Page 6 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 26, 2026 ~ Malden Musings ~ Seeking Serenity Amongst the Chaos — Four Malden Boys in NYC By Peter Levine T he trek to NYC began shortly before the “night kissed the light” (gold star if you know where that came from — everybody but you, Helen). We met on a recent warm Wednesday morning at 5:15 a.m., Macdonald Stadium sitting eerily silent — an extremely rare moment of peace for a place usually bursting with whistles, cheers, laughter and Maldonians of all ages and ethnicities. The ride in Helen’s car across the Zakim into South Station was equally surreal: almost no horn-blaring maniacs or caffeine-fueled lunatics weaving through traffic endangering four Malden boys on a mini vacation. For a brief moment, Boston roads showed us mercy. Joining me on this “excellent adventure” (another gold star if you know where that came from — Mike Cherone, you need not answer) was former Malden High School Principal Dana Brown, a man who, in a remarkably short period of time at Malden High, managed to change the culture at 77 Salem Street and steer the school closer to its glory days than any principal in recent memory. Also along for the ride was Malden Recreation Director Joe Levine. “Chills” has done more for the yoots of Malden in the last month than most of our elected officials have accomplished in a lifetime of ribbon cuttings or community “rallies,” with the June 4, 2024, “rally” a shameful low point in Malden’s proud history (gratuitous jab intended). And then there was Danny Gilligan: quietly unSummer is Here! Established 1978 Mid-grade Regular 3.73 4.35 4.73 $4.47 Full Service ULS $3.649 Order online at angelosoil.com Kerosene Now Available! assuming, never looking for applause (unlike his little brother Paulie — insert smiley face), but over the years as valuable to Malden as any person you can name. The kind of gentle man whose contributions can’t really be measured with today’s yardsticks because, frankly, they’d all come up too short (that ain’t no fake news despite what Pete Robby might say, LOL)! The ride into NYC should’ve been recorded and sealed away in the Malden Library for future generations to study. Sufferin’ succotash, there was more good will and fun-filled shenanigans packed into that car ride that should legally be allowed in one vehicle traveling down I-95. Informal analytical concepts were flying left and right; laughs were abundant, of course, and optimism (very rare these days) was overflowing. Basically, the polar opposite of certain Facebook pages that allegedly “report” news important to Maldonians (another gratuitous jab just for fun). In the span of a few hours, every problem facing Malden — big, small, imaginary or otherwise — was solved somewhere between Route 95 and the Connecticut state line. Local issues? NP, solved. National issues? Worked out before we even finished our first Nero coffee. World peace? Wrapped up neatly in about three and a half hours, right as we rolled into the Home of the Week Offered at $659,000 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Commonwealth Real Estate Formerly Carpenito Real Estate SAUGUS - Welcome Home to 19 Juliette Road – located in desirable Iron Works neighborhood! 7 room 3 bedroom 1 & ½ bath Cape Cod style home. Wellmaintained open concept kitchen features Vinyl flooring and modern appliances with side egress to a porch and deck overlooking the inground pool, yard and driveway. Newly refinished hardwood floors throughout living room and dining area. 2nd floor primary bedroom has wall to wall and a walk-in closet which is above the 1st floor bathroom. Finished heated lower-level family room with ½ bath walks out to the covered patio area, fenced in back yard and pool. Have fun this summer entertaining with a beautiful inground pool and back yard. Home has a new roof in 2025. Newer furnace 2019 and new side steps. Pool liner roughly 2 years old. Located just outside of Saugus Center. (781) 233-7300 335 Central St. Saugus commonmoves.com ©2024 BHH Affiliates, LLC, An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity. Marie Brown’s husband Dana, Joe “Chills” Levine, Peter Frank Levine & Mike Gilligan’s younger brother Danny standing in front of Katz’s Deli in NYC town Frank once owned. Speaking of Dana Brown...a man whose very presence makes you a better person; speak to us, Dana: “New York… why do we go anyways? To talk about past NYC trips of course! Previous Big East Tournaments are always discussed. Boy, do we miss the Big East! BC hoop was discussed...they were relevant at one time. Gilly was new to the roster of riders. Others have made mention of wanting to be included. We talked a lot about Malden politics. Will he, or won’t he? Who will replace Ron Hogan? Is he replaceable? Buddy Arthur is on a short list of the 2nd greatest basketball player in MHS history. A nod to Willie as the best. If you must ask his last name - well…Mike Connor was a 1000-point scorer at MHS and went on to be a Division I player for four years at Wright State University. He was dominant in high school. Rodney ‘Puggy’ Forbes has to be on the short list. Stanasek scored 1,000 points. Hanifan scored 1,000 points. Let the debate continue. “There were some historic baseball games back in the 1970s involving MHS. Jimmy Mirley used to talk about it. Davey Cai has good knowledge of one. That legendary Greater Boston League (GBL) game was played on May 8, 1970, between the Golden Tornadoes and the Everett Crimson Tide. It lasted a staggering 20 innings. Amidst the chaos, serenity. New York was loud…but where do Malden guys find respite and some hope? At a shady park 100 yards from Katz’ Deli where a group of high school kids, out on a halfday from school engaged in spirited games (at Sarah D. Roosevelt Park), ‘win by 2,’ where decent offense and more than passive defense were on display, but more importantly; there was some pretty solid sportsmanship, and actual knowledge of the game. As we digested the sandwich, for 30 minutes anyways, we were at the ‘Fens’ in Boston or Harvard Street Park in Malden. All was good. We talked about the legends of Men’s basketball leagues in Malden through the years. That could be a Musings list someday. The ‘twenty’ best Men’s League players in Malden history. Did Rudy Williams and Jerry Scott play enough games to guarantee inclusion? “We talked about Plumma and how unbelievably outstanding he was as an athlete and how humble he is as a person. We talked about having as our peers’ guys who rank up as the best all-time in Malden pitching lore, including Dave Cai (azzo), Shawn (Brickman) and Billy ‘Smegs’ Smeglin. We talked about how all (Steve) Frek does is win, whoever he has and wherever he is. We are not foodies, but Katz was a gem. For the first time ever, we found our way to a ‘newish’ back room, where about forty people were jammed into some tables for lunch. It was perfect, MUSINGS| SEE PAGE 9 FLEET CARD Check Out Our LOW PRICES!
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