The Year In
Review: <2001> <2000> <1999> <1998> <1985> <1982> <1981> <1979> <1978> <1976> <1975> <1974> <1973> <1970> <1968> <1967> <1966> <1965> <1956> <1954> <1953> <1952>
The Brookline Little League
Association History Website designed and maintained
by Clint Burton.
For current information on the Brookline Little League, visit leagues.bluesombrero.com/blla.
* Last Updated - August 15, 2023 *
 Brookline Little League
 Little League Baseball - Official Williamsport
Website
I Trust In God
I Love My Country
And Will Respect It's Laws
I Will Play Fair And Strive To Win
But Win Or Lose, I Will Always Do My Best
 
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Senior League All-Stars
1976 |
Little League All-Stars
1974 |
Senior League All-Stars
1977 |
American Legion Baseball
Patch - 1980 |
Devine Painting Championship
Trophies - 1983/1984/1985 |
The Brookline Little League field
in 1956. Many improvements have been made throughout the years.
The Brookline Little League has
been a neighborhood institution since it's founding back in 1951. Early
pioneers like John Pascarosa, Morris Grumet, Frank DeBor and Sam
Bryen got together, built a field, and sowed the seeds of a youth sports
program that over a half century later is still bearing fruit.
It's fair to say that the vast
majority of children that have grown up here in Brookline have played
Little League baseball at the old Community Center fields, or at the
new Brookline Park Fields. Many have come back in their later years as
managers, coaches, umpires and even as League Presidents.
Brookline Little League baseball
action on Opening Day, 2011.
It's difficult to overestimate
the importance of youth sports of any kind in a child's athletic, mental
and social development. Little League baseball has and always will be the
#1 youth sport in America, and it's roots run deep here in Brookline.
In researching the history of the Brookline community, some of the most
talked about memories have been from adults and teens reminiscing about
their glory days as a player in the Brookline Little League.
From the humble beginnings of
one traveling Pony Team in 1951 to the multi-league magnet of that in the
1980s attracted over 600 kids a season, the Brookline Little League Association
has always been a source of pride and trust in our community. Over the
years, the standards of safety, competitiveness and spirit have continued
to evolve. Just ask the thousands upon thousands of Brookline kids who grew
up playing Little League baseball.
A drawing of the Brookline Little League
field as it looked in the 1970s.
As for myself and my friends, it seemed
as if we grew up at the Little League fields. In the early 1970s there wasn't
a whole lot more to do. It wasn't like today, where kids have so many choices.
We played baseball from dawn to dusk, every day. We spent the afternoon
at the fields, went home to eat, then returned to watch the games at night.
We waited patiently by the outfield fences for a home run ball to clear, then
darted into the woods to retrieve the ball. If we returned it to Sam Bryen,
he'd give us a free iceball. It was pure Norman Rockwell. It was Brookline Little
League baseball. It was a rite of passage. It was the place to be.
For those of us who played "back in the
day", who can forget the anticipation of waiting for the Thursday mail
to see a copy of the Brookline Journal. Editor Dale Noah and his wiley staff
of reporters (Mas Neyrb, Gna Ollusam, Gib Nad Eht Nam and Ink Scribes) brought
the Little League games alive in print. The previous week's games were
covered in grand style, and kids eagerly scanned the text to find their
names, just as if it were Major League baseball.
My playing days were from 1970 through
1980. During those eleven years I was coached by Joe Power, Danny McGibbeny
and Sharkey Romano. From 1998 through 2001 I returned to coach a Senior League
team. As a player and coach I had some terrible teams, and I had some really
good teams. I learned to lose with pride, and I learned to win with dignity. I
learned teamwork and I learned discipline. I learned to respect authority and
I learned about relationships. Above all, I learned a lot about myself,
and have carried that knowledge around with me for many years, along
with a myriad of good memories.
The Brookline Little League Association
is one of our community's best and brightest assets. It's so much more than
baseball. We hope you enjoy this look back in time.
Brookline Pony League baseball
action on McGibbeny Field, May 23, 2012.
Disclaimer: Little League and LL
are registered trademarks of Little League Baseball, Inc. This page is
provided as a public service by the Brookline community, and is in no way
affiliated with, registered with, or approved by Little League Baseball Inc.,
Williamsport, Pa. The term Little League and the Little League logo are
trademarks of Little League Baseball Inc., extended only to chartered leagues
for purposes of identification and publicity. |