MYSTERY OF THE POLO GROUNDS-
By Bill Francis (a Library Associate at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) This article was in the Memories and Dreams Magazine published by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Opening Day 2017. Thanks for sharing this Bill!!
“Monument to Eddie Grant graced the Giants’ home for decades before going missing after the team left for San Francisco.”
Big league third baseman Eddie Grant’s death took place almost 100 years ago, one of the thousands of United States casualties in the war to end all wars. Today, a missing plaque honoring his sacrifice remains one of the game’s most enduring unsolved mysteries.
Grant, nicknamed “Harvard Eddie” because he was one of the few ballplayers of the time who had attended college, spent 10 years in the majors, making his big league debut with the Cleveland Naps in 1905, then splitting the seasons between 1907 and 1915 with the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants. Steadier with the glove than the bat, the Massachusetts native ended his career with a .249 batting average.

But it was his selfless character that distinguished Grant in the game of life. Prior to the start of the 1916 season, the Harvard graduate announced he was quitting the game in order to devote more time to his law practice, first in Boston and then in New York. And while he remained part of baseball, serving as a part-time scout with the Giants, the 34-year-old Grant, past the age when he might be drafted, responded when the United States joined its allies to fight in World War I in April 1917.
“I am going to try to be an officer,” Grant wrote to a friend while attending a military training camp in Plattsburgh, N.Y. “I don’t know how much of a success I shall make of it. I had determined from the start to be in this war if it came to us, and if I am not successful as an officer I shall enlist as a private, for I believe there is no greater duty that I owe for being that which I am – an American citizen.”

By April 1918, Grant had landed in France as a captain with Company H of the 307th Infantry Regiment in the 77th Division. But only a few months later, on October 22, 1918, newspapers across America announced that Grant had died in action two weeks earlier, on October 5, the first big league ballplayer to make the supreme sacrifice for his country in the Great War in Europe. A month after Grant’s death, the armistice was signed ending World War I. Continue reading →

After spending 60 years in SF, Giants officials announced that they will be returning to NY for the 2018 season. The Giants will be playing in a brand-new ball park that Governor Andrew Cuomo approved. The Stadium will be called The Polo Grounds V and reside on the Upper West Side of NYC. The NY Giants fans who have all along claimed the team was on “vacation” now appear to have their team back. Giants officials at a hasty press conference revealed the team’s new logo, the NY skyline with a bold GIANTS and script New York in black and orange. The team also will be wearing special patches on both sleeves. It appears the Giants “left their heart” in NY after all!! Giants fans were told to remember the special date today (April 1) as well!! Baseball fans were reminded about this story that appeared in Sports Illustrated over 30 years ago on this date. http://www.si.com/mlb/2014/10/15/curious-case-sidd-finch
Thanks to the Knuckler for his wonderful logo and Brian’s ballparks!!!!

Last night, 1/18/2017, the NYGPS held its first meeting of the year with our gust speaker, author Dan Taylor. Dan co-authored a fabulous book on George Genovese, A Scout’s Report: My 70 Years in Baseball, and spoke about the book as well as his wishes about Genovese getting into the Hall of Fame in the future. Dan spoke for 50 minutes on everything having to do with both NY and SF Giants scouting, in particular Jack Schwarz and George Genovese in front of more than 2 dozen members of the NYGPS. Dan is truly a walking encyclopedia on Giants scouting, with unsurpassed knowledge and an amazing memory. Hearing him rattle off the names that Schwarz and Genovese brought to the Giants was truly a history lesson of some of the greats (or memorable) of the franchise. Those including: Mays, McCovey, Ken Henderson, Bobby Bonds, Matthews, Maddox, Jack Cark, Chili Davis, Jim Barr, George Foster, etc. He also went into details regarding the scouting department in general in regards to Marichal, Cepeda, and the Alou Bros. We thank Dan for a tremendous evening and also thank Jay Goldberg, for letting his house, The Bergino Baseball Clubhouse, http://www.bergino.com/
be our home base!!

The first NYGPS meeting of 2017 will take place on Wednesday, January 18, 2017, at 6:30PM at our home base the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. Our guest speaker will be author and huge Giants fan Dan Taylor. Dan was also a former award-winning television sportscaster. Dan talk will focus on “The Unsung Heroes of the Giants Organization.” He will delve into their scouting and development program dating back to 1937 and the work of Jack Schwarz and his scouts. Schwarz was the longtime director of player development for the New York and later San Francisco Giants,
Dan will also discuss his book, “A Scout’s Report: My 70 Years in Baseball” which he co-wrote with super-scout George Genovese. Genovese signed many great SF Giants In three decades with the Giants, Genovese signed some 40 players who made the major leagues, including Giants George Foster, Jack Clark, Bobby Bonds, Chili Davis, Gary Matthews, Matt Williams and Royce Clayton. Here is Amazon’s synopsis of the book.

“Many in baseball consider the scout to be the most important figure in any organization: It is the scout’s work in the high school and college bleachers that unearths future legends. Few have achieved more–and in such grand style–than George Genovese.
In a game that values numbers, Genovese’s are staggering. No other scout has been responsible for more players in a single lineup, more home runs by players signed or more All-Star and World Series highlights than Genovese.

Genovese’s eye for talent is unmatched, his advocacy for the players he discovers is unrivaled, and the investment he makes toward their success is a difference maker. This autobiography is the story of his seven decades in baseball as a player, manager and scout.”

Please RSVP ASAP as this event will surely be well attended. For those interested the book will go for $30 and Dan will gladly autograph it.

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

An 11ft high statue of Monte Irvin (8ft statue with 3 ft base) will be dedicated on October 19, 2016, at Monte Irvin Orange Park in Orange, NJ, in Essex County. The ceremony will take place at 12 noon. You need to RSVP in order to be on the list to attend.

Hall of Famers Monte irvin, Larry Doby, and Yogi Berra, will be honored with plaques recognizing their greatness as Essex County Legends in a ceremony on June 6, in Newark, NJ. This is open to the public but you need to RSVP at 973-621-4400 in order to attend. All the information is available on the invitation.

HOW WILLIE MAYS CHANGED THE FACE OF BASEBALL:
In celebration of the baseball legend’s 85th birthday, we explore Mays’s enduring spirit and his love of the sport despite facing many obstacles.-Tim Ott May 4, 2016
Willie Mays is about to turn 85. At this stage of his life, he’s an American icon, a revered ex-athlete who transcended the boundaries of his sport to become a shining example of American exceptionalism.
He’s also at a point where it’s easy to forget the fine print of his life story, a remarkable one considering that before he came along, the American public hadn’t experienced anyone quite like Willie Mays.
The baseball great was born in 1931 in Birmingham, Alabama, which means he came of age in a segregated society reeling from the Great Depression. Life was not easy, for the obvious reasons as well as those personal to his experience. Raised with little money, Mays at times went to school without wearing shoes, and he was separated from his mom when his parents split at an early age.
But Mays was also blessed in many ways. He was gifted with superior athletic genes — his dad and grandfather both played semi-pro baseball, and his mom starred in basketball and track in high school — and he always seemed to have the proper guidance in place. There were the two aunts who helped raise him as a child, and the grown men who took him under their wing when he began tagging along to his dad’s baseball games. Later, when he joined the New York Giants as a 20-year-old rookie, the team had him live with an older couple near their stadium, the Polo Grounds, and assigned a street-savvy boxing promoter to guide him around town.
Mays was also fortunate to come along when he did. In 1947, when Jackie Robinson was making headlines as baseball’s first black player in 63 years, the 16-year-old Mays was honing his skills with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League. By 1950, following the successes of other black major leaguers like Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe and Larry Doby, Mays was ready for his turn.
Coming just three years after Robinson opened the door, the world wasn’t entirely a changed place. Mays was forced to adapt to hostile fans and separate eating and rooming facilities on minor league road trips, conditions that persisted even after he joined the Giants in May of 1951. At the time, white players were known to grumble about the increasing proliferation of blacks in the game. Even when Mays was making waves as a rookie, a cartoon in The Sporting News — a national publication — featured the young player delivering such embarrassing dialogue as “Ah gives base runners the heave ho!” Continue reading →