New Book by Malio Cardarelli

Sandwiched between East Utica nostalgia, especially Blandina and Bleecker Streets, is a complete account of the old ballpark with much detail on one of the most successful team of players ever to play ball in Utica. Names such a Richie Ashburn, Eddie Sawyer, Yogi Giammarco, Stan Lopata, Gran Hamner, and many more are included.

The East Utica portion names people who lived primarily on the 400 and 500 blocks of Blandina Street and around the corner on Second Street, along with much nostalgia to include the vendors who came by push cart, horse-drawn wagons, and still others by motorized cars. Feasts, "La Banda Rossa", churches, holiday traditions, wine making, Bleecker Street businesses and other memories of the 1940s are exploited to bring out the character of the old neighborhood.

The McConnell field portion goes back to its earliest beginnings in 1937--when the venue was built--up to its demise in the 1950s when it became part of exit 31 of the New York State Thruway. There are 400 names of people and places in the Index, and forty illustrations, mostly never-before-published photographs, visually enhance the work. Those who followed the Blue Sox in the late 1940s, will be especially interested in a segment devoted to Yogi Giammarco to include a recent interview and current photos of the former right fielder.