Just finished reading George's story about the Stadium and the surrounding area being his playground and it brought back so many good memories of growing up on Gerard Ave in the 50-60's
My building was 731 Gerard and the apartment was 3D. The building was the first one after the train came out of the tunnel as it went to the stadium staion. During those days my father would take some of us to the game (bleachers) and we vertually ran the outfield seats the entire game. In those days you could actually talk to the bull pen pitchers from both teams, and hang out with the guys that ran the two small score boards in right and left center field. Nobody worried if you were gone for half the game because there was no danger of any of us being assaulted or worse.

On any given day you could see Mel Allen/Jerry Colemen or other Yankees going to the cleaners or just around the neighborhood since many of them rented available apartments during the season. dad and I would sit on the fir escape during nite games and listen to red barber/mel Allen and hear the growd roar as the game was being played, all the while seeing the stadium lit up by the field lites. Kilmer park was where all the mothers went during the day (most stayed home) and we played all day until it was time to get dinner ready. Was there a wading pool? I forgot. I do remember kids trying to sit on the sprinker head and having the pool attendant yell to get off. Hard to drown in 6" of water. Had relatives in City Island and Rockaway so we would all take the train to Pelham Bay and switch to the bus to head to City Island. Great seafood!

I am 60 now, but recall those days with a fondness of a greta time in a child/boy's/youngman's life. We moved in 1966 due to the changing climate. My father's company MT Vernon Die Casting moved to Stamford Ct. This was while I was in the Marines as Uncle's guest in South east Asia.

I went back to see a game this year and brought with me my son (28yo) I should him the old neighbor hood, and when we finally got to my old building he looked with a sort of disbelief only saying "You Lived There" If he only knew.. Kind of ironic since he now lives in jamaica and has become a Mets Fan!! The ultimate injustice.

Somewhere on Gerard Avenue there was a place where you could buy pins and pennants to sell outside the Stadium. Maybe this was before your time.

I remember under the el there were shops that had all the pins/pennants etc on boards where you could buy them. Don't remember a place where you could buy to sell. My first stadium game was 1951 (6) that was when bleacher price was around a buck or so, maybe cheaper.

Hi Frank-

I live on the Concourse at 165th St (Executive Towers)...

I am not overly familar with your strip of Gerard, but I do walk along Gerard from 161 to 164 all the time (returning home from the supermarket!)

Joyce Kilmer Park is still a lovely park; lots of families use it (with modern strollers... no more huge baby buggies!) and there is a sprinkler-thing-y near the north end of the park.

-Michael

Hi Michael,

My recollection of Kilmer park as a little guy was that the place was gigantic. glad to hear there is a sprinkler at the park. i was afraid the years had pulled a curtain over my brain. The Concourse used to be a great place when i lived there. The Concourse Plaza was I think a 5 star type hotel, then gradually slipped into a well fair style place. I used to teach and coach football at MT St Michael on Murdock Ave for about 3-4 yrs. 83-88. North Bronx

Hey Frank, is your old apartment building the one you can see from inside the stadium at the back of the the "Old Bullpen" in right field??

quote:

Originally posted by Frank Nelson:
Hi Michael,

My recollection of Kilmer park as a little guy was that the place was gigantic. glad to hear there is a sprinkler at the park. i was afraid the years had pulled a curtain over my brain. The Concourse used to be a great place when i lived there. The Concourse Plaza was I think a 5 star type hotel, then gradually slipped into a well fair style place. I used to teach and coach football at MT St Michael on Murdock Ave for about 3-4 yrs. 83-88. North Bronx

Hi Frank-

Well, the Concourse is still a great place to live. The Concourse Plaza Hotel is now a nice quiet seniors residence. I love my building and the area. Do you remember Executive Towers? Was it a big deal when it was built in '63?

-Michael

Michael, I heard the Concourse is on it's way back to the way I remember it years ago (60's)How is your area after dark...are you able to move around the neighborhood without any safety concerns. I live in Florida at the moment. Some day I would love to return to my beloved Bronx. I get the NY Post down here everyday. so all I see is the Police Blotter and the other horror stories

Looking for Frank Nelson and mtbny7..where ya guys been??

Mike,
Sorry for the delay, but I tend to get summer "Honey Do" lists that I seem to forget to do.

No, my apartment was further to the right. so you cannot see it from the old bullpen. it was the apartment right where the train came out of, went into the tunnel. end of apartment was pointed like a V.

Hi Frank, OK...Spent a lot of time at the Stadium in the mid 60's and was always on the #4 train...always wondered how those folks with the apartment windows facing the tracks ever got used to the constant noise.

The bleachers in those days was 50 cents. You got use to the train you never realy heard it. The planes from La Guarida airport were worst. If you stood on 161st people would come by and give you great tickets to the games for free. I never paid for a name till I was older. I lived 3 blocks from the stadium

dbob,

My father and i would go down the street on game day mornings (i was 7-8) and you stood a good chance of getting tickets from Mel Allen as he went to the cleaners. Yes the bleachers were .50 cents, so you could go to a game, and not like today have to 2nd mortgage the house to buy hotdogs and a brew. I now live in virginia, and always go to Camden Yards when the Yanks come to town. Last year with 3 tickets, parking, eats, and misc stuff, it was close to 3 bills to see the game. A far cry from 1950's prices.

mIKE,

The apartment building was broken up into a front (facing Gerard Ave) and a back apartment (facing the tracks) rent was a bit higher for the front ones, and you did not have the train noise, BUT, you did have the street noise from the cars and the kids hanging out. Besides, our fire escape was in the rear so we could sit at nite with the radio and listen to the game and see the stadium and hear the cheers when somthing happened. sometimes we used to cross the river and go to the Polo grounds to see the Giants (only when yankees were out of town. My father always seemed to get upper right-field tickets at the polo ground where you could not see the right fielder, so you could only imagine what took place when the ball was hit into the blind spot.

Hi Frank. I grew up on Morris Ave. between 171st and 172nd Street. My Dad, although from Germany and a huge soccer fan, became a real baseball fan and he and I would walk to the night games at the Stadium. Money was always tight, so it was the bleachers for us. $.60 then, and only $.40 for me with my student card. We always sat right next to the fence overlooking the Yankee bullpen. No binoculars either. I had pretty good eyes then. I saw Yogi hit his first HR in 1946 when I was 13. I swear the pitch was over his head and he tomahawked it into the RF lower stands. Because of the ease of walking to the games, I saw a tremendous number of them from 1946-1950, when I left for college in NJ. I also remember Gerard Ave pretty clearly, since my draft board was just down the street from 161st.

Pete

I drove up the Concourse last week from the south end to the north end. North of Fordham Road it looks very good just as it did many decades ago. South of Fordham it looks ok, but the big change is all the small stores with big signs in apartment and professional buildings.

The concourse did not a any buildings burn in the big burn. It does look better then it
has in years. My old building was sand blasted and has new windows. The Parks are in very good shape

. My father always seemed to get upper right-field tickets at the polo ground where you could not see the right fielder, so you could only imagine what took place when the ball was hit into the blind spot.[/QUOTE]

Hi Frank,
I rememeber my time at a game in the Polo Grounds. I’ll probably show my age and try to keep the 2 stories short, but I remember an old Mets, Ed Kranepool because he graduated from my old high school James Monroe. His family lived on the other side of the Korvettes store, Bruckner Blvd. He got drafted by the new Mets in ’61. They did not have Shea stadium ready, so they played their first season at the Polo Grounds. I remember sitting in the upper outfield stands straight out in center field. But the polo field is oval so this is what made center field fence 475 feet. Guess who flied out in deep center field right below me, yep, Ed Kranepool. I never saw such a long fly out like that.
Now onto to Joe Pepitone at Yankee Stadium. His nickname was Joe Banana for his somewhat long nose and hair. I was a bleacher bum at Yankee stadium and just so happens that Joe is playing center field that day. Well, at the start of every inning I’d call out Ehy Joe Banana. Of coarse he ignored me until the 7th when I was busy getting a beer from the vendor. Guess who was looking at us into the bleachers with his hands raised in the air. Everyone around are saying, Gary, look it’s Joe wondering where you are. I’d yell out and my hand raised, Joe Banana.
Sorry I was long winded. - gary