A great night was had by all as Hall of Fame Baseball scribe Bill Madden spoke in length about his book 1954 at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse in lower Manhattan. Mr. Madden discussed in length the 1954 Giants with baseball integration at the heart of the book. He mentioned that no book had been written about that season and he was spurred on to write it by his good friend Terry Cashman who is of course the singer/songwriter who penned the baseball classics Talkin’ Baseball and The Catch among others.
Mr. Madden told the audience that he gathered much of his material by speaking to mostly Monte Irvin and Al Rosen. He also spoke in length to Willie Mays and Dusty Rhodes. Mr. Madden then signed his book for many of the NYGPS members in attendance. A Photo Album is available on our Yahoo Page. Here is the link to last nights podcast. A great listen!!

http://berginobaseballclubhouse.podbean.com/e/ny-giants-preservation-society-presents-1954-with-bill-madden/

Thanks go out to Bill Madden and his wife Lillian for making the evening so special. Also a shout out t our most gracious host Jay Goldberg, owner of the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. If you need any baseball gifts for upcoming graduation gifts, Jay is the guy to contact.

         
My dad was Louis Mintz.  Family man, librarian at the NY Public Library for over 40 years, father, Giants Fan.  Not a day goes by when I don’t think of him.  He was always upbeat with an infectious smile that stayed with him even as cancer ravaged his body.  Nobody ever said a bad word about him, the testament to his greatness.  He loved my mom, loved his 3 boys, and worshipped the ground of his 3 granddaughters (his girlies, my daughters) and his grandson.
          Then there were the Giants.  His love of the NY Giants somehow continued when the orange and black moved to San Francisco.  I, wanting to be like him, started following the SF Giants in 1969.  Up until 2010, I claimed it was the only wrong thing my father ever did.  That all changed of course when Nelson Cruz swung and missed on a Brian Wilson pitch on November 1, 2010.  It was the most compelling moment of my sports life as a fan.  Forty-two years I waited, forty-two years!!  In one night, all the hurt and pain was suddenly gone.  Then viola!! The Giants stun the baseball world by winning it all again in 2012. Two World Championships in 3 years!! UNBELIEVABLE!! My only remorse is that “Sweet Lou” wasn’t around to savor it with me as he passed in 2003.  I wish we could have talked about it, laughed about it and reminisced about it.  When the World Series Trophy Tour stopped in Manhattan in January 2011 & again in January 2013, he surely would have treasured the moments as I did with my wife and my daughters.  To think he would have met and shook hands with his idol Willie Mays.  What a story that would have been!!
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