HUDSON - For more than 10 years, Deli on Rye has operated in a rather modest storefront in a rather modest shopping plaza, keeping with its town's rather modest low profile by closing every night before 9 p.m.
For most of its time in Hudson, surrounded by Hallmark shops and pizza parlors, I have stopped in on some sort of regular schedule for turkey sandwiches and cans of Dr. Brown's soda. During that time, I have become friends with the owner, Alex Stein.
Never, though, at least before Tuesday, did I suspect he had been an international star long before I was born. To me, he was always Alex, the guy who owned the deli and talked about baseball.
But during the 1970s and '80s, Alex and his dog, Ashley Whippet, were the kings of the dog Frisbee world. They revolutionized the sport, practically introduced it to the world. They were on The Tonight Show
played at the White House and appeared at the Super Bowl.
Before Alex and Ashley, few outside of Ohio even knew a dog could fly so gracefully or catch a Frisbee in its teeth so tactfully. Fewer still knew what a whippet even was (a smaller version of a greyhound, for the record).
And it was thirty years ago today that the pair jumped the fence at Dodger Stadium and debuted Ashley's skills of running, jumping and catching a disc at a nationally-televised baseball game, sparking their run of international celebrity.
Following their 1974 debut, Alex was arrested and nearly lost Ashley, who ran off in the melee. They were reunited, though, and won three straight world championships in dog Frisbee; that championship series was later renamed the Ashley Whippet Invitational. Sports Illustrated even toasted Ashley in its pages upon his 1985 death.
Since Ashley died, Alex has kept a relatively low profile. He opened his deli 12 years ago and has showed up for work nearly every day since (the shop is closed Sundays). He has built a steady customer base with a caring personality and quality food, not his celebrity.
The interior of Deli on Rye is a mishmash of kitsch -banners, bobbleheads and a beer cooler full of domestics and imports -but there are few signs of Alex and Ashley, save for a few Frisbees hung behind the counter. A look at the closet-sized backroom reveals more.
Stacks of discs are piled on shelves, a desk, the floor. Most are commemoratives; some are one of a kind. One disc is signed by Rickey Henderson (Alex said that disc needed to be in a plastic bag); a Frisbee at his home is signed by Muhammed Ali.
I had never seen that back room before this week. In a way, it was like seeing the Batcave or learning that Clark Kent is Superman. And while Alex might not be a superhero, he's certainly more than just the deli owner next door.
-LaWell is The Summer Post's campus editor and a Frisbee enthusiast, with or without man's best friend. Send him an e-mail at matthew.lawell@ohiou.edu. 17
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