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NY Finest Team 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.

• October 29, 1911-  NYPD Team defeats New York City Water Department 11-1 at the Polo Grounds and is crowned New York City Champions. [Read More]

• September 20, 1912- 4,000 fans watch the NYPD defeat FDNY 10-2 at American League Ball Park. [Read More]

• October 2, 1912- NYPD defeats FDNY 13-10 in game #2 of a best of three series to win the Municipal Championship and to take possession of the "Chief Cup" [Read More]

• September 7, 1913- FDNY Forfeits Game # 2 of the best of three series after coach pulls team in 9 nth inning on an umpires call. The win gives NYPD the City championship and possession of the "Chief Trophy" and the Robert H Mainzer Cup. [Read More]

• October 11, 1915- FDNY Defeat NYPD 3-2 at the Polo Grounds in front of 45,000 fans to win City Championship. [Read More]

• June 2, 1930- FDNY Defeats NYPD in Front of 10,00 people at the Polo Grounds. [Read More]

• September 22, 1932  NYPD and FDNY baseball teams appear at the city hall with NYC Mayor McKee for a pep rally for upcoming game at Yankee Stadium. Proceeds of the game will go to the poor. [Read More]

• September 26, 1932  NYPD Defeats FDNY at Yankee Stadium 5-4 in front of 40,000 fans. The NYPD wins the Mayors cup in a game that raised nearly $70,000.00 for the needy. [Read More]

• July 2, 1933- News article promoting NYPD/FDNY game at the Polo Grounds. [Read More]

• August 14, 1933 Box score from a game in 1933. [Read More]

• September 13, 1937 NYPD defeats New York City Sanitation Department 4-1 in front of 55,000 at the Polo Grounds. [Read More]

• June 12, 1938 [Read More]

• June 8, 1942 [Read More]

 

    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" 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.  Below is a picture of the 1969 PBA Blue Coats and a Spring 3100 News Article .

 

 

   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.

 

Once we had those new players, we played a seven game extended season in Westchester, where we were undefeated....Now we were ready to take on the Big Boys. NY Finest  played in its first tournament in Arizona, October that year. We won the first game of the tournament and lost the next five. Some good came out of the losses, we knew we had a future with this team. The players were hungry, and looking for bigger and better things in 1995.

 We all would like to Thank each of these men for setting the foundation of this great baseball program we have today. In the words of a great  catcher, and first true leader Sgt. John Walsh, "We would rather have a bad day on the baseball field, then a good day at work"

                                               John Walsh

Past Years

   2001

     we played the Chicago Police Department in Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox.  We helped them raise over $15,000 for various charities. We also won our first MABL championship.

   2002 

We Won the Lehigh Valley Memorial Day Tournament in Pennsylvania, Won our second straight MABL championship, Traveled to San Diego to participate in the Mike Anaya Memorial Tournament and Played the NYC Fire Department at Keyspan Park.  

  2003

 we  played 57 games compiling a 40-15 record (2 Ties). We returned to the Long Island MABL, We were crowned Champions in our  first season in the NY Metropolitan League, and we  traveled to , Lehigh Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Cooperstown NY, and back to San Diego California where we finished 2nd place of the 15 Police/Fire Teams. NY Finest  hosted the Chicago Police Department Saturday August 2 2003,  at St. Johns University in the first Annual Anthony Vazquez Memorial Scholarship game winning by the score of 5-4. The 4th Annual NYPD/FDNY game was held at KeySpan Park September 19, 2003 where the Finest was victorious 3-1. The game was televised on the YES Network.

2004

• 2006 Season

NY Finest set a franchise record for wins with 45 (45-19-1), topping the 2004 team which won 42 games.

 NY Finest played in the Westchester Men's Baseball League for the first time and finished 14-9, and  we also returned to the Parade Grounds Baseball League finishing 9-2 losing in the Semi-Finals in both leagues. 

We attended the 2006 Police/Fire games in Tucson Arizona for spring training and took home the Bronze medal in our first games of the year. 

 We went 3-0 during our annual Massachusetts trip in July.

Received our first AABC North Atlantic Regional Bid going 2-2 Defeating Massachusetts and Connecticut champions before losing to Albany and the 2006 National Champion Long Island Storm. 

 NY Finest won the silver medal in Las Vegas in the 2006 Nevada Police/Fire Games and in the Ohio public Safety Tournament in Columbus Ohio, Finishing 4-1 in both Tournaments . 

In October NY Finest went to Fishkill, New York  to participate in a charity event at Dutchess County Stadium for Fallen New York State Troopers Joseph Longobardo and Donald Baker Jr. where the Finest won both games. 

We Played into November, winning the PGL Fall Season championship going 7-1-1.

Fernando Espindola wins 13 games which was the most in franchise history, Dave Mischo becomes the new single season RBI holder with 60,  Saves leader with 4, and tied single season Homerun record with 8 round trippers. 

2007 Season

NY Finest Fell to FDNY in the 8 th Annual Charity Game at Keyspan Park. With The Finest leading 5-1, FDNY rallied back for three runs in the bottom of the 6th and another three in the bottom of the 8rh to win 7-5.The game was aired live via a web cast and can be still be heard by Clicking HERE courtesy of Shawn Wood of Golivesports.com (Audio Only)

NY Finest would like to thank Jeff Dahke and the Andrews Air Force Falcons for a great Job putting together a game at Prince George Stadium in Bowie, Maryland for the first ever match up between the two teams. The NYPD came out on top by the score of 10-1. Please visit the photo gallery for pictures of the event.

NYPD Defeated Russian National Team 4-1. The Russian Team was finishing their 32 Day tour of the United States. Dan Dechirico picks up the win and Dave Mischo closed out the game for the save.

2009 in the HHH Metrodome 

CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES (* Notes Runner -Up)