," LaPlaca said. "How kind he was, how much he gave to others."
Some would call him a hustler, but in a 1987 Sports Illustrated feature about him, Goldstein described himself thusly: "I am not a hustler. I am a practitioner who enlightens the American populace and brings joy to the world."
Fred Lebow, founder of the New York City Marathon, brought Goldstein on board in 1976 to stump for a race that was little more than an annoyance. Goldstein's efforts got publicity for the race nationally and around the world.
ESPN hired Goldstein for its start-up in 1979 and he continued to work for the network through the last Super Bowl. Chris LaPlaca, senior vice president of corporate communications for ESPN, says Goldstein was instrumental in the network's success.
"He was a big part of ESPN's history and was a constant guiding light," LaPlaca said. "I don't know how we would have done it if it were not for Joey."
Goldstein was a confidant of Daily News columnist Dick Young, New York Times columnist Red Smith and ABC commentator Howard Cosell. He read every New York paper every day and was personally acquainted with hundreds of journalists whom he constantly flattered beyond reason while constantly connecting them to people and events in his whirlwind world. Wherever there was a phone, Goldstein was on it, often while conducting a conversation with someone standing beside him.
Goldstein was born in Conway, S.C., and the family moved to New York in 1940. He became a high school correspondent for the long-gone New York World Telegram and New York Sun, and later for the Times.
Goldstein graduated from NYU. He worked in the basketball department of Madison Square Garden before getting the job at Roosevelt Raceway. He is a member of the Harness Racing Hall of Fame and the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.
For LaPlaca, the memory of Goldstein is highly emotional. "I will never forget his passion for his work and for his friends," LaPlaca said. "How kind he was, how much he gave to others."
Goldstein is survived by sons Robert of Great Neck, Adam of Atlanta and Jared of Manhattan. His wife of 44 years, Helene, died in 1999.
A funeral will be held Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 West 76th St. Burial will follow at Montefiore Cemetery, 121-83 Springfield Blvd., Springfield Gardens, Queens. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Garment Center Congregation or the United Jewish Appeal.
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