Page 2 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 24, 2020 ANGELO’S FULL SERVICE "42 Years of Excellence!" 1978-2020 Regular Unleaded $1.939 Mid Unleaded $2.399 Super $2.459 Diesel Fuel $2.459 KERO $4.159 Diesel $2.219 HEATING OI 24-Hour Burner Service Call for Current Price! (125—gallon minimum) DEF Available by Pump! Open an account and order online at: www.angelosoil.com (781) 231-3500 (781) 231-3003 367 LINCOLN AVE • SAUGUS • OPEN 7 DAYS Malden Today, Tomorrow and Yesterday – Malden Pony League 1958 Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 SABATINO INSURANCE AGENCY Call for a Quote 617-387-7466 Or email Rocco@sabatino-ins.com We cover: * Auto * Home * Boat * Renter * Condo * Life * Multi-Policy Discounts * Commercial 10% Discounts * Registry Service Also Available I Fourth of July, 2014 Softball Tournament at Callahan Park – Italian American Citizens Club v Ancient Order Of Hibernians v Irish American Club. A tanned and relaxed Mayor Gary Christenson with umpire/enforcer/babysitter, the ageless Buddy Arthur – a member of the 1958 Malden Pony League championship baseball team. (Courtesy Photo) By Peter F. Levine just loved the now defunct Malden Evening News. I read the paper religiously as far back as when the actual News building was on Ferry Street where CVS is now located. The M.E.N. covered national, international and local news like it was nobody’s business. Editor David Brickman was respected across the Commonwealth and put the News (and Malden) on the print media map. In those days if your name or picture appeared on those pages, it deserved to be on those pages. The News fell on hard times after the death of Mr. Brickman. Steve Freker (now with The Malden Advocate) kept the paper alive and the doors open over the years (mostly) all by himself before it burned and crashed. One journalist I enjoyed reading before the fall was Kevin Maccioli. Freck and Mac, the News’ “dynamic duo,” were a potent one-two punch. Here is a great piece of rehttp://www.sabatino-ins.com SABATINO 564 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 617-387-7466 Hours of Operation are: Mondays - Fridays 9am to 5pm Saturdays by appointment only porting from Kevin appearing in the M.E.N. in 2008. The title “50th Anniversary: Malden Pony League 13-14’s went all the way to the World Series.” Enjoy: “Imagine, if you will, there’s a Republican in the White House, a Kennedy in the Senate and the City of Malden’s collective attention is being held captive by a group of young baseball players. “Now, imagine the Republican President is Dwight Eisenhower not George W. Bush [remember, this was written in ’08], the Kennedy in the Senate is John not Ted, and those players are a group of all-stars from the Malden Pony League, not the Malden Babe Ruth League. “For those who were living in the city in the days before Camelot, the scenario above might sound awfully familiar and with good reason: it really happened in the summer of 1958. “In that summer 62 years ago, 15 young men – ages 13-14 – went on the ride of their lives, winning four games in Massachusetts and the other three in New York to advance to the Pony League Series in Washington PA, where they finished fifth in the nation. “The champion that year came from Miami, Fla. And contained, ironically, another Malden native. “‘We travel all the way to Pennsylvania and there’s Tommy Shannon playing for Miami when he had just been in Malden and some of us had played with him,’ said Kevin Geaney, who was a second baseman and outfielder for the Malden squad. “En route to Pennsylvania, the local nine knocked off an East Boston team that contained future Boston Red Sox star Tony Conigliaro, according to John Berggren. Berggren was a pitcher and second baseman for the Malden squad that was coached by Mike and William Enwright and Tom Reid. Mike Enwright was then a Malden police detective, while Reid was a teacher. “‘The coaches were super,’ said Berggren. ‘They made sure our fundamentals were excellent and that’s how we won.’ “The success of the squad quickly impacted the future of baseball in the city, with the powers that be at the time deciding to eliminate Pony League Baseball in Malden in favor of Babe Ruth Baseball. “In 1958, Pony League ball was only for 13 and 14-year old’s, but Babe Ruth was for teens 13-15, meaning the team that made it to the world series that year could make another run at a title in 1959 if the switch was made. ‘“The wisdom was ‘We almost won the series as Pony League and we’d have everybody back for another try if we converted to Babe Ruth,’” said longtime Malden Babe Ruth coach Bob Rotondi, who was a little league coach at the time. “While the plan did not quite work out as planned, with Malden dropping its first and only game in the 1959 tournament 1-0 to Winchester, it did give birth to a league now celebrating its 50th [at the time in 2008] anniversary. “For Berggren, Geaney and their teammates George ‘Buddy’ Arthur, Anthony Benedetto, Robert Casey, Anthony Conti, Loring ‘Larry’ Culleton, Dennis Della Piana, John Donovan, Billy LaFave, John Puopolo, Bobby Quartiello (now Bob Tello), David Roberts, William P. Spadafora and Louie Tomasello, Jr. the experience that fateful summer 50 [62] years ago was one they will never forget and will always treasure. ‘When we played together it felt good,’ Berggren MALDEN | SEE PAGE 8 Prices subject to change GOD BLESS AMERICA! FLEET
3 Publizr Home