1-Who was toughest in neighborhood? 2-My Balabam story

[Les Sherwood]

Thanks to Marion in helping me input new posts. If you have a problem please note:
1-click Message board
2-click on Archer st Sign
3-Click on Stratton sign under where it says Message Area
4-Then you see a sign "new topic" and click it

Here are 2 posts one already i put in under "Doubt".
1/16/09
This is a story about neighborhood lore.
Who was the toughest guy in the old neighborhood? To me it was Gerry Jackson.
Gerry was not a big man: about 5' 9” and weighted ~175 lps. But he was very strong( a neck like a bull, deep chest and bulging arm muscles) and very fast.
And he was a spectacular athlete. He was on the Holy Cross College football team, and for a few years he held the long jump record in college.He was a fireman and worked out a lot at his fire station with weights etc.
My story was about his famous fight he had with Bill Hickey who was a big construction worker.
One day in Cotters Gerry came in when Hickey was there. I understand there was bad blood between them about a girl. At any rate Hickey started to give Gerry a hard time. Gerry told him to knock it off and if not he would take care of him. I recall Hickey laughed and started to give Gerry a harder time. Then Gerry said he will be back in 5 minutes. Gerry went to his car and took from out from the trunk a pair of dungarees and sneakers. He went into to bathroom and changed his clothes and called Hickey to a fight outside Cotters.
The next thing they started to fight but it was a fast one as Dickey threw a right hand but Gerry tucked under it and at the same time rushed to Hickey’s legs and lifted him off the floor and threw him against a car and he went down on his back and I recall he knocked him out with a few punches. Now this Hickey guy was a very big man and he was strong but he was slow.
Prior to this fight I knew that Gerry had a reputation of a tough guy but once I saw in action I knew it and made sure of not getting on the wrong side of him. And I know many who were in Cotters that day (mid 1960’s) learned how tough he was. Now over the years many guys said they were there to see the fight. However there were not guys around that day but as with neighborhood lore this happens. People are sure that were there. I know I was there.
Now there were a lot of tough guys around the neighborhood. I remember a fight between Mike M. and Fitz also outside Cotter’s. It was not much of a fight as Mike was big, strong and fast so the fight was over quickly. There is an old axiom that said that a good big man will beat a good smaller man but I wonder how a fight between Gerry and Mike would end up. In my mind it would be close.
Me I preferred to wish I was a lover and a poet but unfortunately not achieving either, but I read a lot of books and I played a lot of ball.
Who recalled being there seeing those fights? Who would get your vote as “the toughest guy in the neighborhood”?

12/15/09 stories
A year or two there were some posts written about Balabam. I have to admit that I was one of his tormentors who enjoyed h is reactions of our tormenting of him. This is one of my stories about him.
The time frames was in early 1950’s and I was in 6th or 7th class at St Anthony’s. The picture on website of bus stopped by candy store and Sylvania’s Bike store on Tremont reminded me of Joe M and I being off school on a snowy Tuesday afternoon for religious instruction for public school kids. We were building an arsenal of snow balls on roof facing Tremont to throw at buses and scare the passengers which usually resulted in some good laughs. Then we saw Balabam’s electrical truck coming toward us from Theriot Ave. and couldn’t resist, bombarded him. However being hit by snowballs, he slammed on brakes and saw us and turned around his truck and started to go to Beach Ave. We ran across the roof and jumped on to big ledge and started to run down the hill to street but he was already pulling up in front of lots and getting out of car. We panicked and ran to back of lots but there nowhere to go as there was high wall and only the dead end small alley in back. We decided to go in alley and hide. Next thing we saw him in front of alley, when I think we peed in our pants when we realized that we were trapped. All we could do was yell as he grabbed both of us and stared to carry us out to the lots. Lucky he slipped on snowy ground and we bolted down the hill and out on to Beach and made a beeline to our apartments on Taylor. Meanwhile he got back in his truck and was following us as we went down Guerlain St. We looked back at Taylor Ave and we saw him gaining on us. Joe got to 1535 first. I was alone as he pulled up to 1523 as I bolted up the stairs to our 2nd floor apartment. As I crashed through door and saw my mother in kitchen and told her that there was a “crazy man” chasing me, as I ran through the foyer/living room and into the bedroom and hid under the big bed. Next thing I know Balabam was telling my mother that what we did almost causing an accident on Tremont. Meanwhile I was yelling to my mother that “don’t let him in the house, he is crazy.” However, my mother was taking him through the living room and she wanted me to apologize him. She would not listen “that the man was crazy” and insisted that I apologize. Of course I had to do what my mother said and I apologized.
Balabam seemed to be a nice man as he talked to my mother. Was it possible that he was not crazy and maybe he was not that bad? I had a hard time to accept that since all the stories I heard and many I participated in tormenting this poor man. In retrospect he may been off center a bit and I understand he saw a lot of action in the first war.

[JohnTell]

Les, I never saw Vinnie Braico fight, but as teenager I thought he was the toughest guy in the world ...

When we were hanging on the corner we moved aside whenever he came down the block...<:~)

JohnT

[Don D]

Les - I always heard the legends of Gerard "not Jerry" Jackson. In most conversations about this, his name always came to the top of the list.

How about Ronnie Wilkie? He used to bend the "no parking sign" poles, but never really seen him fight....

Or "Capt. Nice", Billy Sullivan, who smiled about as often as Haley's Comet.

Don D

[beth]

Hi Les

Just responding to your post about who was the toughest guy in the neighborhood, I just thought we could open this forum up to the girls too. After all we were responsible for at least half of the population of Stratton Park. In the late fifties and early sixties there were some very tough girls in the neighborhood too. I remember being terrified of an older girl named Janie, and another named Rosalie could fight like a guy. Also you would almost never make eye contact with a girl named Annie and her friend Margo. I am sure some of the other girls who grew up in the old neighborhood have some memories about tough girls. I bet a few of them have Balabam stories too.

Beth

[Les Sherwood]

Great response.
I agree there were a lot of tough ladies around the old neighborhood.
I remember Annie(Kelly- RIP) and Margo( who married Ed Jackson). These ladies were really tough but I did not remember the others, but I am sure they were tough.
I remember a story about Peggy Murphy.
When I was ~11 years old there was a gang fight with Van Nest gangs in the old school yard.. Peggy first as I recall and then Cindoni (please excuse my spelling) fought counterparts of Golden “Guienas?”. Peggy kicked the scrap out the girl from the other gang and Cindoni did the same with the guy. Then the next thing I knew the police surrounded the school yard in 5+ squad cars. Then there was mayhem as ~300 people (maybe a bit exaggeration) .
Leswere trying to get through 3 exits and others climbing over the fences. As a little kid this was a big event. In the ‘50’s there were a lot of gang fights around the neighborhood. Most of them were won by our neighborhood as least that is what I remember.
Les

[Les Sherwood]

Re other toughest guys around neighborhood as noted by John and Don I know Vinnie was tough and Billy was mean looking enough but I did not see them in action.. Important criteria of a tough guy were not only being strong and tough but having a certain meanness and liked to fight, as least what I think. There were a lot of strong people who could have been a good fighter but maybe did not have the inclination or saw no need to fight.
I think of some of the players on the line forThe Rams like Buggie M, Dennis M, Ray A., Mike M, etc.
I know I would never wanted to fight them. It was tough enough to play against them in a football game.
Les

[Marion Farrell Cronin]

Les, I remember hearing of the "Golden Guienas" - not sure of the spelling. How politically incorrect!!! Couldn't say that nowadays.

[Les Sherwood]

Marion
Thank you.
That was a name from the past bu I was sure the correct spelling.
I am sure many they remember the gang fights around the neighborhood.
Then again agoin as I said before this one of the tories of "Rhe Naked City" and this one of them, albeit it was low on of important ones. All the best.
Les

[andrew j stack]

Les, You are right, Gerard Jackson was the toughest. I also was in the blue room when this fight took place. Just to bring you up to date. The next day I was walking down Beach ave and Gerard met me. He was in his fighting gear the same outfit he had on the night before. I said why are you dressed this way? His answer is a classic. I am going to the Blue room to finish off Hickey. If I beat him again he will not ever want to fight again. Guess what happened. Hickey did not want any part of Gerard and that was the last fight they ever had. Gerard was 165 lbs. and Hickey was 235 lbs. Andy Stack

[Les Sherwood]

Andy.
Who could say itbetter; one of his comtempories. Unless to hear something to change my opinion Gerud was the toughest , pund by pund any any other criteion.. o be frank I should have addressed as Mr.Jackson,Sir..
All the best.
les

[mary lamasney]

Mr. Balaban was a poor soul who just got off to the wrong foot with some group of kids and then it became an activity and rite of passage to torment him. I found him frightening but I still have to think what was his family feeling when these kids would just attack the house with words and deeds.

Thinking of what Marion wrote about girls being tough. There were a few of them that were probably scarier than the guys especially the gals who hung out near Carvel on White Plains Road. I had my one and only public fist fight there in 1964 when I was 12. A group of us were walking past Carvels when out came Michelle Mona and her minions who went to public school and were our age. She went right for the smallest, shyest girl in our group. This girl whose name I don't remember was a year younger than me and was terrified. I was also afraid but I said the classic line - "pick on someone your own size." Well I was probably a good 6 inches taller than this very intimidating, angry and short gal but she was still ready to have a fight with someone. Her response was "ok I will beat the &** out of you instead" This also scared me because none of our crowd of girls cursed and to hear a girl my age say that out loud - I knew I was in real trouble. She went after me like a bat out of hell - scratching, trying to get my hair, kicking etc. I, however, had one bit of good luck - I got one good punch in squarely hitting her in her nose. She began to bleed profusely, took her nails out of my vein and crumbled. Also fortunately Karen Shankey's mother came along and shooed us off White Plains Road back to our own neighborhood. 44 years later it is still remembered vividly and Michelle has probably had a deviated septum since that day. The interesting thing was that for the remainder of my time living there - she always said hello and I could get my Carvel ice cream with no problems. Mary Lamasney

[Les Sherwood]

Good story.
I always knew you had a great right hand.
In talking to Bob Coffey he told me that he thought Nick Perrella, father of Bill who was few years older than me which puts him in the "older" catecory, had a reputation of being one of the toughest men in the building trads union. I knew Nick as a nice man but I knew he had a tough guy so I avoided him.
Les

[marie-elena (ferracano) r]

Hello old & new friends,
Have been reading some interesting stories about some tough people. but i feel the need to add to this. Many years ago (approx 60), my brother Junior/Vince, had his bike stolen.He was so heartbroken and mom didn't have much money. To replace the bike. So my mom went to see the son of a family friend. His name was Junior Ulysses, a.k.a. "MEATS". which was short for MEATBALL. I heard,he didn't scare easily. He told my mom, not to worry. A short time later, Junior brought the bike back. Mom was always so impressed on what a great guy he was. That she had him as my godfather. My brother Vince claims, that there were a few young punks, who were straightened out that day.

Another story is about when i was about 6 or 7 (approx). My sister Dina and her friend Monica White
took their baby sisters (Eileen & myself) to see "Mary Poppins". I remember on the way home from the Loews American, that day. We had to stop at Sal the butcher. Did any of us ever go on Archer st. without running an errand for our parents? Anyway right there are Archer street. In front of Sal's was the first girl fistfight, I had ever seen. One of the girls fighting was named Helen. Her sister Anna, was in my class, at P.S. 102. I was so terrified, i never saw hair flying before. My sister made me promise not to tell my mom. I never did. I also made sure, never to get on Anna's bad side at school. I reminded my sister, of this many years later. While heading to our mom's home, one night. After seeing "Moonstruck", at the Loew's American. Dina didn't remember. But I still believe that there were some really tough girls, in our neighborhood. I also remember 2 sisters, who shall remain nameless. They were friends of my sister. Let's just say i recall,them battlng a few times, that it took more than 1 or 2 friends, to pull them apart.

[JohnTell]

WoW....I never realized my cousin Mary was a KO artist...just when you think you know a person....

Mary, hope to see you all at the MudBowl...I'll warn everyone to watch out for that wicked right hand of yours...<:~)

JohnT

[JohnTell]

Marie Elena, it's interesting you got to see JPS's(aka Lea) MOONSTRUCK in the Loews American, too bad we couldn't get to see his hit DOUBT there too...<:~(


JohnT