Our History
As each year goes by, NY Finest Baseball continues to learn of our past. After searching everywhere imaginable we began to believe that we accomplished our goal in finding the first organized NYPD Baseball Team. That was until NY Finest Pitcher Ed Gillespie supplied us with this photo of the 1915 NYPD Team which his Great Grandfather was a player. All along Our history was with us. You can say it was in "our" blood.
Baseball which is known as America's Pastime has a rich history as does the New York City Police Department. People all over the world will remember names of players such as Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. Although, the New York City Police Department or the NYPD is also world known not many people can say they remember the names Police Officers of those eras. Not Many people can say they even remember there was a NYPD Baseball team long ago. With Help from a Retired NYPD Police Officer Jack Luzon who was a former NYPD "Blue Coat"( group photo) we will remind you or teach you of our team's past and how today's NYPD baseball team, NY Finest came about.
It was said there was a NYPD Baseball team in the late 1940's which ended in 1950. No other department team was fielded until 1968 when manager PO. Gary Krupsky of the 114 precinct put together the NYPD Blue Coats. The team was funded by the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) .
The team which was made up of Police Officers, Detectives, Sergeants, and Lieutenants, many which who have played minor league baseball played all over New York City. The Blue Coats played in a Stan Musial unlimited men's league on Long Island which they were NY State Champions in 1970. Other note worthy games were against the NYC Correction Team The Rikers Island Tigers. The game was played on Rikers Island in front of more than 1,000 adolescent inmates with the Blue coats winning 11-2.
Another note worthy game was against the Sing-Sing Inmates. Due to the traveling restrictions of the inmates (incarceration) the game was played at the Sing-Sing facility. After the 1972 season the team dismembered.
The Idea of starting an all police team was reborn in the winter of 1986. As young rookie cops, while walking a foot post in the 71 pct. Mark Patterson and Ronald Jacklin, both baseball enthusiasts, would speak about that dream coming true someday.
Later on, when the weather would cooperate, Jacklin, Patterson and another Rookie, Chuch Rivera, along with Mark's 5 year old son Anthony, would go to the Parade Grounds in Brooklyn to take batting practice, field ground balls, and to shag fly-balls. They continued to talk about the dream. A few years later in the winter of 1993, Patterson and Jacklin, would be introduced to police officer Mike Pettit and he also had that dream. So, Jacklin, Pettit, and Patterson would take the idea to the PBA, In 1994, the team was established and the three set out to look for ballplayers. New York's Finest Baseball was Born.
The first tryout was in central park, with a handful of players. Showing an interest, Pettit, Patterson, and Jacklin started to worry. The second workout would paint a clearer picture on what the team would look like. Thanks to John Walsh , Tony Marra, Joe Beutner, Chris Von Kessel, Freddy Rodriguez, they would form the nucleus of the team in the 1994 season. There were many questions, who was going to manage the team? Who was going to play and where? Pettit made a deal with Patterson, Pettit would be a Player/Coach, and Patterson would manage. The season started with high hopes, Big dreams, it all seemed so simple. But little did we know, things were going to get tough. The uniforms were late to arrive, we played in blue tee-shirts, and other teams laughed at us. As bad as we looked in these shirts, we looked worse on the field. The offense Was there, But the best detectives in the NYPD could not find our defense. It was a total mystery. We started with nine straight loses and players begun to quit.
The idea of a baseball team seemed very bleak, but Pettit, Patterson, Jacklin, Walsh, Beutner, Marra, and Von Kessel kept this team intact. We started to believe , we saw a vision, we saw a bright future. Jacklin, Walsh, and Von Kessel had an outstanding season. Even though we were eliminated from future competition in the league. We stayed together and took a 4 week vacation. With no money in the budget, (oh yeah) those uniforms did finally arrive and it left us broke. Patterson decided he was not going to let the program fold. They printed up flyers to start looking for new players to add to the current group. Jose Vazquez, Ray Torres, Ray Serpa, Ruben Alicea, John Judge, John Joyce, Frank Siliano, Steve Alonso, and Ray Astacio. They were the final pieces of the puzzle in this "wacky" inaugural season.