Good morning!
The Frontier School Committee’s decision not to keep the plaque honoring Greg Belanger under the new scoreboard shows the disconnect between then and now, of when humidity on hot August days was measured by the smell of the pickle brine, when tractors hauled tobacco crops through town, surveyors gathered outside Graves Street for work each morning and business titans Walter Jones and George Bell flipped silver dollars inside the Frontier Pharmacy.
Belanger was part of the next generation. He grew up on Old Wapping Road and captained the Frontier wrestling team. He joined the Army reserves in 1999 to help pay for tuition to Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, and when 9/11 changed the world he was called to active duty.
After he was killed in Iraq on Aug. 27, 2003, news trucks parked outside Wrisley’s Funeral Home and followed mourners to the Frontier auditorium where a preacher read “To an Athlete Dying Young.”
Years from now no one will remember the names of those on the School Committee, but they’ll remember Greg just like they have for the last 24 years.
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The American Legion playoffs start next week and while it appeared undefeated Greenfield Post 81 (11-0) would square off against East Springfield Post 420 (9-2) for the district championship, another contender made itself known this week.
On Wednesday at Central High School, Northampton Post 28 (8-5) knocked off the Zone B frontrunners, 7-1. “James Lavallee was brilliant last night,” Post 28 publicist Mike Noonan said of the Smith Voc southpaw. “He threw 98 pitches and gave up three hits, struck out six and walked one in six innings.
“We lost to Greenfield, 3-2, on June 26. They beat us on a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the seventh. Tucker Russell of Hopkins was the tough luck loser. Greenfield is good. Really good.”
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If the regular season is any indication, the National League will throttle the American League at the All Star Game in Philadelphia on Tuesaday. According to my new best friend AI, the Senior Circuit was leading the AL in interleague play, 141-101.
Consequently only five but as few as two American League teams will have a winning record at the All Star break but as many as 10 National League teams could be over .500.
Maybe AL owners want to save their money until after the labor dispute that will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 1. One change in the new basic agreement should be to stop requiring each team to play at least one series against all the other 29 teams. Nobody cares about Mets-Royals or Marlins-Mariners. After all, Nixon vowed to visit every state during his 1960 campaign against JFK and a lot of good it did him.
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The Yankees are 14-19 since Aaron Judge was hurt on May 31. Meanwhile Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt are 2-for-34 and 0-for-34, and the meat of the order has become hamburger helper.
During TNT’s Tuesday night broadcast Ron Darling introduced Rays starting pitcher Ian Seymour of Shewsbury as “The most famous lefthander from St. John’s High School.”
Darling is the school’s most famous righthander; he pitched at Yale and Seymour pitched at Virginia Tech. Cohasset’s Ben Rice took him deep in the top of the fourth inning, but Hunter Feduccia and Yandy Diaz went back-to-back off Yanks starter Will Warren in the bottom of the inning for an eventual 6-4 win.
After Diaz’s flick-of-the-wrist fly ball reached the right field seats, TNT’s Brian Anderson said, “There have been a lot of rumors about the baseball and how it has jumped [off bats] over the last two months, and that’s the kind that makes you a believer.”
“The outfielders retreat but the ball just won’t come out of the air,” said Darling.
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During England’s 3-2 win against Mexico in front of 80,000 fans at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, play-by-play voice Daren Fletcher gratefully told listeners, “This is the only stadium in all of futbol when a goal goes in, a gentleman stands behind us with an umbrella to stop the beer raining down on our heads.”
They do have a way with words, these World Cup announcers. After Switzerland’s Nico Elvedi got a yellow card for knocking down Bosnia-Herzegovinia’s Ivan Basic, Fox’s John Strong commented that Elvedi “looks more than a bit cheesed off.”
Entertaining as the games have been, the reporting has been gramatically imperfect. England survive to beat Mexico; Belgium want FIFA to explain Balougin decision.
Even a duffer like me would know better than to use the third person singular, but mispronounciation’s become a trend these days.
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SQUIBBERS: All three everyday players the White Sox got from the Red Sox for Garrett Crochet — Chase Meidroth, Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel — were in the lineup the first two games against Boston this week and were a combined 1-for-20. … Mets fans can’t wait until mid-September when the Orioles are in town and they can give Pete Alonso a standing ovation. … The Reds signed free agent Eugenio Suarez for one year and $15 million and he has 31 RBIs compared to 118 last season. … Cody Ponce who was 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA in South Korea last year signed with the Jays for three years and $30 million and pitched 2.1 innings before blowing out his knee. … The Yankees made history against the Rays this week, becoming the first AL team to strike out 17 times in back-to-back games. … Best kick by the U.S. on Monday was by coach Mauricio Pochettino who knocked over the Powerade after Belgium’s second goal. … Several readers informed me that Chandler’s at the Deerfield Inn serves excellent Indian pudding. OK, I’ll give it a try. … The N.Y. Post reports that the cheapest seat into Highmark Stadium for the Bills’ innaugural game Sept. 17 is $702. … Red Sox prospect Anthony Eyanson told SiriusXM’s Grant Paulsen the most important pitching stat is earned run average. “The ERA, trying to prevent runs,” said Eyanson who has a 1.29 ERA. … The Post’s Jon Heyman reports that Juan Soto’s locker was moved to the other end of the clubhouse from Francisco Lindor’s in both Port St. Lucie and Citi Field. “The reason is unspoken but curious,” wrote Heyman. … Jazz Chisolm Jr. who said he wanted to hit 50 home runs this season has 12 so far, his last on June 23. … Keene Swamp Bats left fielder Micah Kendrick started hearing it from a few North Shore relievers in the bullpen after his third straight strikeout last week. He flung his glove and charged the bullpen but was rescued by his teammates. “North Shore all smiles knowing they can gets in the Swamp Bats’ heads,” said ESPN commentator Luke Fitzpatrick. … Invisible man Giancarlo Stanton will have missed 119 of the Yankees last 258 regular season games by the All Star break. … Justin in Floral Park to WFAN’s Joe Benigno on being a Bills fan: “We hate four teams. The Dallas Cowboys, the Washington Redskins (sic) and the New York Giants because they beat us in the Super Bowl, and the Patriots because everyone hates the Patriots.” … Subbing for Tony Massarotti on the SportsHub, Matt McCarthy said the Red Sox shipped Roman Anthony to Fort Myers to discipline him. “They are trying to wake this kid up. Everyone who comes back from there calls it Fort Miserable.”
Chip Ainsworth is an award-winning columnist who has penned his observations about sports for decades in the Pioneer Valley. He can be reached at chipjet715@gmail.com.