Pitching baseball in the Berkshires — and golf

By John HitchcockPrint Story | Email Story
Tell-all ex-Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton will have a lot to talk about at tonight’s meeting of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission at the Country Club of Pittsfield. The Egremont resident tried to talk about saving historic Wahconah Park with a minor league baseball team a few years ago, but no one would listen. Instead former Mayor Sara Hathaway brought in a New York money manager, and his team was soon dead in the water. Last year, while Hathaway was still mayor, Bouton wrote about his group’s efforts to save the 1892-built Wahconah Park from being benched in favor of a proposed $18.5 million stadium advocated by local businessmen. A 400-page book, “Foul Ball,” gave his side of the story. (Bouton was a Yankee hero in 1964 after winning two games in the World Series against the Cards, but he became a bum after his inside look at the naughty side of pro ball players in his 1969 book, “Ball Four”). Bouton and Elitzer, an investment banker, will speak on “Tapping Private Capital for Public Good — Wahconah Park as a Model for Regional Development.” But Bouton could write many volumes on baseball in the Berkshires, a subject gaining international fame after it was reported that baseball was played as early as 1791, when a bylaw banned the sport from within window-breaking distance of the city’s new meetinghouse. Baseball was indeed America’s favorite game until World War II, when post-war years saw competition from other sports, including soccer. In the early days, every small town had at least one team and the large communities supported leagues. And the major leagues picked their new players from scores of minor leagues from coast to coast. High school and college baseball continued strong, however, despite losing many top athletes to soccer, tennis and golf. In fact, the first intercollegiate baseball game took place in Pittsfield in 1859, with Amherst defeating Williams. Now, until Bouton brings in a minor league team next year to Wahconah Park, the only professional ball is played with two teams from the New England Collegiate Baseball league, which is backed by Fay Vincent, the Williams graduate who served as the last real commissioner of Major League Baseball. North Adams has the SteepleCats, and now Hinsdale has the Dukes. Both teams played their first games Friday, with the Dukes winning 3-0, and then they met Sunday, with the North Adams nine beating the Dukes, 7-4. The Dukes were so-named by owner Dan Duquette, the often-maligned general manager of the Boston Red Sox until deposed by the new owners a few years ago. Duquette, who grew up playing ball in Dalton and at Amherst College, opened the Dan Duquette Sports Academy at a former summer camp on the shores of Plunkett Reservoir last year. One-week sessions are held throughout the summer for baseball, softball and basketball. For details: www.duquettesportsacademy.com or 655-8077. Under new (and local) ownership this year, the SteepleCats will be in action starting at 7 tonight against Lowell at friendly Joe Wolfe Field. Their last regular season home game will be July 14 against Concord. Berkshire high school baseball teams are certainly backing up the sport with total domination of the just concluded Western Massachusetts Championships. Pittsfield defeated Chicopee Comp. 6-3, in Division I; Drury High of North Adams topped Greenfield, 3-2 in Division II; and St. Joseph’s of Pittsfield won Division III with a 5-2 victory over Frontier Regional. Williams College finished near the top in Division III, NCAA, with Mass College of Liberal Art having a creditable season. But you will have to look pretty far to find a top-flight adult men’s baseball team in the Berkshires, although softball for men and women is quite popular. Probably some of the best adult athletes around could have been at Waubeeka Golf Links Saturday for the first annual Jeffrey LaCasse Players Tournament, honoring the 28-year-old Williamstown resident who died a year ago. Some 170 males and a few females participated in five-member teams, including top high school, college and amateur players and several golf pros, including Erik Tiele of the home course and Rick Pohle of Taconic. Low score of 55 was in the Jesus P. Division and included Pat King, Roger Prevey, Mike Green, Doug Pinsonneault and Dustin Cone of Mount Anthony Country Club in Bennington, Vt.. Cone was top player for Purdue this past year and has won the Vermont Amateur and Open titles. Other winning teams included the following: JA Division, 59 with Jeffrey’s brother, Dan LaCase II, Duffy Judge, Toby Mason, Al Picard and Waubeeka General Manager Mark Mills; Hot Dogs, 59, Scott Cunningham, Chet Lewis, Geoff Tatro, Marc Field and Mike Felix; 105 Division, 65, Norm and Dave Jolin, Joe Osburn, Gerry Rickert and Harold Weyers; Black and Blue, 67, Steve and Lisa Conroy, Paul Buoni, and Frank and Kathy Perkett. Wild Card winners with 57 were Waubeeka Pro Tiele, former NACC pro Fran Esposito, Jud Gazaille, David Bond (operator of The Range in North Adams) and former Waubeeka Pro Jeff Gazaille. Also turning in a 57 was the team of George Garivaltas, Bill Preite, Dave Berasi, Gary Wood and Taconic’s Pohle, winner of numerous regional PGA titles. Jeffrey was the son of Daniel and Linda Brooks LaCosse. Dan LaCosse, owner of the Williams News is on the Waubeeka board of directors. Jeffrey was last employed by Anderson Aeration Co. of Connecticut and worked on the installation at Waubeeka, where he was a member. Turning to bicycling, action will be fast and furious today through Sunday at the 2004 NORBA National Mountain Bike Championships at Mount Snow in West Dover, Vt. Amateurs and professionals from all over the United States and Europe will compete in cross-country, downhill, mountain-cross, short-track, Super D and trials events. Information: www.mountsnow.com or 800-451-4211. And kids, don’t forget that Sunday is the final day for registering for the annual Skyline Country Club Junior Golf Day presented by the PGA Pros of Berkshire County. Register in advance at skylinegolfclub@aol.com or 445-5584. John Hitchcock of Williamstown writes frequently about the area sports scene.
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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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