Page 22 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 13, 2020 MALDEN: TODAY | FROM PAGE 5 Both contributing (most of the time) under the radar for the benefi t of all Maldonians. Next on deck, spotted in front of the pharmacy, was one of the more colorful characters to ever come out of Edgeworth/Devir Park – a friend of mine since he was a wee lad holding big brother Eddie’s hand as they crossed Malden Street to the safety of Devir Park. Kevin Larson has been on the injured reserve list for a while now. But his gift of gab remains intact. His long-winded diatribes are rivaled only by other legendary long-winded storytellers like “Preacher” Jack. We covered many topics in our brief talk, but these takeaways were For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 617-387-2200 or Info@ advocatenews.net the best: Kevin remembers those long-ago days when the city would fl ood Devir Park for us to play hockey or just ice skate. Me too! His very fi rst pair of skates were size 2 Hyde Skates – going for big bucks on eBay, by the way! Frank Adorn and Don Daily from Emerald Street helping little Kevin tie his skates for the very fi rst time. Kevin remembers trying to keep up with the Hanleys (Mike & Frank), Buddy Lawler, Donnie Roach and Steve Adorn. He went on (and on) and told me his very fi rst job was working a part-time summer job at Devir Park – working 24 hours for the week being paid the princely sum of $56.50 for his hard labor. He worked for legendary Edgeworth prankster (and occasional curmudgeon) Angelo Nardone. Lilian (Nardone) Fitzgerald may know him. On day one he reported for duty at the City Yards when they were located on Green Street. Angelo says to young Kevin, “Aren’t you the altar boy from Saint Peter’s Church and you live on Julia Street?” A confused Kevin replied, “Yes.” Angelo continued, “Good, report to South Broadway Park” (for the uninformed, South Broadway Park was a hundred miles away for us Edgeworth kids). Disappointment covered Kevin like a blanket. He didn’t have a driver’s license, just a 10-speed bike (like FULL TIME REAL ESTATE AGENT WANTED Great Commission Split, Fun, upbeat Boutique office. Call Darlene at: (617) 201-1801 SAUGUS EVERETT Darlene Minincleri & Sue Palomba REVERE SAUGUS: Meticulously maint. 4 level townhse, 3 bdrm, 2 bath, Kitchen w/ granite counters, stainless/steel appliances,washer/dryer in unit, 2 car parking, pool, and so much more................................................$457,900 ~ APARTMENTS FOR RENT ~ Revere, Wakefield , Winthrop, East Boston from $1600 - $2900 / Some incl. all utilties. 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Then Angelo looked at him and said, “Report to Devir Park and see John Monte.” Relief now overcoming young Kevin. Thanks, Kevin! Louie Yanakopoulos was in a long line, but when we spotted each other we had to give each other a great big manly hug of friendship, a fi rm handshake and a loud “How ya doing?!” Seems his cousin Jimmy (Yanakopoulos) passed away unexpectedly just recently. Jimmy was a Malden High School Class of 1972 graduate and played for Bob Rotondi on the Knights in the Malden Babe Ruth League. He retired two years ago after 40 years at HP Hood. Jimmy, I was told, was also a big baseball fan dispensing fatherly baseball advice to his son Paul, who played for the Malden Chiefs and UMass. The family wanted to keep his passing private so there was no announcement in any of the local papers. Louie felt that a mention in my column would help friends and family remember Jimmy and the good times. From the Yanakopoulos family: “Jim Y– The Family Guy: It’s common in this lifetime to hear ‘my father was the best,’ but those people never met my dad – a guy who truly outshined the rest. Your talents: creativity, intellect, wit – patience, understanding, fashion-sense, and grit. Every single quality and value that you had, makes it clear as crystal that YOU were the best dad. There’s no one on this planet who loved his family more. Your selfl essness, humility, and courage we adored. When I think back on my childhood, and I know my siblings feel the same, we always had the biggest fan and greatest coach at any game and when we had school projects, one thing was for sure – our teachers couldn’t wait to see what Jim Y had in store. He took away our fears, solved our problems, gave advice – Dr. Bob tastes just like Dr. Pepper – don’t pick the brand names, go by price! Dad taught us to respect the rules – the big laws and the small, unless those rules said anything about ‘no playing ball’ (those rules did not apply). Every day with dad was special, no matter where we went, fishing, bowling, Nana’s house – every minute was well spent. And as we grew, we realized, you weren’t just the best dad, you were also a stellar husband, son, brother, and granddad. Your love for mom was evident; you had that special touch. Bonded by a love of Seinfeld and a marriage built on trust. The time you spent with Copeland was something we all loved to see. Nothing was more fun than learning new things from GP. And even in life’s struggles, you had a rare and unshaken grace. A perseverance for your family that cannot be replaced. I’ll miss your sense of humor; I’ll miss our post-work chats. I’ll miss watching sports together and yelling at the refs. One thing that is for certain; losing you will be our greatest test. But we’ll hold you in our hearts and smile knowing: ‘OUR father truly was THE BEST.’” “This is the end, beautiful friend, this is the end, my only friend, the end...” So great to hear the announcement from Mr. Malden Baseball himself Bob Rotondi that Greg (Lucey) had been named the newest Commissioner of the Malden Babe Ruth League! Greg replaces John Murphy, who enjoys playing golf in Florida, we hear, seven months a year these days. Greg himself is a graduate of the program, playing for Joe D’s (DeVincentis) Barons. Mainly a ceremonial position, Greg becomes the 10th B.R.L. Commissioner/President. Fifty years ago, in 1970, Luces’ father, former Mayor Ed Lucey, served as the Big Cheese. Bob says that this year the commissioner will have an additional duty, as Malden is host city to the 2020 “14-year-old State Tournament,” to be held in July. Congrats, Greg! Well deserved!! Have fun?! REVERE
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