Rec Sports

The triple tragedy of my first home run | News, Sports, Jobs

Nearly every Friday of my youth was spent with my family eating a fish fry dinner like this one, usually at the American Legion Post 62 on Central Avenue in Dunkirk. Photo courtesy of Erica Carlson Your job, if you decide to accept it, is to figure out the third and final tragedy of this […]

Published

1 week ago

July 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Nearly every Friday of my youth was spent with my family eating a fish fry dinner like this one, usually at the American Legion Post 62 on Central Avenue in Dunkirk.
Photo courtesy of Erica Carlson

Your job, if you decide to accept it, is to figure out the third and final tragedy of this tale. And do it before you finish reading.

My fourth season in Dunkirk Little League baseball as an 11-year-old in 1962 was, I admit it, underwhelming.

I was the best player on the USW-CIO team in the National Division of Dunkirk Little League. That’s not saying much because we were among the worst teams in the city. We won two games that season.

The main reason we were so bad is because we were almost entirely first-year players.

Bill Hammond

Our previous season we started seven 12-year-olds, the absolute most allowed by Little League rules at the time. Five of those players hit over-the-fence home runs that season, a remarkable achievement.

I played an undistinguished second base that summer as a 10-year-old.

Our other returning starter should have been catcher Bobby Polvino, an outstanding generational athlete in the making who tragically died in the city Halloween parade of 1961.

I was picked to the division’s 1962 all-star team and dutifully attended all the practices on the Woodrow Avenue field.

My family pumped me for details after each practice. I had few.

My all-star coaches decided to keep everyone in the dark as to playing status — starting nine or five-player bench. Not knowing where we stood made us all practice harder, in theory.

Our first game was in Westfield where team standout Dan Alessi pitched a masterful 4-0 no-hit victory. It was his fourth no-hitter of a memorable summer. He was that good. Really.

Me? I was doubly surprised to hit cleanup as an 11-year-old behind my up-the-street neighbor Alessi and play right field for the first time ever, even in practice.

Fortunately, no balls were hit my way and I contributed to the offense with a single and double.

We advanced to a Friday night meeting with the host Jamestown Internationals. The county’s largest city had three all-star teams in the district single-elimination tourney.

I was driven to the game in a car with a backseat full of all-stars. My dad got home from work at five and they — my mother, brother and two sisters — would see me at the 6 p.m. start.

It rained HARD all the way to the game. It didn’t look good. But somehow the worst of the rain spared us and the game started on time.

The team and I expected another 4th Street Gang member, Jim McGraw, would be our starting pitcher. He threw hard and was a relentless competitor. He was clearly the second-best pitcher on our roster.

The coaches had other ideas, starting their regular season team’s ace. He was a lefty who found success pitching around the opposition’s best players.

This worked well for him in Dunkirk, but not in all-star competition. He surrendered a single, home run, double and another home run to the first four batters. Depressing.

In all, he gave up eight runs in the first inning. McGraw came on in relief and gave up little the rest of the way, but we were eliminated from further play in the tourney.

I led off the second inning after that eights-run disaster. I hit the first pitch far beyond the left-field fence. I clearly remember some fan in the back of a truck leaping up to try and catch it, but it was beyond his reach. It was my first career home run.

Teammate Bill Wojcinski added his first career home run later in the game. We later celebrated with burgers, fries and shakes on our way home.

The loss was Tragedy No. 1. Why I was still traveling with my fellow all-stars was Tragedy No. 2.

My parents decided there was no way we could play in that rainstorm, so they turned around and went back to Dunkirk and their weekly American Legion Post 62 fish fry I was fond of inhaling.

I hit my first home run and my entire family missed it. Major disappointment.

So, have you figured out Tragedy No. 3 yet? Need a clue?

I was a practicing Catholic those days. Dad graduated from a seminary. I was a freakin’ altar boy.

Eating that burger by mistake on a Friday was a major religious Bozo no-no. Or, in this case Tragedy No. 3.

I don’t know if breaking the meat abstinence law/rule/beatitude/commandment on a Friday was a venial (minor) or mortal (big-time) sin, but trust me, I paid dearly for that darn tasty indiscretion.

It started with lectures that night from both parents and continued early Saturday with confession, and of course, my prayer-heavy penance.

My Grandma Rose Schrantz even offered her two cents on the topic. I think she used the word “heathen.” Or maybe it was “pagan babies,” I’m really not sure. Tragic.

***

LAST WEEK’S mystery Little Leaguer was correctly identified as Charles “Chuck” Dudek, unsurprisingly by his younger brother, Mike Dudek. There were several other good guesses.

— — —

DO YOU have a favorite memory of your time in Little League? Drop me a line or send a photo to mandpp@hotmail.com.

Bill Hammond is a former EVENING OBSERVER Sports Editor.

: Nearly every Friday of my youth was spent with my family eating a fish fry dinner like this one, usually at the American Legion Post 62 on Central Avenue in Dunkirk.
Photo courtesy of Erica Carlson

: Bill Hammond

Link

Rec Sports

What Sports will be on the program at Dakar 2026?

Dakar 2026 will be the first Youth Olympic Games to benefit from the IOC’s evolved approach to the YOG sports programme, designed to better fit the local context. There are 25 competition sports and 10 engagement sports on the programme at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The 25 competition sports are athletics (track and […]

Published

6 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Dakar 2026 will be the first Youth Olympic Games to benefit from the IOC’s evolved approach to the YOG sports programme, designed to better fit the local context.

There are 25 competition sports and 10 engagement sports on the programme at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

The 25 competition sports are athletics (track and field), aquatics (swimming), archery, badminton, baseball (baseball5), basketball (3×3), boxing, breaking, cycling (road cycling), equestrian (jumping), fencing, football (futsal), gymnastics (artistic gymnastics), handball (beach handball), judo, rowing (coastal rowing), rugby (rugby sevens), sailing, skateboarding (street), table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball (beach volleyball), wrestling (beach wrestling) and wushu.

The 10 engagement sports for Dakar 2026 are canoe-kayak, golf, hockey, karate, modern pentathlon, shooting, sport climbing, surfing, tennis and weightlifting.

Sports principles

Aiming at providing a sustainable and credible model for Dakar 2026, an updated set of sports principles has been developed. These limit each sport to just one discipline. The venue and operational strategy maximise the use of existing venues and promote the sharing of venues and fields of play. NOC representation and participation principles will ensure a pathway for all NOCs to Dakar 2026, with a strong focus on the African NOCs and athletes, as well as continental representation across all sports.

Dakar 2026 will be fully gender-balanced in both the overall athlete quota and across every sport, discipline and event. This acts on one of the sports principles for Dakar 2026. Out of the 153 events across all sports on the programme, there are 73 for each gender and seven mixed events. Meanwhile, the athlete quota for the Games has been set at 2,700, reflecting the IOC’s determination to delivering a tailored and efficient programme that preserves the elite nature of the event, while guaranteeing a competitive platform for young athletes worldwide.

The maximum age for participants will be 17 at the time of the Games, with the respective age requirements aligned with International Federation and elite athlete pathways where possible.

Participation principles

The IOC Executive Board approved the Participation Principles for the Dakar 2026 YOG on 17 March 2025, reinforcing the event’s commitment to universality, gender equality and strong African representation. The revised participation and entries process aligns with the strategic priorities of NOCs and IFs, ensuring an inclusive and merit-based athlete selection system. Key principles include:

Providing an opportunity for the athletes from the territories of 206 NOCs and the Youth Refugee Olympic Team to participate.
Prioritised participation for all 54 African NOCs, and host country representation across sports and disciplines where possible.
Central management of the athlete quota by the IOC to uphold these principles, while maintaining competitive integrity, with a focus on youth development and alignment with existing NOC and IF investment pathways.
IFs establishing the minimum sporting and eligibility criteria for participation in their respective events at the YOG.
Having an equal number of quota places for women and men across the disciplines.

The framework also removes the requirement for YOG-specific qualification events, easing financial and logistical pressures on the NOCs, IFs, NFs and athletes. This structured approach ensures a fair and accessible pathway for participation, while strengthening the global impact of the YOG.

Link

Rec Sports

Brockton pro soccer training center to cost $27 million. Opening when?

BROCKTON — The region’s new pro soccer team aims to start construction in August on a $27 million training facility in Brockton. In the first public comments about the plan by Boston Legacy Football Club, an expansion team in the National Women’s Soccer League, controlling owner Jennifer Epstein said their players deserve a training facility […]

Published

21 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BROCKTON — The region’s new pro soccer team aims to start construction in August on a $27 million training facility in Brockton.

In the first public comments about the plan by Boston Legacy Football Club, an expansion team in the National Women’s Soccer League, controlling owner Jennifer Epstein said their players deserve a training facility that enables them to be at their best.

“We are proud to continue investing in not just our club, but in the overall growth of women’s sports, while also bringing further development to our community,” Epstein said. “We’re grateful to the city of Brockton and local elected officials for their partnership as we finalize this project.”

A different developer, Mark Roukous, has for years had a written agreement with the city to build a youth sports complex off Howard Street on the north side. He never did.

A tight timeline

The soccer team will have to move fast. The 2026 season begins March 13, 2026. The club hopes to finish construction by Jan. 1, 2026, said Brockton lawyer James Burke, who represents the team. The Legacy are buying about 24 acres from Roukous. Kim Miner, chief of staff and chief legal officer for the Legacy, said on July 8 she expects the sale to be finalized within days.

What community benefits will team offer?

Brocktonians have already seen the proposal: Six soccer fields, a 30,000 square foot main building and a support building for youth soccer. The plan includes a domed field, which the city lacks, and a heated field. The team will be working out an agreement for public use of the fields. Miner said details are still being worked out, but there would likely be a range of costs. For instance, the club would likely offer soccer clinics for youth for free. An adult recreation league, though, might have to pay to rent a field.

The club will have a special emphasis on supporting access for young girls, she said. “For soccer to be accessible for people, it needs to be affordable,” Miner said.

Heated field, bubble dome and more

In a July 14 announcement, the club confirmed the main building would house spaces for workouts, sports medicine, film room, kitchen, hydrotherapy and staff offices. For the fields, the club aims to have two grass fields (at least one of them heated), plus the bubble dome. There would be three artificial turf fields on the east side of the performance center near the Brookfield School.

The fields would be lit with 80-foot-tall lights, the club told Brockton’s planning board in a July 1 meeting. At that session, the board unanimously approved the project. The Legacy are due to return to the planning board to finalize the stormwater runoff plan.

City Hall is all in

Brockton City Hall has been in favor of the proposal. “I have supported this complex from day one because it’s a true win-win for Brockton,” said Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan. “It honors our rich sports legacy as the ‘City of Champions’ while creating new opportunities for our young soccer players with high-quality playing fields and inspiration for the future. I am deeply grateful to the Boston Legacy Football Club and Boston Unity Soccer Partners for their proposed investment in our community.”

Who’s paying for the project?

The $27 million project is privately funded, the club said.

Key parcel not offered for sale

Interestingly, the soccer team was not offered the land parcel just to the west of their proposed facility, according to Kevin Grady of Grady Consulting. Roukous would retain ownership of 10 acres where he has been grinding and crushing rocks and fill. Asked if dust and noise from that activity concerned the club, Minor said no. Her expectation is that by the time they’re building their facility, they will have resolved any issues.

As for a written agreement on community benefits, like youth teams using fields, Minor said the team still has a lot of listening to do. “We plan to hear a lot more from the community,” she said, adding that the team doesn’t want to make assumptions about what residents want or need.

The planning board’s approval included a stipulation that a “social package” acceptable to the mayor be worked out.

Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at CHelms@enterprisenews.com or connect on X at @HelmsNews.

Link

Rec Sports

Olive Orange Bronco captures win over Santa Ana, secures berth in super regional –

Brayden Davis of Olive touches home plate after a three-run home run Sunday. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone). Olive Orange Pony Bronco 12-and-under baseball all-stars are headed to the super regional beginning Friday in Corona. The Orange squad clinched a berth in the super regional with a 12-1 victory over Santa Ana Sunday in […]

Published

40 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Brayden Davis of Olive touches home plate after a three-run home run Sunday. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Olive Orange Pony Bronco 12-and-under baseball all-stars are headed to the super regional beginning Friday in Corona.

The Orange squad clinched a berth in the super regional with a 12-1 victory over Santa Ana Sunday in the regional tournament at Placentia Champions Sports Complex. Olive missed a chance to advance to the regional championship when it lost to Torrance 13-12 later Sunday.

Undefeated Placentia faces Torrance Monday, July 14 at 5 p.m. in the championship game.

“We get to move on from there,” said Manager Shea Shandra after Sunday’s win over Santa Ana. “We have goals for these tournaments and definitely getting to move on to the super regions is a big day for us.

“We actually got to take district, so that let us skip section tournament and now we know we get to move on.”

To see more photos, click on the first picture:

Orange starter Victor Ayala gets ready to throw a pitch vs. Santa Ana.

Santa Ana’s Gilbert Ortiz heads to the plate.

Alexander Velasco of Olive scores a run Sunday.

Players from Olive and Santa Ana exchange handshakes after Sunday’s game.

Orange Olive also defeated South Bay 8-0 before losing to Placentia 12-7 on Saturday. Olive stayed alive with an 11-1 victory over John Mendez from Wilmington on Saturday.

In Sunday’s game vs. Santa Ana, Victor Ayala pitched a five inning no-hitter, striking out six and walking three. Gilbert Ortiz drove in the only run for Santa Ana with a groundout in the first inning.

“A no-hitter for Victor, he’s had another one, he’s our workhorse,” Shandra said.

Ayala also had a three-run home run for Olive during a four-run first inning. Jake Schierberi also had an RBI single in the inning.

Ayala was not aware he had pitched a no-hitter until after the game.

“I’m proud of myself, I didn’t think I could do it against that team knowing that they had a lot of good hitters especially the very top half, they could all hit really well,” he said.

“It’s really nice to see my team go on, maybe we can go past to zone’s like last year, maybe we can go more games in zone if we make it.”

Olive moved ahead 8-1 with four more runs in the second inning. Enrique Triana and Ben Hirsch had RBI singles and Brayden Davis had a sacrifice fly.

Davis put the game out of reach with a three-run home run in the third inning. Davis was 2 for 2 with four RBI and two runs scored.

Leadoff hitter Ethan De La Palma had a double, walked two times and scored three runs; Alexander Velasco had an RBI single and scored a run; Hirsch had two hits and an RBI;Matthew Dayton had a single and scored two runs and Triana had two hits and an RBI.

Santa Ana opened the tournament with a 15-4 victory over Olive Green Wednesday, then defeated East Long Beach 6-5 on Thursday. Santa Ana lost to Torrance 9-5 but stayed alive in the double elimination tournament with a 10-5 victory over East Long Beach Saturday.

Placentia and Torrance will also be moving on to the super regional in Corona.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com

Link

Rec Sports

Registration for Ramstein and Vogelweh fall youth sports opens this week

Registration for fall soccer, football, cheerleading and volleyball is opening this week for children ages 5-14 through the Ramstein and Vogelweh youth sports program. (Areca Bell/U.S. Air Force) Registration for fall cheerleading, football, soccer and volleyball is now open for children ages 5-6 through the youth sports program serving Ramstein Air Base and Vogelweh Housing […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Registration for fall soccer, football, cheerleading and volleyball is opening this week for children ages 5-14 through the Ramstein and Vogelweh youth sports program. (Areca Bell/U.S. Air Force)

Registration for fall cheerleading, football, soccer and volleyball is now open for children ages 5-6 through the youth sports program serving Ramstein Air Base and Vogelweh Housing Area.

Registration for ages 7-8 begins Tuesday, followed by ages 9-10 on Wednesday and ages 11-14 on Thursday. Sign-ups close for all age groups at 5 p.m. July 25.

An active account with the Air Force’s child and youth program business modernization system and current sports physical are required. Homeschooled children must also provide an immunization record.

Registration costs $80 and space is limited. More information is available on the Ramstein and Vogelweh youth sports program website.

Link

Rec Sports

Culture and Celebration for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games

Since its launch, Dakar en Jeux has brought together thousands of people across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, celebrating sport and Senegalese culture through concerts, art and sports demonstrations. Past editions have featured highlights such as slam poetry battles, a 300-metre mural by African graffiti artists, and the introduction of the Brevet Olympique Civique et Sportif, […]

Published

2 hours ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Since its launch, Dakar en Jeux has brought together thousands of people across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, celebrating sport and Senegalese culture through concerts, art and sports demonstrations. Past editions have featured highlights such as slam poetry battles, a 300-metre mural by African graffiti artists, and the introduction of the Brevet Olympique Civique et Sportif, an Olympic values-based education programme for schoolchildren.

The third edition in 2024 saw attendance grow to 20,000 people, with sporting highlights including Senegal’s victory in the boys’ 3×3 basketball tournament. It also featured the launch of Impact Spark, a new initiative by Dakar 2026 and the Lausanne-based SPARK/innov-action association, supported by the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) in Switzerland, aimed at promoting health and well-being through physical activity in a fun and inclusive environment to combat lifestyle-related diseases.

Looking ahead, the fourth and final edition in November 2025 will set the scene for Dakar 2026, continuing to inspire youth engagement and community celebration.

Dakar en Jeux is delivered by the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee (YOGOC) in partnership with the Senegalese Olympic Committee (CNOSS), the Senegalese government, the International Olympic Committee, and the local authorities in the three host cities.

Link

Rec Sports

UPMC Lititz to Offer Free Youth Sports Physicals

UPMC Orthopaedic Care – Lititz is offering free sports physicals to local youth athletes participating in sports during the 2025-2026 school year. The event will take place on July 28, 2025 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the UPMC Orthopaedic Care office at 1555 Highlands Dr., Suite 190, Lititz, PA 17543. It is estimated that […]

Published

2 hours ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

UPMC Orthopaedic Care – Lititz is offering free sports physicals to local youth athletes participating in sports during the 2025-2026 school year.

The event will take place on July 28, 2025 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the UPMC Orthopaedic Care office at 1555 Highlands Dr., Suite 190, Lititz, PA 17543.

It is estimated that hundreds of students in the Lancaster area participate in more than 20 different sports each year. Annual physicals can provide parents, children, and coaches with reassurance that an athlete is ready to participate in sports.

Parents can fill out this form or call 717-291-8345 to register for a physical.