Bernie Ratto – Father to Krusi Farm System

PlayBall! is sad to report the passing of lifetime Alamedan, friend of the parks, and the man in the blue Colombo bakery truck – Bernie Ratto. Bernie was the devoted husband of wife Tina, and father of three famous Krusi Colts: Doug, Don and Steve Ratto.

Bernie loved the game of baseball and obviously instilled that in each of his sons. More than a few sandwiches were doled out to hungry park rats in the Ratto family home on Post Street, just a Dean Henry pop fly away from Krusi Park.

Services were held on Saturday, January 15, at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Alameda’s East End. A full house, including many former park rats, paid their respects.

God speed Bernie, and thanks for being one of the many park parents who kept us all out of Sing Sing.

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Cody Says It All

Here is a recent comment posted by a young PlayBall! reader named Cody:

Is this a league where you can sign up and play baseball with no tryouts? If it is I would love to join and just have some fun playing ball.

Thanks,
Cody

This should make the skin on former Park Rats everywhere tingle. Imagine, a young man who wants to go to the park and just play ball! No tryouts. No one to say you are good enough. Just grab a glove and head to second base. How many of us were fortunate enough to hear that from one of the great park directors back in the day?

Cody, I wish I had the power to whisk you back to a summer day in 1969 so you could experience what we did every day during every summer.

In this age of traveling baseball, not all our kids are being well served. Lil Arnerich, where are you? A new generation of park rats needs you.

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Pre-Summer Hiatus

Think back to the last weeks of school, just before summer vacation. The teachers were cramming everything into April and May, trying to make sure you got all the higher learning mandated by the school district. You on the other hand were enjoying the warmer weather and spending more time playing after school due to longer daylight hours. Naturally, it was hard to focus. Just too much going on!

Well, the staff of PlayBall! has been suffering from similar pre-summer distractions, too. A bunch of projects and spring coaching obligations mean less time behind the old keyboard crafting these meanderings back into the Golden Age of ARPD fun.

But bear with us. More memories are on the way!

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Opening Day!

The Gigantes beat the Astros! And the Pachyderms… well, maybe next year. But the good news for everyone is that baseball season is now underway! And with the first pitch comes more from the archives of PlayBall! – Alameda’s Sandlot Blog.

Since school is still in session, let’s start in the hallowed halls of education. Here’s a snapshot from Lum School – 1965. Can you find an ARPD diamond ace lurking among these 6th Grade Einsteins?

TOP ROW – unknown, unknown, Franklin Eagle pitcher Steve Choy, unknown, Steve Farino (Franklin).

Any other park rats in this photo?

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Hey! What color is my t-shirt?

Every year a big box would arrive at the local park office. The contents contained a closely guarded secret that would only be revealed at the appointed hour. Anyone caught peeking inside was sentenced to a day’s banishment from the park. (Or if it was Bill Leitz, you got sandwich duty for a week – that meant the offender was sentenced to ride his bike to the P&G Delicatessen on Park Street to pick up Bill’s lunch order.) Inside the box were dozens of that season’s baseball t-shirts.

Kim Buffy and Mike Jacobs "Come on, let's peek inside the box."

Although the individual park logos had a long shelf life, every few years the park color combinations would change. I imagine Lil got a good price by ordering thousands of shirts at a time. Perhaps the decision for a color change was signaled when the supply ran out! “Shirley, the t-shirts for Woodstock and Lincoln are getting low. Time to swap their colors.” But I digress…

PlayBall! needs your continued help in trying to identify t-shirt colors associated with the parks during the 1960′s and 1970′s.

Here’s what we recall:

Franklin  - Midnight blue shirt, white logo (pre-1966)

Franklin – Burgundy shirt; white logo (1966 – ?)

Krusi – Black shirt, white logo

Krusi – Navy blue shirt, white logo

McKinley – Black shirt, white logo

Rittler – Yellow shirt, black logo

Washington – Yellow shirt, black logo

Washington – Yellow shirt, blue logo

Edison – Forest green shirt, white logo

Edison – Black t-shirt, white logo

Lincoln – ?

Longfellow – ?

Godfrey – ?

Woodstock – Blue shirt, yellow logo (1968)

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR RECOLLECTIONS IN THE COMMENTS BOX! We need to know.

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The Ultimate Valentine’s Day Gift

Wondering what to give that special gal or guy in your life this Valentine’s Day?

A heart shaped box of See’s Chocolates? No, too fattening!

A romantic weekend on Kauai? Ouch on the wallet!

The latest sizzling outfit from Victoria’s Secret? Sure, but as you can see… their top model, Giselle Bundchen, loves the Valentine’s gift she received from her hubby Tom Brady. The New England quarterback can afford any gift his wife desires, but Tom chose to give the love of his life a copy of PlayBall! – Alameda’s Sandlot Saga on DVD.

Now you can join the Brady’s and buy a copy of PlayBall! for a romantic Valentine’s Day special price of just $14.00! Click her for more details: Order Giselle’s Favorite Gift

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Get Out And Vote

If you still live on the Garden Isle of Alameda, you know that today is an Election Day. While PlayBall! – Alameda’s Sandlot Blog has but one agenda – preserving the legacy of the Alameda Recreation & Park Department’s amazing youth programs and the countless happy memories of former park rats everywhere – the editor (me) feels it’s important to urge you to get out and vote!

Take a moment to better understand the critical issues that will significantly impact Alameda’s future. Regardless of where you stand on Measure B, the important thing is to go to the polls and vote.

I recall Larry Wayne telling me about the day that the backstop at Estuary Field was torn down. I don’t know the reason why, but I do know that a lot of people were impacted by that decision… and not in a positive way. None of the kids who used that rocky field on a daily basis had a say in the matter. No one gave them a vote.

Today you have a vote. Please use it.

The preceeding message was paid for by the editor, who is not running for anything. (But I would like a float in the 4th of July Parade… a convertible with Kevin Kearney?… a bicycle?… roller skates and a small sign?… never mind. Just vote.)

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“Simpson” Scores!

Will umpire Steve Choy make the correct call? (Photo: Acamar)

ARPD umpire Steve Choy has a perfect view as Rittler catcher Leon Santos tries to apply a tag on the Krusi runner. It’s clear from this photo that “Cap Simpson” was safe, forever verifying that Choy made the correct call. Unfortunately for the host Colts, this run was not enough as Santos and his Rittler teammates would win the PeeWee League championship game 9-4.

But that’s not the whole story associated with this Acamar photo that first appeared in the Alameda Times Star on August 27, 1973. Although the runner in the photo was identified in the original caption as “Cap Simpson”, the Krusi Colts had no one by that name on their PeeWee roster, or in the official box score! It’s been widely rumored, and since verified by former park rat Gary Berti, that fictitious names were occasionally created to assist journalists in crafting the weekly PlayBall! supplement. A scandalous practice indeed!

Since the guiding principle of truth in journalism must be upheld, the dedicated staff of PlayBall! – Alameda’s Sandlot Blog have researched the matter to bring you, our loyal readers, the real answer. Here is what we have discovered:

Four runs were scored that day by the Colts. Two by shortstop Rick Murray. One each for Larry Delau and first baseman Scott Wisenbach. Additional research found photographic evidence that both Murray and Delau were wearing Oakland A’s caps that day… however, the runner in the photo was also wearing black Converse All-Star lowtops. Murray was wearing Adidas! Thus, Dr. Watson, we conclude that the mysterious “Cap Simpson” is actually… Colt rightfielder Larry Delau!

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PlayBall! – Now on Facebook

Hey, Park Rats!

Reconnect with all 437 Canalins, 148 McKees, 211 Rattos, 92 Murphys, 13 Holgersons, and many other prolific Alameda families who played in the ARPD youth leagues. PlayBall! is now a group on Facebook!

PlayBall! – Alameda

As if you don’t already spend enough time online.

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Alameda Baseball Sleuths Needed!

Dan Moore, a Lincoln Lion for life, contacted PlayBall! regarding this photo from his family archive. According to Dan’s sister Chris, it’s a photo of their father James A. Moore, Jr. taken in their grandmother’s backyard at 821 Haight Street. Dan and sis are wondering if any of our readers recognize the uniform that dad is wearing.

Mighty Casey? (Photo: Moore Collection)

We know that Mr. Moore played baseball for Alameda High School (Class of 1944). Noting the large “A” on his cap I’d venture to guess that the photo was taken during his high school playing days. After graduation, James Moore continued to play on the local sandlots, even after marrying the lovely and beguiling Mrs. Moore. It’s a wonder they had kids. “Gotta run, dear. Doubleheader today!” If you have any clues about the photo (what team? baseball or softball? league?), please let us know.

UPDATE: It didn’t take long to find an answer. Dan and Chris, it appears that this photo is of your dad in his Alameda High School varsity baseball uniform. A member of our dedicated PlayBall! research staff, none other than my dad, Herb, checked a 1943 AHS yearbook. Sure enough, those are the uniforms sported by the sandlot Hornets back in the day. I’m assuming that this was taken in 1944 because the yearbook does not name your dad as a member of the 1943 varsity team. He might be on the JV squad pictured below.

1943 Alameda High School Varsity Baseball Team

1943 JV team

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