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June 07, 2015

Comments

tony s

Hey My Hoops Mentor-I have a very distinctive memory of a 217 school yard incident re Alan Dean. I had been shooting baskets when a softball game broke out between the basketball courts proximate to Coney Island Ave. There were also softball games going on this busy Saturday afternoon on the 2 other legit diamonds (large and small)-hence this new ad hoc venue! I was asked to play and agreed- about the 3rd inning or so 4 guys walked thru the CI entrance -Ditmas Dukes! They were looking for and found Dean-they walked him away from the game and pinned him up against the fence on Newkirk (away from a possible Patrol car passing along Coney Island Ave]- they proceeded to double him up with body shots and then they doused him with liquor- now he was going to recover from the beating but then he had to go home and explain to his parents why at age 16 he was reeking from alcohol! Dean was a very tough kid and a good street fighter but there was no way he was going up vs this crew. Some 50 years later I was manning the Info Desk at the Grand Army Plaza BPL Library (just starting a new career w. them) when I spotted a Security Officer walking in the Lobby-same guy who led the Dukes into 217 so many years ago-a Cagney lookalike (Phil M, their War Counselor)-we had many conversations over the next 10 years or so re Runzi (the chief Duke), The Dukes and their younger Bros. the Foster Gents also fondly known as the Diaper Dukes)LOL!!

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