The "Oaks" Stickball Team, Summer 1944

 

Left to right, standing: Al “Fat Boy” Civarelli, Rudy Guiliano, Pete Muccioli 

Left to right, squatting: Don Bonacci, Tony Muccioli, Nick Salomone

 

The team was named after the street that most of the players lived on:

Oak Tree Place, “The Bronx”, New York, N.Y.

 

“Stickball, a popular game in N.Y.C in the 1930's & 40's.  Played with a soft rubber handball and a cutoff broom handle.  The street was the playing field, bases corners and manhole covers.  Play stop[p]ed for passing cars, trucks and horse drawn wagons, (and pretty girls).  

 

Each team would man 4 or 5 players.  The rules were generally those of baseball, without the umpire, it made for some heated discussions of questionable plays. 

 

It also kept young men out of trouble.”

 

-- Tony Muccioli, 2014

 

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Although you cannot see the lovely colors, each sweater had an orange 'O' to represent the Oaks.  Rudy's father bought the sweaters for the team, so that they could look official.