Hall of Fame
Monroe Kritchman didn’t win a game for Rutgers-Newark until the final start of his freshman season. When you consider how tough things were for the R-N varsity that year, that’s not suprising. What is, however, is the poise with which he came into his own on the final day of the season. He scattered 10 hits, was never in trouble and posted a 7-3 victory over what was then Newark State.
And then he never looked back. Steve Senko will tell you that the right-hander was clearly one of the best he ever coached along with another of today’s inductees, southpaw Don Cameron.
Looking back over a string of fine performances by Kritchman, Senko recalls two as his best. “He was probably strongest the day he shut out NCE (Newark College of Engineering) in West Hudson Park. He singled and scored the first run of the game in the third inning and held them to just three hits. And he could hit, too. In his senior year, I remember him striking out 11 and walking just one when he beat Pace. But the big thing about that game was his single and then his home run.”
Monroe Kritchman was graduated with dual majors – biology and chemistry – in 1959. He lives with his wife and three children in Millburn and he is the owner and operator of twin theme what he calls restaurants – “What Ale’s Ya?” and “40-Love.” Each seats more than 200 people and they gross more than $2 million a year.
He conceived and implemented the entire operation from inception, including the purchase of the property, lease negotiations, financing, renovations, and design.
He says the facilities are even big enough to feed Steve Senko.
