as expected. But once it started getting back to being normal baseball again, i

SEATTLE -- Hes notched more first ascents than any other American mountaineer, wrote the definitive guidebooks to a major North American mountain range, and at age 93, Fred Beckey is still plotting routes -- though more slowly and buoyed by a cadre of fiercely protective partners.For years, stories have floated around about the man known as much for his eccentric personality as for his singular obsession with climbing, said Alex Bertulis, 77, a retired Seattle architect who climbed with Beckey for decades.Some were true, some not. But thats OK. Thats how legends are built, Bertulis said.Now, a documentary feature film in the works, Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey, is putting the spotlight on a man who has shied from such attention during decades of exploits. It is expected out next year.Beckey is such a cult figure in North American mountaineering that tickets were snatched up within hours for a slideshow he recently presented in Seattle to help promote the film.His body slightly stooped, blue dress shirt hanging loose off his frame, the nonagenarian needed help settling into his chair. Once lights were dimmed, he clicked through numerous slides, recalling from memory details about rock cracks, overhangs and other features on mountains in the Sierra and Cascades.Beckey was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States as a child. His family settled in Seattle, where he got his first taste of hiking and scrambling with the Boy Scouts and later The Mountaineers club.In 1942, he and his younger brother Helmut wowed the climbing community with an impressive second ascent of Mount Waddington in British Columbia.He went on to accomplish hundreds of first ascents on peaks throughout the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Canada and Wyoming. In 1954, he established new routes on three of Alaskas mountains: McKinley, Deborah and Hunter. He also climbed in the Himalayas and China.Beckey once wrote that climbing gave him a unique sense of control over his destiny. The exaltation one can get in the presence of mountains can be a memorable lesson in humility and an aid to self-realization, he wrote.There will never be another Beckey because there are no more unclimbed mountains left to that degree, Bertulis said.Fred got the golden age of climbing first ascents, Bertulis said. That will be his legacy.Beckey has authored more than a dozen books, including the three-volume Cascade Alpine Guide that details hundreds of peaks in the North Cascades. He also penned books about climbing Mount McKinley and Mount Rainier.At the recent Beckey event, fans from young climbers to ex-girlfriends -- even the adult daughter of an ex-girlfriend who flew in from California to put a face to her mothers stories -- lined up to shake his hand or snag a reluctant autograph.Its such an honor and privilege to still be able to meet him, gushed Leslie Otto, 29, who fired off names of routes she climbed that Becky pioneered.Beckey still keeps a list of potential climbing partners. In the past, he scribbled their names on the back of business cards and as he wrapped up one climb or expedition, he would drum up partners for the next, Bertulis said.People joked around that he had a black book of names of mountains that had to be climbed and also the names of women that had to be seduced, Bertulis said. The little black book doesnt exist. It falls into the category of made-up stories that are very entertaining.Vasiliki Dwyer, described by Beckey friends as his one who got away, got to know a different side of the climber.Fred has many aspects in his character. He read a lot. He knew about all kinds of esoteric things, she said. He once gave her a copy of John Miltons epic poem Paradise Lost and later named a North Cascades ridge after her. Last month, he gave her his card and told her to call.To climbing partners, Beckey was known for being obstinate, abrasive, not always the easiest to get along with. He has climbed with numerous partners, falling out with a few or outlasting those for whom climbing wasnt a nonstop, all-encompassing interest.Hes the most single-minded, focused person Ive ever met, said Eric Fox, 41, who has climbed all over the West with Beckey and dines with him weekly. His passion is contagious. He loves the mountains, the exploration, finding new peaks and new routes. Thats really inspiring for me.The two climbed recently together in central Washington -- Beckey needing help getting to the base but still able to climb.Once he starts climbing, its like muscle memory just kicks in, and hes very graceful, said Dave OLeske, director of Dirtbag who spent the past decade filming Beckey. A lot of things have to click. The day has to be good, the back cant hurt, but any chance he gets.Beckey is already mapping his next trip -- to Suquamish, British Columbia.Theres a cult of Fred, said Matt Perkins, who has climbed with Beckey for 20 years and helps look after his affairs. He added: I think his exit plan is to die in a sleeping bag on an expedition somewhere. Fake Air Max . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Replica Air Max .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. https://www.airmaxchina.us/ .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Cheap Authentic Air Max . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. Discount Air Max . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. CHICAGO -- The Cubs havent ruled out a possible return from injured slugger Kyle Schwarber?for the World Series.?Schwarber, who tore two ligaments in his left knee in just the third game of the regular season, has been cleared by doctors to hit. He joined the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League on Saturday.It was a pleasant surprise, Cubs president Theo Epstein said before Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, in which the Cubs beat the Dodgers 5-0 to advance to the World Series. We got news that was better than expected.After Schwarber received clearance from his doctor in Dallas on Monday, the outfielder immediately called?Epstein to plead his case.He asked for a chance to do this, Epstein said. With as hard as Kyle has worked and as much as this means to him -- and potentially us -- we wanted to give him that opportunity.The team hopes Schwarber will be available to be its designated hitter for World Series games in Cleveland. The?Indians?will?host Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday.Were going to evaluate him day to day from a medical standpoint and a baseball standpoint, Epstein said.Schwarber flew from Dallas to Los Angeles on Monday afternoon and hit in the batting cage. He then took batting practice with the Cubs at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. By Thursday, he was taking batting practice at the teams spring facility in Mesa, Arizona.He hit second in the order for Mesa in Saturday nights Arizona Fall League game,?going 0 for 3 with a walk as the designated hitter. He watcched the Cubs face the Dodgers on a tablet in the dugout between at-bats.ddddddddddddI felt like I put in two good at-bats, Schwarber said. The first two I chased a little bit, a little antsy up at the plate as expected. But once it started getting back to being normal baseball again, it started slowing down.There were no games in the Arizona Fall League on Sunday, and a spokesman for the Cubs said it was a scheduled off day for Schwarber. There was no word on the plan for the slugger for Mesas game against the Surprise Saguaros on Monday afternoon.Epstein said Schwarbers only medical concern at the moment is blisters after taking so much batting practice. Hell wear a knee brace during games.I have full confidence in my knee, Schwarber said. My knee doesnt bother me. It was my hands that hurt the worst. Ive got about eight blisters on them. I guess I should have kept rubbing a bat or something.Hes made it to a best-case scenario after six months, Epstein said. Were not ruling anything in; were not ruling anything out. Were not getting ahead of ourselves. We have a lot of work here before this becomes pertinent.Schwarber burst onto the scene last year, hitting 16 home runs after being called up from Triple-A Iowa. He then hit another five in the playoffs to become the Cubs all-time postseason home run leader.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '