Draft:Alphonse J. Zizza

• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Sportswriter202 (talk) 20:07, 16 June 2025 (UTC)

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Alphonse Joseph Zizza (born Alfonso Zizza; June 20, 1910 – March 18, 1961) was an Italian-American sportswriter based in Boston, Massachusetts. He wrote under the pen name Johnny Garro and spent 28 years covering Major League Baseball, particularly the Boston Red Sox, for the Italian-language newspaper La Notizia. He was the only Italian-language member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) at the time and a well-known figure in both ethnic media and the mainstream media. Garro was known not only for his reporting and dedication to the Italian population, but for giving voice to Italian-American athletes during a time when few other reporters did.

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Early life

Garro was born Alfonso Joseph Zizza on June 20, 1910, on Clark Street in Boston’s Little Italy, the North End — a dense, working-class neighborhood largely made up of Italian immigrants. According to the 1920 United States Census, Garro lived in a first-generation Italian-American household, with his father working in a local trade and several relatives living nearby. The Boston Globe later referred to the North End as “Johnny Garro’s neighborhood.”

His identity as a first-generation Italian American shaped his career and reporting style. He used his platform to spotlight Italian-American players and events, becoming one of the most vocal ethnic sports journalists in the country in his time.

Career

Garro began writing in the early 1930s and joined the BBWAA in 1933. His columns in La Notizia focused heavily on baseball, and he regularly attended games at Fenway Park, as well as spring training in Sarasota.

He became widely known after publishing his "All-Italian Nine" in the Springfield Daily News in 1934, which highlighted Italian-American major leaguers including Frank Crosetti, Tony Lazzeri, Dolph Camilli, and Ernie Lombardi. The article noted that Garro was the only Italian-language BBWAA member at the time.

His byline appeared as John Garro, and he was referred to in the press as both Johnny Garro and Johnny (Grantland) Garro — a nickname referencing famed sportswriter Grantland Rice. The Boston Daily Globe used the nickname in pieces published on November 28, 1946, and June 17, 1949. Garro’s writing style was often humorous and personal, and he was known to hand out custom-made cribbage boards to players, as mentioned in the Boston Globe in 1948. In 1949, the Globe reported that “Johnny ‘La Notizia’ Garro threw a pizza pie party down in the North End” following a Braves doubleheader.

He was known for championing Italian-American athletes in his writing, and for decades was one of the few voices in baseball journalism representing Boston’s Italian-speaking readership.

Visibility and Recognition

Garro was featured in multiple MLB publications including (not limited to):

• Boston Red Sox Yearbooks (1956, 1957, 1958)
• Official Encyclopedia of Baseball (1950s edition, later edition)
• Jim Konstanty: Most Valuable Player
• Bobby Shantz
• Boston Red Sox Official Yearbook 1958

He regularly attended BBWAA dinners, and his name appeared alongside Melville Webb, Hy Hurwitz, Arthur Siegel, and Cliff Keane. He was photographed at the Boston Baseball Writers' Annual Dinner on January 23, 1958, sitting with Frank Malzone and Gene Stephens. In 1957, The Berkshire Eagle listed Garro among top regional writers covering the Red Sox at spring training. His “All-Italian” teams became an annual tradition. In 1960, the Globe noted that Joe Bellino could no longer be named to one, because “Johnny Garro stopped picking such a team several years ago.

Garro's reach extended beyond La Notizia. In 1937, the Boston Globe ran a headline reading “By Joe DiMaggio, Pinch Hitting for Johnny Garro,” with a byline tribute from DiMaggio himself, highlighting Garro’s popularity and influence with players. DiMaggio referred to Garro as his friend, cementing the sportswriter’s status among top-tier major leaguers of the time. That same year, Red Sox infielder Tony Cuccinello publicly praised Garro's coverage and credited him for supporting Italian-American athletes. Another notable part of Garro's career and connections is his friendship with Ted Williams. He and Garro were mentioned numerous times in articles together that highlighted their respectful friendship, despite Ted being notorious for his rather complicated relationship with sportswriters. One such story, published in the Boston Globe, recounts Garro’s efforts to buy a glove for a child back home while covering spring training in Sarasota. With only $5 in hand, Garro was aided by Red Sox manager Joe Cronin, who, upon hearing the story, offered to gift one of his own gloves to the child. The article also highlights Ted Williams’ generosity toward children, emphasizing a shared spirit of kindness and community between the athlete and the journalist.

Photographs in official yearbooks from the late 1950s show Garro seated at Fenway Park’s “Newspaper Row,” a prominent spot reserved for Boston’s leading journalists. His consistent presence and reputation in the press box further solidified his status as a trusted voice in the baseball media landscape. In addition to this, he is photographed numerous times with fellow sportswriters.

Garro also met JFK prior to and during his presidency. He first encountered with Kennedy during his Senate career. Garro later met Kennedy again on a Florida golf course during his presidency in February of 1961. A family photo shows Garro and JFK together, shortly after Kennedy's inauguration.

John Garro handing Senator JFK an envelope with an American flag in the background

JFK and John Garro standing next to one another while on a golf course. February, 1961.

Garro was also cited as a correspondent in official MLB and Red Sox publications and was widely recognized by colleagues and players alike as a mainstay in New England baseball circles.

Death

Garro died of a heart attack on March 18, 1961, while covering Red Sox spring training in Sarasota, Florida. He had remained active in journalism until the time of his death and had plans to continue contributing to La Notizia throughout the 1961 season. He passed away doing the job he had committed his life to — giving voice to a community through baseball.

Legacy

Johnny Garro remains one of the earliest and most vocal Italian-American sportswriters in Major League Baseball. His nickname, “Johnny (Grantland) Garro,” his All-Italian team lists, and his cultural reporting style made him a well-known and respected figure in New England media. His name appears in hundreds of digitized sports columns , MLB publications, and newspaper archives spanning three decades. He used his platform not only to cover the sport, but to celebrate the community, culture, and identity of Italian Americans in an era where representation in media was rare and the community was often excluded. His legacy continues through the stories he preserved and the space he created for his community in America’s pastime.

External links

• Archive.org collection of Red Sox yearbooks
• 1920 Census Record – Alfonso Zizza (Ancestry, subscription required)
• Photographs of Johnny Garro with John F. Kennedy