Back in the New York area in 1946, he took advantage of another football scholarship and enrolled at Bergen Junior College across the Hudson River in New Jersey. "That summer, I also played professional baseball in Walden, New York, in the Northern League, under another name. I used another name so I wouldn't lose my college eligibility," he says. The name he chose was Nick Warren. "When I was catching batting practice for the Giants, there was a catcher there named Ben Warren who was very nice to me and helped me a lot," Testa says. "Since he was the first big leaguer I ever knew and who was nice, I chose his name."

The Giants scout, Bob Trocolar, kept tabs on Testa, and in 1947 signed him for the Giants organization. "I got a bonus of $500 and $200 a month to play for Seaford, Delaware, in the Eastern Shore League," Testa says. "It was Class D. I hit around .400 'til July Fourth and then tailed off to .292. But I played every day."

His travels had begun.

Over the next ten years, Testa was shifted almost annually from one Giants farm team to another. "In those days, most teams had around twenty farm teams," he says, "and they kept switching players around from one team to another each year." During the winter, Testa went to school at the University of Delaware, where he majored in physical education, eventually earning a bachelor of science degree in 1952.

For the Giants, he played in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1948. "I had a horrible year. I batted .190 [.184], but caught well," he says. In 1949 and 1950, he was in Erie, Pennsylvania. "I did well. I was the most popular player and hit around .260 to .265," he recalls. The following year, he played in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and in 1952, at Jacksonville, Florida. Then, near the end of the Korean War, he was drafted and spent two years at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he was in Special Services, which meant he played on the fort's baseball team.

After his discharge in 1954, Testa finished the year at Sioux City, Iowa, and then played in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and Dallas, Texas, in 1955. "I had a very good year, batting over .300," he says. In 1956, he went to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. "They have the craziest ballpark in America," he says, "260 feet down the left field line, with a fence about 80 feet high." In 1957, he returned to Dallas. "Willie McCovey was on that team in Dallas," he remembers.

Generally, Testa was not that good a hitter. "One year [1955] I hit over .300, but mostly I was a .260 hitter. But my job was to be a defensive catcher and handle the pitchers, so I never concentrated too much on hitting," he says.

He also seemed to handle his finances well. Although never making much money in his minor-league travels, the young bachelor followed his father's advice. "My father told me to save every other paycheck, and that's what I did," he says.

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