What apparently is a well kept secret, Gilda's Club is located at 575 Main Street in Hackensack. The stand alone building does have their name on the top of the building facing traffic and it does have the traditional red door entrance. Even though I have passed by numerous times, it did require a bit of research to locate it One can find it online at: http://www.gildasclubnnj.org/ .
Seated in a comfortable manner, a small group of us listened to raconteur Ed tell of his experiences, not only as a catcher, but as a diminutive football player and a tank commander in the Army.. This man has been around!
He started out in football at college, but was outweighed by guys of incredible hulks. Smart one, he determined that if he hung around long enough, his body would take too much punishment. That determined his start in baseball. Going way back in baseball history, he started out by being selected by a bird scout, a freelancer who made his money by recommending. The scout started him off by playing 4 innings for the Baltimore Orioles . Quick as a bunny, they hopped down to Washington, DC where he tried out for the Senators at Griffin Stadium.
He seemed to make an impression there, even if it was on a hitter who tried to get past him at home plate. His football training came into play, not only blocking the runner, but after knocking him over, tapped him on the head for the out.
In that era, there were no agents to represent him, so he made a deal with Calvin Griffin and that started his career eventually winding up with the Minnesota Twins. He tried out for the Mets at one time but couldn't command the money he wanted, even though he promised to fill the right field bleacher with all his Italian relatives.
Ed explained to his audience that a good catcher could tell by a batter's stance just how to have the pitcher pitch to him. Sometimes he had to follow the manager's demands and call for a batter to be grazed by a ball. This was a lot better than the steroids in use today, a situation he finds deplorable.
During his sporting career, he met a lot of big names, but you'll find Ed Onorato very modest! Gilda's Club was fortunate to have a talented speaker like this former baseball player.
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