By Ron P. Coderre

There was a time about 30 or so years ago when Plainfield High School and Moosup American Legion Baseball dominated play on the diamond up and down Eastern Connecticut.  It seemed to baseball observers that there was an endless succession of all star players emanating from Pantherland.

Among the brood of standouts was a pitcher who had all the tools and stood above the rest, not only because he was on the mound.  

Lenny Langlois was a pitcher who was ahead of his time.  As a young man he began to make his mark in the Plainfield Little League.  A ferocious competitor, Langlois had a good fast ball even when he was throwing from Little League distance.

But it was when he hit the old diamond behind the former Plainfield High School that he truly created a buzz.  As the mainstay of the Mitch Pietras Plainfield teams and the Ronnie Kraus Legion teams, Langlois’ arm carried his mates to numerous victories, conference championships, zone titles and even deeply into State tournament play.  In addition to his variety of pitches, Langlois had a deceptive move to first base that tantalized base runners as well as umpires.

“Lenny had all the tools from the day he stepped on the field as a Little Leaguer and through high school.  His fastball was dreaded by every opponent we faced.  He definitely had Major League talent,” said his teammate and friend Bill Carpenter. 

The fact is, Langlois did have Major League talent.  He was scouted and signed by the New York Mets, creating a stir throughout the region as many thought he’d be the next Major League player from Plainfield since the legendary Walter “Moose” Dropo.  However, the pieces of the puzzle just never seemed to fall into place for the fastballer who went to three spring trainings with the New Yorkers.

Minor ailments and injuries began to plague the Plainfield product.  He’d return home to try to get untracked and then turn up temporarily somewhere in baseball but it seemed he just couldn’t stick.  Eventually he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which finally put an end to his baseball career.

Langlois however always seemed to find his way into the shadows of the spotlight.  For some time he hung around the country western circuit, where he hooked on with singer Wayland Jennings.  He traveled with Jennings in a “body guard” capacity but after some years returned to Plainfield, where he was when he died on Jan. 12, 2015.

His passing was mourned by the legion of baseball followers who remembered and cherished the memories of his heroics on the diamond.  Among those at his wake were his teammates, who were part of the 1977 Plainfield team that posted a 20-3 record and captured the Quinebaug Valley Conference Championship.  These same guys also were his teammates on the 1977 and 1978 Legion teams that won Zone titles.

Passing by the casket to say their final baseball farewell were Jimmy Fillmore, Kevin Trahan, Alan and Bill Carpenter, Steve St. Jean and Brian Green.  It was Carpenter who reflected and noted that from the Plainfield 1972 All Star team, three guys went on to professional careers, Carpenter with the Red Sox, Clint Nelson with the Tigers and Lenny Langlois with the Mets.  Quite a tribute.

The fastball is gone and the career that might have been is now history.  But in the memories and records of Plainfield baseball the name Lenny Langlois will always be remembered.  God speed, Lenny.