GREENFIELD — For the 3rd annual Bases and Badges softball tournament, the focus was on support for Greenfield Fire Capt. John Whitney, as fire, police and sheriffs’ offices from Franklin, Hampshire and Berkshire County competed for the top spot.
The tournament began last Saturday morning at Murphy Park on Leyden Road with the starting pitch by Capt. Whitney, as Greenfield Fire and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office B-Team, faced off. Teams from the Greenfield Police Department, Turners Falls Fire and Montague Police, the Northwest District Attorney’s Office, Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office and Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office played in a round-robin style tournament across four fields.
By the afternoon, the Greenfield Police Department took home the trophy after beating out the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office A-Team 5-4.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Captain Barney Colins, who helps organize the Bases and Badges tournament for the Sheriff’s Office, said a preliminary count of donations from Saturday raised $9,100 for Whitney and expects to raise closer to $10,000 once a final count is conducted.
“This year, we really pushed raffles and food sales, and we had a bake sale. We were doing everything we could to show the Whitney family our support amongst the departments,” Colins said of the tournament.
Colins said in situations like this, people are curious about ways they can offer support. He felt this year, creating opportunities for fundraising at the tournament would be that chance for the community, and for fellow first responders to give back.
Whitney, a 20-year veteran firefighter, was diagnosed with brain cancer in June and has been undergoing treatment for a brain tumor.
Whitney and his wife, Emily, went to the emergency room in mid-June after he had been suffering from headaches and other symptoms. After a CAT scan revealed a mass on Whitney’s brain, he was transferred to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. There, he underwent an MRI that revealed the mass was a large tumor.
Since his diagnosis, Whitney and his family has seen an outpouring of support from local first responders, including a show of support by Franklin County first responders on Congress Street on June 25 when he returned home after his diagnosis. A GoFundMe for Whitney and his family was opened on June 28, and has raised $42,942 as of publication and a “Thankful Thursday” event was held at Element Brewing Company in Millers Falls to fundraise for Whitney.
Inside the department, Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan explained how the Greenfield Firefighters Local 2548 created T-shirts for Whitney, and the uniforms worn by Greenfield Fire had a badge design to honor Whitney, reading “Never Fight Alone” and “All in for 86.”
“The turnout was fantastic,” Strahan said about Saturday’s softball tourney, sharing his appreciation for the Sheriff’s Office, saying they went “above and beyond” for the captain. He said Greenfield Fire had over 20 participating members, including Whitney’s sons, who participated in the game with the department.
For Capt. Whitney, he described the community support for him that day as “overwhelming.” The fundraising done in his name since his diagnosis has helped offset costs associated with his treatment, and he shared he’s finished radiation and chemotherapy and is “feeling good.”
“I’m still very overwhelmed by the turnout,” he said on Monday. “I’m so grateful for all the help and support.”