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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Our July NYGPS Meeting has been moved up to June 17, as we are proud to present Bill Madden as our guest speaker. For more than 30 years Bill has covered the Yankees and Major League Baseball for the New York Daily News. The author of several books about the Yankees, Madden is also the 2010 recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award. Here is his speech at the Hall of Fame
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/6003532/v10264409/bill-madden-receives-the-2010-jg-taylor-spink-award

Mr. Madden will be discussing his new book 1954, The Year Willie Mays and the First Generation of Black. The book will be available for purchase and autographing. If you already own the book Mr. Madden will gladly sign it as well. Here is the Amazon blurb:

Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Bill Madden delivers the first major book to fully examine the 1954 baseball season, drawn largely from exclusive recent interviews with the major players themselves, including Mays and Doby as well as New York baseball legends from that era: Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford of the Yankees, Monte Irvin of the Giants, and Carl Erskine of the Dodgers. 1954 transports readers across the baseball landscape of the time—from the spring training camps in Florida and Arizona to baseball cities including New York, Baltimore, Chicago, and Cleveland—as future superstars such as Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and others entered the leagues and continued to integrate the sport.

Weaving together the narrative of one of baseball’s greatest seasons with the racially charged events of that year, 1954 demonstrates how our national pastime—with the notable exception of the Yankees, who represented “white supremacy” in the game—was actually ahead of the curve in terms of the acceptance of black Americans, while the nation at large continued to struggle with tolerance.

Please RSVP to me ASAP and by May 31st. This should be a wonderful evening at our “home base” the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse at 67 East 11st Street in Greenwich Village at 6:30PM. Thanks as always to Jay Goldberg, the owner of this terrific baseball boutique. Any questions feel free to contact me. GO GIANTS!!!-Gary

TWENTY-EIGHT MEMBERS OF THE NY GIANTS REMAIN

From Wikipedia: Died 6 months ago but just reported

See Dee Jay Primetime’s Post

Mario Peter Picone (July 5, 1926 – October 13, 2013) [Babe] was an A…merican pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Redlegs in part of three seasons spanning 1947–1954.

Listed at 5′ 11″, 180 lb., Picone batted and threw right handed. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

In a 13-game career, Picone posted a 0-2 record and a 6.30 ERA in 13 pitching appearances, including three starts, allowing 28 earned runs on 43 hits and 25 walks, while striking out 11 in 40 innings of work.

Two of his starting assignments accounted for the two losses on his MLB résumé. On September 27, 1952, he opened for the Giants and lasted eight innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing six runs (five earned), in a 7–3 defeat at the Polo Grounds.[1]

Then, on June 13, 1954, in his first appearance for Cincinnati, he faced his hometown Brooklyn Dodgers at Crosley Field and lasted only 4⅓ innings, giving up five earned runs, including home runs by Duke Snider and Jim Gilliam.[2] Brooklyn eventually won, 14–2.

He also spent 13 seasons in the Minor leagues, playing from 1944 through 1956 for 11 different clubs. His most productive season came in 1952, when he combined a record of 21-8 with a 2.94 for Sioux City and Minneapolis. Besides, he won 19 games in 1945 and amassed four seasons with at least 14 wins.

Overall, he went 129-98 with a 3.95 ERA in 186 pitching appearances (82 starts) over 1975.0 innings.[3]

Picone died in October 13, 2013 in Brooklyn at the age of .87. His death was reported six months later.
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HAPPY 83RD BIRTHDAY TO THE GREATEST EVER!!

Willie Mays turns 83 on May 6, this Tuesday!! His legacy continues to grow every year!

Shortly after my arrival into SFO Airport I went to meet Sue Peterson who does fund raising for the youth in the Bay Area.
My Sports Interest Group at Sun City Grand in Surprise, Arizona raised $940 for the cause this past holiday season.
She and I had previously spoken but never met each other.
The half hour we spent was most enjoyable and she again thanked me for my efforts.

After that meeting I was given a private tour of the new Gotham Club at ATT Park on the Suite Level by Ryann Greenberg.
She is in charge of the club and recruiting members.
The two bowling alleys, pool table, and décor with NY Giants Memorabilia is amazing. There were numerous photos I had never seen before among other things.
The 1883 Theme is all over the place including the wine glasses..

I also spent time with a big time Giants Fan and supporter Annina Puccio. She is an amazing lady and we compared collectibles.

The three games were a repeat of 1954 as we swept the Tribe !
Saturday was the ring day and the Giants gave out 30,000 1954 replicas…..Amazing piece of jewelry for sure.
Saturday Night I met the grand niece and also the nephew of James DOC Crandall, a NY Giants relief pitcher from the early 1900s
We all had a great schmooze.

Sunday I again ran into Ryann Greenberg who took me to the bullpen portion of the Gotham Club.
and then the three run walk off homer by Brandon Hicks to sweep the series.

A great night was had by all as Helane & Jeffrey Rhodes discussed their father’s Dusty Rhodes’ baseball career and life before a SRO crowd at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse in lower Manhattan. Helane provided us with a moving tribute to her dad and then she and Jeff held a 30 minute Q/A with members of the society. Jeff provided many insights to his dad and brought along many souvenirs of his father’s playing career including his NY Giants jacket.

The evening was capped off by NYGPS member Moe Resner showing the group his End of an Era DVD which he filmed as a youngster. The film is of the last game the Giants played as the NY Giants on September 29, 1957. The quality is exceptional!! Moe explained how he made the film and then answered many questions.

Thanks go out to the entire Rhodes Family including Dusty’s grandchildren and wife, Mimi, who were also in attendance, Jeffrey and Helane Rhodes, Moe Resner, and our most gracious host Jay Goldberg, owner of the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. If any basbeall gifts are need for the upcoming holidays, Jay is the guy to contact.

Here is the podcast from our recent meeting with guest speakers Helane & Jeffrey Rhodes, Dusty Rhodes’ children, and NYGPS member Moe Resner. Enjoy!! Thanks always to Jay Goldberg, owner of the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse.
http://berginobaseballclubhouse.podbean.com/2014/04/14/ny-giants-preservation-society-event-with-the-children-of-dusty-rhodes/

The NY Parks Department informed me that a dedication will be taking place this Spring. Here are some very recent shots. Work appears to be totally complete.

Ladies/Gents, Our 2nd meeting of the year will be taking place on Thursday, April 10th, at 6:30PM at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. We will have 3 speakers that night. The first part of the program will have Helane and Jeffrey Rhodes speaking about their beloved father Dusty (James Lamar). They will share memorabilia and stories about #26. This is the 60th anniversary of Dusty’s clutch 2 home runs during the sweep of the Tribe, the Giants final World’s Championship in NY. The second part of the program will highlight Moe Resner and his video, The End of an Era which is a video of the last game the NY Giants played at the Polo Grounds in 1957. This should be a wonderful event. If you would be kind enough to email me your intentions please do so ASAP, so as Jay Goldberg can invite some of his people if there is room. Any questions regarding the clubhouse can be found here.

From Grizzlies Website:
May 17 Fresno Grizzlies vs. Albuquerque Isotopes

Both the Fresno Grizzlies (Giants) and Albuquerque Isotopes (Dodgers) will be wearing 1954-inspired jerseys of their parent club. All game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off after the game to benefit a select charity.
1954 New York Giants World Series Replica Ring
Add a little gold in your life by picking up a 1954 New York Giants World Series Replica Ring. The giveaway will be handed out to the first 7,000 fans through the gates!