Lee Mazzilli: Popular Italian / American Mets All Star (1976-1981 / 1986-1989)
Lee Louis Mazzilli was born March 25, 1955, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn New York. His grandfather was born in Bari, Italy, located on the Adriatic Sea in the southwestern Puglia region of the country. He immigrated to New York & worked in a piano factory. Lee’s father Libero became a welterweight boxer & lived in the same three-room Brooklyn apartment until his passing in 2007. Speed Skater: As a child Lee not only played baseball but also won three straight national speed-skating championships. Mazzilli attended Lincoln High School in Coney Island, famous for such alumni as Mel Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, John Forsythe, Lou Gossett Jr., Buddy Rich, Arthur Miller, Leona Helmsley, as well as many other including the doo wop group; the Tokens of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” fame. Former Mets pitcher Nelson Figueroa also attended the school. In 1973 after graduating, Mazzilli was chosen as the reigning NL Champion Mets first round ...