Boston Park League
Encyclopedia
The Boston Park League, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest amateur
baseball
league in the United States
.
, East Boston
, South Boston
, Hyde Park
, Brighton
, West Roxbury
, Roslindale
, Jamaica Plain
, Roxbury
, Mattapan
, South End
, and Dorchester
all have had teams at some period of time.
The league was rabidly popular among local area baseball fans, and in the 1930s and 1940s many games would draw as many as 5,000 attendees. Once the playoffs got underway, that number was known to swell to as many as 12,000 fans per game. Attendance remained high throughout the 1950s and 1960s, often in the range of 5,000 to 6,000 fans per game.
Such popularity made the league among the best compilations of amateur talent in the nation, featuring top quality players from local and regional high schools and universities. At its peak, the BPL comprised a sizeable population of former professional players, many of whom still had hopes of garnering enough attention to get another shot at a professional position.
The league has always been considered an amateur league, although for a brief period in the 1960s the league actually did pay a few select players, often higher profile ex-pros, in hopes of raising the league's profile and quality of play. Former Red Sox relief pitcher Mike Fornieles
is a prime example, playing a number of years for the league's Supreme Saints.
In recent decades, the league's presence has diminished somewhat, becoming less of a regional draw. However, the quality of play and passion among its players remain high. Attendance is also lower, with most games at present drawing a more modest number of fans, often less than 100 for mid-week, regular-season matchups, although some weekend and playoff games can still draw 500 or more attendees. The league is still considered to be the gold standard of amateur baseball in the Boston metropolitan area and, aside from the extremely competitive Cape Cod League, remains arguably the best amateur baseball league in New England
.
In 1982, the City of Boston decided to pass on the administrative duties to a small group of former players and coaches. The league named Bill Mahoney its first President, Harvey Soolman Secretary Treasurer, and Walt Mortimer Umpire in Chief. With the need for more funding, the Budweiser Brewing Co. of Medford, Ma., distributors of Bud Light, sponsored the league for four years. The Yawkey Foundation came on board in 1986, and has continuously sponsored the Boston Park League for the last 20 years.
During the baseball strike of the mid-1990s, many Boston Park League players were granted spring training invitations by Major League teams, including 1993 BPL League Most Valuable Player Mike Carista, who was offered an invitation to spring training by the Boston Red Sox. Carista was a former Red Sox draft pick, but had left professional baseball years earlier.
2009 - Carlson Club (Stockyard)
2008 - Grossman Marketing, formerly Mass. Envelope (Carlson Club)
2007 - Padres Baseball Club (Stockyard)
2006 - Palmer (Padres Baseball Club)
2005 - Stockyard (Palmer Club)
2004 - Palmer Club (Carlson Club)
2003 - Palmer Club (Walsh Club)
2002 - Palmer Club (Hines/ADSL)
2001 - Hines/ADSL (Mass. Envelope)
2000 - Mass. Envelope (Palmer Club)
1999 - Palmer Club (Larkin Club)
1998 - Mass. Envelope (Towne Club)
1997 - Larkin Club (Mass. Envelope)
1996 - Larkin Club (Mass. Envelope)
1995 - Larkin Club (MRA D's)
1994 - ADSL/Avi Nelson (Larkin Club)
1993 - Serra Club (ADSL/Avi Nelson)
1992 - Mass. Envelope (Triple D's)
1991 - Towne Club (ADSL/Avi Nelson)
1990 - Hyde Park Sports (Triple D's)
1989 - ADSL (Hyde Park Sports)
1988 - Triple D's (Towne Club)
1987 - Triple D's (Great Scott)
1986 - Hyde Park Sports (Triple D's)
1985 - Towne Club (Great Scott)
1984 - Towne Club (Conley Club)
1983 - Mass. Envelope (Conley Club)
1982 - Mass. Envelope (Triple D's)
1981 - Triple D's (Great Scott)
1980 - Mahoney Club (Triple D's)
1979 - Supreme Saints (Mary Ann's)
1978 - Conley Club (Supreme Saints)
1977 - Mass. Envelope (Supreme Saints)
1976 - Conley Club (Supreme Saints)
1975 - Mass. Envelope (Conley Club)
1974 - Mass. Envelope (Conley Club)
1973 - Mass. Envelope (Conley Club)
1972 - Conley Club (Supreme Saints)
1971 - Franklin Club (Supreme Saints)
1970 - Mass. Envelope (Woolf Club)
1969 - Craven Club (Supreme Saints)
1968 - Woolf Club (Craven Club)
1967 - Supreme Saints (Mass. Envelope)
1966 - Herb Connelly Club (Supreme Saints)
1965 - Herb Connolly Club (Carlevale Braves)
1964 - Supreme Saints (Herb Connolly Club)
1963 - Supreme Saints (Bottomley Braves)
1962 - Kelley Club (Supreme Saints)
1961 - Charlestown Hawks (Dorchester Royals)
1960 - St. Paul's (McCormack)
1959 - St. Paul's (McCormack)
1958 - Charlestown Cardinals (McCormack)
1957 - St. Paul's (Crosby Club)
1956 - McCormack Club (St. Paul's)
1955 - St. Paul's (Bryan Club)
1954 - St. Paul's (Bryan Club)
1953 - St. Paul's (Bryan Club)
1952 - Hal Crosby Club (Jeveli Club)
1951 - Boston Elks (Crosby Club)
1950 - Kane Chevrolet (Jeveli Club)
1949 - Crownburners (Hyde Sq. Vets)
1948 - Crownburners (Dick Casey Club)
1947 - Dick Casey Club (Linehan Club)
1946 - Veterans Administration (Dick Casey Club)
1945 - Navy Yard AA (Linehan Club)
1944 - Dick Casey Club (Watertown Arsenal)
1943 - Dick Casey Club (Navy Yard)
1942 - Dick Casey Club (Navy Yard)
1941 - Dick Casey Club (Tobin Club)
1940 - Dick Casey Club (Roslindale Town Team)
1939 - Dick Casey Club (St. Augustine's)
1938 - St. Augustine's (Holy Name)
1937 - Dick Casey Club (Jordan Marsh)
1936 - Roslindale Wolfs (Jordan Marsh)
1935 - Jordan Marsh (Roslindale TT)
1934 - Jordan Marsh (Dick Casey Club)
1933 - Roslindale Town Team (Mulry Club)
1932 - St. Thomas (Roslindale Town Team)
1931 - St. Thomas (Edison Light)
1930 - Agawam A.A. (Gurnett & Co.)
1929 - St. Thomas, J.P. (South End Athletics)
Note, Kelly Field is maintained by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Department of Conservation & Recreation, while the others are maintained by the City of Boston's Parks Department.
Mass Envelope is the current longest standing league member. They changed the name of their team to Grossman Marketing in the 2008 season, following a corporate rebranding in 2006.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grossman Marketing --- 20 - 12 - 0 - 40
Boston Padres -------- 20 - 12 - 0 - 40
Carlson Club * ------- 18 - 13 - 1 - 37
Palmer Club ---------- 18 - 13 - 1 - 37
Cannon Club ---------- 18 - 14 - 0 - 36
Stockyard ------------ 16 - 16 - 0 - 32
Hines/ADSL ----------- 12 - 20 - 0 - 24
JM Force ------------- 11 - 20 - 1 - 23
Irish Village -------- 9 - 22 - 1 - 19
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
league in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The Boston Park League (BPL) was founded in 1929 by Bob Cusick, program director for the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. Cusick envisioned a high quality, yet highly parcipatory, amateur baseball league with teams based in, and featuring residents of, the various neighborhoods of Boston. CharlestownCharlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
, East Boston
East Boston, Massachusetts
East Boston is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, with approximately 40,000 residents. The community was created by connecting several islands using landfill and was annexed by Boston in 1836. East Boston is separated from the rest of the city by Boston Harbor and bordered by Winthrop,...
, South Boston
South Boston, Massachusetts
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. One of America's oldest and most historic neighborhoods, South Boston was formerly known as Dorchester Neck, and today is called "Southie" by...
, Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Massachusetts
Hyde Park is a dissolved municipality and currently the southernmost neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Hyde Park is home to a diverse range of people, housing types and social groups. It is an urban location with suburban characteristics...
, Brighton
Brighton, Boston, Massachusetts
Brighton is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located in the northwest corner of the city. It is named after the town of Brighton in the English city of Brighton and Hove...
, West Roxbury
West Roxbury, Massachusetts
West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by Roslindale to the north, the Town of Dedham to the east and south, the Town of Brookline and the City of Newton to the west. Many people mistakenly confuse West Roxbury with Roxbury, but the two are not connected. West Roxbury is separated from...
, Roslindale
Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan.It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby Jamaica Plain...
, Jamaica Plain
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Jamaica Plain is a historic neighborhood of in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded by Boston Puritans seeking farm land to the south, it was originally part of the city of Roxbury...
, Roxbury
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
, Mattapan
Mattapan, Massachusetts
Mattapan is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. Historically a section of neighboring Dorchester, Mattapan became a part of Boston when Dorchester was annexed in 1870. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 36,480...
, South End
South End, Boston, Massachusetts
The South End is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.-Geography:The South End lies south of the Back Bay, northwest of South Boston, northeast of Roxbury, north of Dorchester, and southwest of Bay Village...
, and Dorchester
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
all have had teams at some period of time.
The league was rabidly popular among local area baseball fans, and in the 1930s and 1940s many games would draw as many as 5,000 attendees. Once the playoffs got underway, that number was known to swell to as many as 12,000 fans per game. Attendance remained high throughout the 1950s and 1960s, often in the range of 5,000 to 6,000 fans per game.
Such popularity made the league among the best compilations of amateur talent in the nation, featuring top quality players from local and regional high schools and universities. At its peak, the BPL comprised a sizeable population of former professional players, many of whom still had hopes of garnering enough attention to get another shot at a professional position.
The league has always been considered an amateur league, although for a brief period in the 1960s the league actually did pay a few select players, often higher profile ex-pros, in hopes of raising the league's profile and quality of play. Former Red Sox relief pitcher Mike Fornieles
Mike Fornieles
Jose Miguel "Mike" Fornieles was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of twelve seasons with the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox...
is a prime example, playing a number of years for the league's Supreme Saints.
In recent decades, the league's presence has diminished somewhat, becoming less of a regional draw. However, the quality of play and passion among its players remain high. Attendance is also lower, with most games at present drawing a more modest number of fans, often less than 100 for mid-week, regular-season matchups, although some weekend and playoff games can still draw 500 or more attendees. The league is still considered to be the gold standard of amateur baseball in the Boston metropolitan area and, aside from the extremely competitive Cape Cod League, remains arguably the best amateur baseball league in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
In 1982, the City of Boston decided to pass on the administrative duties to a small group of former players and coaches. The league named Bill Mahoney its first President, Harvey Soolman Secretary Treasurer, and Walt Mortimer Umpire in Chief. With the need for more funding, the Budweiser Brewing Co. of Medford, Ma., distributors of Bud Light, sponsored the league for four years. The Yawkey Foundation came on board in 1986, and has continuously sponsored the Boston Park League for the last 20 years.
During the baseball strike of the mid-1990s, many Boston Park League players were granted spring training invitations by Major League teams, including 1993 BPL League Most Valuable Player Mike Carista, who was offered an invitation to spring training by the Boston Red Sox. Carista was a former Red Sox draft pick, but had left professional baseball years earlier.
List of League Presidents
- Bill Mahoney (1982)
- Leo Casey (1983–1984)
- Bill Stewart, Jr. (1985)
- Walt Mortimer (1986)
- Skip Landry (1987–1988)
- Josh Powell (1989)
- Bob Powers (1990–1992)
- Eddie Miller (1993–1995)
- Bob Wilkinson (1996–2001)
- Walter Bentson (2002–present)
League Champions (Runners-up in Parentheses)
2010 - Carlson Club (Palmer Club)2009 - Carlson Club (Stockyard)
2008 - Grossman Marketing, formerly Mass. Envelope (Carlson Club)
2007 - Padres Baseball Club (Stockyard)
2006 - Palmer (Padres Baseball Club)
2005 - Stockyard (Palmer Club)
2004 - Palmer Club (Carlson Club)
2003 - Palmer Club (Walsh Club)
2002 - Palmer Club (Hines/ADSL)
2001 - Hines/ADSL (Mass. Envelope)
2000 - Mass. Envelope (Palmer Club)
1999 - Palmer Club (Larkin Club)
1998 - Mass. Envelope (Towne Club)
1997 - Larkin Club (Mass. Envelope)
1996 - Larkin Club (Mass. Envelope)
1995 - Larkin Club (MRA D's)
1994 - ADSL/Avi Nelson (Larkin Club)
1993 - Serra Club (ADSL/Avi Nelson)
1992 - Mass. Envelope (Triple D's)
1991 - Towne Club (ADSL/Avi Nelson)
1990 - Hyde Park Sports (Triple D's)
1989 - ADSL (Hyde Park Sports)
1988 - Triple D's (Towne Club)
1987 - Triple D's (Great Scott)
1986 - Hyde Park Sports (Triple D's)
1985 - Towne Club (Great Scott)
1984 - Towne Club (Conley Club)
1983 - Mass. Envelope (Conley Club)
1982 - Mass. Envelope (Triple D's)
1981 - Triple D's (Great Scott)
1980 - Mahoney Club (Triple D's)
1979 - Supreme Saints (Mary Ann's)
1978 - Conley Club (Supreme Saints)
1977 - Mass. Envelope (Supreme Saints)
1976 - Conley Club (Supreme Saints)
1975 - Mass. Envelope (Conley Club)
1974 - Mass. Envelope (Conley Club)
1973 - Mass. Envelope (Conley Club)
1972 - Conley Club (Supreme Saints)
1971 - Franklin Club (Supreme Saints)
1970 - Mass. Envelope (Woolf Club)
1969 - Craven Club (Supreme Saints)
1968 - Woolf Club (Craven Club)
1967 - Supreme Saints (Mass. Envelope)
1966 - Herb Connelly Club (Supreme Saints)
1965 - Herb Connolly Club (Carlevale Braves)
1964 - Supreme Saints (Herb Connolly Club)
1963 - Supreme Saints (Bottomley Braves)
1962 - Kelley Club (Supreme Saints)
1961 - Charlestown Hawks (Dorchester Royals)
1960 - St. Paul's (McCormack)
1959 - St. Paul's (McCormack)
1958 - Charlestown Cardinals (McCormack)
1957 - St. Paul's (Crosby Club)
1956 - McCormack Club (St. Paul's)
1955 - St. Paul's (Bryan Club)
1954 - St. Paul's (Bryan Club)
1953 - St. Paul's (Bryan Club)
1952 - Hal Crosby Club (Jeveli Club)
1951 - Boston Elks (Crosby Club)
1950 - Kane Chevrolet (Jeveli Club)
1949 - Crownburners (Hyde Sq. Vets)
1948 - Crownburners (Dick Casey Club)
1947 - Dick Casey Club (Linehan Club)
1946 - Veterans Administration (Dick Casey Club)
1945 - Navy Yard AA (Linehan Club)
1944 - Dick Casey Club (Watertown Arsenal)
1943 - Dick Casey Club (Navy Yard)
1942 - Dick Casey Club (Navy Yard)
1941 - Dick Casey Club (Tobin Club)
1940 - Dick Casey Club (Roslindale Town Team)
1939 - Dick Casey Club (St. Augustine's)
1938 - St. Augustine's (Holy Name)
1937 - Dick Casey Club (Jordan Marsh)
1936 - Roslindale Wolfs (Jordan Marsh)
1935 - Jordan Marsh (Roslindale TT)
1934 - Jordan Marsh (Dick Casey Club)
1933 - Roslindale Town Team (Mulry Club)
1932 - St. Thomas (Roslindale Town Team)
1931 - St. Thomas (Edison Light)
1930 - Agawam A.A. (Gurnett & Co.)
1929 - St. Thomas, J.P. (South End Athletics)
Playing Fields Currently Used by the BPL
- Dick Casey Town Field, Dorchester, Ma.
- Bill Stewart Diamond at Fallon Field, Roslindale, Ma.
- Jim Rice Field, South End, Boston, Ma.
- Cleveland Circle (Cassidy), Brighton, Ma.
- Kelly Field, Hyde Park, Ma.
Note, Kelly Field is maintained by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Department of Conservation & Recreation, while the others are maintained by the City of Boston's Parks Department.
Current Teams in the BPL
- Palmer Club
- Stockyard
- Irish Village
- Hines/ADSL
- Cannon Club
- Carlson Club
- Boston Padres
- Grossman Marketing (formerly Mass. Envelope)
- J.M. Force
Mass Envelope is the current longest standing league member. They changed the name of their team to Grossman Marketing in the 2008 season, following a corporate rebranding in 2006.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
'2010 Final League Standings'
(W - L - T - Pts)Grossman Marketing --- 20 - 12 - 0 - 40
Boston Padres -------- 20 - 12 - 0 - 40
Carlson Club * ------- 18 - 13 - 1 - 37
Palmer Club ---------- 18 - 13 - 1 - 37
Cannon Club ---------- 18 - 14 - 0 - 36
Stockyard ------------ 16 - 16 - 0 - 32
Hines/ADSL ----------- 12 - 20 - 0 - 24
JM Force ------------- 11 - 20 - 1 - 23
Irish Village -------- 9 - 22 - 1 - 19
- League Champion (won playoffs)