By Eddie Baker
Sports Editor
2/19/09
One of Milton’s best-known athletes had a big birthday recently. Jack Callahan, a member of the Class of 1941 at the Heights, turned 90. Jack is a member of the Boston College Hall of Fame for his outstanding baseball career. He is also a member of the Boston Park League Hall of Fame. Jack spent his professional career in the FBI.
*****
Most of you Milton sports fans know how good Curry College football was this past fall. But did you know the men’s soccer team also had one of its best seasons in years? The team finished with a record of 9-2-2.
*****
Although she works in New York, well-known Milton High three-sport athlete and Harvard soccer star Alisha Moran has been playing soccer all over Europe for the Irish National Team.
*****
We lost a couple of our Hyde Park friends last month when Hank Fuoco and Tom Moran passed away. Hank worked for the recreation department and was really active in Hyde Park sports. Tom was a longtime athletic director in the Boston schools and former Boston Tech football coach. He was active here in Milton at St. Pius X Parish.
*****
It’s off to Fort Lauderdale for spring training: Well-known former Milton High golfer and pitching star Rich Hill, one of the sports-playing Hill brothers, is excited to be pitching for Baltimore. He was traded recently by the Chicago Cubs. In Baltimore, Rich will reunite with his old pitching and bullpen coaches. All three were together in 2005 on the Iowa Cubs Triple-A club. The Orioles are lucky to have Hill. They really need pitching help.
*****
A report has it that former BC basketball coach Gary Williams is on thin ice at Maryland. Williams, who has headed the Terrapins men’s basketball program since 1990, led his team to the NCAA national championship in 2002. He has led Maryland to the tournament a dozen times since taking the helm 19 years ago. However, since winning the title they have failed to make the tournament in all but one year.
*****
A real busy Milton star these days is former Everett and Boston University football star Dr. Frank Giuliano, who many of you know was superintendent of schools for many years. After leaving the Milton schools, Frank worked helping the Chelsea school system return to respectability. Now in retirement, Frank is busy helping the Milton Rotary Club and St. Elizabeth Church, where he sings in the choir. This choir just had its Christmas songs recorded on cassette, which you can purchase at the church. Frank is also a Eucharistic minister at the church.
This former BU athlete is also very active in politics, both locally and on the national level. He just got back from the presidential inauguration in Washington, D,C.
On snowy days, you can often find Frank plowing driveways on his tractor. He also keeps up with his love of football by seeing quite a few college games each year.
*****
Our congratulations to longtime, highly successful Milton High girls’ track coach Dale Snyder for being elected into the Massachusetts High School Coaches Hall of Fame.
*****
Sorry to hear that well-known Milton star and Vermont shortstop Matt Duffy got hit in the hand during baseball practice and will miss a few games.
*****
For the first time this year, USA Today rated a New England school as one of the top basketball schools in the East. Lawrence Central Catholic was rated 10th in the newspaper’s poll.
*****
As of this writing, Northeastern and Boston University were leading their basketball leagues; Northeastern (11-2) is atop the Colonial League and BU (9-2) leads the American East. BU will have to win the league tournament to get an NCAA bid. Northeastern may have to do the same, although lately the Colonial League has been getting more than one team in the tournament.
*****
Stoughton High suffered a big loss recently when 6-foot-9-inch center Dartaye Ruffin suffered a season-ending injury. Stoughton was picked as the favorite to win Division II boys’ basketball this year. Ruffin is headed to Drexel in the fall.
*****
The fifth-grade Metro West team is having a good year so far. It’s their first year playing in the league. The girls are off to an excellent 5-2 record, good for second place in the South division going into this weekend’s game against Bellingham.
This is a very competitive league. Two of the girls’ wins were by just 2 points and one loss was decided by a single point.
The girls on the team are: Isabel Belash, Sarah Dragon, Shannon Fitzgerald, Liz Kaster, Caroline Kenney, Maeve Lydon, Amy Matondo, Sarah McMenamin, Michaela Olson, Kristin Rundlett, Caroline Scannell, Macy Sullivan and Jacqueline Sullivan. They are a really great group of girls who play their home games Sundays at 8:30 p.m. at Milton Academy. They are coached by Rusty Lydon and Tom Kenney.
*****
Tennis star Rafael Nadal says playing hard-court tennis takes a lot out of your body. You’re much more likely to play longer if you stick to clay or grass. Nadal just won the Australian Open, his first ever Grand Slam title on a hard surface.
*****
Milton’s Colin McIntosh continues his good year playing basketball at the University of Vermont. He continues to put up big numbers, scoring regularly in double figures and coming up with some good rebounds.
*****
If you’re up for some good hiking, the rangers of the Blue Hills have a nice 3.5-mile walk coming up Saturday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. It’s free for anyone interested. The group meets at the Houghtons Pond main parking lot. This is a good way to get some air and exercise. They have walks most Saturdays around 1 p.m. in the Blue Hills. For more information, call (617) 698-1802.
*****
Beto Perez, who came up with the Zumba dance, was in Boston recently for master classes and teacher certification. Many Milton athletes and Fitness Unlimited members attended. The event was held at the Boston Athletic Club from Jan. 23 to 25.
*****
Glad to hear that the Milton High comedy night held recently to raise money for spring sports was a tremendous success. It was quite a fun evening and helped raise around $13,500 for the athletics program.
*****
A really nice memorial ceremony was held Feb. 7 for longtime town employee and St. Mary of the Hills star Carol Blute. The basement room at Town Hall was dedicated in her name. Milton star Rev. Jeff Johnson, who spoke at the event, said if Carol had stayed in the convent where she spent several years, she would be an advisor to the pope by now.
*****
Longtime Al Thomas baseball manager and former St. Mary of the Hills star Joe O’Hara says he can’t wait for spring baseball to begin. He has had enough of the cold, snowy winter.
*****
Sunday, Feb. 22, is the annual Hyannis Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & Marathon Team Relay (and the last chance to qualify for the Boston Marathon). All races start at 10 a.m. at the Resort & Conference Center of Hyannis. These races are a good prep for Boston. For more information, call (508) 775-8877 or (617) 625-2140.
*****
Sorry to hear that Mary Scott, the mother of all those Milton stars, fell on the ice recently and hurt her hand. As a nurse at Milton Hospital, Mary is used to giving treatment to you Milton athletes, not receiving it. It is good to hear she’s recovering nicely.
*****
To keep catcher and captain Jason Varitek on the roster, the Boston Red Sox had to drop Jeff Bailey from the major league team. Bailey, who played some catcher before drifting to first base and the outfield, was the team’s most valuable minor league player last year. He has signed his own deal with the Sox. We think he should go back to catching in the minors.
*****
BC’s failure to win in the first round of the Beanpot hockey tournament two weeks ago was a first since 2005.
*****
A lot of you Milton stars know Pete Moran, the former three-sport star at Milton High. Pete is also a longtime bricklaying construction foreman. He still teaches classes in bricklaying at Blue Hills Regional High School in Canton.
*****
Have you noticed that the Bentley College basketball team has really been coming on lately? After a mediocre beginning to the season, it would appear they are now the team to beat in the Division II tournament, which is coming up. Remember, Bentley made it all the way to the Final Four last year.
*****
It looks like the Milton High boys’ basketball team, and the boys’ and girls’ hockey teams, will all make the playoffs. Consult your daily paper to see where and when they play.
(Ed Baker can be reached at miltonsports@hotmail.com.)