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Chapter 08: Port Chester

By The Architect of NextBlock City February 27, 2026

107 Midland Avenue

Julian went to Port Chester to visit his cousin Tony and ended up staying. His Aunt Mary took him in at 107 Midland Avenue — meeting her for the first time he could remember.1

He discovered how detached the Bento family had become. Walking from Midland Avenue to Aunt Annie and Uncle Donald’s, to Uncle John and Aunt Mary’s, then up the hill to Aunt Vicky’s — he never saw any of them at each other’s homes or talking to one another.

  • Julian Reis, memoir. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

    • The Aunts

    Aunt Vicky was the most influential. From her three-room apartment, she told the tale of the Bento clan as often as anyone came by.1

    Aunt Mary was a professional domestic who taught Julian how things worked in a household. He still folds his towels the way she taught him.

  • Julian Reis, memoir. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

    • Better at Sixteen

    Julian teamed up with younger players Jimmy Bristow and Sheldon Alexander against the established Port Chester players. He traveled all over Westchester playing ball — Tuckahoe, White Plains, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Yonkers.1

    Jimmy Bristow — pound for pound the best on the playground. He taught Julian to shoot pool and used him to hustle white boys at bowling alleys. But the street caught him.

    “One day I was walking down South Main Street and Jimmy was stepping out of an alley, rolling his sleeve down. As he did, the red dot bled through his white shirt. I looked at him and knew it was over.”

    “When people would talk about who was the best player in Port Chester and sometimes mention Jimmy Bristow, I would add: he was better at sixteen than he ever was.”

  • Julian Reis, memoir. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

    • 20 and 10

    Sheldon Alexander — non-athletic, quiet, non-aggressive, but he wanted to play. After witnessing Julius Erving play at the Don Bosco tournament, Sheldon emulated Dr. J and became creative.1

    Standing on the corner one day, surrounded by the established players, Sheldon declared that the coming year he would average 20 points and 10 assists per game. They all laughed. That year, Sheldon averaged 20 points and 10 assists. In 1973, he made All County alongside Bernard Toone and Ray Williams.

  • Julian Reis, memoir. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

    • The Poison

    Herman Carter had been the best man at Julia’s wedding to John Reis. He hired Julian as a bartender on the spot — three years, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, 9:00 PM to 3:00 AM, the busiest bar in Port Chester.1

    “I poured the poison. I lit the cigarettes. I listened to the drama. I knew who was bailed out of jail, who got arrested, who hadn’t paid their child support.”

  • Julian Reis, memoir. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

    • The Godfather

    Herman was the godfather of the Black community — he had the cash flow to help with any problem. He was also a serious numbers player.1

    One night he hit big on a $10,000 bet — first number only, 10-to-1 odds. Drinks were on the house. Two men came to pay him off. The bartender who tallied the tab got a $50 tip.

  • Julian Reis, memoir. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

    • The Clock Tower

    In Tuckahoe, a plainclothes policeman pulled Julian over and told him a police sergeant named Elmer Norris wanted to meet him. Monday, 5:00 PM, at the clock tower.1

    Julian showed up. As the clock struck 5:00, he saw someone approaching whom he recognized. He said to himself: “You see me, you see what time it is — I’m out of here.” He never drove through Tuckahoe again.

    Years later, Elmer Morris Jr. was arrested as one of Nicky Barnes’ lieutenants and sentenced to 51 years.

    “So I guess I almost did get recruited.”

    1. Julian Reis, memoir. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

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