Farewell to One of South Amboy's Heroes

   On Monday, the close knit community of South Amboy, New Jersey lost one of their heroes.  Allie Clark, the two time World Series Champion with the Yankees and Indians passed away at the age of 88.  Clark played seven seasons in the big leagues between 1947 and 1953 with four different teams, and was a career .262 hitter during Baseball's Golden Era.   He was the first Major League baseball player from the City of South Amboy that also produced Ed and Johnny O'Brien, Jack McKeon, and Tom Kelly.  Allie Clark played in the 1947 World Series with the New York Yankees, and in Game 7 he collected an RBI as a pinch hitter for Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra.  The next season he was traded to the Cleveland Indians, which made him one of the last players ever to wear number 3 for the Yankees, and once again found himself in the Fall Classic.  Even with two World Series rings Allie Clark never forgot the place where it all began for him, and would return to South Amboy where he worked as an iron worker in the off season.  After his playing career, Clark remained in South Amboy and could always be found at Mass on Sunday at St. Mary's Church.
   Growing up in South Amboy, I have had the opportunity to meet Mr. Clark, on many occasions.  He was very accommodating and always took the time to talk with me and ask how I'm doing.  One of my best memories, since I became a fan of the game, was when I was 12-years-old.  I wrote Mr. Clark a letter asking for his autograph, and a couple of weeks later I was at the library when his wife presented me with an envelope that included two 8x10 pictures and a baseball card.  One of the pictures was a team photo of the 1947 New York Yankees, and the other was a picture of him with the Cleveland Indians that I have framed in my living room.  This was a great thrill for me and I ran as fast as I could to get home and show my parents the pieces of memorabilia that I was lucky enough to have in my possession.  I wrote him another letter to thank him, and included tickets to the South Amboy Little Fellas awards picnic.  When he arrived at the picnic, I had the opportunity to thank him in person and get my picture taken with the great hometown hero.
   In the city that spans just over 1 square mile, Allie Clark will always be a hero to those who had the opportunity to meet him.  He is inducted into the Cardinal McCarrick High School Athletic Hall of Fame, and the youth fields near the bay are appropriately named the Allie Clark Sports Complex.   He was a steady ballplayer for seven seasons divided between the Yankees, Indians, Athletics, and White Sox and his teammates included such names as Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Larry Doby, and Bob Feller just to name a few.   Clark was one of the few players in the game to win two consecutive World Series Championships with two different teams but never forgot about his hometown where he lived his entire life. 
   On April 14, 2012 the Allie Clark Sports Complex will host the Opening Day ceremonies for the South Amboy Youth Baseball League.  Maybe that day will be the start of another young players journey to the big leagues, and follow in the footsteps of the great baseball players from South Amboy that was started by the man the fields are named after.  Perhaps, for Mr. Clark he will be playing ball somewhere again too.  On a field where there are no rainouts, Bob Feller is throwing 100 m.p.h. again,  DiMaggio's streak never ends, and Allie Clark is tracking down flyballs in right wearing the Yankee pinstripes.