Tag Archives: Little League baseball

Roundup: New England & State Champs, Sherwood Island Friends …

Posted on June 12, 2022 | 4 comments

One of Staples High School’s most accomplished athletes has gotten very little recognition this year.

Yesterday, junior Francine Stevens represented her girls track and field team at the New England Championship, in New Britain. She finished 4th at 400 meters, with a time of 57.85.

Francine holds 7 school record. Last week she broke her own, at the state open meet.

Next weekend she heads to Greensboro, North Carolina. She’ll compete against the nation’s best in 100, 200 and 400 meters, at the Adidas Nationals.

Francine Stevens, with her New England medal.

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Congrats too to Luke Brodsky and Alex Gudarrama. They won the state invitational doubles tennis championship, with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 defeat of a Darien duo.

Tighe Brunetti reached the finals too, but fell to Tighe Brunetti fought hard but fell to Fairfield Warde 6-4, 6-2.

Luke Brodsky and Alex Guadarrama.

Staples has one more individual state champion: Anna Lemcke.

The senior broke 80 for the first time in her golfing career, and tied for first place in the state open tournament at the Black Hal Club in Old Lyme.

It’s a remarkable achievement: In last year’s open, she finished second to las.

Anna’s choice of college is perfect for a golfer: the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland. (Hat tip: Valerie Smith-Malin)

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One final sports note: Yesterday, the Angels won the Little League championship.

But for Pell Schmeisser, that honor paled beside another: He was named the winner of the Perrin Delorey Sportsmanship Award. Perrin, a Little Leaguer, died in an automobile accident in 2018, after a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Previous winners include Jack Hanlon and Dylan Burdeshaw. (Hat tip: Lauren MacNeill)

The Little League champion Angels. Perrin Delorey Sportsmanship Award winner Pell Schmeiser is in the bottom row, far left.

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In most homes, graduation is a big deal. For a few days at least, a boy or girl feels like the most important person in a family.

In one Country Road home though, the honor must be shared 3 ways. Movin’ on up, indeed!

(Photo/Mark Mathias)

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Friends of Sherwood Island’s annual meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. today (Sunday, June 12), in the state park’s main pavilion. All are welcome.

Guest speaker Juliana Barrett will speak on “Climate Change and Connecticut’s Coastal Forests.” She is an educator with the Institute for Climate Resilience and Adaptation, part of the University of Connecticut’s Sea Grant program. 

The meeting includes a tribute to the Nature Center’s architect and benefactor, Westporter Peter Wormser.

Click here for more information.

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Meg Kirby — co-owner and namesake of Peggy’s Cottage, the popular all-things-Irish store across from Stop & Shop — died Friday afternoon. She had battled illness, but passed peacefully.

Her husband, Brian Ellard, says: “She loved her little shop, and put her heart and soul into filling it with special things. Heading off to work every morning and looking forward to seeing everyone for a chat put a big smile on her face. I thank everyone for their love and support over the last few years, especially the last few months.”

Brian Ellard and Meg Kirby, in Peggy’s Cottage.

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Chris Grimm spotted this white squirrel at MoCA.

It’s not an albino — the technical term is leucistic, for “reduced pigmentation” — but it’s a fascinating subject for “Westport … Naturally” nonetheless.

(Photo/Chris Grimm)

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And finally … on this day in 1817, the earliest form of a bicycle was driven by Karl von Drais. It had no pedals; the rider straddled a wooden frame supported by two wheels, and pushed the vehicle along with his feet while steering the front wheel.

The bicycle’s original name: “dandy horse.”

(“06880” relies entirely on donations from readers. Please click here to help.)

 

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Posted in Beach, Obituaries, Sports, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Roundup: Bank, MoCA, Chair …

Posted on September 12, 2021 | 8 comments

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Barnes & Noble is not the only building being renovated in that part of town.

Across the street — at 1111 Post Rd East, the former TD Bank (and before that many others) — is finally being reconstructed. It’s been closed since 2018.

No word yet on what will go in there. My guess: a nail salon. Or a bank. (Hat tip: Bob Weingarten)

1111 Post Road East (Photo/Bob Weingarten)

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Go for the art. Get a discount coupon for lunch.

Joann Miller Swanson’s art show (with crafts) runs from now through 1 p.m. today, at The Porch @ Christie’s on Cross Highway.

Say hello. Buy something creative. Then stay to eat!

Joann Miller Swanson’s artwork, for sale today at The Porch @ Christie’s.

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MoCA Westport held its Family Day yesterday.

The event — a collaboration with the Westport Farmers’ Market — included the “Between the Ground and the Sky” exhibition, food and drinks, live music and nature-inspired art activities, like planting herbs in the new garden and creating reusable tote bags.

Or — as the little girl in the photo below is doin — just having fun.

(Photo/Nina Capozzi)

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Yesterday at White Field on North Compo, Ginny Jaffe saw this strange sight:

(Photo/Ginny Jaffe)

There must be a story behind this. If you know what it is, click “Comments” below.

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On Friday evening, AJ and Susan Hand were at Compo’s South Beach. Suddenly, a beautiful bald eagle flew overhead. That’s “Westport … Naturally.”

(Photo/AJ Hand)

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And finally … Happy Grandparents’ Day!

 

 

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Posted in Arts, Local business, Sports

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Now Batting: Ron Berler

Posted on April 11, 2021 | 3 comments

Staples High School 1967 graduate Ron Berler calls his baseball history “checkered.”

Playing in Westport’s Little League, he threw an on-field tantrum when Max Shulman — the author of “Rally Round the Flag, Boys!” but, more importantly for this story, the umpire — “blew a call” (Ron’s words) on a tag play he made at third.

In later years he was cut during tryouts at both Long Lots Junior High and Staples. He joined the only team that would have him: Staples Players theater.

Ron Berler

After Northwestern University, he became a writer. The Chicago Tribune Magazine sent him to Arizona to do a “Paper Lion”-type spring training story. He suited up for the Chicago Cubs. Leo Durocher was the manager. Ernie Banks drove Ron from the team hotel to the ballpark each morning.

One day Ron lined a shot to right field, causing a rookie pitcher to be returned to the minors. But after one at-bat in the team’s first intra-squad game, Ron was handed an unconditional release from baseball.

He was, however, offered a position with the Wrigley Field grounds crew. He declined.

That was not the end of his baseball career, fortunately. For 18 years, Ron managed suburban Chicago Little League teams.

His day job included writing a weekly, youth-issues column for the Chicago Tribune. He recently reprised one of those pieces — about the unwanted pressures facing star youth athletes — for Medium. Click here to read “The Cost of Being a Little League Hero.”

As Westport youngsters return to the diamond — and all kinds of other athletic fields — it’s a tale worth heeding.

 

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Posted in Media, Sports, Staples HS

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Little League Elbows

Posted on August 9, 2009 | 1 comment

Today’s New York Times Magazine contains a fascinating story on the tremendous harm done to young baseball pitchers’ arms, due to overuse and under-caring.

The piece, it turns out, has a strong Westport connection.

It’s not — fortunately — about local athletes.  Westport’s youth coaches do a good job of counting pitches.

Ron Berler

Ron Berler

The connection is the writer.  Ron Berler grew up here.  A 1967 Staples grad, he was the Wall in the Staples Players’ production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  He became an actor after being cut as a sophomore during baseball tryouts — “a wise decision” on the coach’s part, he now says.

Ron did play Westport Little League — “the last time I was an All-Star in anything.”

But he’s always loved the game, and while driving to his weekly Sunday morning softball game he listens to Rick Wolff on WFAN.

Shortly after last year’s Little League World Series, the talk show host mentioned that a pitcher had thrown 288 pitches during the tournament — over just 10 days.  Ron was stunned.  He had coached youth baseball for 17 years.  A writer for Wired, Men’s Journal and ESPN.com, he “pitched” (ho ho) the Times. The result is today’s eye-opening piece.

“I hope the article will lead parents to demand changes in how youth baseball leagues are run,” Ron says.  “It’s their kids who are at risk.

“At the same time I hope Little League — which has done more than any other youth league to protect its players — does not end up shouldering all the blame.

“Yes, Little League needs to address its relaxed pitching rules during the World Series tournament.  But the real problem lies with the thousands of kids who play on multiple teams, many of them with overlapping schedules, for coaches who do not communicate with one another, and who pitch their players way too much.”

Amen.  And let’s thank all the Westport coaches who are not caught up in such craziness.

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Posted in Children, People, Sports

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Take Me Out Of The Ballgame

Posted on April 6, 2009 | 4 comments

Driving past the very active North Compo Little League fields recently, I flashed back to my own baseball experience, all those years ago.

I sucked.

Sorry — I didn’t mean that.  I should have said:  I really sucked.

I loved baseball.  I truly did.  I just couldn’t play it.

Despite years of experience with the cul-de-sac pastime called “running bases,” and plenty of impromptu recess games at Burr Farms Elementary, the organized version of Little League lost me.

I remember being assigned each year to Cap League teams, finally making the minors as a 12-year-old charity case.

I recall standing endlessly in right field, knowing that the rare ball that came my way would never land in my upraised glove.  (This was in the pre-contact lens, pre-pre-Lasek surgery days).

And I will never forget standing at home plate, happily trying to follow the coach’s instructions to not swing — “just get a walk.”  I was 2-foot-1, so the advice was wise.  Still, even 9-year-old pitchers managed to throw with Sandy Koufax-like accuracy against me.  I can’t recall ever making it all the way to first.

Going to Yankee Stadium was fun.  Going to the Coleytown Elementary field was not.

I still like the game, particularly because it offers such a leisurely opportunity to second-guess strategy, look ahead to the next inning, and answer email.

I’m not anti-baseball.  I’m just pro-not-playing-a-sport-I-suck-at.

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Posted in Sports

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