Batting Fifth, #25, Joe Pepitone

Last night at Bergino Baseball Clubhouse John Harvey and I hung out with Joe Pepitone #25. We had drinks, ate food, and heard Joe tell twenty plus stories at this fabulous baseball memorabla. He was terrific. Bergino's on 11th Street is a love letter to baseball.

#25 was promoting his raw honest book, "Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud."

Bergino owner, Jay Goldberg and I agree, Joe Pepitone should do The Moth StorySlam. He'd kill it. My favorite Pepitone tale last night: Joe batting behind Mickey Mantle against Denny McClain with Bill Freehan behind the plate in September 1968. Mantle just hit his 535th homer, a gift fifty mph softball that McLain grooved down the center of the plate. I'll tell the story as I hear it later today. Also got the straight dope on the "Phil Linz Yogi Berra Harmonica On The Bus incident."

Shaking Joe's hand I remembered this was the second time I met him. When I was 8 years old, the Yankees whole team came to the 86th Street RKO theatre in April 1962, when they made that silly movie "Safe at Home," to capitalize on the Maris & Mantle, M&M boys' 1961 home run derby.

Hanging with Joe, John & Tommy

I forced Dad to get to the theatre two hours early to make sure we were on the aisle. We had a quick burger across the street at Prexy's first. At seven o' five, word spread the team bus had pulled up in front. The Yankees came into the lobby dressed in suits & ties and marched down the right side of the movie house. Yogi Berra walked by me and stepped on my toe, but I didn't notice, though my father did and wanted Berra to apologize. It was strange seeing Dad pissed at Yogi.  Joe Pepitone winked at me and smiled as he walked past our aisle.

Elston Howard stopped in front of me, and put his arms behind his back like a military MP. Ellie saw I was having a baby over MickeyMantle standing right next to him two feet away from me shaking in my sneakers. Dad and Ellie exchanged laughs over my dilemma, then Howard leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Say hi, he won't bite you." But I was too scared to say anything to Mickey. As the Yankees walked on stage for a final bow, I dribbled my opportunity away.

popcorn megaphone

Lots more on Pepitone later, I have chores to do.... 

#25 busted  my balls, and I busted his balls right back. Two street guys busting chops. 

I had a ball last night, and it was so much better doing it together with my friend, Harv.

felt like kids

#25

too much fun

busting balls

busting balls back

Baby Pigeons Love Thurman Munson

The last time I remember seeing baby pigeons was the day we moved into 83rd Street on Rory's first birthday in 1957. Well, I saw them again, last night and I knew that I would. 

I'm taking that excitement to Bergino Baseball Clubhouse tonight @7pm, and telling a Thurman Munson story at:

Baseball As Good Medicine©
Photo ID Foundation
Thursday, July 17 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Bergino Baseball Clubhouse

"Baseball As Good Medicine: The Amazing, Magical, Healing Qualities of Baseball - a unique variety of storytellers from sportswriters to rheumatologists to artists to umpires - each telling a story related to this theme in 5 minutes or less! An action packed fun evening of baseball, stories and judges all to benefit a cause.
The cause is a good one, offering kids with medical challenges cameras and other media tools to tell their stories. More information below. Please come out and support the children.
All proceeds from the event go to Photo ID Foundation. Our work puts cameras and other tools in the hands of young people with medical challenges/life threatening illnesses to enable them to create media projects to tell their stories and transform their experiences.

I Have To Get That Darn Thurman Munson T-Shirt

Like I did in 1972 at this Carl Schurz Park checkers table, I'm telling a Thurman Munson story tomorrow night:

Baseball As Good Medicine©

Photo ID Foundation

Thursday, July 17 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Bergino Baseball Clubhouse

"Baseball As Good Medicine: The Amazing, Magical, Healing Qualities of Baseball - a unique variety of storytellers from sportswriters to rheumatologists to artists to umpires - each telling a story related to this theme in 5 minutes or less! An action packed fun evening of baseball, stories and judges all to benefit a cause.
The cause is a good one, offering kids with medical challenges cameras and other media tools to tell their stories. More information below. Please come out and support the children.
All proceeds from the event go to Photo ID Foundation. Our work puts cameras and other tools in the hands of young people with medical challenges/life threatening illnesses to enable them to create media projects to tell their stories and transform their experiences.

Bergino Baseball Clubhouse Honors Gil Hodges

Art Shamsky's 1969 World Series Championship ring

Last Thursday, I had a memorable night at Bergino's Baseball Clubhouse in the Landmark Cast Iron Building on East 11^th Street just west of Grace Church.  The Clubhouse’s owner, Jay Goldberg, hosted a wonderful event celebrating Gil Hodges, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the 1969 Gil Hodges led World Champion New York Mets. 

There to speak about Gil was Danny Peary, the co-author of the terrific new book, “Gil Hodges: The Brooklyn Bums, the Miracle Mets and the Extraordinary Life of a Baseball Legend.”  (Danny wrote the book with Tom Clancy).  

Jay, never one to disappoint, surprised the full house of Gil’s fans with a special guest, Art Shamsky, who played for Gil from his first game as Mets manager to his last game.  Art’s love and respect for the man remains steadfast and abundant. Art was exceedingly charming and engaging with the fans in the audience during and after the event.

I’m a life long Yankee fan. This did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying the development and construction of the Met team that won in 1969. I respected Grote because of his hard play and his catching intelligence. Jerry Koosman was my secret favorite pitcher. I was at his first shutout at Shea in 1968 (7 shutouts in his first full season).  Being a lefty and a baseball nut at 14, my world revolved around good lefties like Koosman and soon to be ace Fritz Peterson on the Yankees. Mel Stottlemyre remained a hero. I was at Mel’s first game in August 1964. Snuck up to the Stadium alone on the #4 train. But Mel was righty, understand?

When the Mets hired Hodges in 1968 my gut knew the team would improve and compete.  Hodges represented everything right about baseball and sportsmanship in general.  As example, if Gil played football for the New York Giants after he scored a touchdown he would toss the ball cleanly to the referee. I had no doubt.

Hearing Danny Peary talk passionately about the man as a player, family man, war hero, all my feelings for Gil were reinforced.  Listening to Art Shamsky tell us about Hodges as a manager and father figure to many of the young Met players doubled my opinion that Gil always walked the walk. The man should be in Cooperstown.

Thank you, Jay Goldberg, for bringing the best times of our youth packed inside our baseball memories to East 11^th Street and lighting up the neighborhood with your amazing Clubhouse.

BERGINO BASEBALL CLUBHOUSE

67 East 11 Street • The landmark Cast Iron Building • NYC • 212-226-7150

Grace Church facing the St. Denis Hotel

from left to right, a Fan, Danny Peary, Jay Goldberg & Art Shamsky

Art Shamsky

Gramercy Union Square Walkabout

Last week, I walked the Gramercy and Union Square areas and wandered south into the Village to visit Bergino Baseball Clubhouse on 11th Street. There was a street fair on Broadway allowing me to stand in the middle of the street and look up at the buildings without worrying about getting clocked by a Fresh Direct Truck. The countless books stuck against the Strand's giant windows caught my attention and so did a building right off 13th Street where we raced our model cars on a giant track on one of the building's upper floors in the mid 1960s.

Here are a few pictures from my walk along with a link to a picture book.

Mickey Mantle Busted My Heart

Let’s say I had a fender bender in the East Village on my way to the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. Right panel & hood shot, an easy $3000 repair. The car’s drivable and I park off Broadway and walk to the one of a kind baseball collectible store on east 11th Street. While walking alone I mumble, “Deductible $500 out of my pocket and insurance soars, just what I need.”

When I get to the store I peek through the window and see the 410 FT sign indicating I’m approaching the outfield’s warning track. I step into the clubhouse and I’m home; in a space that surrounds me with warm familiar items that bring me back to the days when I swore that ball players needed me to root for them or they wouldn’t win. Told my mom and grandmother many times, “My team needs me!”

Still down about the car, I turn and look for a place to drop my backpack. In the center of the store is a large card table covered by a gorgeous water color painting of Mickey Mantle smiling in uniform looking like the 1953 Mick who hit a 565 foot homerun in Griffiths Stadium. As soon as I see Mantle’s young face this thought passes through my head, “It’s only a car, I’m safe, and I’ll probably be able to work out the deductible with Joey.”

Mickey in the Clubhouse is all it took. A terrific water color painting by a supremely talented and successful young artist, James Fiorentino. Bergino proudly hosted a show of James best baseball art this past week. I spoke with James and his enthusiasm for the game and his work is sky high and focused, very similar to the level of dedication and talent Jay Goldberg brings to the Clubhouse every day. Displayed here, are many of James pieces and one my favorite items at the Clubhouse ~ the Yankee Popcorn Megaphone (recently sold, darn!)


You can see all of James Fiorentino’s work at his web site or contact James through Jay Goldberg, the baseball loving owner and manager of the clubhouse.

No longer a fan of recreational drugs, I highly recommend going to Bergino Baseball Clubhouse at 67 East 11th Street, where your sense of well-being will be lifted for your entire stay and if you see the right thing and take it home your spirits will soar long into extra innings.

Jay & I hope to put on a “Baseball” storytelling show at the Clubhouse next spring. Keep your eye on the scoreboard.

Regarding the title of this piece, I never shoke Mickey Mantle's hand. He stood right in front of me at the 86th Street RKO at a promotional screening of "Safe at Home," a crappy film that capitalized on the 1961 home run derby between Maris & Mantle. I was 8, I stared up at my hero with my mouth wide open. I was having trouble breathing. My father nudged me to say hello. Ellie Howard to Mantle's left leaned over and said, "Go ahead kid, say hello, he won't bite." I kept staring at his face, catching flies in my mouth. The Yankees turned right and filed onto the movie theatre's stage and then Mickey was gone. I never saw him that close again. That day Mickey Mantle busted my busted.

Yankee Popcorn Megaphone

Last night, my friend, Zack Hample, had a book release party at Bergino Baseball Clubhouse on@ 67 East 11th Street. A cool space built with love by Jay Goldberg. http://www.bergino.com/

Zack's new book, "The Baseball," is a love letter to and on the sphere that is embedded into American culture. Zack's book is terrific and will satisfy the curiosity of demanding baseball fanatics and average fans who might say, "it's a baseball, what's all the fuss over?" Listen to Zack tell and you'll get it.

I'd never been in the space, Jay's built a sweet little baseball museum. My eyes kept coming back to one thing, the New York Yankee Popcorn Megaphone you see in the two pictures here. I love seeing something I so completely forgotten, that seeing it again I need to move furniture back into that part of brain and the memories flew in.

1965, I was 11, my brother, Rory, 9. Dad had two company tickets to a mid-week game between the Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels (they changed Los Angeles to Anaheim in September that year). The yellow paper tickets in my hands were for Barber Shipping Lines box seats just a few rows behind the Yankee dugout. I remember thinking, "Jesus, please don't let it rain!" The back of the ticket said no rain check so when Dad had company tickets you got one shot at using them. Dad was overprotective but this day he gave me a speech about watching out for my brother at all times, and he sent us with a buck each up to the 86th Street subway station. Mom protested and Dad said, "Patty, you've got to be kidding, we were on the subway when we were 8!"

Rory couldn't wait to buy food with his dollar, I planned to get a program (brought my own pencil) and a New York Yankee Popcorn/Megaphone. When Rory saw the item filled with popcorn he said he wanted one too, so we both had them. After you ate the popcorn you popped the bottom out and had a megaphone.

Half way into the game Rory got an itchy ass and we started walking from one foul pole to the other, after doing this four or five times, we came back to our seats. I told Rory it was important to properly boo the opposition.

"What do mean?"

I positioned the megaphone by my lips and let out the deepest and longest cow moo adding in the B at the mid point.

"MoooooooooooBoooooooooooooo!!!"

Then I told Rory, "You try."

"MoooBooooMoooo!!"

"No, no, no, don't bring the M back. Stick with the ooooo after you bring the B in."

"MoooooooooooBoooooooooooooo!!!"

"Perfect!"

Then we drove the fans around us nuts for the last few innings, and later did same to the other passengers on the #4 subway ride home.

http://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Scandals-Secrets-Beneath-Stitches/dp/030747545X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300884320&sr=8-1