Let’s Play Ball!

John Sylvester was born on September 2nd, 1954 in Bound Brook, New Jersey.  He was the second of three children born to Sophie and Francis (Frank) Sylvester.  Sophie was the first female business owner in town and was the proprietor of Beauty Lounge on Main Street.  Frank, aka “The Chief” was the Chief of Police.

As early as John could walk, he took a liking to baseball.  John’s father bought him all types of baseball equipment from Whiffle balls to hard balls and bats. 

Baseball ran in the family.  John’s father, Frank, was a catcher and also learned the sport at a young age, and passed on what he knew to his son John practicing with him daily in their backyard.

As John grew older, he graduated from the backyard to the field of Memorial Park.  John wanted to be like Mickey Mantle, so he played center field, just like “The Mick” did. 

John’s dad took him to the park daily to teach him how to catch, pitch, throw and hit.  All the neighborhood children played in the park, and they used to watch John and his dad play baseball.  In third grade, John recalled that he was playing baseball with the eighth graders at Robert Morris School.  Coach McGloughlin, Physical Education teacher and coach at the school, allowed John to play baseball with the seventh and eighth graders.  The older children didn’t mind having such a young boy on their team.  All the kids wanted to do was play baseball!

The neighborhood children used to love to watch The Chief practice infield and outfield drills at with John at Memorial Park.  Hours of hitting fly balls to John and his older brother Frankie.  The neighborhood kids enjoyed being in the outfield catching balls during John’s batting practice.  Once, John hit a ball so high and far that it landed several backyards away.

John attended Bound Brook High School.  During his Freshman year, John joined the baseball as well as football teams.  At first, he was on the Junior Varsity Team.  He quickly rose to the Varsity team with his deft skill. 

John was fast!  He could run, throw, and hit all thanks to his father’s early training.  John’s father, despite his Chief of Police duties, always made time after school to faithfully continue to practice of the art of baseball with his son.

During John’s freshman year in High School, the Chief brought him to have a tryout at the Tri-County and Twilight League.  John and another boy, Kenny Gregory, were the youngest there.  In this league, the players were average age twenty-eight.  They let John and Kenny Gregory, his good friend, play because they did not have enough players in the league.  Despite such a vast age difference, John played just as well as players over ten years his senior.  John and Kenny played with the Tri-County League evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays until he went to college.  Many scouts watched the games. 

Out of high school, Kenny got drafted to the Detroit Tigers minor league affiliate.  However, John wanted to attend college rather than play professional baseball as he was only eighteen at the time.

John applied to study at the University of Tampa because he was offered a half scholarship to play baseball there.  The University of Tampa was a small college. An athletic director from Bridgewater High School, Joe Vaccaro, encouraged John to attend the University of Tampa.

While in high school, in addition to baseball, John also excelled at football.  At the University of Tampa, John played football for only three weeks.  He walked off the field because he decided that he just didn’t want to play football anymore; baseball was his sport of choice.  John told his football coach, Coach Turner, that he had a better chance of making it to the pros playing baseball.

In Tampa, when John walked onto the baseball field, the coach knew that he could run, but it had been a while since he had been at bat.  He hadn’t swung a bat in two months.  John was kept on the team because he was fast.  He had a good arm and could throw the ball. 

John recalls that when he looked at the “cut” list, he was surprised that his name was not on it.  John was given the position of right field on opening day for the University of Tampa Spartans team.

John had a twenty-seven-game hitting streak, and he was leading the nation in hitting, at the time.  Out of all the baseball teams in the nation, John came in second or third in the nation and then he made second team all American.

Every day there were scouts present at the game, an average of ten per game.  John’s skill did not go unnoticed. After John’s third year in college, scouts came after him right and left from Atlanta up to the Yankees.  At this time John was 20 years old, old enough to leave college should that be his choice and move up to the majors.  However, John decided to remain at the University of Tampa and finish his degree.

John was considered a prospect for the Major Leagues.  Ultimately, John got drafted by the San Francisco Giants who picked John ahead of other teams.  He was selected by the San Francisco Giants during the third round, as the fifty-sixth overall selection, of the 1976 amateur draft, as a centerfielder.  While at Cedar Rapids “Sly” (his baseball nickname) was the outstanding player on the team where he played alongside future major league player and manager Bob Brenley, among others.  In 1976 as an outfielder, John was part of the Pioneer League All-Star Team.

Sadly, a major league career was not to be in the cards for John.  He sustained a shoulder injury in 1978.  At that time, “Tommy John” shoulder surgery was virtually unheard of.  John’s injury to his right shoulder prevented him from throwing in the outfield and doing everything else a baseball player was supposed to do.  Thus, John’s quest for the Major Leagues abruptly ended.  John eventually returned to South Bound Brook to start a new life, his baseball career over.

In 2016, John was inducted into the Bound Brook High School Hall of Fame for athletic achievement.  Anyone who wishes to visit the halls of Bound Brook High School can see his photo plaque adorning the hallway by the gym.

If you search the internet, you can find all of John’s baseball statistics during his brief career.  However, be sure to search John, not Johnny, Sylvester. 

In 1926, a little boy named Johnny Sylvester was kicked in the head by a horse resulting in life-threatening complications.  Johnny Sylvester was a huge fan of Babe Ruth, aka “The Babe”.   While little Johnny was in the hospital, Babe Ruth paid him a surprise visit.  “The Babe” also signed a baseball for Johnny, which said that he would “Knock a homer” for him.  Babe Ruth did exactly that on the promised game day. 

Johnny Sylvester passed away in 1990.  However, John Sylvester lives on. 

John frequently visits South Bound Brook’s local mini-mart where he enjoys chatting with the locals.  If you ask John about his baseball career, his face will light up.  He loves to reminisce and regale tales of his baseball career to anyone who asks.

Apara’s Story

I met John around 2009 at the – now long gone – Jimmy’s Deli (formerly Vans).   We got married in 2012 and were married for almost ten years.

Unlike John, I had zero athletic ability.  I was the kid picked last in gym class.  The kids used to moan and groan when I got “stuck” on their team.  I couldn’t run, hit, or kick a ball to save my life.  Then, ironically, I got married to a former athlete.  Thanks to watching the 1986 Mets with my dear grandfather, I had acquired a fair amount of baseball knowledge to understand whenever John spoke about his baseball playing days.

Forty-five-plus years later, John’s baseball card still occasionally appears on online marketplaces.  However, they don’t last long because when I see his cards for sale online, I collect and buy them whenever I see them!

Lastly, referring back to the Babe Ruth/Johnny Sylvester story, John has a cat aptly named Babe Ruth Sylvester!