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Tony Talks Sports

June 27, 2007

In Honor of Duel and Reilly

By Tony Mentone

HAMDEN BASEBALL BOOSTERS HONORS TWO

The Hamden High Baseball Boosters Club has instituted a yearly award in the name of Ed Duel (HHS ’66). In Duel’s junior year he played on Hamden’s state championship team. He was heavily recruited by the University of New Haven. He is considered by many to be one of Hamden High’s best hitters.

In the spring of ’68, he received his draft notice and arrived in Vietnam on Oct. 1. On Oct. 21, 1968, he stepped on a landmine while on patrol and was killed.

The booster club will present an award each year to a baseball player who has shown courage. This year’s award went to pitcher Dan Rhone (HHS ’07).

The booster club will also honor George Reilly by placing a plaque in his honor on Reilly’s beloved baseball field. Reilly was a special guy and was the baseball manager for over 20 years. He was inducted into the Hamden High Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 and died last June. The plaque will read “George Reilly -- a friend of Hamden baseball.”

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? – NEW COACH

Nick D’Angelo (HHS ’98) is a Hamden police resource officer at both the middle and high schools.

D’Angelo played football at Hamden High and Western Connecticut State University. He was recently named an assistant coach at Hamden High. He is engaged to Jessica Manware (HHS ’97). The wedding will take place in April 2008.

AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL

After the first week of the season, Hamden Post 88 has a 3-3 record. Kyle Cummings (HHS ’08) has a .412 batting average and John Powers leads the team with a .500 average.

James Annunziata (HHS ’07) has been a workhorse on the mound throwing 10 innings and has a 1.46 ERA.

BASEBALL AWARDS

At a dinner held on Father’s Day, Hank O’Donnell (HHS ’07) received the MVP Award for Hamden High baseball on a vote by his teammates. Greg Pacelli (HHS ’07) received the Offensive Player Award and Kyle Cummings (HHS ’08) received the Defensive Player Award.

O’Donnell, who was an infielder his whole career, moved to the outfield to fill a gap, made several outstanding defensive plays and led the team at the plate.

Pacelli was the quintessential fourth-hole power hitter. He had several long shots, the most memorable being a walk-off homerun against Fairfield Prep.

James Annunziata (HHS ’07) was chosen the Most Improved Player, while Mike DeAngelo (HHS ’07) received the Mike Iezzi Award for intensity. Will Hindinger (HHS ’10) won the Patrick Mirto Award for the outstanding freshman player.

Tony Mentone is a game assistant at Hamden High School. He has been active in Hamden sports for over 40 years as both a volunteer and paid football, basketball and baseball coach. Tony is currently an assigning commissioner for the Greater New Haven Umpires Association and the assistant district administrator of Connecticut District 4 Little League. He also sits on the town's Parks & Recreation Commission. Please send info and announcements about youth sports or Hamden High sports to tonymentone@yahoo.com.

June 21, 2007

HHS’ Burrell Coaching at QU

By Tony Mentone

HDN IS BACK

I urge everybody who reads “Tony Talks Sports” to pay for a subscription to this publication. The local daily barely covers Hamden and its news is usually several days late. Although the sports section is adequate, the two weeklies are completely inadequate.

HDN has made our government officials and politicos become more accountable for their actions.

ALL HAMDEN BASEBALL

I have spoken to many people about the All-Star Team I picked. All have favorites who they think should be on, but the general consensus was that at least three great ballplayers were left off.

Ed Duel, who was killed in battle in Vietnam, is considered by many to be the best ballplayer to come out of Hamden. Billy Kuhar was a left-handed first baseman who had a vicious swing and signed a pro contract. Another mentioned by many was Paul Prisco, a catcher.

BURRELL TO QUINNIPIAC

Scott Burrell (HHS ’89) is coming back home. Burrell, considered the best all-around athlete to play at Hamden, has taken a position as assistant basketball coach at Quinnipiac University.

Burrell played on the 1998 NBA Champion Chicago Bulls. He was a three-sport star at Hamden and went on to play basketball at UCONN under Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun. Burrell played several seasons in the NBA and also played in China, Japan and the Philippines.

Welcome home, Scott.

SPRING FOOTBALL

Hamden Dragon football has just finished spring practice. Coach Paul Catino says they are in the process of installing a new spread offense to capitalize on the overall team speed. Catino said they started with about 80 players and have pared the roster down to around 55. “The kids have all worked very hard,” said Catino. “We will be a young team with only about 10 seniors on the final roster.”

Aaron Brockenberry has looked good as quarterback and Josh Smart is leading for running back. Dave Santiago has been a standout on defense, said Catino.

ALL SCC – QUINNIPIAC DIVISION

SOFTBALL – Kassandra Silva (HHS ’08); Ashley Ortiz (HHS ’07)
BASEBALL – Greg Pacelli (HHS ’07)
BOYS’ TENNIS – Kevin Malloney
BOYS’ LACROSSE – 2nd team – Dan Tebes (HHS ’07)
GIRLS’ LACROSSE – 2nd team – Hannah Grimes, Emma Doyle, Hillary White, Cherley Remetz

GULL IS GOING

Hamden boys’ lacrosse coach Jeff Gull has decided not to apply for this position next year. Gull said, “It’s time for a change of environment.”

Gull is the only boys’ lacrosse coach Hamden has ever had. He helped start the program as a club team and has been the varsity coach for five years.

June 6, 2007

My Dream Team

By Tony Mentone

ALL-HAMDEN

Please understand this is my list of Hamden High’s best. I pondered some of these picks for hours. I have seen each of these guys play, some only a couple of times. I took some license on positions and I don’t know what year some graduated, but here goes nothing.

PITCHING (Four-man rotation) -- Scott Burrell ’89, Dan Ford ’65, Rich Pogonelski, Ken Klee ’89. The first three right-handers are fast, faster and fastest in any order -- all signed pro contracts and they could really “bring it.” Klee was a crafty southpaw who had a great career at the University of New Haven.

RELIEF PITCHING -- Clarence Bentley and Michael Giordano. Bentley was a high-kicking right-hander from Georgia, sometimes referred to as the Georgia Peach. Giordano was the smartest high school pitcher I have ever seen. Once he found your weakness, he could hit the same spot time after time.

CATCHER -- Tony Ginnetti. Played in the style of Thurman Munson. Hard as nails, strong arm. He went on to be a topnotch high school umpire. Played baseball and football at SCSU and is in that university’s “Hall of Fame.”

FIRST BASE -- John Cassesse ’65. Hard-hitting, excellent fielder who had a winning attitude.

SECOND BASE -- Dr. Richard Diana ’78. Although better known for his football prowess, Dr. Diana could have had a pro career in baseball as well as in football. Played outfield at Yale University.

THIRD BASE -- Albie Kissner. Outstanding on offense and defense. His pro career was cut short by an injury received in a motor vehicle accident.

SHORTSTOP -- Kyle Cummings ’08. Hamden has had a bunch of great ones but I think the “kid” who’s playing there now could be the best.

OUTFIELDERS -- Dennis Petriell ’65, Roger Beale, Albert Henderson. Petriella was a natural who also had a great leadership quality. Beale had a great arm and his bat was even greater. Henderson could get to the ball wherever it was hit. A slash-type hitter with a lot of speed.

DESIGNATED HITTER -- Gus O’Connor. I don’t know what position he played, but the man could hit. I once saw him hit the left field fence at Rochford Field on one hop.

Obviously this is not the definitive list, but I sure would love to coach this team.

UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT

Tom Fitzsimons ‘07 has been scratched from the State Open and the Decathlon event due to an emergency hernia surgery. He was ranked No. 1 in the state in the 400-meter and finished third last year in the decathlon.

This is a devastating blow to an athlete who has worked so hard. Fitzsimons is a tough kid and will weather the storm. I can offer him no solace except that I have talked to many people in the Hamden athletic community who share his pain.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Michael Fiedler (HHS ’79) was an outstanding shortstop for the Dragons Baseball Team. He played on the 1979 American Legion team, Post 150, that finished second in the region. Fiedler also had a stellar career as a shortstop at the University of New Haven.

Fiedler and his wife, Tracy Hall (HHS ’79), live in Wallingford with their 7-year-old daughter. He earns his living as an environmentalist.

May 30, 2007

Jumper Fitzsimons ‘Athlete of the Meet’

By Tony Mentone

ALL-HAMDEN TEAM

I often sit around with friends and talk about the best baseball players in Hamden history. Think about it for a while and send me your favorites by position by clicking here. I will give you my picks next week along with the choices you select.

SCC HONORS PACELLI

The SCC Quinnipiac Division has named Hamden’s Greg Pacelli (HHS ’07) to its All-Division baseball team. Pacelli batted over .300 for the Dragons. He had 18 RBIs and 3 HRs. Pacelli split his time between catcher and first base, and was named to the team as a first baseman. He plans to attend Central Connecticut State University next year.

NIZIOLEK

Stephanie Niziolek (HHS ’05) was named to the Northeast Athletic Conference second team. She finished the season with a .431 batting average and five homeruns. Niziolek had an 8-4 record as a pitcher. When she wasn’t pitching, she played first base. She helped lead Polytechnic University to its first conference championship.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Todd Hall (HHS ’91) is considered by many to be one of the best hockey players to play at Hamden High. After graduating from Hamden, he went to Boston College for two years and graduated from the University of New Hampshire.

Hall played six years of professional hockey with the Binghamton, N.Y., Rangers and five years with the Hartford Wolfpack.

He lives in North Haven with his wife, Melissa Jason, and is a self-employed landscape designer. He is the assistant boys’ hockey coach at Hamden High.

ASTORINO RINK JUNE HOURS

Public skating: June 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

SCC GIRLS’ TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

Under the direction of veteran coach Nina Lujack and on the legs of Courtney Dinnan (HHS ’08), Hamden finished third in the SCC Championships. Dinnan was a double winner in the 1600 and 3200.

Chelsea Blake finished second in the 400. Megan Harpe was fifth in the 800 and Chelsea Harris was fifth in the 200.

AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL

Registration for U-16 Hamden Fathers’ Baseball/Softball Association’s AAU baseball team will be held at the high school field at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

American Legion tryouts for both seniors and juniors will be held at Hamden High’s field this Saturday and Sunday from 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

BOYS’ LAX QUALIFIES

Hamden boys’ lacrosse team has qualified for the state CIAC tournament with a record of 8-8. Hamden will play New Milford at New Milford at 3 p.m. this Saturday in the first round of the tournament.

BOYS’ TRACK THIRD AMID CONTROVERSY

The Hamden High boys’ track team finished third behind Amity and Xavier in the SCC Championship meet. Tom Fitzsimons (HHS ’07) was named the Athlete of the Meet, finishing first in the 400 and anchoring the winning 4 x 400 relay.

He had the longest jump in the triple jump but due to a technicality, Fitzsimons’ final jump and longest was disqualified. Fitzsimons should have jumped three times in the initial round but he only jumped twice and had to leave for the 4 x 100 relay. In the final round, he jumped four times, three for that round and one left over from the first round. Meet officials disallowed the final jump, giving Fitzsimons second place. Fitzsimons is ranked No. 1 in the state in the 400-meter run.

Charles Gray finished sixth in the 100-meter dash; Andrew Kinlock finished third in the 300-meter hurdle; Michael Zilm finished second in the pole vault; and Ricardo Chardon won the long-jump and came in third in the triple jump.

BREAKING NEWS

Late Tuesday afternoon, Tom Fitzsimons retained his No. 1 ranking in the 400-meter by winning the Class LL State Championship in a time of 48.7. Also, Courtney Dinnan came in second in the mile with a time of 5.09, and Ricardo Chardon came in second in the long-jump with a 22.6 jump.

PANCAKES WITH A DRAGON?

Hamden Gridiron Booster Association will sponsor a pancake breakfast June 16 from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. at Applebee’s, 2400 Dixwell Ave. All proceeds to benefit Hamden High football players. Bring a camera and take pictures with HHS Dragon Mascot. Tickets $5; to purchase, call Gary Prosco 287-8278.

May 23, 2007

HH Track Teams Rock

By Tony Mentone

AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL

Orange has been selected to host the Senior Zone Tournament from July 28-29. Games will be nine innings. West Haven will host the Junior Zone Championship from Aug. 4-5. Games will be seven innings.

Hamden Post 88 will participate. Tryouts will be announced soon.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Joaquin Rodriguez (HHS ’97) was captain of the soccer team under legendary coach Val Moretti. He lives in Hamden and is a world languages teacher at Hamden High. He is married to Carolyn Irwin, also a world languages teacher in the Hamden system. Joaquin is currently the head boys’ soccer coach at HHS and has been to the state tournament the last two years.

HMS BASEBALL

The HMS baseball team was defeated this past week by Walsh Middle School of Branford, 21-12. The game was 14-12 at the beginning of the fifth but Walsh exploded for seven runs in the sixth. Nick Velardi hit a two-run homer and Jason Miller had a three-run triple in the loss.

U-14 BASEBALL WINS TWO

The Hamden Fathers’ U-14 team won its opening doubleheader against the Branford Sting at Legion Field. In the opening game, Erin Maskol pitched six innings of shutout ball with 3 K’s. C.J. Cerigan, Vin Purgatore, Alex Thibideau and Brendan Dadio had two hits each to clinch the 8-7 win.

In the second game, Hal Hansen started with three scoreless innings. Hamden was ahead 8-0 in the fourth but Branford scored 11 in the fifth when the Hamden pitchers had trouble finding the strike zone. Hamden eventually scratched out a 13-12 win with key hits from Lowell Paige and Jason Miller.

STRANGE BUT TRUE

The National Federation of Baseball Case Book says that an umpire can umpire the bases in a wheelchair.

LET’S GET THIS STRAIGHT

A couple of weeks ago it was reported in this publication that the Hamden girls’ softball team pulled off one of the all-time upsets in girls’ softball by defeating No. 1 ranked Amity in 11 innings, 1-0.

On the eve of the second match-up between the two teams, the local New Haven paper ran an article about how wonderful Amity was and how badly they wanted to beat Hamden. Granted, Amity has had a wonderful program over the years, but let’s get this straight. Hamden won the first game and the Dragons worked just as hard to get that victory. The article never quoted Hamden coach Andy Porto and how he prepared his team for this game.

HAMDEN HIGH TRACK -- BOYS No. 2, GIRLS No. 1

The Hamden High boys’ track finished second behind Xavier in the SCC Quinnipiac Division Championships. Leading the way for Hamden was the 4 x 100 relay team of Harry Lewis, Ricardo Chardon, Charles Gray and Jarvis Manning. Tom Fitzsimons won the 400 and the triple jump. Hamden’s 4 x 400 relay team led by Fitzsimons, Nathanial Brackett, Andrew Kinock and Manning also came in first. Michael Zilm led all pole vaulters with a 13-foot, 6-inch vault.

On Thursday, postponed from Wednesday due to rain, the Hamden girls’ track team came in first in the SCC Quinnipiac Division Championships. Chelsea Blake won the 400-meter race. Courtney Dinnan won the 1000-meter race as well as the 2000-meter. Hamden girls captured the 4 x 400 with the team of Harris, Jones, Harpe and Blake. Lauren Zilm won the girls’ pole vault with a vault of 7 feet, 6 inches. Jenna Davis was the leading javelin thrower with a throw of 92 feet, 10.5 inches, and Alicia Washington won both the shot put and the discus to lead Hamden to the championship.

May 17, 2007

HHS Baseball Strikes Back

By Tony Mentone

VISIT TO THE PARK

On a recent trip to Houston, I attended an Astros game at Minute Maid Park. Astros catcher Brad Ausmus played ball at Cheshire High School. The place was spotless. I accidentally spilled a bottle of water and within minutes a custodian appeared with a mop. Being a New York fan, I was more amazed when the usher who showed us to our seats refused to take a tip.

BURRELL HONORED

The Southern Connecticut Diamond Club recently announced that its new Coach of the Year Award has been named in honor of Hamden resident Sam Burrell.

Burrell has been active in sports for many years and coached baseball at Yale University, Hillhouse and Wilbur Cross High schools. He was also an American Legion coach for several years, winning several zone championships.

SCC HONORS

Hamden High’s Erin Fox and James Sasso were named the Southern Connecticut Conference Scholar Athletes for March. In order to be selected as a student-athlete, one must be a varsity letterman and have at least a 3.0 average.

Fox competes in cross country as well as indoor and outdoor track. She ranks in the top 20 percent of her class.

Sasso is a standout basketball player. He ranks in the top 10 percent of his class. He has also been named to the Tap-Off Club’s All- Academic Team.

RINK HOURS – MAY

May 19: 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
May 25: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

BEEF AND BEER

A benefit for area youth coach Paul Carr will be held on Saturday, May 26, from 7 p.m.-11 p.m. at the Hamden Elks, 175 School St. Roast beef, beer and music will be provided. The benefit is sponsored by the Hamden Fathers’ Baseball/Softball Association, American Legion Baseball, Greater Hamden Baseball and Hamden Regional Youth Basketball.

All proceeds will be donated to the Yale University Neurology Department for ALS research. For ticket information, call Bill Schule at 288.7400.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BASEBALL

On Monday, May 7, HMS lost a thrilling 7-6 game to Orange in extra innings. Hamden was down 6-0 and scratched back to tie it. Relief pitchers Brandon Dadio and Jason Miller held Orange at bay. Erin Sullivan and Nick Velardi led the offense.

Last Thursday, they beat Orange MS 8-1. Velardi pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts. On defense, Miller and Matt Murray led the way. Matt Elia had two RBIs.

PANCAKES WITH A DRAGON?

Hamden Gridiron Booster Association will sponsor a pancake breakfast June 16 from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. at Applebee’s, 2400 Dixwell Ave. All proceeds to benefit the Hamden High School football players. Bring a camera and take pictures with HHS Dragon Mascot. For tickets, $5 apiece, call Gary Prosco at 287.8278.

BASEBALL, SOFTBALL QUALIFY FOR STATE TOURNY

Hamden High baseball, which started the season on a low note, surged back with four straight home wins and earned a spot in the CIAC Tournament.

First, the Dragons beat high-ranked Shelton 11-5. The next three games were classics as Hamden beat Fairfield Prep 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh with a walk-off homerun by Greg Pacelli. Next came Daniel Hand, which Hamden beat in the bottom of the eighth on a bases loaded single by James Annunziata in the bottom of the eighth. Next, archrival West Haven went down in the bottom of the ninth on a single by Josh Devoe.

The softball team qualified for the tournament with a 3-2 victory against Jonathan Law on May 4 at Jonathan Law. Kelly Kovner singled in the winning run in the top of the seventh. Kovner, Julie Bruhn and Andrea Tordanato each had three hits.

HARTFORD INVITATIONAL TRACK MEET

Tommy Fitzsimons (HHS ’07) was named the Most Valuable Athlete at the Hartford Invitational Track Meet May 12.

Fitzsimons captured the 400 with a time of 48.5. He also anchored the 4 x 100 relay team to a third-place finish, and the 4 x 400 relay team to a second-place finish.

Courtney Dinnan (HHS ’08) set a school record of 11 minutes, 25 seconds in the 2-mile run and ran a 5:07 mile, finishing sixth and fifth respectively.

Mike Zilm (HHS ’08) finished sixth in the pole vault with a vault of 13 feet.

May 9, 2007

Officer John Sommers of the Hamden Police Department has organized a broomball tournament for town employees.

What is broomball? Broomball is played with ice hockey rules except participants use a 5-inch rubber ball and brooms instead of a puck and sticks.

The jamboree will be played on May 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Louis Astorino Rink. It will be a round-robin format between the Fire Department, Police Department, Public Works and Town Hall. Tickets are $5 for adults and will benefit Cameron Twitty and Frankie DeMatteis, two young Hamden children who have been stricken with very costly afflictions.

Imagine you are a baseball FANatic. Imagine you are in a large room with 1,500 people from all over the world (Guam, Canada, Poland, Japan, etc.) all talking baseball. You are either in heaven or you are at the Little League International Congress in Houston, Texas, from April 12 to 16.

The congress meets every three years and is attended by local district administrators. DAs are the middle management of Little League, volunteers who make the program work.

The opening ceremonies featured Dale Murphy who played in the major leagues for 18 seasons and was one of the most underrated players of his era. Murphy has eight kids and coaches youth sports.

The congress addressed many of the problems and rules that Little Leagues face every day. This year’s new rule says pitchers are limited in the number of pitches they can throw.

While there were no dramatic changes, there were a few of note. In the younger divisions, there will be a continuous batting order of everyone at a game. There was also a lifting of the restrictions on coaches coaching in other programs.

The congress was closed by former President George Bush and his wife, Barbara. They were both LL parents and longtime baseball fans.

Father George Bedocs (HHS ’67) played football, baseball and basketball at Hamden. Bedocs graduated from SCSU and was a physical education teacher in town for 34 years. In 1983, he coached girls’ soccer at Hamden and went on to Albertus Magnus where he started the boys’ soccer program and coached for 15 years. He still lives in Hamden and is the athletic director at Sacred Heart Academy.

Son George Jr. (HHS ’93) played hockey and soccer at Hamden. He was captain of the soccer team and was All New England. Bedocs Jr. went to Cocker College in South Carolina and was captain of its soccer team. He currently lives in Stratford and is a computer network engineer.

Son Kurt (HHS ’99) played soccer and golf at Hamden High. He played college soccer for his father at Albertus Magnus. Kurt was co-captain of both his high school and college teams. Kurt lives in Norwalk and is a computer network technician for priceline.com.

Daughter Courtney (HHS ’06) is attending ECSU. She played soccer and lacrosse at Hamden. At college she lettered in lacrosse in her freshman year. She is majoring in English and graphic design.

The Hamden Education Foundation is looking for nominees for this year’s Fourth Annual Sports Hall of Fame dinner. Nominations should include the full name of the nominee, graduating class, address and telephone number and a brief description of the nominee’s accomplishments. Nominations should be sent to Jeanne Cooper, Hamden Public Schools, 60 Putnam Ave., Hamden, CT 06517. Nominations should be submitted by May 18.

On Friday the Hamden boys’ baseball team played Fairfield Prep for the second time this year. In the first game, Hamden put up a seven spot in the sixth inning to tie the game and went on to win, 10-9.

Although the second game was not as high scoring, it was similar in nature. Hamden, playing at home, jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The Jesuits got one back in the third and went ahead 4-2 in the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Dragons scored one on a walk to John Brandi and a single by Kyle Cummings, advancing Brandi to third. Hamden then pulled off a perfect double steal before being retired still one behind.

Pitcher Dan Rhone held the Jesuits scoreless in the sixth. Hamden’s M.J. Lombardozzi got a double and was plated on a single by Dante Blackmon to tie the score. Rhone once again held Prep scoreless.

In the bottom of the seventh, 6-foot, 2-inch, 225-pound senior Greg Pacelli led off the inning. On the second pitch, he hit a mammoth home run to centerfield. There was never any doubt. As the Hamden players jumped up in jubilation, the ball left the field before their feet hit the ground.

The Dragons will play West Haven tonight at 6 p.m. at Hamden High Stadium amidst senior night festivities.

On April 26, with his family and track and basketball teammates on hand, Tom Fitzsimons (HHS ’07) signed a letter of intent to attend Division I Mount St. Mary’s in Maryland. Fitzsimons, a basketball and track captain, will receive a scholarship to compete in track.

He was also offered a scholarship to UCONN and the University of Rhode Island. Fitzsimons chose Mount St. Mary because of coach Jim Stevenson. He was a silver medalist in the British Olympics trials and won the World Junior Championships. Stevenson was a Division I All-American in the decathlon.

Fitzsimons placed third in the State CIAC Decathlon Championship in 2006. He was All- New England in the 400-meter dash. He currently holds the school record in the 400-meter sprint with a time of 49.10.

The Hamden Fathers’ Baseball/Softball Association has scored a major coup. Burt Leventhal, legendary Cheshire High School baseball coach, has agreed to coach the U14 traveling team. Leventhal was head coach at Cheshire for 28 years and won three state championships.

Among his most proficient players were Brad Ausmus, current starting catcher for the Houston Astros, Steve Mwroka, current coach at Cheshire High, and Brian Leech, better known for his hockey exploits. Burt, who retired 12 years ago, said that coaching never got out of his blood.

It was indeed a group of parents who lobbied for lacrosse as a varsity sport at Hamden High. The parents did what they had to do to make government work for them and should be applauded. I marveled at their tenacity. The fact remains that Dr. Begina implemented these sports in her tenure and did so successfully despite the controversy.

As far as my role in this, you give me far too much credit. I have never had any “decision-making powers” with the Hamden Board of Ed. I am a firm believer in sports and extra-curricular activities for young people. I would never stand in the way of a program being started.

On May 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., there will be a fundraiser at the Louis Astorino Rink in Hamden for Cameron Twitty. He is a 12 year-old who is suffering from a rare disease that affects his immune system. Cameron needs a bone marrow transplant to survive.

The fundraiser is being hosted by Paul and Leslie Jacques, whose son, Jordan, had a transplant in 1996 and has been cancer-free for 11 years.

The town of Hamden and the Parks & Recreation Department have waived all fees. All proceeds will go to the Twitty family to help defray medical and living costs.

The Hamden Middle School baseball team, under the direction of new coach Andes Sanchez, assisted by volunteer coach Burt Leventhal, won their first two games of the season. In the first game against Derby, Pat Elia was the winning pitcher while Nick Velardi and CJ Carrigan starred offensively.

In the second game against Polson of Madison, Carrigan got the win and lefty Velardi the save. PJ Scott got the game-winning RBI in the fifth.

Billy Calamita (HHS ’73) played basketball and baseball. Calamita graduated from SCSU and lives in East Haven. He is a professional bartender and is currently the bar manager at Fan Restaurant in Woodbridge.

The Hamden girls’ softball team pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the history of high school softball by beating No. 1 ranked and undefeated Amity 1-0 in 10 innings. Ashley Ortiz was the hitting star as she drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th. Ortiz slammed a hard liner by the third baseman off of Amity pitcher Lauren Bespuda, who had a perfect game up to that point.

Hamden pitcher Kassondra Silva struck out 18 and allowed three hits. She also scored the winning run.