16 June, 2005

New parochial high school a hit with Cape League

President Judy Scarafile and the Cape Cod Baseball League are ecstatic that there will be a new parochial high school in Hyannis next year.

The old Barnstable High School off High School Road in the center of Hyannis will provide an opportunity for the league to correct what Major League Baseball has called one of the few drawbacks of the country's No. 1 summer college league.

"They [MLB officials] saw the fields as the lone drawback," says Scarafile. Many Division 1 schools play at big ballparks, and it could be seen as a comedown to play at some of our fields."

And what does that have to do with McKeon Park, home field of the Hyannis Mets which is adjacent to what will be the new parochial high school?

"We plan to form a partnership with the school. We'll be starting a lighting fund and it will become a field like Chatham's, where you can see the lights at the baseball field from Main Street," Scarafile says. "In our case in Hyannis, you'll be able to see the lights from downtown and from the harbor, and that should draw a lot more fans when they know there's a game being played."

While several of the Cape League fields are pretty and scenic, Scarafile concedes they needed to be enhanced. To that end, dugouts have been improved in Cotuit, Yarmouth-Dennis and Brewster.

The league will have new fields in Brewster and Bourne next season. The Brewster Whitecaps will move from their current home at Cape Tech Regional High School in Harwich to Stony Brook Elementary School in Brewster.

And the Bourne Braves will move from Coady Field, where the setting sun caused games to start at 4:45 in the afternoon to a new field at Upper Cape Tech where the theme could be "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes."

Red Sox World Series Trophy at Monday's Y-D game

So you missed the Red Sox World Series parade in Boston last fall?

Guess what? You'll have a chance to see the trophy between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Monday at Dennis-Yarmouth High School's Red Wilson Field. The Yarmouth Area Chamber of Commerce has arranged for a photographer to take free photos for the public.

The Y-D Red Sox will take on the Falmouth Commodores in a rematch of the Cape Cod Baseball's League's 2004 playoff finalists starting at 5 p.m. The Red Sox won the championship in an extra-inning thriller.

Following the trophy display, the chamber will host its annual "Chamber Night" at the game and will offer free hot dogs and other snacks at the game. After the game, the chamber hosts a team dinner for the players.

Ex-Major Leaguers named to Hall of Fame

Three former major leaguers will be inducted into the league's Hall of Fame Nov. 12 at the Chatham Bars Inn. The announcement was made by Scarafile Sunday at the First Pitch Brunch at 99 Restaurant in West Yarmouth.

Outfielder Bobby Kielty, currently hitting about .280 for the Oakland A's, won the Cape League batting title in 1998 with a .348 average in winning MVP honors. Infielder Mickey Morandini also won batting (.376) and MVP in 1987 for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and played for the Phillies and other big league teams. And former Cotuit Kettleer infielder Tim Teufel set a league record 16 home runs in 1979 before capping a fine career with the New York Mets.

The 2005 class also includes former players Sam Nattile (Falmouth 1981), Paul Pacillo (Harwich 1983), Jack Sanford (Bourne/Sagamore 1946-54), John Thoden (Wareham 1988), Ken Voges (Chatham 1963) and league administrators Mike Curran and Manny Pena.

The Sunday brunch followed Saturday's exhibition game between a group of Cape League players and the U.S. Military Red, White and Blue touring team, many of whom have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The game was a by-product," Scarafile says. "It was an honor to have those young men on Cape Cod. A lot of folks, not necessarily baseball fans, came just to support the troops."

The third event within a 24-hour period was Monday's Sullivan Tire's 50th anniversary game in Rockland against the Wareham Cardinals of the Cranberry League

Of course, this afternoon and tonight, the Cape League opens for real, right on time with the arrival of summer.