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Friends

Pomfret resident and senior softball/baseball standout John Smutnick surrounded by his friends from the Dominican Republic. Courtesy photo.

 

 

 

By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC column is dedicated to Bernie Gilbert of Putnam.  The man behind the success of the Putnam Lions Volleyball Challenge, Gilbert is always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.  Gilbert will blow out another candle on the cake on August 11.

The final few days of June were exciting for Pomfret resident John Smutnick and his wife Laura.  The couple was part of a goodwill trip to the Dominican Republic as part of a program entitled Feeding the Dream Trip and Goodwill Games sponsored by Florida Senior Sports.  Smutnick, who is 65, is very active in Florida during the winter as both a senior baseball and softball player.

The Dominican Republic was recently in the baseball news with the induction of one of its most famous sons Pedro Martinez into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.  During the ceremony, Martinez called upon another Dominican Republic native Juan Marichal, as the two held their country’s flag.

Despite Marinez and Marichal and the Red Sox David Ortiz, the Dominican Republic still suffers from numerous pockets of poverty.  This is where Smutnick and the members of Florida Senior Sports stepped in.  Over the four day period of June 25 – 28 this group of 12 men and their spouses spread cheer in the tiny village of El Limon and its population of 293 people as they experienced the joy of giving.

El Limon is located in the mountains and is a small community where the natives use their ingenuity to survive with little if any luxuries and medical care.  Most of the people live in dirt floor shanties of block construction.  The softball ambassadors arrived following the prearranged drop of thousands of items for the impoverished community and mixed the visit with four “Goodwill Games,” against the locals.

Prior to the games the “Feeding the Dream” team held softball clinics for the kids and distributed hundreds of softballs, bats, gloves, uniforms and other equipment to the kids and adults.  One of Smutnick’s most rewarding moments when he gave his new catcher’s mask to one of the El Limon players.

The team played four slo-pitch exhibition softball games on the village’s tiny version of a softball field that measured only 255-feet to the deepest part of center field.  The Goodwill team easily outdistanced the home standing El Limonians in every game.  

“The most exciting part of the games was watching the native’s expressions as we sent softballs flying over the far reaches of their short fences.  It was a great experience, especially seeing the look on their faces when we presented them with not only baseball equipment but with other much needed everyday items,” said Smutnick.

This was the third mission trip made by the group.  In 2013 the “Feeding the Dream Trip & Goodwill Games” group built a pressure water system that provides water to the village for the very first time.  It’s amazing the goodwill and friendship a softball game can engender.

Farewell to a Very Special Man

Whenever I would run into Joe Parker of Putnam, he would always mention two things.  He would proudly remind me of his Native American Abenaki heritage and despite being a few years older than I; he loved to remind me he graduated from Putnam High School as a member of my class.

Parker never got the opportunity to graduate with his class because the military called.  He served in the United States Army in Germany, Korea and Okinawa.  When he returned from active duty, he was not allowed to receive his diploma on the stage by the then school administration.  Despite the snub, the man with the “Rollie Fingers” moustache was proud of achieving his high school studies.  He did graduate in 1959 from Putnam High School.

A good soul and God-fearing individual, Joe Parker was proud of his military service.  He could be found at all community events celebrating our nation’s military.  He was also an individual who gave back to the community especially through his involvement as a Boy Scout leader.  He was an Eagle Scout, another achievement he was so humble about telling others.

His presence and spirit will be sadly missed in the Putnam community.

Shining Stars at Mohegan Sun

Thanks to good friend Bob Bernier, who is a Mohegan Sun women’s basketball team season ticket holder, RPC and my wife Donna enjoyed the festivities of the Women’s National Basketball Association All Star game on Saturday, July 25 from a great vantage point.  Seated in the front row, next to Bill Chvirko not Bob Uecker, we were close to the action, which was dazzling as the West defeated the East 117-110.

The ladies put on a show well worth the money for the more than 8,000 enthusiastic fans that were on hand.  Among the highlights was a 30-point performance by former UConn great and Minnesota Lynx star Maya Moore, a slam dunk by Brittany Griner, a 23-point game by local standout Alex Bentley and a bunch of three-pointers by former Notre Dame star Kayla McBride.

A large contingent of northeastern Connecticut women’s basketball fans were scattered throughout the crowd.  Spotted in the audience were Paul and Mary Pikora of Putnam and Killingly High School football coach Chad Neal with his daughter Jasmine and son Thomas.  Also from the Plainfield area we saw Jimmy Radell and Sandy “Y” Yasukochi, Bill and Wendy Evans of Putnam, Charlie Franklin of Putnam Farmer’s Co-op and Bonnie Burrell as well as Pauline Miller and Jeanne Hiscock.  On the overhead big screen we saw the smiling face of Putnam Recreation Department employee Sue Allard.  It’s a certainty that we missed someone but everyone we saw had a great evening.

Colleges Are Lining Up for PSA Star

Hamidou Diallo, the soon to be junior at Putnam Science Academy, is enjoying a terrific basketball summer and attracting the attention of numerous NCAA Division I college coaches.  At this time last year Diallo received his first D I offer from Fairfield University.  He now has approximately 25 schools pursuing him, including some of the top programs in the nation.

Among his suitors are Maryland, University of Southern California, Indiana, Louisville, North Carolina State, Providence College, Florida, Villanova, St. John’s University, Seton Hall and Wake Forest.  When his friend Mamadou Diarra indicated he would attend UConn as a member of the Class of 2016, the Huskies staff and coach Kevin Ollie showed avid interest in Diallo.

Last year Diallo was the Mustangs leading scorer with 14.8 points per game as the team went 27-8 and made its second appearance in the National Prep School Championships.

Ex-Plainfield Coach Hits 500 Mark

Russ Burgess, the former principal of Putnam Elementary School and current Cape Cod resident, sends along clippings from Cape newspapers celebrating the news of former Plainfield High School baseball coach John Schiffner’s 500th Cape Cod Baseball League victory.  Schiffner achieved the milestone when his Chatham Angler’s beat the Cotuit Kettlers 6-1.

Schiffner enjoyed a successful teaching and coaching career at Plainfield for 33 years.  During his time at the helm of the Panthers he posted 469 victories and led his team to the State Tournament 31 of the 33 years he coached.  Schiffner taught in the Plainfield system from 1978 until his retirement in 2011.

Schiffner, who lives on The Cape, in an anomaly in the Cape Cod Baseball League.  Most managers don’t stay in the league for long periods of time but Schiffner’s been with Chatham for 24 years since 1991.  His 500 victories make him the first Cape Cod manager to win that many games.

He was also an assistant baseball coach at the University of Maine but recently left that post to assume the position of assistant development director with Nauset Public Schools on the Cape.

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Learn at least one new thing every day.

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