In putting all my stuff together I found a list from the October reunion of all those people we lost in 2010. I am copying the names as they were written on the sheet that was passed out at the Mass.
ANN HARKIN
MARIAN LYNCH
MAY CONNOLLY BRADY
EDGAR RODRIQUEZ
STELLA BOWMAN
SHEILA STACK BURNS
TERRI CRAWFORD
TOM PADIAN
UNA (MALANAPHY) MESKELL
DELLA MC GLYNN
JOHN CLARKE
May they rest in peace.
One of the unique things about Vinegar Hill was all the sports teams that we had. Every block had at least one team and they played what was in season. It seems that every generation had their teams. The first team that I remember was, of course from 135th Street, the Winged Foots, or was it the Wing Foots. I kinda recall the likes of Sonny Grosso, Red Foley and the guys who hung around Tony's Candy Store. I think their colors were red and white with a winged foot on the front of the jersey. In that same generation there was a group of guys from 134th Street who called themselves the West Sides. Green and white are the colors that I recall. It was very important what colors you chose. Later on, from 135th Street was the Blue Jays. Some of the guys who fit in that era would be: Billy Corcoran, Joe Coughlin, Georgie Asfendis, Donald Bergin, Denis Hurlihy, John Finn, Pete Clark, Bernie Owens, and a lot more. Their colors were blue and white. In my era we became the Blue Jay Cubs. Our jerseys were blue and white. Across the front was CUBS and on one sleeve was the image of a Blue Jay. It made sense to us! We got the jerseys from Marty's Sporting Goods, down on 125th Street. Marty had a great business just from all the different neighborhood teams. That was also where all the bats, balls and gloves came from. The gloves used to cost between five and ten dollars. Being that I usually played left out, after losing my first glove I never bought another one. At the end of the inning you would just borrow the glove from the guy who was playing your position. The guys on the Cubs were: Junior McGoldrick, Jimmy Bradley, John Sullivan, Jackie Hayes, Harry Read,Tommy Burke, Vinny Nyholm, Jackie Murphy, Bart Mugan, Jimmy Corcoran and a few more. We had enough to field a softball team but not enough for a football team. 136th Street had a number of teams. Was it the Mohawks or the Mohicans? I'll go with the Mohawks. There was also the Rebels and the Buccaneers. Before my time I believe there was a team called the Eagles. Was that where the Eagle Rocks name came from? I think the Rebels were blue and gold but I don't recall what colors the other teams had. The Buccaneers were a great football team.
Down on the other side of Broadway there was a team called the Pontiacs or was it the Chiefs? The Pontiac dealer on the corner of 135th and Broadway sponsored them. (They payed for the jerseys) I recall at one time when I was hanging out at Devlin's candy store, a couple of us went down to Curry Chevrolet, on 133rd and Broadway, and tried to get them to sponsor us. They hit us with all those logical questions like: Who's your coach? What sport are you going to play? Where are you going to play? Heck, we didn't have any answers, we just wanted someone to pay for our jerseys. We never became the Chevrolet's.
The bars in the neighbor hood also sponsored teams. Number one was of course Vinegar Hill, what great basketball and softball teams! Green and white were the colors I recall. Castle Hill Bar, between 134th and 135th had a team. I think Bradley's on 134th and Amsterdam had a team. Remember going through the hole in the fence to the back window of the bar to get the containers of beer? Teams always played for a keg of beer. Never any worry of a DWI. Nobody had a car. I don't recall any other bars having teams but that doesn't say that they didn't have them.
I'm saving the best for last. The seed for all these teams and the inspiration came from our wonderful parish teams. Annunciation School, The Big A. Walter and Margie (Maher) Wheatley sent me these pictures. Some of the greatest teams of their eras. The top team is from 1949 or 1950. The bottom team is from 1947. I need help with some of the names. tomyread@aol.com (click on the picture to enlarge it.)
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| Front row seated: ?, John McKeveney, Sonny (Vincent) Buonocore, Tony Diaz, Bill Monihan Back row standing: Tommy Carr, Buddy Duncan, Joe Cavanaugh, ?, Sean Maloney, Bobby Cunningham, ?, Hugh Boylan |
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| Left to right, Fr. McSherry, kneeling, ?, Billy Corcoran, Joe Coughlin, Timmy Bowe, Lynch, Standing ?, Bernie ? Donovan, ?, ?, Marty Chambers, ?, Tom Padian, Coach Bereras. ( question marks are names I couldn't come up with. Billy Corcoran helped with some. If you know who they are please let me know and I'll update the picture in a later post.) |
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| Joe Cavanaugh and Bobby Cunningham |
The girls weren't organized like the boys but they had their colors also. There was Chatruse and Fushia. I recall the "Jets", May Sweeney, Dinky Devlin, Kay Kelker but I'm not sure if they were green or pink.
The 'hill" didn't lend itself to football because there were no grassy fields around. In order to play we would go down to Riverside Drive and hike to 120th Street. Between Grant's Tomb and the West Side Highway was a great field we called "Greenie". It was kind of first come first served when it came to getting field time.
None of us had a full compliment of equipment, some had helmits, some had shoulder pads, and some had nothing. We rarely got hurt and always had a good time. Sonny Buonocore was a great quarterback and a fierce competitor. I also remember a girl playing with us and she was very good also, Chicky Dietrick. She had a brother, Cookie. I never knew either of their first names. Oh, Sonnies first name was Vincent and he had a sister, Sissy (Frances).
That's it for my recollection of the teams and sports we played. There is more to come, there is still a lot of stuff rattling around in my brain.
Here are some comments from last months posts:
Bobby McKenna writes:
After the recent snow storm, there was a lot of tv coverage of kids around the city on their plastic sleds and tubes going down their bunny slopes.
I was testing out a new camera lens today and decided to get nostalgic in Vinegar Hill and specifically wanted to share this photo of our sledding hill off of St. Nicholas Terrace by the Music and Art High School. This was not a hill for wussies.
You first got some traction to run with your Flexible Flyer and leapt on the sled, heading down the hill as fast as you could....head first. Watch out for the rock outcroppings, the park benches, the lamposts and the other people coming up the hill.....who would bomb you with snowballs.
At the bottom, totally exhilarated, you now had to walk all the way up and try it again! It was wonderful although I remember blood on the snow.
Hope you all have a great New Year.
BOB McKENNA
Hey Bob, What about 136th Street from half way down to the bottom on Broadway. That was a great hill if you could get someone to stay on B'way to stop the traffic while you were coming down. One time I had a six foot Flyer that I inherited from my cousins. The runners were about a foot off the ground. Coming down 136th St. a bunch of guys piled on top of me and the runners collapsed. That was the end of that sleigh.. Also what about Snake hill that ran from Riverside Drive down to the botttom of the viaduct? There was always some "pink snow" at the bottom of that hill.
Molly Torres Kafes writes:
Dear Tommy,
May you and your wife have a Blessed & Joyful Christmas & New Year.
Reading your wonderful blog brings back
so many memories of some of the kids I
knew. I remember that Mary Burke was
truly the smartest in our school. Among the photos I sent you recently there were
pictures at Easter time outside our church
& a photo of one of the Blake twins (I think it was Barbara) & Angela Alfafara, Kathleen Padian & one of the Flanagan twins and other girls at an outdoor event on the grounds of Annunciation Girls' School. As I read your blogs so many names are familiar. Tommy what a great job you do with these blogs.
As I mentioned to you before I grewup on
131st St. between Amsterdam & Old Broadway (which was the original site where Manhattan College was many moons ago). I lived at 521 W. 131st on the
ground floor. I only remember 2 or 3 families in that building, the Corkerry(?) family, Mr. Hosten(?) a widower with his
son Raymond (passed away a fairly young man) & Mr & Mrs Menotti and their 3 children who were much older than I.
The other buildings on my block had families by names of Galleghue( John(a priest),Heen, Pat(nurse) & Billy. The Gallagher family, Barbara my age & her older sister, Pat married a fellow from Ireland in late 1950's & I went to the wedding; they also had 2 older brothers.
Another close friend was Patricia Murphy
family live on the large corner building on
131st which also faced Amsterdam. Pat had an older sister, Ellen & 2 older brothers that maybe some of you guys may have known, Charlie & Tommy Murphy(really nice young men). The LeBlanc's also lived in that building. There were many other families, Dugans, another Gallagher family,
Davilla & there was a liquor store by the corner building where Pat Murphy lived which was owned by 2 fellows from Ireland
& one of them was named Red Barry(had
beautiful bright red hair). There was also the McCarty family, Alvenitas(Greek family
Karacapas(Greeks also). The Big Torres family lived across from Annunciation Boys'
school, I knew Laura & Gloria.
Well if you know of anyone that knew any
of these famililes I sure would be interested
in hearing about them.
All I remember is that Billy Hackett had a
great mop of hair & I hope he still has it.
Take care of yourselves,
Love,
Molly
James Stundon writes:
Hello,
My grandfather grew up at 504 135st after moving to New York from Limerick in 1939 (he was born in 1926). His name was Jim Stundon and he moved there with his brother John and sisters Maureen and Brenda. He also went to Annunciation, then Commerce (?) before enlisting in the Navy. I know that puts him a few years ahead of you, but I remember him talking fondly of his days in Vinegar Hill, which is what caused me to find your blog. Although I never had a chance to read it my dad remembers the Vinegar Hill Gazette coming to the house, and every time he was in New York he always had to make a trip to the neighborhood before coming home. It was good to read some stories about the neighborhood because I know that it held a special place in my grandfather's heart even though he had not lived in the city since the early 50's. Thank you.
James
Bob McKenna writes:
Baby had an older brother who was an electronic genius for the time. I had bought an Electric Guitar in the 50's thinking that you just plugged it into the wall for amplification.....duh. He rigged me a speaker in a milk crate with the cloth in the front. If you remember milk crates, the weighed a ton empty, so I had to drag this god awful box all over the place to play......needless to say my career in music never soared!!!
Jim McCaffrey became a Human Resource manager with a NY company after he left college. His responsibility was Labor Relations and one day he was scheduled to meet with the Union reps and who walks in but Baby......who insisted on being called Hiram!
Bobby Duncan writes:
HI Tomy -
Some corrections to your blog: My sisters are: Florence (deceased), Jacqueline and Bernadette. My brother was not involved in any Claremont fire - he was too strung out on heroin. Tis a shame since he won a basketball scholarship to Bishop Dubois!
The Blake boys were Sonny and Billy. The Stacks had 2 girls: Catherine and Margaret (deceased back in the 70s from a car accident). The Blake twins were Barbara and Joan. Joan lives in Florida. I thought the Coogans (related to the Cavanaughs) lived on 136 St. I rhink Eddie (?) Coogan went to school with me. Shortest kid in the class!
Billy Bradley lived with his father Wes in 1508.
If I recall anything else, I'll let you know.
Keep those cards and letters coming in. tomyread@aol.com
Some corrections to your blog: My sisters are: Florence (deceased), Jacqueline and Bernadette. My brother was not involved in any Claremont fire - he was too strung out on heroin. Tis a shame since he won a basketball scholarship to Bishop Dubois!
The Blake boys were Sonny and Billy. The Stacks had 2 girls: Catherine and Margaret (deceased back in the 70s from a car accident). The Blake twins were Barbara and Joan. Joan lives in Florida. I thought the Coogans (related to the Cavanaughs) lived on 136 St. I rhink Eddie (?) Coogan went to school with me. Shortest kid in the class!
Billy Bradley lived with his father Wes in 1508.
If I recall anything else, I'll let you know.
Bob McKenna writes:
Baby had an older brother who was an electronic genius for the time. I had bought an Electric Guitar in the 50's thinking that you just plugged it into the wall for amplification.....duh. He rigged me a speaker in a milk crate with the cloth in the front. If you remember milk crates, the weighed a ton empty, so I had to drag this god awful box all over the place to play......needless to say my career in music never soared!!!
Jim McCaffrey became a Human Resource manager with a NY company after he left college. His responsibility was Labor Relations and one day he was scheduled to meet with the Union reps and who walks in but Baby......who insisted on being called Hiram!
Bob McKenna
