NYGPS FINAL MEETING OF THE YEAR!!-NOVEMBER 12
ARNOLD HANO AND JON LEONOUDAKIS
Our final meeting of the year will take place November 12 with Arnold Hano, journalist/activist, and director Jon Leonoudakis, They will be discussing their new film, A Century in the Bleachers.
http://hanodoc.com/
From its website: Meet Arnold Hano, 93 years young, and one of the most prolific writers of the past hundred years. He’s authored 27 books, penned over 500 magazine articles and won both the Magazine Sportswriter of the Year and The Sidney Hillman prize for journalism in 1963.
His new DVD, entitled A Century in the Bleachers will be discussed with Hano and director Jon Leonoudakis. Hano’s famous book, A Day in the Bleachers is summarized here from Amazon: “From the subway ride to the ballpark, through batting practice and warm-ups, to the game-winning home run, A Day in the Bleachers describes inning by inning the strategies, heroics, and ineluctable rhythms of the opening game of the 1954 World Series. Here are the spectacular exploits of the Indians and Giants, and of a young player named Willie Mays, who made the most-talked-about catch in baseball history.
This will be an event you want to miss. I expect this to be a packed house at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse
http://www.bergino.com/
RSVP as soon as possible.
As a bonus Hano/Leonoudakis will be back the next evening at Berginos for a partial screening of the movie.

By Dayn Perry | Baseball Writer
John McGraw’s New York Giants from 1919 through 1931 sold collective “season passes” to fans that would endow the possessor with the right to take in any of the team’s home games at the Polo Grounds. For the 1921 season, here’s what the Giants gave to such lucky rooters …

Excelsior again!
The Giants in ’21 barged to a 94-59 record, thanks in part to a high-powered offense helmed by future Hall of Famers High Pockets Kelly, Dave Bancroft and Frankie Frisch. They prevailed over the Yankees and a hobbled Babe Ruth in the World Series by a count of 5-3 (best of nine!).
It so happens that the Yankees were the tenants of the Giants and owner Charles Stoneham. They’d paid rent to play at the Polo Grounds since 1913, but once Ruth announced his presence and changed the face of baseball, McGraw saw the Yankees — who’d never won a pennant before 1921 — as a genuine threat in the New York market. So the Giants informed the Yankees that they’d be evicted following the 1922 season. By that point, though, Yankee Stadium had been built.
Mostly, though, this has been about baseball’s most resplendent season pass, which you saw above. By all means, look at it again.

UNREAL PIECE OF NY BASEBALL GIANTS AUDIO HISTORY!!
Thanks to NYGPS Members Rich Rodgers (audio) and Jessica M. (video attachment) here is the NY Giants March written by Horace Stoneham and played at the Polo Grounds. Many members and people have been mentioning this song for decades without finding it. Here it is! Enjoy!!
THE GIANTS MARCH (1947)
We’re calling all fans,
All you Giants ball fans.
Come watch the home team,
Going places ‘round the bases.
Cheer for your favorites,
Out at Coogan’s Bluff.
You’ll see those Polo Grounders,
Do their stuff!
(words by Horace Stoneham)

Today’s San Francisco Giants trace their roots back to New York, where they played from 1883 until moving to California in 1958. That first 1883 Giants team—known as the New York Gothams—wore this amazing emblem on their uniforms:
This original patch resides at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.
While it’s certainly an incredible object to look at, it’s significant too. It could well be the first non-typographic decoration of any kind on a Major League Baseball uniform.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2015 – 9:00AM TO
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2015 – 9:00PM
REMINDER:
With three World Series titles in five seasons, the San Francisco Giants are going to need more room in their trophy case.
But before the 2014 World Series trophy goes on permanent display in San Francisco, it will make a stop at the home of baseball in Cooperstown.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum hosts Giants Weekend Aug 1-Aug. 2 in Cooperstown.
The Museum will honor the 2014 San Francisco Giants with its annual World Series Weekend. Museum visitors will have the chance to relive the 2014 season and create new memories in Cooperstown, where artifacts of the Giants’ world title will be preserved forever. Many of those artifacts are on display in the Museum’s exhibit Autumn Glory, which celebrates each season’s playoff and World Series teams.
Visitors will be permitted to take pictures with the trophies.

With the Hall of Fame induction ceremony to be held tomorrow, July 26 in Cooperstown, here are the players, managers, etc. who have either starred for the Giants Franchise (Inducted as a Giant) or who experienced playing for the team in either NY or SF and was inducted into the Hall. List is from
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/…/his…/hall_of_famers.jsp
There were some omissions and some spelling errors which I tried to correct. Feel free to comment if you see other errors.
Position Players (19) Inducted Position
Roger Bresnahan 1945 C
Orlando Cepeda 1999 1B .
Roger Connor 1976 1B .
George S. Davis 1998 SS
William Ewing 1939 C .
Frankie Frisch 1947 2B
Monte Irvin 1973 OF .
Travis Jackson 1982 SS .
George Kelly 1973 1B .
Fred Lindstrom 1976 3B
Ernie Lombardi 1986 C .
Willie Mays 1979 OF .
Willie McCovey 1986 1B .
Johnny Mize 1981 1B
James O’Rourke 1945 OF
Mel Ott 1951 OF .
Bill Terry 1954 1B .
Monte Ward 1964 SS
Ross Youngs 1972 OF

Pitchers (19) Inducted
Carl Hubbell 1947
Tim Keefe 1964
Juan Marichal 1983
Rube Marquard 1971
Christy Mathewson 1936
Joe McGinnity 1946
Amos Rusie 1977
Mickey Welch 1973
Hoyt Wilhelm 1985
Gaylord Perry 1991

Managers (1) Inducted
John McGraw 1937

Others who spent part of their career with Giants (25)
Dave Bancroft SS
Jake Beckley 1B
Dan Brouthers 1B
Jesse Burkett OF
Steve Carlton P
Gary Carter C
Leo Durocher MGR
Rich Gossage P
Burleigh Grimes P
Charles “Gabby” Hartnett C
Rogers Hornsby 2B
Waite Hoyt P
Randy Johnson P
Willie Keeler OF
Mike “King” Kelly OF/C/MGR
Bill McKechnie MGR
Joseph “Ducky” Medwick OF
Joe Morgan 2B
Edd Roush OF
Ray Schalk C
Albert “Red” Schoendienst 2B
Duke Snider OF
Warren Spahn P
Casey Stengel OF
Hack Wilson OF

Broadcasters Who Spent Part of Their Career Covering The Giants (5)
Ernie Harwell
Russ Hodges
Lindsay Nelson
Jon Miller
Lon Simmons

By Doug Miller
Baseball’s all-time greats have rightfully earned almost every conceivable honor and piece of hardware the game has to offer. On Tuesday night, a quintessential quartet of hardball heroes was feted with even more recognition.
On the grand stage of the 86th All-Star Game presented by T-Mobile at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, four former players — all Hall of Famers — were revealed as the winners of Major League Baseball’s Greatest Living Players, the result of a fan vote from April 8 to May 8.
Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, Sandy Koufax and Cincinnati’s own Johnny Bench were given the honor as part of pre-Midsummer Classic ceremony that also featured the unveiling of results for Greatest Negro Leagues Players, the game’s Greatest Pioneers and the all-time Franchise Four winners from each of the 30 big league organizations.
The highlight of Franchise Four unveiling was the final club to be revealed: the hometown Cincinnati Reds. Bench, Barry Larkin, Joe Morgan and Pete Rose were all in attendance and introduced by Thom Brennaman, the son of legendary Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman.
Rose, who has been lobbying Commissioner Rob Manfred to be reinstated after being banned from baseball in 1989 for betting on baseball, was the last to come out of the tunnel, and the all-time hits leader received a standing ovation from the Cincinnati faithful.
The Reds are one of many teams whose Franchise Four will be hotly debated, but no perhaps no team’s quartet will receive more scrutiny than the Yankees’. It was fitting for the club with the most World Series championships, and retired numbers, that its Franchise Four consisted of absolute baseball royalty: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.
Continue reading →

BARRY BONDS, WILLIE MAYS, WILLIE MCCOVEY AND BUSTER POSEY.

Another story about the stairs. Here we get a plug!
NEW YORK — On Thursday afternoon, the 102nd anniversary of the building of the John T. Brush Stairway, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation cut the ribbon on the newly renovated set of 80 steps running through Highbridge Park in Harlem, connecting Edgecombe Avenue to Harlem River Drive. For 50 years, from the opening of the stairway in 1913 to the demolition of the Polo Grounds in 1964, the stairs carried millions of sports fans from the top of the famous Coogan’s Bluff to the ticket booths behind home plate.
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver officiated a ceremony that included remarks from San Francisco Giants executive vice president Staci Slaughter, New York Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost, former Mets and Yankees player Lee Mazzilli, New York City Assemblyman Herman D. Farrell Jr. and New York City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez.
“I’m so thrilled this has finally come to fruition,” said Slaughter. “We are still so deeply connected to New York and deeply honored to be a part of this. This is a perfect example of good things happening if you wait a little while. I thank you all for your patience and your perseverance. This is an incredible addition to the community and a fitting tribute to the rich history of the Giants and the entire baseball family and what this area meant to baseball in its early beginnings.”
For nearly half a century following the demolition of the Polo Grounds, the stairway ran to and from the high-rise housing project that sits on the former site of the stadium. But by the early 2000s, the stairwell had fallen into such a state of disrepair that it was closed, adorned by the Parks Department with signs that read, “Danger: No Trespassing.” Continue reading →

Michael W. Mitchell still remembers the days fondly.
From his childhood home on 162nd Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, he and his family would walk two blocks to the John T. Brush Stairway, down the steps and onto a grassy knoll, then across the street to what was then the upper level of the Polo Grounds. There were no busy highways, no guardrails — just the welcoming sights and sounds of baseball.
Decades later, Mitchell stood in the same spot he had many times as a kid, with the Brush stairwell looming at his back, gazing at what used to be his haven. Now all that stands on that hallowed ground are stained reddish-brown public housing buildings, the stadium that once housed five major New York sports teams left to linger in the memories of aging fans.
But on Thursday, the city took a step toward remembering.
At a rededication ceremony at the bottom of the Brush Stairway, the New York Department of Parks and Recreation officially unveiled renovations — which were completed last year — on 102nd anniversary of the stairwell’s opening. It signified a commitment to the rich history of New York baseball, and more specifically the Giants organization that departed for San Francisco in 1958.
“There’s one thing that New Yorkers do not have, and that’s a lack of pride. We care about our place,” said former Met and Yankee Lee Mazzilli, who grew up in Brooklyn. “We talk about Yankee Stadium being the cathedral of baseball. We know how iconic the Stadium is. But before Yankee Stadium, that’s what the Polo Grounds was. It was a part of baseball history, but more importantly, people forget that right here where we stand was a part of American history.”
The New York baseball Giants presented the Brush Stairway to the City of New York on July 9, 1913, naming it honor of former owner John T. Brush, who died in 1912. The stairwell served as an important passageway for fans to travel from the top of Coogan’s Bluff’s rocky cliffs down to Polo Grounds, the home of the baseball and football Giants, the Yankees, the Jets and later, the Mets.
Mitchell was one of the residents who frequented the Brush Stairway as a kid. So was New York Assemblyman Denny Farrell.
Farrell grew up two blocks away from the Polo Grounds on 159th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, and he remembers one day when the Cardinals were playing at the stadium. The team took the wrong train and ended up on 157th Street and Broadway instead of 157th and 8th Avenue. Continue reading →

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: MICHAEL ARONSON

It was exactly 102 years ago today, July 9, 1913, that the Giants baseball team gave New York City a stairway that fans used to descend from the heights of Coogan’s Bluff to the Polo Grounds ballpark and to climb home again after games.
A newspaper of the time (the Daily News first appeared six years later) wrote that the “stairway had been under consideration by the Park Department for some time, but, owing to the lack of funds, the city could not build it.”
Today, the stadium is, of course, a faded memory — with the stairs the only remaining relic of the Polo Grounds.
For decades, the 80-step steel structure rotted and was fenced off. Then, seven years ago this editorial column called for rehabbing the stairs as a way to connect two tiers of Highbridge Park.
Recalling generosity of yesteryear, the Daily News called on the Giants (now of San Francisco) and the four other clubs that once called the Polo Grounds home (the Yankees and the Mets and the NFL’s Giants and Jets) to chip in to a reconstruction fund.
The quintet came through in high style, donating a total of $500,000, with then-Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer adding $400,000. Major League Baseball gave $50,000.
Using that $950,000, the Parks Department has rebuilt the stairs and put them to public use. Today, marking the anniversary, the baseball and football Giants, Yanks, Mets, Jets and Major League Baseball will be recognized at a rededication ceremony.
A hearty salute to them all.