My brother came across this photo the other day. Who can identify the scene?

In 1966, Mr. Robert Crowley managed the Saint Rose of Lima Senior CYO baseball team. The three gentlemen in the foreground could very well be
Nate Brown of West Side High School, yours truely, and Steve Messick of West Side High School. It was an honor serving as Mr. Crowley's assistant that summer. The shirt worn by Steve Messick was donated by a local tavern, I believe Teevans?, in memory of coach Ralph Warner, who had recently passed away. The parish loaned us the bus in the background for one game.

I will try and find out the gentleman in the background.

I am pretty sure that is the correct answer.

That Guy is the famous billy griffin (misspelled) who was a super player and fun guy.....

is the guy in the middle jack murphy

Yours truely, We did have one future major leaguer on that team. How many teams can say that?

Frank, great job with the identifications. Those were fun teams. ... the bus even had a nickname; 'Da Bomb'. A very short time later my brother Frank became our SRL CYO coach following legends Werner & Crowley.

Two rather blurry photos also come to hand:





I believe that's my old man, 2nd from right standing.

far left Tony Parisi and then Bobbie Molarino, myself and Mr. Crowley

Forty years ago, Newark's last peaceful summer. Little did we know.

I can only pick out Joey Culligan, bottom row, holding baseball mitt.

Can you name some of the players?

Bottom row in the middle looks llike my brother Eddie.

the four players in the top photo are also in the bottom photos (hat is same) shirts are same faces are the same also two bottom photos are the same pictures

Sketter, I mentioned before that we use regular names on this site so people will know who we are . . .

I did not have the pleasure of going all the way through Saint Roses.
I lived on Heller Parkway and Woodside Avenue and attended Elliot Street School and Good Counsel up to 8th grade. Therefore, I have no knowledge of the SRL baseball program in the 1950's. I just wanted to comment that it was pretty good in the 60's. I had the honor of playing leftfield for the Senior CYO team from 1963-1965 and coached first base in 1966, when I was too old to play. I also coached the grammar school CYO team in 1966 and 1967.

Saint Rose of Lima won the Senior CYO Essex County championbship in 1963 on what they now call a "walk off home run" against Saint Francis by Benny Abruzzo. We had a wonderful man by the name of Mr. Joe Leahy as coach.
The team consisted of Abruzzo, Ray Iannuzzi,
Tony Hammed, Joe Schrama, Joe Grabowy, Charlie Hand, Joe Sica, Frank Zeevalk, Vincent Gowers, Dominic DiFalco, and myself.
He was successed by another real gentleman Ralph Warner, the next two seasons

I coached the grammar school team in 1966 and 1967. The first year we finished second to St. Michaels. They had a very good team, as did we.
I don't want to mention names, fearing leaving someone out. Maybe John McCree can help us out here. Neil Melillo was invaluable as assistant coach.
The next year, the rectory "forgot" to send back the league registration and the CYO office refused to make allowances and let us play. I booked ten practice games for the kids to play, but it wasn't the same.

I know there were some very good basketball teams down through the years. In fact Ira Bowman played for Saint Roses before being all state at Seton Hall Prep and going on to Providence, Penn and the philadelphia 76ers.

Maybe some of the readers of this site would like to share stories of their participation in SRL sports? Thank you.

Tommy, how is your brother Vinnie doing? He played third base for the SRL high school CYO champs. See story.
How is he doing. I played softball with him around 1978 and remember he was a musician. What a great player he was at Central High School. He and Richar Riley gave the school some diversification.

Everybody forgets that back in those days baseball was our life. Nothing was better than spending all day in the blazing sun playing ball at Newark Academy. Then run across Orange St and get a container of soda for 12 cents. And what about the football games all winter at Nwk Academy. They were some great games. Somebody please get in touch!!!!

Pre-digintal camera days, I guess.

Terry has been having a problem accessing the site, so I have to wait for him to send me the answers or to forward them to John C.

Barb, Tell Terry that Billy Conn lived on the same street in Livingston that we do until the late 80's. He retired and moved to Florida. I'll try to find the address for him. Bob

I don't know why Terry should have a problem. If he's not trying to access the site at work -- some places restrict social sites -- he should check his "security" settings and allow "cookies."

I don't know much about "security settings and cookies" but I'll pass the message on to him. He'll know what you're talking about, cause Lord knows, I DON'T.Thanks, Bob, I'll let him know about billy Conn, too, supposedly we are related to him ...somehow.( I personally don't know him, but I was told last night by Terry, that we are related).

I recall a memorable game against St. Thomas of Bloomfield. They were a very good team and had much older players from the Bloomfield and Nutley high school varsities. Mister Crowley, on the other hand, had a squad of mostly freshmen and sophmores. We were playing at The Branch Brook Park Extensions in Belleville on the second field on the right. We trailed by three late in the game and managed to load the bases with two out. St. Thomas brought in their ace pitcher to relieve and he was throwing bullets in warm ups. We had a young 15 year old Essex Catholic jv outfielder coming up that bat. The first pitch was a blur and literally exploded into the catcher's mit for strike one. The batter stepped out and looking at me, smiled and winked. The next ptich was met by the swing of the bat and the ball sounded like an explosion. The horshide took off like a rocket over the trees in right field. I don't think it has come down since. We entered the final frame clinging to a one run lead as the St. Thomas team loaded the bases with two outs. As the runner took his lead off first the umpire roared YOUR OUT! he never saw firstbaseman JAMES JIMBO CROWLEY with the ball tagging him out. The old hidden ball trick. Whatever happened to that 15 hyear old batter?

Have Terry on the phone and he is trying to figure out the names....Frank McC,Bobby Molinaro,guy in white shirt(?), Mr. Crowley,Steve Messick
next row, Billy Griffin,Terry, Abbrusso(?),Billy Goldie
Artie Warner(?),next guy(?),Eddie Egan, Joey Culligan,and possiby Jacob Chitty on the end.
Does anyone know whatever happened to Jacob Chitty????

TC also informs me that he has a Bobby Molinaro baseball card, from 1982.,hopefully, he'll be able to get it posted soon.

Steve Messick, a pitcher at West Side High School, also played for Mr. Crowley's Red Sox. He is in the pictures.

OOPS! Terry did mention Steve , but I left him out when I was writing his response.

Steve Messick, a pitcher at West Side High School, also played for Mr. Crowley's Red Sox. He is in the pictures.

In 1963 our senior CYO baseball team was palying at the first diamond of the Branch Brook Park Extensions. Third Street's Tony Hammed was pitching a great game. He only gave up a hit or two and had to strike out 15 or 16. I noticed a tall tanned 50ish gentleman in a dark suit standing behind out bench making notes in worn brown book. When the game was over he introduced himself to Tony as a scout for the Cincinnati Reds and asked him some questions. When the conversation concluded, I hearhim say, By the way, my name is Johnny Van Der Meer.".

I was sorry to read in today's Star ledger of the passing of Bobby Molinaro's old manager with The East Orange Soverels Joe Cucuzza, age 72. Before signing with the Detriot tigers in 1968, Bobby played in the Essex County league for Joe. The Soverels traveled all over the country to play in and win semi-pro championships. Joe owned Cucuzza Funrniture, right off of Bloomfield Avenue in Newark. I taught his sons Joseph and Michael at Carteret school in Bloomfield in the late 70;s. I had the pleasure of chatting with Joe last summer after my nephew's South Orange legion team played his Bloomfield team. He was still coaching.In his uniform, Joe looked the spitting image of Phil Rizzuto. Ironic because yesterday I was watching Seton Hall Prep football practice with Mike Shepherd, sr. and his name came up
He had a very colorful uncle, Lou Mazzuca,who regularly ran for city council. His campaign posters showed him wearing a cowboy hat with the words "DON'T BE A PALOOKA, VOTE FOR MAZZUCA'.