Page 6 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 15, 2024 ~ Malden Musings ~ Boylemen Do It Again M alden...beyond Edgeworth, through the eyes of Aaron and Mayer Mintz... If you are a regular reader, you know that the Mintz brothers (Aaron and Mayer) are (really good) “Friends of Malden.” They have (once again) taken time out of their busy lives to help 2024 Malden understand and connect with our very rich and historical past. I think we all realize that it is imperative that we keep these stories alive for future generations. For that we shall be forever grateful to Maldonians like the Mintz boys, now part of the Malden diaspora; not physically amongst us but their hearts remain fi rmly entrenched in Blue & Gold! So, without any further meandering preamble, it was 60 years ago that the Malden High School boys hoop team won their 2nd Tech Tourney Championship (in fi ve years) – as told by Aaron and Mayer Mintz: “The 1964 Malden High Basketball team became the second squad of hoopsters to win the famed Tech Tournament, the 1960 team being the fi rst. Coach Art Boyle used a 6-man rotation to forge a 15-1 regular season record, losing only to Somerville and its zone press on Feb. 7, 1964. “Rodney ‘Puggy’ Forbes and Dave Barris were Boston Globe fi rst team All Scholastics and led the team. Forbes, a 6' 3" forward averaged 18.5 a game and his last second jump shot gave MHS sweet revenge for their one loss as they beat Somerville in the Tech Semifi nals. 5' 11" Dave Barris followed in the footsteps of his brother Al, a 1960-point guard and Dave’s 14 points a game and floor leadership were key elements. “The center was 6' 5" Angel Torres, whose inside scoring and rebounding weren’t as important in the Tech fi nals win over Catholic Memorial as was his defense on CM star Ron Teixeira. Ira Mahakian was a sharpshooter who averaged 15 points a game, but he was also a tight defender who helped to front Texeira in that title game. Forwards Pat Gillen, a 6’ 4” rim protector, and 5'11" Paul Finn, who averaged 7 pts a game, shared the fi fth starting position. Finn had been the waterboy for the 1960 Tech Tourney champs. “Sadly, Ira Mahakian is the only player of those six who is still alive. Mahakian went on to a fi ne college career at Bates College in Maine under famed coach Lawrence A. Simeone Jr. Attorney-at-Law ~ Since 1989 ~ * Corporate Litigation * Criminal/Civil * MCAD * Zoning/Land Court * Wetlands Litigation * Workmen’s Compensation * Landlord/Tenant Litigation * Real Estate Law * Construction Litigation * Tax Lein * Personal Injury * Bankruptcy * Wrongful Death * Zoning/Permitting Litigation 300 Broadway, Suite 1, Revere * 781-286-1560 lsimeonejr@simeonelaw.net Pictured from left to right: Front row: 1964 MHS Tech Tourney Champs: Dave Barriss, Ira Mahakian and Pat Gillen; standing: Angel Torres, Rod “Puggy” Forbes, Paul “Hawk” Finn, and Coach Arthur Boyle. (Courtesy of Edward Jenner). George Wigton and had a long career in food distribution management. “Major John Patrick Gillen Jr was an Army Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and passed away in 1984 at age 38. “Angel Torres also went in the service after high school and later played at Boston State in the 1970’s. Torres taught Phys ed and coached basketball at Medford High but died in a drowning accident in 1989. “Paul Finn played football at Amherst College and later coached Malden High football for many years; ‘Hawk’ passed away in 2022. “Dave Barris co-captained the Salem State College Team of 1968 and had a long career as a math teacher and basketball, soccer and track coach at Arlington Catholic High and the Northeast Metro Regional Vocational High Schools in Wakefi eld. Dave died in 2010. “Rodney Forbes was a Little All American basketball player at Boston State under Coach Jim Loscutoff and was drafted in the 11th Round by the Celtics in 1969. Puggy, who still could be seen playing on Malden courts into his 40’s, died suddenly in 1993 from heart disease. “At the post-game celebration at Dave Barris’s house, Dave’s mother had made a cake. The Globe reported that Dave was positive Malden would win but Florence Barris was ready to substitute GBL Champs. Luckily, the 1964 team made Dave’s prediction come true and the MHS had their cake and ate it too. It is said in “Malden Musings”... • While my grandchildren Lola and Christian enjoyed what Boda Borg has to off er, the grownups went next door to enjoy what All Season’s Table has to off er: some of the finest Pan-Asian cuisine on the North Shore! Although we were disappointed Douglas (Tran) and Jackie (Bouley) were not around this late February evening, we were not disappointed in the food or drink. I drank responsibly, of course (best Cosmos in town), but ate like the glutton I usually am when I visit Malden Square’s holy site. My beef with black bean sauce (peppers & onions/white rice) was outstanding as always. Side of Shumai with the Classic Chinese Hot & Sour Soup and, as I say from time to time, fuhgeddaboudit!! • We were in awe of Buddy DeMontier growing up. Buddy was only a year ahead of us at MHS (1974), but he was years ahead of us in everything else in life. Cool, handsome, with a menacing look about him, he was also throwing 90 mph for Bob Rotondi’s Knights back then. He also looked a lot like Johnny Cash in “The Man in Black’s” heyday! From what I recall, his stampin’ ground was the Square all the way up to the Green, which included some of Malden’s finest eating and drinking establishments back when the Square had “character” – hello, Jack Haneys, the Centre Bar & Grille, The Do Re Lounge, Riley’s Roast Beef, Signor Pizza. I got a hit off Buddy once. Yup, closed my eyes, stuck my bat out – bingo – a late swing pop-up over the fi rst baseman’s head. I remember that vividly (and the many times I whiff ed against him). Although my only at bat in the BRL against the legendary Dave Caiazzo resulted in a 3-pitch looking at a fastball strikeout, I can still brag that I got a hit off the celebrated fi reballer Buddy DeMontier! Well, to make a long story short, Buddy emailed me recently. I was all excited to get an email from an OG like Buddy, and I will be just as thrilled to see him in person at the coronation of Bob Rotondi at the Inaugural Baseball Legacy 2024 Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 7 at the Moose. • Speaking of Buddy, there was this epic pitching duel back in the summer of 1970 at Linden Park between the Stars’ Jerry Robbins and Buddy from the Knights. Both were 14-year-old stud hurlers with rubber arms; the game ending in a 3-3 tie, called in the 7th because of darkness. I had a front row seat on Bob Rosano’s bench as a 13 -year-old on the Stars for the matchup. The Stars were redhot – winning 10 straight games before running into a roadblock: the always tough, well-coached Bob Rotondi–led Knights. Buddy and Jerry hooked up in a good old-fashioned pitching duel, with Buddy fanning 14 Stars (me twice!) and allowing just fi ve hits. Jerry was touched for just two hits, striking out 11 Knights in the process. For the Stars, Billy “The Pride of Linden” Doyle had a perfect night at the plate with a triple, single and two walks to go along with fi ve stolen bases. The last one averted the loss for Jerry and protected his 8-0 pitching record at the time. Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh with Buddy pitching lights out, Billy stole third then dashed home with the tying run when the catcher’s late throw went into short left fi eld. Jimmy D’Addario was also perfect for the night with a double and two walks. Charley Norman (who went on to have a long illustrious career as one of Malden’s best softball players) rapped out a double and single. Joey DeFilippo and Mike Puccia collected all the hits for “Rotondi’s Knights – Once a Knight always a Knight.” • Speaking of the late Jerry Robbins...The Kierstead Park facelift MUSINGS| SEE PAGE 21
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