Michael Chow/Arizona Republic

Joe Finnerty tells a story at Arizona Storytellers: Stories of Growing Up, at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix August 31, 2015.

KJZZ partners with the Arizona Republic to bring you the Arizona Storytellers series. We record the live events and share them with you on the radio. In Phoenix, the storytellers sometimes share stories about our community or the life events that have shaped them in general. Megan Finnerty is the creator of the series.

Joe Finnerty grew up in Hoboken, New Jersey. With a 13 year age gap, Finnerty’s older brother was like a father to him. He took him to his first baseball game in 1934 to see the New York Giants, and the next year to Ebbets Field to see Babe Ruth.

For Finnerty’s 12th birthday, he wanted to go a Giants game with his brother. But his brother convinced their mother that Finnerty was old enough to go the game alone. Little did Finnerty know he was in for a lesson in responsibility.

Joe Finnerty is a writer, is 88 years old, and has told stories four times as part of the Arizona Storytellers Project.

The next storytelling event is Jan. 18, 2016, at Old Main on the Arizona State University Tempe campus. 

→ Hear More Arizona Storytellers