THANK YOU….
ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
ORGANIZATION, I AM PLEASED AND HONORED TO BE HERE
TODAY TO CELEBRATE THE DEDICATION OF THE MONTE IRVIN
STATUE.
IN A WAY, THERE IS A SILVER LINING TO THE FACT THAT WE
LOST TO THE CHICAGO CUBS LAST WEEK IN THE N.L. DIVISION
SERIES, BECAUSE IT ALLOWED ME TO BE HERE TODAY TO
CELEBRATE A PERSON WHOM I ADMIRED VERY MUCH.
IN MY 40 YEARS IN THE GIANTS ORGANIZATION …..FROM
ALMOST 10 YEARS IN THE VISITING CLUBHOUSE….. ALL THE
WAY TO MY CURRENT ROLE IN THE FRONT OFFICE, I CAN
TRULY SAY THAT MONTE IRVIN WAS THE NICEST PERSON I
HAVE EVER MET IN THE GREAT GAME.
MONTE WAS A GREAT BASEBALL PLAYER, BUT MORE
IMPORTANTLY, A WONDERFUL PERSON…….ALWAYS A TRUE
GENTLEMAN…..SO KIND AND MILD MANNERED……A PERFECT
AMBASSADOR FOR THE GAME OF BASEBALL.
AS THE FIRST GIANT AND ONE OF THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN
PLAYERS TO HELP INTEGRATE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, HE
SERVED AS A ROLE MODEL AND MENTOR TO SO MANY WHO
FOLLOWED HIS FOOTSTEPS – INCLUDING WILLIE MAYS.

THE HISTORY OF THE GIANTS FRANCHISE IS A BIG PART OF
WHO WE ARE TODAY – WE TAKE PRIDE IN CELEBRATING OUR
PAST….WHETHER IT’S THE NEW YORK GIANTS ……OR THE SAN
FRANCISCO GIANTS
IN FACT, WE HAVE A SAYING THAT WHEN A PLAYER WEARS
THE GIANTS UNIFORM – EVEN FOR ONLY ONE DAY – HE IS A
“FOREVER GIANT”
WELL…MONTE IRVIN IS DEFINITELY A FOREVER GIANT….A
PLAYER WHO WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN. WE WERE
FORTUNATE THAT MONTE STAYED CONNECTED TO THE
GIANTS IN RECENT YEARS AND MADE SEVERAL TRIPS TO SAN
FRANCISCO…..INCLUDING…….
 THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1954 NEW YORK GIANTS
CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
 WHEN HE JOINED OUR OTHER HALL OF FAMERS TO
THROW OUT THE CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH DURING THE
2010 WORLD SERIES
 WHEN WE RETIRED HIS UNIFORM NUMBER 20 – ALSO IN
2010 Continue reading →

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER MONTE IRVIN STATUE UNVEILED IN ORANGE
ORANGE, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. dedicated a bronze statue of late Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and Orange native Monte Irvin in Essex County Monte Irvin Park on Wednesday, Oct. 19, during a ceremony.
Irvin, who died in January at age 96, played for the Newark Eagles and later played for New York Giants from 1949-55, one of the first African-American players in the Major Leagues. He also played for the Chicago Cubs in 1956.
Born in Alabama, Irvin and his family moved to Orange when he was 8 years old. As a student-athlete at Orange High School, Irvin he earned All-State honors in football, basketball, baseball and track and field for three consecutive years. Irvin is regarded as one of the greatest athletes in New Jersey.
Irvin, who played in the same outfield with legendary and fellow Hall of Fame teammate Willie Mays, helped the Giants to the World Series title in 1954 against the Cleveland Indians. He went 2-for-9 with a double and two RBI in playing in all four games as the Giants swept.
Irvin finished his Major League Baseball career with a .293 batting average, 99 home runs, 443 RBI. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Committee of Negro Baseball Leagues in 1973. Irvin became the first black executive in the majors in 1968 and, after retirement, remained active in Major League events.
During the ceremony, many dignitaries gave poignant speeches, including Deputy Chief of Staff William Payne, Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver, Assemblyman Tom Giblin, Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura, Freeholder President Britnee Timberlake, Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren, and DiVincenzo.
Mark Beckett, a teacher at West Caldwell Tech, also delivered a beautiful singing performance.
Gary Mintz, of the New York Giants Preservation Society, and Mario Alioto, Executive Vice President of Business Operations from the San Francisco Giants, spoke at the ceremony, recalling their memories of Irvin.
Orange High School baseball head coach Wally Boyett was joined by Orange youth ballplayers, all wearing Orange baseball jerseys.
Irvin’s daughter, Pamela Irvin Fields, also spoke and shared her memories of her father and how her parents grew up in Orange and spent time in the park that bears his name. She thanked DiVincenzo for the statue of her father.
“Everything he stood for will be on display for all to see and it is all due to you. Thank you,” she said.
In a statement, DiVincenzo said, “Monte Irvin was a classy individual who never forgot his roots in Essex County – growing up in Orange and playing baseball for the Newark Bears. He had a stellar professional baseball career, but Mr. Irvin meant more to our community as a pioneer and role model for generations of young men and women.
“We originally recognized Monte and his achievements when we renamed this park as the Monte Irvin Orange Park in 2006. However, having a statue of him here is a more visible and appropriate reminder of someone who overcame obstacles, helped break barriers and always was a gentleman in how he treated others.”

http://essexnewsdaily.com/sports/sports-orange/23774

NYGPS MEETING OCTOBER 24
WITH AUTHOR OF CHASING WILLIE MAYS, PAUL KOCAK

Greetings!! Our last scheduled NYGPS meeting of the year will take place in 2 weeks, on Monday, October 24th at 6:30PM, at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. Author and huge Giants fan, Paul Kocak will be talking about his marvelous new book, CHASING WILLIE MAYS.
Here is the Amazon synopsis:
“Spanning a baseball fan’s life, this memoir explores hero worship, coming of age, and obsession. Paul Kocak grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, as a New York Giants fan in baseball’s golden age. When the boy’s team moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season, he became a fan in exile. Mostly because of Willie Mays, he stayed with the team that abandoned him (though he did try to reach out and touch Mays by phone). We relive backyard fantasies of fathers and sons and brothers and buddies who play Wiffle Ball and Hitting Them Out. We learn of a heart-breaking teenage drowning of the narrator’s neighbor, a Dodgers fan. The chronicle’s time line coincides with the assassination of JFK, the Beatles’ bursting onto the scene, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Second Vatican Council, and the Vietnam War. Kocak’s journey features encounters with Hall of Famer Willie McCovey, former Cy Young winner Vida Blue, commentator William F. Buckley Jr. — and Willie Mays. With a subtext of addiction and recovery, Chasing Willie Mays travels coast-to-coast and into the soul with grace, insight, and humor.
Come and join us for a wonderful evening talking Giants Baseball with a most knowledgeable author and fan of the NY and SF Giants. Please RSVP me with your intentions as time is of the essence. Thanks as always to Jay Goldberg for hosting us at the clubhouse.
https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Willie-Mays-Pa…/…/ref=sr_1_2