In 1969 fast pitch City League softball a pennant is on the line at the Hayden Schofield Playstead. George Simonian’s Funky Broadway team is looking to cop the league’s title against the Hancocks in a big rivalry game. A huge crowd was expected to see what will be a heavenly contested affair.
Manager/catcher will send his ace Don McLeod to the mound and the Hancocks will have big man Sherm Anderton as his hope today. Don Overka will catch the pitches of Anderton.
The starters for the Broadways were Simonian at catch, George still lives in Methuen and is semi retired and runs a second hand business on Merrimack St. Paul Courtemanche a Hall of Famer at Central Catholic for his three sport participation, he is now retired from the Essex County Sheriffs Department and works part time at Pollard’s Funeral Home in Methuen was at lb.
Mike Nemey was a steady sure fisted second baseman, now a retired welder, and the power hitter at ss was Bob Hannigan. Jack Sholik a former Methuen High star was at the hot corner and was Mr. Steady.
Dick Lynch also a Methuen High great was as good a player as the City has produced, a tremendous hitter with great power, Dick also was a pretty good pitcher. Even the fastest runners in the league knew you couldn’t run on Lynch’s cannon of an arm from his if spot.
Bill Wilson patrolled rf, worked for the telephone company when it was known as “Ma Bell”. One of the league’s all time greats Joe D’Agata owned cf, he possessed lightening speed, a great arm and could beat you in many ways. Joe was slowed down by a brain injury after his playing days ended and was also a great tennis player. A classy and soft spoken guy Joe was known to all teams throughout the State for his athletic ability.
Larry Giordano still a Methuenite, sits on the City Council, he is the owner of a karate school in the City and holds many prestigious awards in that sport. Art Mawson was a newcomer to this team and his dad was a player in this league and was as good a hitter as I’ve ever seen. Art Sr. and I were teammates for the Andover Vets baseballers; he also retired from the No Andover police department.
To force this playoff game Simonian would have to win a double header. Taking on the Vic’s Place team Dickie Lynch start the first game and went seven innings before turning the ball over to McLeod. With the score tied at 7 in the ninth, Lynch blasts a long double and “Beau” Wilson banged a single to send Dick across with the winning run. The winners were led by D’Agata with four hits. Player manager Simonian had three and Hannigan cranked a long homer.
In game two the Funky Broadway team handed the Vics a 7-1 loss as McLeod was tossing a brilliant 5-hitter, and struck out nine. Don later became the head hockey coach of the Northeastern University women’s team. Against the Vic’s, Don a very good hitter, he had 2 hits and so did the quiet man Nerney. Earlier in the week needing a big win the Broadways with McLeod at his best throwing a three hitter at the Hancocks team with Bob Hannigan and Mike Nerney each driving in a run for the 3-0 win. Bill Bateman had the two hits for the losers and now the stage was set for a playoff. The Funky Broadway was once the Merry Mac Club and also the Chez When. The Hancocks were the Jeff s, the Jenns the Hancocks and the Lasalle team.
Both teams kept most of the same players as they got new sponsors. Gene McAuliffe was the league president and he owned the funeral home across the street from the park and was looking for standing room only at these games.
George Simonian supplied me with most of this information and the game itself will be brought to you in future columns. The Funky Broadway and Hancocks games were in my mind and I’m sure in their minds one of the fiercest rivalries this league has ever had in the league’s history. If you were a sport fan this park was where you wanted to be. I didn’t at the time and George didn’t know until I told him that a lot of money was bet by the fans on these contests. Keep walking down memory lane to read of more fast pitch news of yesteryear.