Play by Play

Imagine Wilt Chamberlain mano a mano with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at The Forum. And Ben Hogan teeing off, Billie Jean King chasing down a lob, Fernando Valenzuela looking skyward. How about Cassius Clay, before he became Muhammad Ali, weighing in at the Olympic Auditorium, and Don Drysdale throwing his fastball at Van Nuys High, and Evelyn Ashford running beneath the Olympic flame at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Now, turn the pages and see how L.A.'s top newspaper photographers captured these and other superstar athletes in the city's most important sports moments. This is Play by Play: Los Angeles Sports Photography 1889-1989. Basketball, baseball, football, soccer, boxing, golf, horse races, auto races, bodybuilding, surfing, tennis?the action unfolds before your eyes. Replay the most unforgettable moments in a city that has hosted seven Super Bowls, two Olympic Games, numerous World Series, World Cups and L.A. Opens. It's sports at its swaggering, competitive best.