By Eddie Baker
Sports Editor
3/12/09
Quincy is planning on putting a team in the Eastern Football League this summer and fall, with home games being played at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Watch the local papers for the tryout dates. You must be at least 18 years of age. This is the league that includes Randolph, Middleborough, etc.
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A report has it that Dedham is thinking about dropping out of the Bay State League and trying to get in the Tri-Valley League. Dedham, after being a Bay State League power for quite a few years now, hasn’t done too well lately, although they have had success in some sports.
Dedham is one of the smaller schools in the league, although Walpole and Milton usually have a smaller high school enrollment. The Tri-Valley League, with Westwood, Medfield, Dover-Sherborn, etc., would be handy for them, right on Route 109.
Would Canton or Waltham be headed to the Bay State if they switched leagues?
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You know, you college stars and athletes, jobs are going to be very hard to find this summer. For those of you who like working in athletics and might be thinking about it as a career, what about a job as an intern in the Cape Cod Baseball League?
This internship would run from around the first of June until the middle of August. Most Cape Cod League teams have about 20 interns. A lot of them are interested in sports management or broadcasting. However, there are all kinds of jobs for trainers, concession workers, ticket takers, etc.
You must have your own place to stay and your own car or transportation to get around. You, of course, will meet and deal with a lot of future major league baseball players. For more information about the Brewster team, send a message to contact@brewerwhitecaps.com. For the Harwich team, visit harwichmariners.org. Or take any Cape town that has a team and look up its e-mail address on the Internet.
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After having highly successful years and once again qualifying for the state high school playoffs, the Milton High School boys’ and girls’ ice hockey teams were nosed out in the first round of the playoffs.
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Glad to hear that the great guy that we all like, Steve Wilkie, is over his pneumonia, out of Milton Hospital and back to work. Steve, an avid bowler in the Cunningham Men’s Bowling League, is the assistant hockey coach at Milton High.
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Speaking of hockey, did you know that the new pastor of Dorchester’s St. Gregory’s Parish, the Rev. Vincent Daly, is quite a hockey player? He plays in two local hockey leagues and is a really hard hitter. He loves it.
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Well-known long-distance runner and former Milton High football and baseball star Bob Hannon has been hindered a little lately with a hernia.
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This Saturday, March 14, at 1 p.m., the rangers in the Blue Hills will show you how to build a birdhouse. This only takes an hour and is for Milton stars age 8 and up. You must call (617) 698-1802 to register. The rangers supply the material and tools.
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Did you know that former Milton High and Thayer Academy star Paul Golden, now playing hockey for Providence College, scored a goal on his first shot this year against Holy Cross?
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Tiger Woods really picked a great time to return to golf from his injury. He may not at this time be able to bring it back to its glory days, but with the economy hurting, and with golf sponsorships (both of players and tournaments) on a decline, his return will help. The senior tournament, usually held during the month of June, in Concord, will not be held this year.
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University of Vermont junior pitcher Tom Kelly, a Milton native, who led the team in pitching appearances last year with 21, is expected to see some outfield action this year, now that his left hand has healed.
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In sports, you are up today and down tomorrow. Ten months ago, Boston College won the NCAA hockey tournament and the place was full of reporters. But when BC and Providence College recently played – both are struggling in hockey this winter – there were no reporters from The Boston Globe, Boston Herald or Providence Journal present.
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Sorry to hear that well-known Milton hockey star Barry McDonough has been laid up with a bad back. Hope he is feeling better soon and back playing hockey.
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Bruce Bird, the well-known bowler, says that he saw his first osprey of the season 10 days ago on the Cape. They are back.
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Using three officials like they did in the boys’ high school playoff basketball games really helps. Of course, it is expensive. Once the schools go into the playoffs, the MIAA takes over. Adult tickets for the boys’ basketball playoff games at Milton High were $7. For the hockey game in the playoffs against Weymouth, it was $8.
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It’s a family affair. Well-known Milton priest and member of the very well-known Walsh family of St. Mary of the Hills Parish, the Rev. Aidan Walsh, is the new pastor at St. Elizabeth Parish where we know he will do a good job. His sister, Sister Mary Kay Walsh, has been the CCD director at St. Elizabeth for quite a while now.
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The Milton High students certainly made their presence felt at the Milton High home basketball games in the state tournament and wore white shirts with the words “Copeland Crazies” written on them.
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Remember, the ice at Turners Pond is not safe and all athletes and their pets should stay off it.
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Congratulations to the Milton High School ski team for a successful year. Once again, they did very well. Representing them in the MIAA state championship were Zack Beaulieu, Kevin Walsh, Chris Zimmer and Jimmy Goltz on the boys’ side, and Hallie Perlick and Inez Campbell on the girls’ side. The team was coached by Maggie Radley.
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He likes to teach. At the end of last year, longtime Milton High golf and ski coach, Dr. Dick Cadigan, whom many of you Milton stars grew up with and played sports with, and many of you athletes had as a teacher and coach, retired. Well, he missed teaching so much that he is back working as a substitute teacher.
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A lot of you Milton stars know that the Rev. Jeff Johnson really likes sports, both to watch and to participate in. When the weather is good, he likes to hike in the Blue Hills at a good pace. But did you know that this well-known Milton star played football and lettered for all four years that he played at Acadia University, in Nova Scotia? And in those four years, he made the dean’s list.
In this column a couple of weeks ago, I referred to him as a Milton star. Well, Jeff has an upcoming 40th reunion coming up and he is going to show that to his former teammates. He said no one at Acadia ever referred to him as a star.
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Six Milton athletes made the voyage to Martha’s Vineyard for the annual 20-mile road race on a very seasonally cold day a few weeks ago. The running group “The Sunday Funnies” was represented by Milton’s Rotary president-elect, Bob Reetz, along with Joe Civattone, Stephanie Hartwell and Brian Devin. Also competing was “Team Jarvis,” comprised of Milton cross-country runner Gordon and his dad, Peter.
We are told that longtime Al Thomas Little League coach and Sunday Funnies fixture Jeff Mullan’s streak of 10 consecutive years of running this race was broken because of a last-minute scheduling conflict with his Yankee Conference study group. The now defunct-Yankee Conference was home to all the New England state universities, as well as schools like Delaware and Rutgers.
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Having a big birthday this month is well-known Milton star and walker Bill Reddington, who now makes his home at Marina Bay Assistant Living Center in Quincy.
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James Katsiroubas, last year’s Milton High and Legion star ballplayer, had hits in his first three games this year playing for the University of Vermont.
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Most of you Milton stars know that the highest temperature ever recorded at the Blue Hills Observatory was 101 degrees and the lowest was 21 degrees below zero.
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Well-known former Chicago Cubs pitcher and former Milton High star Rich Hill was forced to miss his first spring training start for his new team, the Baltimore Orioles. The Baltimore Sun reported Hill had swelling and fluid in his left elbow. There was no structural damage, however.
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We were sorry to hear of the death last week of John Wylde, the general manager of the Wareham Gatemen for many years, and by far one of the best-known gentlemen connected with the Cape Cod Baseball League. John, who grew up in Dover, graduated from Milton Academy where he was a big tennis star, and then was off on the tennis tour from 1959 to 1962. He died at 70 of cancer. John was highly respected by everyone who knew him.
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Congratulations to the Milton High boys’ basketball team for their tremendous come-from-behind victory over Woburn on Tuesday night at TD Banknorth Garden. One more win and they will be state champions.
(Ed Baker can be reached at miltonsports@hotmail.com.)