OT: Little League: What Town, What Team, and What Decade Did You Play?
- Thread starter RutgersRaRa
- Start date
Town: Wharton, NJ
Team: Sussex meat packing
Decade: 80's
PS we were better then the bad news bears but worse then the sand lot kids :-)
Team: Sussex meat packing
Decade: 80's
PS we were better then the bad news bears but worse then the sand lot kids :-)
New Brunswick 1952-1954. Hit my only home run in my last game. The Daily Home News regularly covered all of the games and usually included box scores. Lots of guys in the league played high school and college baseball. Some played professionally.
Teams in the league were The Home News Braves, Elks Indians, Exchange Club Bombers, WCTC Mighty Mikes, Squibb Giants, Kiwanis Cubs, Kiwanis Hawks, and the Mount Yankees.
Teams in the league were The Home News Braves, Elks Indians, Exchange Club Bombers, WCTC Mighty Mikes, Squibb Giants, Kiwanis Cubs, Kiwanis Hawks, and the Mount Yankees.
Woodbridge - 80s......probably best memories of my childhood. We were sponsored by a flower shop for a few years and we all erased the flower sponsor on our hats and drew our own emblems.
Belleville ,NJ...sixties....Jolly Cleaners..I remember the coaches fighting over me fondly at tryouts but I never really liked BB as much as hoops or FB and only rarely showed up to play. Their was so much going on at that age. Wasted talent comes to my mind.
Bet you ran like Usain Bolt for that free hot dog and soda at games end :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
lol...Unfortunately LL came at same time as discovering the wonders of girls at around 12 yrs old.
12? You were a late bloomer...lol. They grabbed me at 7
Gonna get the 411 from Mr Cos about you :sunglasses:
Piscataway in the 70s
Team was the Red Legs
Final year we won the town championship. I never hit a home run, which still bothers me, especially since in one game I clocked the ball to straight-away center, and we all knew that thing was out of here, and then a gust of wind held the thing up and the center fielder caught it at the fence. F-bomb f-bomb f-bomb. Made the all-star team (along with half my team), and I'm still pissed my skinny self never hit one out.
Team was the Red Legs
Final year we won the town championship. I never hit a home run, which still bothers me, especially since in one game I clocked the ball to straight-away center, and we all knew that thing was out of here, and then a gust of wind held the thing up and the center fielder caught it at the fence. F-bomb f-bomb f-bomb. Made the all-star team (along with half my team), and I'm still pissed my skinny self never hit one out.
1975-1976 Belleville Little League
Team Name: B.I.A.C.A (Belleville Italian American Civic Association).
Lost in Championship one year (76)
!977-1978 Bekeley Township Little League (Bayville, NJ)
Team Name: Mets
Lost in playoffs to the Braves who had a pitcher named Al Leiter.
Would later play on the same high school team as Al (1984 Central Regional) and win the NJ State Finals. Still friends today.
Team Name: B.I.A.C.A (Belleville Italian American Civic Association).
Lost in Championship one year (76)
!977-1978 Bekeley Township Little League (Bayville, NJ)
Team Name: Mets
Lost in playoffs to the Braves who had a pitcher named Al Leiter.
Would later play on the same high school team as Al (1984 Central Regional) and win the NJ State Finals. Still friends today.
Early 60s. West Orange. Kiwanis Club. OF-3B-1B. #7 in your program, #1 in the fan's hearts.
Were swept in the town finals by the WO PAL who recruited the best players in town.
Hit a Home Run in my first at bat ever then went into a terrible slump, was benched, then finished the season starting again. Classic good field, no hit.
Were swept in the town finals by the WO PAL who recruited the best players in town.
Hit a Home Run in my first at bat ever then went into a terrible slump, was benched, then finished the season starting again. Classic good field, no hit.
Clifton, Southern Division, Brookdale Beverage. Played in mid 80s.
In Clifton, there used to be 5 leagues if i remember correctly......Northern, Southern, Central, Eastern, Western and Delawanna each with 4-5 teams.
All star teams from each division would play each other. never won the city championship but i remember it being a big deal.
Looking back, Clifton would have been well represented if they took the best players from each league to make 1 city team to compete with other towns. There were some good players. at the time, it was unheard of to even play a different div. during the regular season, let alone a different city.
I have a distinct memory of a kid that was a tremendous athlete with natural talent but was a bit of a rough kid. (He smoked before games). The kid showed up maybe once every 4 games because he was in trouble the other times. when he pitched, he struck everyone out. when he hit, he hit homeruns.
In Clifton, there used to be 5 leagues if i remember correctly......Northern, Southern, Central, Eastern, Western and Delawanna each with 4-5 teams.
All star teams from each division would play each other. never won the city championship but i remember it being a big deal.
Looking back, Clifton would have been well represented if they took the best players from each league to make 1 city team to compete with other towns. There were some good players. at the time, it was unheard of to even play a different div. during the regular season, let alone a different city.
I have a distinct memory of a kid that was a tremendous athlete with natural talent but was a bit of a rough kid. (He smoked before games). The kid showed up maybe once every 4 games because he was in trouble the other times. when he pitched, he struck everyone out. when he hit, he hit homeruns.
West New York(All-Stars), NJ - Mid Sixties - Played Short Stop, Outfield, Pitched - Went to Little League World Series, lost in the final game.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood LL 1965-66 Phillies ( no sponsor )
I was the losing pitcher in our league " World Series" final game to the Red Sox. One of my friends robbed me of a grand slam by reaching over the outfield fence to catch a deep fly ball I hit in that game. As fate would have it, I struck him out the following year to complete a no hitter that I pitched.
I was the losing pitcher in our league " World Series" final game to the Red Sox. One of my friends robbed me of a grand slam by reaching over the outfield fence to catch a deep fly ball I hit in that game. As fate would have it, I struck him out the following year to complete a no hitter that I pitched.
Not really I just happened to be at the "old" Belleville HS gym where they had tryouts and walked in off the streets and the coaches wondered..."where did this kid come from"..lol...I just wasn't a "joiner" back then but they pushed me....I think we had a Peanut League for Ten and under's and 13 was the age limit for LL IIRC?? I might've been 11..63 I think...wouldve turned 12 in Nov !! I loved playing Basketball and even FB and we had great stickball and softball games everywhere back then. Kids EVERYWHERE....the Boomer generation.
In my case number nine,one and eight..Clearman field..where I would meet my 1st GF!! Lol..Yes I've was all over town...number 5,7 and even ten school in Soho where I had another GF.
Sounds like we grew up around the same time...def same place..I loved old Belleville!! I still carry it in my heart.
Bobby and Charley Fullman,Freddy Ferrara, McElroy brothers crazy Bobby Bounopane..lol.
Decade was the 60's. Played for Maislin Brothers in East Rutherford. Maislin Brothers was where Giants Stadium stands today. As 12 year old, 6 of 9 starters for all star team came from Maislin. Lost 1-0 to a team that went to one game less than making the little league world series.
Late 50s. South Amboy. Progressive Fire Dept.
My very good friend, Tom Kelly, played on Enterprise H&L 2 years later and I attended his first game with his Mom.
For others who don't know -------
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Kelly_(baseball)
Late 70s early 80s.
Newark north ward
Played in the old school stadium....ahhhh, the memories....baseball...and girls underneath the stands :)
Newark north ward
Played in the old school stadium....ahhhh, the memories....baseball...and girls underneath the stands :)
Branchburg in-town and tournament ball in the late 80's/early 90's. Was the MVP as pitcher when I was 8-9yo and that was probably the pinnacle of my career.
Hey Mike from MD. Another Milltown guy here. Played for Rescue Squad Cardinals 1952-55. Uncle was manager and big Stan Musial fan, Struck out first 11 at bats first year but hit HR in next and final AB for the year. Cried all the way around the bases. Turned out to be a not to bad Babe Ruth and HS player. Scrimmaged the Rutgers frosh team while in HS and lost 5 - 0. seven innings.
I watched the old Newark Bears play FB there on Bloomfield Ave in Sixty I think? I was nine yrs old at the time. Go to Essex Catholic or Barringer HS?
Vailsburg Little League, Vailsburg Park, Newark (the park is on the west side of the Parkway around exit 144
Late '60's early '70's.
Played for the Galante Giants (Galante Funereal home - seemed like a many teams were sponsored by funereal homes). We won the championship my first year and lost in the final my second. Middle of the pack after that.. Last time I was at Galante for a wake (now in Union) the trophy from that championship team was still in the lounge.
I had a teammate, a year older than me who went on to be a star athlete in high school and played on the '76 undefeated Rutgers football team.
Late '60's early '70's.
Played for the Galante Giants (Galante Funereal home - seemed like a many teams were sponsored by funereal homes). We won the championship my first year and lost in the final my second. Middle of the pack after that.. Last time I was at Galante for a wake (now in Union) the trophy from that championship team was still in the lounge.
I had a teammate, a year older than me who went on to be a star athlete in high school and played on the '76 undefeated Rutgers football team.
East Brunswick...I looked at the old clippings from that time to see what the team's name was and realized that the Home News/ Sentinel reporter who did the articles was the guy who was sent to Avenel for sex-crimes in the 80s. I won't say any more.....but during the era we played in we wore metal spikes - so I know it was at least the Bronze Age.
