Harry Meets Casey

Another old picture "turned up." This one of LMRC's coach Harry Liebowitz getting some coaching tips in the 1950's from the Old Professor, Casey Stengel. Harry, a very proper guy, didn't get Casey's ribald reference. Apologies to our readers unaccustomed to such talk.

The Journey To Knickerbocker: Harry Liebowitz, 122 Allen Street

This must be Harry in the 1920 census since we know that Harry had a sister named Yetta and lived near the Allen Street baths. He was 7 years old and the eldest child. His father was Hieman (probably Hyman), his mother Sadie, his sisters were Yettie and Bessie and he had a brother Abie. Hyman arrived in 1911 and Sadie in 1912. The google picture of 122 Allen may not be accurate and even if it was it may be wrong since the eastern side of Allen was altered in the 30's when the "el" was dismantled and the street widened. Note, the 70 stands for the apt number.

Harry Liebowitz: Metropolitan Diary, June 29, 1988

I bet this is "our" Harry. I'll find out from his son.* If not it's still a nice story.
I took the picture two yeas ago.

METROPOLITAN DIARY, Published: June 29, 1988
Dear Diary: My sister Yetta wrote to say that she was coming back to New York for a brief visit. Yetta moved to Encino, Calif., about 15 years ago; now, among other things, she wanted to revisit places she remembered from the good old days.
Not surprisingly, for her first stop she asked me to accompany her to the old bathhouse on Allen Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets. It was here where, along with many of our companions, we would line up every Friday afternoon in the early 1920's for a weekly shower.
Showering was a luxury: in our tenement homes there wasn't even a bathtub, let alone a shower, to clean ourselves for Shabbat, the Sabbath. With so many children clamoring to get in, apportioned time was of the essence.
To allow everyone a turn, after a few minutes the attendants would hammer on the doors of the shower stalls, insisting that we get out. Yetta and I chose a sunny afternoon to visit this anachronism in our old neighborhood.
Many things had changed. The elevated train was gone. The New Delancey movie house was still there, but is now showing Spanish-language films instead of the cowboy and Indian epics we remembered. As for the Allen Street bathhouse, it was closed (permanently, according to the sign). Later we learned that it had been the last public bathhouse in Manhattan.
Since we couldn't enter the building, we did the next best thing: we asked a kind stranger to take a photograph of us standing in front. I put the picture - carefully, lovingly - in my family album. HARRY LIEBOWITZ

*update:from Larry Liebowitz

He did write this and I have the original column with a picture of Yetta in front of the baths, if I can find it I will email it to you.

Harry's Birthday Card, Part 2

I enlarged the masthead of the newspaper as well as one of the articles. The relevance of the article to the card was that Harry was very much involved in the Little League on the lower east side. He may have even been the league's commissioner.

Who's Who In Knickerbocker Village History: Harry Liebowitz

Harry has been discussed on many occasions here, but I've been remiss for not yet awarding him a "who's who" honor. Just a few days ago his son Larry found the site and he sent us the first of what I hope will be many pieces of KV and LES memorabilia. Here is part of a 1966 Two Bridges Newspaper that Larry incorporated into a surprise 70th Birthday card for Harry back in 1983 (I think). Click to enlarge. I did my best to get most of the autographs included here. Among the ones I can recognize are the just recently mentioned, Judge Leonard Sandler, also KV/LMRC best-looking mother, Natalie Sosinsky, Joe Moscarella and Lou Lamula.

Rheba Liebowitz

No one knows the exact reason that Rheba has garnered this honor. It's not likely it's because she was the wife of Harry Liebowitz, LMRC's manager, but for many of us who played for him that would be suffice

rheba2 - Upload a doc

Read this doc on Scribd: rheba2

A Walk Is As Good As A Hit: From 1/9/07

Yes, those were the immortal words of coaching advice from my little league manager, Harry Leibowitz, seated on the left. Harry couldn't compete with the coaching prowess and deep farm systems of the likes of St. Joseph and Transfiguration and the other teams of our church dominated little league on the lower east side. He also didn't have 11 year olds who may have known Barry Bonds' trainer and looked like they were 15. Among them were Tommy Red, Joey Maldonado, Marty Ricco (who I think knew a few Goodfellas of the neighborhood and met an early demise) and Richie LaGrippo. Tommy Red once hit a home run off of me that disintegrated a good section of rock from part of the Manhattan Bridge arch. That arch loomed over our Cherry Street dirt field. I think the ball disintegrated as well. Otherwise I didn't do too badly by just getting the ball over the plate. Murray on the extreme right of the first row (who sent me this treasured picture) was my southpaw counterpart. He had less control, but more heat. To his left is Barry Dolinko. We also won a few games when we followed Harry's advice of not swinging, since most of us were sub par hitters (except for Allan Silverstein, who to this day probably remembers his batting average and slugging percentage. I would too). I'm sitting in the first row, third from left. Next to me Glenn Farber is practicing his stroke and then Marty B. is doing a more circumspect interpretation of the same. In the back row on the extreme right was our fastest runner, Marvin Kuperstein. Marvin just retired from being the Chief Exec of Portland's Jewish Center. To Marvin's left is Mr. Energy Star of USDOE, Richard (Rocky) Karney. Next to Richard is Bob Simmons. He played linebacker for Stuyvesant and was known for his acumen in stripping away the skin on your knuckles in games of Nucks. He probably also did some science experiments with stray cats. Bob's father was another coach for our team who is sitting in the first row. Actually, I don't remember if he was a coach or just there to supervise Bob. Mr. Simmons was Irish, but his wife Helen was Jewish. Next to Bob is Joel Sosinsky from the Orchard Street shirt store dynasty, "Sosinsky and Sons." Joel was a pretty sick kid who had many operations. Now he is a lawyer for the Teamsters! Then (going to the left there's Stephen Leibowitz, Professor Bobby Nathanson of L.I.U and the grim looking Stewart Brokowsky. I don't know why he's looking that way, because Stewie actually got some nooky before any of us even knew what it was. I don't remember who's next to Stewie. Next to that guy is Slugger Silverstein. Noted, but not in the picture, is Eddie Tobey. Eddie's dad was Mark Tobey who wrote, "The Courtship of Eddie's father. Ernie Bliey is also listed, but not present. He was the only "brother" on our team. The Bliey's lived in the Smith Projects along with Luther Vandross. Ernie'solder brother?, Ronnie, later starred as a halfback at Notre Dame and had a short stint as a kickoff specialist for the Giants. The bat boys were Richie Weiner and Howie Silverstein. Howie went on to play for LMRC as well and later "fame" as a summertime food vendor at Yankee Stadium where he got an autograph from a naked Jimmy Piersall.
Note after this was posted in 1/9/07 my friends and I learned that Stewie was gravely ill. He later passed away in April of 2007. This web site is in part a dedication to him and other KV friends and family who are no longer with us.

Spring Training: From 2/23/07

These were the days when the boys of the Lower East Side were suffering from a sports' drought. Nevertheless, Harry Liebowitz was out scouting in the basement catacombs of Knickerbocker Village for what little baseball talent St. Joseph had left untouched and the opening day parade would soon take place. (from the East Side News of 4/24/59)