Brooklawn NJ War Memorial

Brooklawn Honors Its Citizens Who Served in the Armed Forces

Situated on South Hannevig Avenue not far from the Brooklawn American Legion Post 72 Post Home, Lake Drive and Railroad Avenue, this site is a combined memorial dedicated to those from Brooklawn lost to us in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam 

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August 2, 2005

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

LYNDHURST — Through the years Brooklawn Post 72 has never had a lot of fans in North Jersey American Legion baseball circles. Oh, the teams up north certainly respect and admire the success of Brooklawn, which has 23 state championships and two national titles in its illustrious history, but root for the powerhouse from Camden County? Never….or at least never before Tuesday that is.

After losing its opening game of the tournament on Friday, Brooklawn has come storming back through the loser’s bracket, winning once on Saturday and twice on Monday to reach the tournament’s Final 4. As a host team, Brooklawn is already assured a spot in the Regional tournament, which it has won 11 times, and could also secure spots for the two remaining representatives of the Bergen Area Legion.

Mike Ryan had a hit scored one of Lyndhurst Post 139\’s three runs in its season finale.

Should Brooklawn win its game on Tuesday against Milltown Post 25, Brooklawn would eliminate the last team with a shot to wrest a regional tournament bid from either Wayne Post 174 or the River Vale Ravens, the two Bergen Area teams that are both
2-0 in the tournament and scheduled to face off on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. The top two finishers in the state plus Brooklawn will advance to the regional round, meaning both Wayne and River Vale could both be qualifiers before they even take the field.

\”If we win they are in and that makes things a little bit interesting,\” said Brooklawn manager Dennis Barth. \”It’s rare, in fact I don’t think it’s probably ever happened, that North Jersey teams are going to be rooting for us, but that will be the case.\”

While it could extend the season of two teams on Tuesday, Brooklawn ended the summer schedule for two others on Monday. The Brookers knocked off Hamilton Post 31, 4-1, in Monday’s first game and then ended Lyndhurst Post 139’s season about four hours later, 13-3, in eight innings.

Adam Tussey had one of Brooklawn\’s 10 stolen bases and scored two of its 13 runs.

With injuries forcing position switches and vacationing players leaving Lyndhurst at less than full strength, Brooklawn took advantage of its depleted opponent by stealing 10 bases, drawing eight walks and banging out 13 hits. Brooklawn scored one run in the second inning on an RBI single by Roy DiLiberto to get on the board first.

Lyndhurst (23-6) briefly got back into the game in the top of the third when Vin Mazzaro lined a clean base hit that turned into a triple when it took a kangaroo hop over the head of Brooklawn rightfielder Joe Sacerdote. Paul Urbanovich scored on the play to tie the game, but it all came a part for Lyndhurst in the bottom of the inning when Brooklawn batted around and scored three times. Adam Tussey, Dave Randolph and Vince Mazzaccaro all had RBI singles in the rally.

Brooklawn added an unearned run in the fourth and then pulled away for good when it sent 11 hitters to the plate and scored seven times in the sixth to take a 12-2 lead. Lyndhurst managed to extend its season by another inning when Joe Zembryski doubled home Mazzaro in the top of the seventh to get back under the 10-run mercy rule.

Anthony Latti, one of the four pitchers Lyndhurst used on Monday, went the first four innings.

But Brooklawn got that run back and ended the game in the bottom of the eighth when, facing Lyndhurst’s fourth pitcher of the game, Larry Townes, Zack Braddock singled up the middle to score Mazzaccaro. The game took well over three hours to play even though it ended one inning early.

Nick Alloway, who just completed his freshman year of high school, went the first six innings and picked up the win for Brooklawn. He allowed seven hits and four walks, but got big outs when he needed them and struck out four while allowing two earned runs.

\”Even though we already qualified for the regionals, we still want to focus and play good baseball,\” said Barth. \”We’d like to go into that tournament not because we are a host team, but because we finished first or second in the state. We’ll be back here tomorrow not just to show up, but to try to win another game.\”

Tonight, July 1, 2007, I went to my parents\’ house to visit them. We sat outside for about 2 hours like we have for the past 15 years and chit chatted. Sitting with two adults over 60, I was approached by THREE police officers who wrote me a citation for sitting on the sidewalk because I was \”blocking the walkway\” according to ordinance GCO 60-210.

As drug deals occur on the corners on a daily basis (and we watch the officers continue driving by), drunks wander the streets harassing others, and domestic crimes abound, I am very glad to know that my parents are safe from the children who leave toys blocking the sidewalk. Those children are CRIMINALS! I\’m sorry that Gloucester City needs the money so badly. Isn\’t the new marina bringing in enough revenue?

I would thank Mayor James for his excellent job at cracking down where we need it most: talking on our city streets!

Sage Russell IV, West Deptford

see story on Market Street Parking Lot

By John Royster
Yakima, Wash.
August 29, 2001

YAKIMA, Wash.–The 75th American Legion World Series was won by a manager who has been with the same team for 50 of those years. But for Joe Barth, the 10th anniversary of Brooklawn Post 72\’s only previous national championship was the number that counted.

\”The first time we won, I had been coaching 40 years,\” said Barth, 79. \”And I told the guys if I\’m going to win another one and it takes 40 years, I\’ll be 110. So I saved 30 years.\”

Barth\’s team won 5-2 over Lewiston, Idaho, Post 13, the first team from that state to play in the championship game since the very first one in 1926.

Lewiston took a 2-0 lead with four doubles in the space of five batters in the bottom of the third inning; third baseman Allen Balmer could advance only to third base on second baseman Dustin Zager\’s double, the last of the four. After that, Brooklawn righthander Andrew Noe struck out first baseman Josh Burton and pitcher Julius Smith to get out of the inning.

At that point Noe had given up six hits and two walks. He allowed two more hits the rest of the way, and one Lewiston player got as far as third base.

\”As the game goes on he always gets stronger and hits his spots a lot better,\” catcher Mike Rucci said of Noe, who struck out 10. \”Once we got a lead it took the pressure off him, and that\’s what we needed. Once he\’s on, no one can really hit him.\”

Rucci, tournament MVP and the only player ever to participate in four American Legion World Series, provided the lead at 4-2 with a long two-run homer to left field in the top of the sixth.

\”We had a scouting report, and we knew when he got 0-2 he would try to sneak a fastball right by you,\” Rucci said. \”So I had that in my mind and I was sitting dead red. He gave it to me a little low, and that\’s my power zone.\”

It was one of few mistakes made by Smith, a lefthander who started twice in the World Series and pitched arguably its two best games. Against Brooklawn, he allowed five hits and no walks in the first eight innings before tiring in the ninth. He was charged with all five runs, three of them earned.

On the tournament\’s first night, he pitched a four-hitter in a 5-1 victory over eventual semifinalist Omaha Post 1.

Brooklawn\’s Joe Lamb was another standout, going 5-for-9 in the semifinals and finals while playing errorless ball at shortstop.

Baseball America All-Tournament Team
C–Mike Rucci, Brooklawn, N.J.
1B–Dayton Ries, Midwest City, Okla.
2B–Brendan Winn, Milford, Mass.
3B–Allen Balmer, Lewiston, Idaho
SS–Joe Lamb, Brooklawn
OF–John Devany, Danville, Calif.; Joe Pietro, Omaha; Nate Martin, Lewiston
DH–Josh O\’Dell, Midwest City
UTIL–Nate Schill, Brooklawn
P–Julius Smith, Lewiston; Andrew Noe, Brooklawn
MVP–Mike Rucci, c, Brooklawn

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Passed away on Saturday June 30, 2007 in Lady Lake, Florida.
Bud was a lifelong resident of Audubon before moving to The Villages in Florida. He was a 40 year employee for General Accident Insurance Co.
Bud taught electronics in the U.S. Navy. He was a member of the American Legion in Oaklyn. He was active in area church choirs and former President of the Audubon Little League. He was an avid bowler, an amateur photographer and electronics buff. Bud was a lover of the Big Band era, Frank Sinatra, and was a noted karaoke performer in The Villages featured community stage events.
Predeceased by his wife Arlene (nee Mett), he is survived by his six children: Theresa (David) Wynne of Ft. Myers, FL; Etheljean (Jack) Deal of Haddonfield, NJ; Donna (Michael) Hogg of Nolanville, TX; Scott (Maryanne) Jenkins of Blackwood, NJ; Douglas Jenkins of Melbourne, FL; Gregg (Donna) Jenkins of Richmond, VA; 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his viewing Friday evening 7-9PM and Saturday from 10-11AM at the HENRY FUNERAL HOME, 152 W. Atlantic Ave., Audubon, NJ where services will follow at 11:00AM. Interment Calvary Cemetery, Cherry Hill.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1851 Old Cuthbert Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034.

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