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By Ron P. Coderre
This week’s RPC sporty shout out is sent along to Walter Crabtree. Once a vaunted standout golfer at Putnam High School, today he confines his links activity to friendly rounds at Quinnatisset Country Club with his close acquaintances. Crabtree also celebrates another candle on the cake on July 20. Happy Birthday. Walt.
It pays to be a good student and at the same time to enjoy athletics in high school. Jacob Roy, a 2013 graduate of Tourtellotte Memorial High School and the Tigers number two-man on the golf team, was recently rewarded for his work in the classroom and on the links. Roy was the recipient of one of the 12 Connecticut State Golf Association’s annual scholarships. The monetary award of $2500 is also renewable for the next three years.
Roy, who will attend Nichols College in Dudley in September, is planning to study finance and economics with the goal of working on Wall St. in the future. During the summer months, Roy can be spotted at the Raceway Golf Course in Thompson where he works for club pro David Hall. Roy earned his spurs at Thompson by helping out around the course, where he was recognized by Hall and offered the opportunity to work in the pro shop.
While at Tourtellotte, Roy played varsity soccer and golf for four years. A High Honor student, at graduation he was the recipient of the Thompson Education Association, Thompson Lions Club and Faucher Family scholarships.
Roy is the son of Micci Roy, a teacher at Thompson elementary school and a familiar face around the Courthouse Bar & Grille in Putnam where she serves in various capacities on a part time basis. His brother Patrick Roy is a graduate of Johnson & Wales and is employed as a staff accountant at United Natural Foods Inc. at its Providence headquarters.
Bardier Redux…
It doesn’t seem that long ago that Brian Bardier of Putnam had his name frequently plastered across local sports sections reporting on his exploits on local golf links. Whether it was the Quinnatisset Country Club championships, the Walter Cosgrove Tournament in Worcester, the Norwich Invitational or various Connecticut amateur events, Bardier’s name was often associated with the winner’s circle or the top three finishers.
While catching up on some recent golf news, RPC ran across a report that had slipped by our wandering eyes earlier in the golf season. In May, Bardier and his longtime playing partner David Jones of Norwich combined to capture the Connecticut State Golf Association Two-Man Championship at Black Hall Club in Old Lyme. The pair fired an even par 142 (69-73) to win the event by a comfortable four strokes.
Further investigation on Bardier uncovered the fact that he’s currently spotted regularly at Connecticut National Golf Club. Rumor has it that his game is back.
Looking Back On A Relaxing Two Weeks…
They say baseball is a little boy’s game played by grown men. It’s also true that many aspects of baseball can be enjoyed by grown men even if they aren’t directly involved on the field.
On Tuesday, July 9 we had the opportunity to revisit one of our favorite places on the planet, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. The trip to the national shrine always serves as a fountain of youth, as strolling past Abner Doubleday Field and walking through the sacred halls brings back memories of days when playing baseball on the playground or schoolyard from dawn to dusk just wasn’t enough for a growing boy.
Whenever we walk through the Hall there are certain items of local flavor that we seek out. It’s always nostalgic to locate the scorebook and other memorabilia related to the longest game in professional baseball history, which was played in nearby Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Looking at the scorebook and seeing the name of Roger LaFrancois scratched in as a pinch hitter for his friend Rich Gedman is always special. Amazingly, LaFrancois caught an excruciating 26 innings in that contest.
Around the corner from the Pawtucket exhibit are a baseball and bat belonging to the man tabbed, “The Moose From Moosup” Walter Dropo. His memorabilia is there for his feat of getting 12 hits in 12 consecutive times at bat, a Major League record that remains intact more than 60 years later.
Finally, entering the Great Hall, where the game’s greatest players are enshrined, the life size sculptures of the immortal Babe Ruth and the late, great Ted Williams stand tall and as realistic as if the two sluggers were still alive and playing. These statues, the work of world-renowned sculptor Armand Lamontagne, bring home the fact that Lamontagne is a resident of nearby Scituate, Rhode Island just a short hop over the line from Connecticut on Route 101.
So no matter how many times the trek is made to Cooperstown, it’s always like the first time. Adding to the pleasure of the tip is the serenity and tranquility of the community of Cooperstown, as well as the bucolic setting through the winding back roads of upstate New York. Take the trip if you haven’t, it’s well worth the time.
The icing on the cake was the continuation of the sojourn to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where we had the opportunity to enjoy a Blue Jays game against the Minnesota Twins. Thanks to Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker of East Lyme, we had a perfect view of the game and the Rogers Centre from seats behind home plate. It was also an opportunity to see Blue Jays left fielder Rajai Davis of Norwich in action.
Baseball is truly a game that brings out the little boy, if not in everyone, at least in RPC.
From The Annals of Putnam Sports History…
August 1915: Putnam took two out of three games from the Southbridge A.O. Team. The teams drew a total of 9000 fans in the three-game set. Two of the contests were played in Southbridge. (Information contributed by Willie Zamagni)
RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: “Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” Henry David Thoreau
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