VOTE FOR SALTAIRE ALL TIME ALL STAR SOFTBALL PLAYERS

Saltaire All-Star Voting
NOMINEES FOR SALTAIRE SOFTBALL ALL TIME ALL-STAR TEAMS

VOTE NOW BY E MAIL TO:

SALTAIRESPORTS@AOL.com

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SALTAIRE SOFTBALL

by Jim O'Hare and Jon Lyon
copyright 2008



"Saltaire is known for its great softball league in the summer."
--- Wikipedia




For generations, softball has been one of the main sporting attractions in the Village of Saltaire.

From the 1940’s and 1950s, with great weekend contests with such names as “Marine Walk v. The World,” and “DEKES v. the World, “ through almost ten years of softball games between Saltaire Teenagers and Ocean Beach Teams, to the creation, in the early 1970s, of the Saltaire Softball League, all the way through 2008 with the expansion of the League to admit the Outsiders and the Rip Tide, softball has been a major sporting attraction for players and spectators alike. Through all these years, the games at Wright Memorial field and grandstands have been center for some of the most long-standing and exciting Saltaire traditions and rivalries.



We have no direct records of softball before the late 1940s. The venue, simply called “The Field” has always been pretty much the same size as today except there was more room north of the right field foul line before the fire house expanded in the 1970's. The Field was enclosed by a chicken wire fence. Until the late 1940s in the early 1950s the outer perimeter of the field consisted of a cinder track, making running in barefoot a painful experience. Gradually the cinder was covered or sank into the sand; it was finally eliminated with landscaping renovations in the 1970’s. There was dense brush where the playground is now until it was cleared and sand was pumped in in 1954. That made for a lot more lost balls because anything fouled off to the left side across Neptune Walk wound up deep in a thicket of poison ivy and blueberry bushes.

Home plate was always in the northeast corner, but a laid out dirt diamond was not introduced until well into the 1970’s .

Before the present day basketball courts were constructed, there were three basketball backboards in the ball field. One was along the right-field line, and there were back-to-back boards in right center field. The portable backstop came some time in the early 1970's, and at some point (we need some help here, pals) the right field fence was raised? While the backstop certainly has saved many a ball from getting lost in never never land it also prevents a catcher's ability to make a sliding catch of those pop-ups. Jon Lyon: "I always loved these opportunities when I was catching. I remember well Mike Kuracheck taking special batting practice to line balls over the lower right field porch."

In the 1940s and 1950s, weekend games were the rule, often pickup games with informal and varying rosters and teams. No running statistics were known to be maintained. Teams informally developed over themes or locale: “Marine Walk v. The World” games pitted players from Marine Walk against all comers. There were some “DEKES v. World” contests. There must have been a lot of guys from college fraternities in those days to man the “DEKES.” Sometimes such theme games were preceded by parades, with banners and noise makers.


Through the organizational skills of Athletic Director Pete Kurachek http://saltaire38.blogspot.com/search?q=metaphors in the late 1950’s inter community games were scheduled between teenage teams from Saltaire, Ocean Beach, and Point of Woods. Those Saltaire-OB-POW games developed into series that became the main focus of interest in Saltaire Softball in the 1960s.

This started two new trends:

First: the 1940’s and 1950’s teams had been made up of “grownups,”

http://saltaire38.blogspot.com/search?q=touch and they were strictly weekend affairs. The 1960’s teams were made up of Saltaire teenagers and they were played during the week while all the “Daddies” were back in the city. The 1960's teams were made up of kids who grew up in Saltaire under the aggressive coaching of Uncle Pete Kurachek, and they they were now teenagers working at summer jobs in the Village as counselors for Uncle Pete, or at the Market, or on the Ferries.

Secondly, those Saltaire-OB-POW series also started the trend toward regularly scheduled games with regular rosters, which would develop into a formal intramural league by the early 1970's.

These two trends: kids growing up developing their own teams, and organized teams with regularly scheduled games, were the genesis for the need, by the late 1960’s, for an organized league within Saltaire itself.

Games on continued on an informal basis on weekends of the 1960s, but the main attraction of Saltaire softball through most of the 1960s were the weekday evening contests between the Saltaire teenagers and lifeguard teams from Ocean Beach, captained by Dana Wallace. Lacking a field of their own, all of the Saltaire-Ocean Beach games were played at Saltaire. Throughout the 1960’s the OB-Saltaire games gains were always intense and competitive. The grandstands would be packed. Additionally, a couple games would be played each summer against Point of Woods, one home and one away. The Point of Woods field was a large open field with no fences. Compared to the confines of the Saltaire Field, the POW outfield seemed like an endless meadow. In the 1960’s Saltaire played several games against powerful Fair Harbor Teams led by Barry Wetherall and Billy Newman.


By the late 1960s, growth of interest in softball pickup games began causing conflicts on weekends, with several informal teams sometimes vying for space in the same field at the same time. Over a period of several years, there was talk of forming a weekend league, if for no other reason than to avoid conflicts over field time. Talks about a league were thrashed about by Dick Starkey, Noel Feustel, Jim O’Hare and the late Tom Lyon.



In the late 1960's pre-league Sunday evening games did include many "Daddies" who either worked for the Village (Beckel, Braddish) or others who probably took the Monday 6 A.M. Death Boat. We don't know who dubbed the Jon Lyon/Danny Weinlandt Team "Danny's Boys, "and they wer never known by that name, but it has been noted on the historical plaque. This team that played in the Sunday evening games in the late 60's against a team who became the Men. There were really only two teams in the "majors" at that time. "The Men" consisted of the likes of Mel Beckel, Kevin Braddish, Bert Pogrebin, Bruce Simon, Hill Farber, Dick Starkey. Can't remember if big Mike McA and Judge Latham were part of this team, or if they came alive with the Wrecks.

The Men played the Boys who consisted of hurler Danny Weinlandt (hence, I guess Danny's Boys), Jon Lyon Dennis and Phil Keane, Allen Aherne, and at various times any of the three Cunningham boys, John Standard, Johnny Glascock, Paul McGarrity (of Kismet bar fame), and Noel the Feustel. Noel, eventually dubbing the rest of us too serious about winning, started the Z Team, which eventually became the Dogfish. The Boys begat the A Team.

Although news releases for the formation went out in 1971 Get out and playball,The first organized league schedule was in 1973.1973-saltaire-softball-league-schedule

The teams in 1973 were:
The As
The Zs
The Teens
The Oedipus Wrecks
The Men




For the first time, organized scores, standings, and championships were awarded. Since then, the league has constantly grown in competitiveness and size. The league has been in existence so long now that there are many people playing today who were not yet born when the league was formed. Fewer can recall the great names of the 1950’s.

Saltaire38.blogspot.com has assiduously interviewed veterans of all eras, and is pleased to announce its nominees for the all-time All-Stars on from Saltaire from the 1940s up through the present.


AND THE NOMINEES ARE:


1940-1959:

• Sid Greer
  
• Art Mol
• Charlie Ludlow
• Paul Connelly Jr.
• Bruce Banta
• Dave Eisele
• Jack Thorp
• Bill Weinlandt
• Ed Weinlandt
• Bob Marks
• Bob Wright
• Robin Wright
• Mike Fitzgerald
• Pete Banta
• Kenny O'Hare
• James Connolly
• Tom Connolly
• Doug Wright
• John Conolly
• Squirt Aherne
• CarberyO'Shea, Jr.
• Joe Callahan
• Pete Callahan
  

From 1960-1969

Ronnie Swedborg
Danny Weinlandt

• Pete Kurackeck Jr.
• Allen Aherne
• Kenny Torrey
• Kenny O’Hare
• Eugene Piper
• Billy Ervin
• Johnny Glascock
• Jim O’Hare
• Dennis Keane
• Tom Connolly Jr.
• James Connolly
• John Connolly
• Doug Wright
• Carberry O’Shea Jr.
• Paul Wilson
• Rhett Sturman
• Squirt Aherne
• Mike Fitzgerald
• Stick O’Brien
• Bob McGuinn
• Robin Wright

BONUS: The Awesome Invaders of the 1960’s. NO VOTING NEEDED:

Barry Wetherall (FH)
Billy Newman (FH)
Dana Wallace (O.B.)



The 1970’s and 1980’s:

• Bobby "Turtle" Cerveny
• Mark Heller
• Noel Feustel
  
• Dick Latham
• Chris Boyman
• Michael Bernstein
  
• John Zaccaro Sr.
• Rudy Schott
  
• Kevin Braddish
  
• Mel Beckel
  
• Kevin Cunningham
  
• Chris Wright
  
• Charley Shaw
  
• Dan Klagsbrun
• Jonathan “Herc” Maier
  
• Jon Lyon
  
• Terry "Tubes" McGowan
  
• Mike McAllsiter Sr.
  
• John Standard
• Hillay Farber
• Tim Scanlan
• Robin Wright
• Danny Weinlandt
• Allen Aherne
• Dennis Keane
• Hank Bjorklund
  
• John Starkey
  
• Jeff Heller
  
• Todd Wright
  
• Bill Cunningham
  

1990-present:

• Tom "I" Sconzo
  
• Jon Metzler
• Brian Bier
• Harold Weinzweig
• Andy McAllister
• Ken "OI" Savelson
  
• Matt Newman
  
• John "Zuke"Zaccaro Jr.
• Ronnie Rudzin
• Lisa Jacobson
• Pete Starkey
  
• Paul Kahn
• Chris Clarkin
• Dougie Rosabella
• Andy Lipsitz
  
• Peter Hull
• Andy Macs
  
• Andy Sosa
• Teddy Nagangast
  
• Steve Carroll
  
• Steve Mathis
  
• NickyDolan
  
• Jeremy Mindich
  
• Mark Valente
• Matt Sirovich
  
• Adam Kupersmith
  
• John Goldberg
  
• Dave Mederrick
  
• Danny Rappaport
• Jeff Heller
  
• Todd Wright
  
• Ben Berman
• Sam Mathias
  
• Jon Cucci
• Chris Wright
• Robin Wright
  

SPECIAL HONORARY VOTES

SPECIAL VOTE: WRITE IN YOUR VOTES FOR "BEST NICKNAME" FOR ANY BALL PLAYER WHO EVER PLAYED IN LEAGUE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE ON ONE OF THE ABOVE LISTS











SPECIAL VOTE: WRITE IN YOUR VOTE FOR "LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT" AWARDS FOR ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SALTAIRE SOFTBALL IN ANY WAY WHO HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT AND LONG LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SALTAIRE SOFTBALL SCENE.




VOTING PROCEDURES


THERE WILL BE FOUR TEAMS SELECTED: ONE FOR EACH OF THE ERAS.


VOTE FOR ANY TEN CHOICES YOUR CHOICES MAY COME FROM ANY ERA OR ERAS.

WEIGHTED VOTING:



SOME PLAYERS PLAYED IN TWO OR MORE ERAS. YOU MAY VOTE FOR THE SAME PERSON IN DIFFERENT ERAS. IN THAT CASE, YOU WILL GET AN EXTRA VOTE FOR EACH TIME YOU VOTE A PERSON IN A SECOND OR THIRD ERA.




EXTRA WEIGHT WILL BE GIVEN FOR ANY VOTE THAT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A DESCRIPTION OF WHY SUCH PLAYER IS DESERVING ENSHRINEMENT. YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE POSTED. IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, PLEASE SO INDICATE.



This is how you vote:

By simple E mail. Send us your choices.

This is where you vote:







1) CUT AND PASTE THIS ADDRESS INTO YOUR E MAIL: SALTAIRESPORTS@AOL.COM

2) type in all your choices




3) E MAIL IT OUT


THEN PASS THE WORD AND FORWARD OUR WEBSITE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW:

WWW.SALTAIRE38.BLOGSPOT.COM





GOOD LUCK AND THANK YOU FOR VOTING


DERF FONTANALS
JIM O'HARE

EDITORS



WE REPORT YOU DECIDE

SALTAIRE38.BLOGSPOT.COM

Saltaire All-Star Voting To Begin During All Star Game

NOMINEES FOR SALTAIRE SOFTBALL ALL TIME ALL-STAR TEAMS TO BE ANNOUNCED, AND VOTING TO BEGIN FOR FINALISTS DURING THE MLB ALL STAR GAME ON JULY 15


NEW YORK, JULY 10, 2008

SALTAIRE 38.BLOGSPOT.COM, THE WEB'S MOST POPULAR SALTAIRE-RELATED BLOG, ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THE NOMINEES FOR SALTAIRE'S ALL TIME BEST SOFTBALL PLAYERS WILL BE POSTED ON THEIR SITE DURING THE SEVENTH INNING STRETCH OF THE ALL STAR GAME AT YANKEE STADIUM ON JULY 15.

FANS WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO VOTE FOR THE NOMINEES FOR BEST PLAYERS FROM FOUR SEPARATE ERAS:

THE 1950'S

THE 1960'S

THE 1970'S-1980'S

1990-PRESENT


THE WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER IN THE SUMMER, ACCORDING TO BLOG SPOKESMAN TOM QUINN. "THE VOTING PROCEDURES WILL BE UNIQUE FOR THIS POLL," SAID QUINN, WITH FANS BEING ABLE TO VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE PLAYERS IN ANY OR ALL FOUR OF THE ERAS. "THERE WILL BE NO LIMIT ON WHO CAN VOTE, OR HOW MANY TIMES, BUT VOTING WILL BE WEIGHTED, WITH VOTES ACCOMPANIED BY DESCRIPTIONS OF WHY A PARTICULAR NOMINEE SHOULD BE ENSHRINED WILL BE WEIGHTED MORE THAN A MERE CHECK MARK VOTE. "THE PURPOSE IS TO CREATE A SELF-JUSTIFYING POLL WHERE THE REASONS STATED FOR VOTES CAN BE SUBJECT TO SCRUTINY WHEN THE RESULTS ARE ANNOUNCED." ALTHOUGH COMMENTS MAY BE PUBLISHED, A VOTER CAN REQUEST AND WILL BE GRANTED ANONYMITY.

QUINN ALSO ANNOUNCED THAT REQUESTS FOR NOMINEES WILL STILL BE CONSIDERED. ANYONE WANTING TO REQUEST A PARTICULAR PLAYER TO BE NOMINATED MAY DO SO BY CONTACTING THE BLOG AT: SALTAIRESPORTS@AOL.COM


MARK IT ON YOU R CALENDAR NOW: SEVENTH INNING STRETCH OF THE ALL STAR GAME AND THE NOMINEES WILL BE POSTED AND VOTING WILL COMMENCE FOR THE BEST SALTAIRE PLAYERS EVER.

We report. You decide



ONLY ON WWW.SALTAIRE38.BLOGSPOT.COM

This Just In: Saltaire's Greatest Ballplayers. 1940-1969 to be Announced

click image to enlarge. Copyright JOH

JO'H:

This just in: The long anticipated results of our fans' voting for the greatest Saltaire Ballplayers from the 1940's 1950's and 1960's are soon to be announced.

The votes are all in and the results are being tabulated by our 1955 era UNIVAC Salt-Air 1000 computer in Palo Alto, Calfornia.

Scientists anticipate the complex logarithmic computations will be completed by by midnight Sunday.

To insure integrity of the vote and to avoid another "Bush v. Gore" nightmare, we decided to go retro. Katharine Harris is sooo 2000-ish, so we opted for a change you can believe in:

Since everybody knows that things were so much better in the old days, we dug up an old hero to vouch for the results of our vote.

Once the UNIVAC totals are fully tabulated, the results will be sealed in a zip-lock bag and turned over to former Columbia Prof. Chas. Van Doren who will take the Sunday night red-eye back to New York and securely hand us the envelope at JFK.

We will post the results here Monday morning.

Will your favorite be on this immortal list? Who did the fans vote for as the best from the Forties, Fifties, and Sixties?

Keep your browser tuned to http://www.saltaire38.blogspot.com/

The results will be posted here Monday morning.

Only on : www.Saltaire38.blogspot.com

J. O'Hare

Derf

Co editors

FI Voting location moved to Bay Shore/Patchogue

Thanks to Judy Steinman of Ocean Beach, who forwarded the alternate location for those vote who normally vote in Ocean Beach.

Voting in person on Election Day will be at the Bay Shore Middle School, 393 Brooke Avenue, Bay Shore.

For those who usually vote at the Ocean Bay Park Fire House, the alternate site is the Knights of Columbus Hall, 38 West 1st Street in Patchogue.

Saltaire's Duncan Dobie Nominated for NASCAR'S BETTY JANE FRANCE HUMANITARIAN AWARD

Duncan Dobie, one of the best contributors ever to this blog, is presently nominated for NASCAR'S BETTY JANE FRANCE Humanitarian Award.

SEE  THE ABOVE VIDEO. VOTE FOR HIS CHARITY at NASCAR:
http://www.nascar.com/award

And Duncan has long written to us about how he brought his Uncle Pete Kuracheck -  honed swimming teaching to Camp Sunshine kids. For over thirty years:

Duncan Dobie writes us, on  7-4-2012:

For the past two weeks I’ve been teaching swimming lessons to teenagers at Camp Sunshine, the children’s cancer camp in Georgia. It, it was our 30th year celebration and my 30th year as a volunteer. Over the years, I’ve taught dozens of kids to swim, using the tried and true techniques we were all taught by our unforgettable mentor in Saltaire so long ago. You better believe I told some of those kids about my “Seal Team 6” training by Uncle Pete and I always reinact our “life-saving” technique that Uncle Pete branded into our brains. If you didn’t go underwater and swim behind him he would engulf you with his Hulk-like body, wrap his arms around you and pull you under with no mercy. Little kids usually have almost no fear of the water and they learn very quickly. But you get a 15 year old who has never been around water and they’re terrified to put their heads under. I had one girl who was a “sinker.” I remember Uncle Pete talking about sinkers and floaters. As I remember, I think he taught us that about 10 percent of the people are sinkers, that is, they cannot float at all, even in salt water. Every time this girl got in the water and tried to swim she went down like the Titanic. Just think, thanks to Uncle Pete all of us could have been heroes in the Seals, Special Forces, Forced Recon, FBI HRT and others, but apparently none of us took advantage of that one-of-kind training.

PS: BELOW ARE SOME more  OF DUNCAN'S contributions to Saltaire38.
Give him a vote.  For his charity.

http://saltaire38.blogspot.com/search?q=duncan


(JO'H)

Saltaire Memories

click image to enlarge

And how time flies. Post below as many names as you can name, and guess the season.

Thanx, ValerieJeane for this great pix.

Keep 'em coming, gang.

Here is a little history of where this team evolved from:

In the late 1960's pre-league Sunday evening games did include many "Daddies" who either worked for the Village (Beckel, Braddish) or others who probably took the Monday 6 A.M. Death Boat. We don't know who dubbed the Jon Lyon/Danny Weinlandt Team "Danny's Boys, "and they wer never known by that name, but it has been noted on the historical plaque. This team that played in the Sunday evening games in the late 60's against a team who became the Men. There were really only two teams in the "majors" at that time. "The Men" consisted of the likes of Mel Beckel, Kevin Braddish, Bert Pogrebin, Bruce Simon, Hill Farber, Dick Starkey. Can't remember if big Mike McA and Judge Latham were part of this team, or if they came alive with the Wrecks.The Men played the Boys who consisted of hurler Danny Weinlandt (hence, I guess Danny's Boys), Jon Lyon Dennis and Phil Keane, Allen Aherne, and at various times any of the three Cunningham boys, John Standard, Johnny Glascock, Paul McGarrity (of Kismet bar fame), and Noel the Feustel. Noel, eventually dubbing the rest of us too serious about winning, started the Z Team, which eventually became the Dogfish. The Boys begat the A Team.

FROM: "A Brief History of Saltaire Softball" http://saltaire38.blogspot.com/search?q=VOTE

VOTE TO NAME THE BOAT

Secret inside sources tell Saltaire38 that the Fire Island Ferry Company is still debating the name of the new new ferry that will replace the Captain Patterson.

URGENT: CALL AND E-MAIL FIRE ISLAND FERRIES NOW and let them know THAT YOUR CHOICE IS AMERICA'S CHOICE:

THE FIRE ISLANDER

now and forever:

THE FIRE ISLANDER

CALL AND E MAIL: 631 665-3600 info@fireislandferries.com


The Fire Islander

There were stories.
It was a war boat and still ruled the waters of my childhood,
Its whitewashed wood remembering scars from its wounds
But now, in eight-year-old eyes,
it becomes a ticket to a new planet.
Captain Al standing tall as Gary Cooper,
nudging his craft through Bay Shore harbor
as soft waves caressed the ferry’s sides;
then, free, opened the throttle,
and raised waves and wake,
splashing our thirsty faces with a new summer.
---Diane McManusAugust 1, 2009

WILL LE PAPILLON EVER SAIL AGAIN???YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN

All is not lost for the LE PAPILLON. We hear the angry dad might be considering options anywhere from salvage to restoration. Vote below whether you think LePapillon deserves a chance to sail another day. It might cost a fortune to right her, but it does have a steel hull, and all. Perhaps we could run a fundraiser to get her off the beach and back under sail. Saltaire often hosts fundraisers that make a lot of money for for hopeless causes. This could be one of the greatest fundraisers Dune 13 has ever seen. Bigger than "Save the Oak Beach Inn" or "Slow Down Moses." This can be our fundraising poem to Save the LePapillon:

"OLD STEELSIDES"

Aye, tear her tattered ensign down

Long has it waved on high

And many an eye has danced to see

That banner in the sky--

Beneath it slept some hapless kids

Oblivious to Saltaire's shore

The meteor of the Ocean's air

Shall sweep the clouds no more!

Her deck, once tread with untrained crew

Who were their own worst foe

When winds were hurrying o'er the flood

And waves were white below

Were doing something down below

They don't want dad to know

The harpies of the shore shall pluck

This victim of its crew

Click "comments" to let us know what you think about contributing money to OLIVER WENDELL COSMO to set up a "Save the LePapillon" Fund. Contributions may be Tax Deductible.

Strangers in Paradise

How Come they didn't name her STRANGER II?

















modern image by Justin Zizes Jr.
















Actually, way back when they added the new STRANGER to the fleet, our vote would have been to name her the FIRE ISLANDER II. That was never done, and now so much time has gone by, there are people out there who never heard of the FIRE ISLANDER. So here's to you, Captain Al, wherever you are. This should have been your namesake.
--JOH


GOOD RESPONSE from FA:
Hi Saltaire 38 bloggers -
good to see some interest back here about Great South Bay /ferry.I would say traditionally Fire Island Ferries Inc. has never named a II or III ferry, Sayville Ferry had many years ago the Beachcomer fleet of the II and III and also the Flying Hornet. If you look back at the history the original Stranger, Stranger was a part of the Village of Saltaire no need for the modern Stranger to be II. In fleets of vessels, the II or III are used when there is an existing named vessel around. FIFI has on order a new ferry. Inside sources tell me it will be named after a former vessel they once owned- FI Queen, Isle of Fire are the lead names. Isle of Fire II was in their fleet as well, being acquired in the purchase of the Fair Harbor/Dunewood ferry Co- actually the real name of that company was the Cherry Grove Ferry Co. owned by Gus Pagels who lived on the Westside of Maple Ave. in Bay Shore (Brick house). He had the fleet of the Atlantic and Running Wild, then came along Isle of Fire and followed by Isle of Fire II.I remember the Atlantic and being aboard her for many a crossing of the Great South Bay. She was a two deck gray painted vessel in my time. It took over 40 minutes from Fair Harbor to the Maple Ave. dock in Bay Shore. There were two freight boats, but only used by Eddie Lipinski ( the father of Arthur Lipinski of Saltaire) who owned the store on the bay Bay front known as the Fair Harbor Market. The name of those vessels were Souvenir and then came Chesapeake.



Captain Frank fills in the story:

























Guys,Yes, FA forgot the "Cherry Grove". Gus's first ferry operation was in Cherry Grove, hence the name of his corporation. The "Atlantic" (or "Crab Crusher") had such a low freeboard that she always appeared to be sinking.Ed Lipinsky had the "Chesapeake" but did not keep the "Souvenir" which he bought along with the Fair Harbor Market from Eddie Grassnik. He sold "Souvenir" to Ed Robbins who was beginning to develop the area now known as Atlantique and Robbins Rest.Dick Block and Bill Leyrer (lost on PanAm 103) ambitiously took the name Fair Harbor Ferry Corporation when they began to run the first Dunewood ferry, anticipating that they would subsequently buy out Pagels, with the help of Bill's father-in-law, Phil Helriegel. Their dream was short-lived. Their boats were named South Bay in place of American Export-Isbrandtsen ships of the same name. The Isbrandtsen family is from the Bay Shore-Brightwaters area and a few of them worked for us at FIFI.We never adopted the convention of naming boats "II" or "III". Patterson bought "Roamer II" from Clyde Best in 1965 and "Saltaire III" came along with the Saltaire Ferry Co. in 1950. We began to recycle the names of old ferries once they were safely off Great South Bay or "sleeping under it".Capt. Frank

HEROES AT LAST! THE CAPSIZERS SPEAK AFTER 51 YEARS

After 51 years of shame and ignominy, the crew that capsized the Puffin in front of the whole village in 1957, thereby changing the course of Saltaire Sailing history, emerge to tell their heroic story.

Goats no more! This heroic duo reveal below the secrets that proved the Puffin was too puny for the perils of the Great South Bay. Innumerable future capsizings, maybe even drownings were averted. A generation of happy healthy Saltaire youngsters would have been turned off from sailing if they had to sail the sad sack Puffin around the Bay.

Background: It was 1957 and somebody decided it was time to move on from the CC to something newer. The village sailing establishment perhaps bought the “Perfect Pitch” of some huckster who was peddling the Puffin as the “uncapsizable” boat of the future ideal for Saltaire youth. It was just a matter of formality for a score of Saltaire families to “sign on the line” for the delivery of a fleet of Puffins for the 1958 season. So on Labor Day, 1957 the demonstration was to be held. The whole village tramped out on the dock after the Labor Day ceremonies at the Yacht Club, check books in hand to watch two of Saltaire’s best sailors demonstrate the uncapsizable Puffin. This was the first act of the coming 1960’s: kids prove they were not afraid to challenge the unchallenged decisions of the older generation.

This is their story, In Their Own Write:


Patsy O'Shea






THE MYSTERY OF THE PUFFIN CAPSIZING SOLVED
by Patsy O’Shea

A moment of ignominy which turned out to be a service to the community instead.

The Puffin was capsized by Mary Parmelee and Patsy O'Shea in the summer of 1957 in front of a crowd of prospective buyers for the Puffin who stood on the dock watching us. Prior to our sail, nobody gave us any information or understanding of how this boat was radically different than the CCs (Cape Cods) we were used to. The wind that day was very strong and coming from the southwest. We were sailing right in front of the prospective buyers and curious onlookers lined up on the dock, about 75 yards away We had just been out a few minutes. Mary was the skipper, holding the tiller at the time that big wind gust hit us, and I was holding the sheets for the main sail and the jib. I was really surprised how tipsy that boat was relative to the wooden Cape Cods we were used to sailing. I'm not sure if it would have helped if Mary had adjusted by pushing the tiller away from her, “heading up” and therefore the boat up into the wind where its sails could lose wind. Perhaps she did. But I suspect there was simply no time to do this. Big gust, at least 25 knots, probably higher. The boat heeled so fast, I remember watching the water coming over the starboard gunnel, and thinking with surprise "Oh, Oh!!I" I didn’t dump the gust's air quickly enough from the main sail, and over we went. I remember feeling very calm and quiet, and also the warm feeling of the bay water, as I slipped in. Then I saw all the dangling lines and mast in the blur of the water. Enough to warn me to dive deep underwater, under all the lines, and sails before resurfacing, and to swim plenty wide of the boat and all the paraphernalia. Thanks to the rigorous training in swimming that Uncle Pete demanded of us for our Life Guard Certificate, swimming away underwater was easy, relaxed and freeing for me. But I was a bit embarrassed to surface!! Truthfully, my reacting quicker on the main, would have kept us upright, so I honestly hold myself accountable for the capsizing. Not Mary, the skipper.

That summer Mary was the skipper of the Parmelee CC boat, Calcutter II, in all the races, and I was her crew for the Series cup, also known as the Goddard Trophy. We were chosen to be the demonstrators most likely as a result of the suggestion of some of the adults in the Sailing Committee. We had just won the Goddard Trophy that year. This trophy was given for the highest total point score in all the races accumulated throughout the season. We, therefore, seemed like the best young sailors to demonstrate the coming technology: the fiberglass boat with Dacron sails. BIG MISTAKE...at least for the Puffin salesman!!

The CC (Cape Cod) boats were made of cedar wood, and had cotton sails with three battens in the main. They had a boom that was extremely long, just about the same length as the mast. One of the characteristics of this boat was a great stability on the bay. It had ballasts made of cement, under the floor boards which you could move around as necessary to balance the boat while on various tacks. Good movement of the weight of people and the ballasts was one of the techniques for gaining time during a leg of a race to win. It also had a fairly shallow rudder and a quick-moving relatively shallow centerboard that enabled us to work the shoals to take advantage when tides were strongly against us. The CC had an extremely heavy weather helm; and it took considerable force to steer it. In fact, sometimes the skipper had to put two hands on the tiller. When Mary and I undertook the demonstration, we were completely uninformed about the nature of the Puffin. It was so light; the tiller had little weather helm, the nylon ropes felt strange in my hands. The mast was tall, relative to the boom, so the shape of the main sail was less forgiving to a big gust of wind. Neptune came and blew our youthful pride away. We were two young, naive sea maidens. What more can I say??

We kept those buyers from buying. The Puffin was tubby and flippy, a bad choice for the Great South Bay, in my humble opinion. Only the Ervins and Stones bought one. Everyone else walked away. Around this time, the Tom Connolly family invested in an impressive 18 foot long CC Rhodes 18, called the Wahoo. Swift and light, made of fiberglass with Dacron sails, it was beautiful, and had a wonderful ping when the halyards hit the aluminum mast. But it was costlier, and faster than the CC’s which meant it had a handicap, and the ultra-competent Connolly boys had to sail “alone.” They missed out on the delicious things we did among the CC’s to steal each other’s wind or scoot in close to a buoy and ace out another boat. Later the CC Mercury was introduced. Richie McManus has written earlier in a June blog about Saltaire sailing history, that it was his father, Dr. Dick, (a sailing partner of my own father, Carbery who played crew on the jib to Dr. Dick’s skippering) brought the boat to Saltaire. It was made of fiberglass, also with Dacron sails. It was a little longer, sleeker, and more stable than the Puffin, and more comfortable to seat 3 people. The O'Sheas finally bought their own family boat, a Mercury. My mother, Genevieve, usually thought of as the mother of 8 children, but really a poet and artist, named it Tern. If you watch a tern fly, and then watch a puffin fly, you know why Saltairians invested in the Merk. Of course, the capsizing demonstration might have played into their decisions too. . .

Patsy O’Shea

P.S. I want to thank Jean Parmelee, who taught Mary Parmelee lots of sailing tricks, and Mary, who taught me. Later, in 1960, I got to skipper the Lapp boat and won the coveted Goddard trophy, this time as skipper, not crew. I want to thank Natalie Lapp, my first mate, who always let the main run out just right. We never had a gooseneck jibe in her capable hands. I thank Adrienne too, who controlled the jib, so tightly on a point, and also willingly shifted her weight and ballasts to enable us to run, rather fly, before the wind, and use the shoals to beat our competition. And thanks to both of you for backing the jib so heartily, despite discomfort, when we were on a running leg and also for moving to the bow with such trust in me.

The best Saltaire historian of the early program with CCs , by far, would be Edie Whitney Watts. I hope one of her tech savvy sons or daughter will get her to write it. Also Patti Connelly and Jeanne won lots of races, so Patti McAllister is a major memory source and a very capable sailor. The Connellys won the Goddard Trophy more than once.

Besides Richie McManus, other sources of knowledge of the sailing program, as it evolved in Saltaire, would be Jerry & Carol Hopkins, Jill Imray Shapard, Richie Miller, Kathleen O’Shea Alexander, Jean Parmelee, Mary Parmelee Ried and Louise Parmelee Sylvester, Kathy (now known as Katia) McManus Buchler Lund, John O’Shea, Sheila O ’Shea Gibbens, Dionnys Miller, Billy Ervin, Charlie Lapp and brothers Will and Joe, and sisters Natalie, Adrienne and Teresa, Jonathan Leigh, Gregg and Mark Dietrich, Angus Jameson, Patrick McElhone, and undoubtedly some others I don’t yet know. I hope some more of you will write about your sailing. It’s fun conjuring up these memories. Awakening these neurons will keep us all young!

Mary Parmelee Ried…when you read this account do you have anything to add? Your obedient crew, Patsy O’Shea


THE MYSTERY OF THE PUFFIN CAPSIZING SOLVED
by Mary Parmelee


The mystery of the famous capsizing of the Puffin is solved! Mary Parmelee (that would be me), having just become famous as the winner of the prestigious Saltaire sailing trophy, was asked by the Puffin sales rep to take a test sail while a crowd of onlookers watched. The salesman boasted that the Puffin could not be capsized, but only yards off the dock I proved him wrong. I have lived in fear of revenge of the manufacturer ever since. Patsy O’Shea called me up recently to tell me about this wonderful blog. I now want to go back more than ever.

Mary Parmelee Reid

RICHARD MCMANUS, sailing a 28 footer up north these days, adds to the growing chorus of praise for the Capsizers:

"I absolutely agree with all Patsy and Mary said---and I TOTALLY am glad that the Puffin didn't make it in Saltaire. It was a gruesome boat to sail upwind against tide, and it would have turned off many potential sailors. BTW if you google Cape Cod Mercury OR CC Knockabout you will find a LOT of listings. You can't find the Puffin sailboat anywhere. It was not beloved sufficiently to leave an internet mark. GREAT SAILING ladies, and thanks for all the history prior to the Mercury infestation. I recall the lead ballast in the CC's but I DID NOT realize there was also cement. That was an awesome boat!

Richard McM.

**************************************************************************
Editors’ note:

Q: why did it take 51 years to break this story?
A: The answer is simple: there has never been a website as perceptive as Saltaire38.blogspot. com

Reveal your stories here too. Contact us. Confession is good for the soul. Even after 51 years, it is not too late.

George “Derf” Fontanals
Jim O’Hare co editors.


Vote here:

Was the 1957 Puffin capsizing the disaster the older generation thought it was, or was it a service to the Village?
Are the crew goats or heroes?
Register your comments below by clicking the word “comments.”


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SALTAIRE'S 50 BEST SOFTBALL PLAYERS, 1940-1969 ANNOUNCED; MVP OF THEM ALL A FAMILY TALE

click on images to enlarge

SALTAIRE’S FABULOUS FIFTY, 1940-1969

The Best Softball Players of Saltaire, 1940-1969

The results are in for the votes for Saltaire Softball’s Top Forty Players, 1940-1969.

We have broken the results down into five nine man teams representing, generally, their time frames. Obviously some of the players played in overlapping time frames, so the fact that a player appears on one team does not mean he was limited to playing in that time frame. Generally, regardless of age, a player was placed in an era that they first became all stars.

1940’s to Early 1950’s:

1) Bob Wright (MVP of that ERA) (pictured here in 1955) could have made any Saltaire All star squad from 1940 through 1969).

2) Art Mol: famous as a slugger, this Saltaire legend whose family sold to Stillgebauers in 1957, was also long time Saltaire chief Ocean Lifeguard.

3) Harry Marschalk

4) Bruce Potter

5) Dan Kopfh

6) Bruce Banta: families still in Saltaire

8) Sid Greer

9) Walter Ulrich



EARLY AND MID 1950’S:

1) Bob Marks (MVP of that era) Pictured here: . All Muscle, not too tall, quiet and great power hitter.

2) Bill Weinlandt: of the Weinlandt brothers. Bill Played a cool first base. Tall, I thought he was Gil Hodges out there.

3) Ed Weinlandt: Pitched. Not blazing fast. The most deceptive pitcher since Satchel Page. Could get an anxious batter to swing at his slow underhand pitches before the ball got to the plate. Too much of a gentleman to gloat when he got you to swing at a ball three feet from the strike zone, he could compliment you (really) for a good try when he struck you out.

Ed Weinlandt loved the game so much that even after he hurt his foot badly, which left him with a permanent limp, he pitched for many more seasons. Lucky was the kid who got to pinch- run for Ed Weinlandt. You stood behind home plate and when he hit the ball, you ran. Kids got their first chance to play in a “grownup” game by running bases for Ed Weinlandt.

4) Joe Callahan: called the “best shortstop ever” at Saltaire by no less an authority than Robin Wright.

5) Paul W. Connelly Jr.: Bill Weinlandt and Paul Connelly Jr. were the two best first- baseman in Saltaire, but neither lived on Marine Walk. To keep things fair, Mr. Connelly would play first base for Marine Walk, and Bill Weinlandt would play the same position for “The World” in the classic “Marine Walk v. The World” match ups of the 1950’s. Like the Weinlandts, Connelly was a great athlete. Connelly ran track for Notre Dame. The Weinlandts, big guys, rowed for NYAC for many years.

6) Jack Thorp: big, strong, until last year still a Saltairian.

See Thorp, the Weinlandts, and others in this 1957 photo:

From left: Ed Weinlandt; Jack Thorp, Mike Fitzgerald, unidentified; Bill Weinlandt; Stick O'Brien and Bob Marks. Kid at end: Larry Lynch.

7) Charley Ludlow. Beloved, left us too soon. Played short and a fine hitter. Better yet, a fine person. Here he is years before, when he was a teenager.

8) Dave Banta

9) BOB Callahan (same family as the Corrigans)



MID 1950’s to early 1960’s

1) Robin Wright. (MVP of that era) the future “Fossil” is perhaps the only Saltaire Player with a more amazing and lengthy career than his father Bob Wright. Most home runs, 1960’s. Most home runs, all time. Most games played, most seasons played, all time.

2) John “JO.” (sometimes misspelled “JAYO”) Connolly. Still in Saltaire after all these years, played infield. When Uncle Pete let the kids play hardball, JO was often catcher. Could really take a licklin but keep on tickin behind the plate. His natural position: infield. Allegedly Hates the nickname.

3) Doug Wright: played a similar infield to John Connolly: same size, same scrappy style. As a hitter Doug got a lot of base hits as opposed the boomers launched all his relatives. He is Robin’s younger brother. Reflexes made him a good, quick third baseman.

4) James Connolly. Played a great first base for years. Hit with power and authority. He kind of ran defensive things from his first base position. In James’ later Saltaire summers in weeknight games against Ocean Beach, we sometimes tried to delay the start until the last ferry got in. James was a deckhand and we needed him, but so did Capt. Al. Johnny Glascock first played against OB when he would baby sit the first base position until James came running down Broadway and into the field somewhere in the middle of the first or second inning.

5) Thomas (Tom) Connolly. Twin to James. Tom and James Connolly were a year or two older than John. All three were terrific athletes, and they were coached well as youngsters.
Tom Connolly Sr. would bring Tom, Jim and John to the ball field when it was empty, and he would teach them basics. They were maybe 10 or 12 then. Mr. Connolly would stand at home plate, set the boys up at infield positions, and hit them fungoes. As the infield drills sped up, he would abbreviate the kids’ names: He would say “T” and whack a hard grounder to Tom. “J” meant get the ball to James. “JO” meant the ball was coming to John. The kids had good coaching.

6) Pete Kurachek Jr. : A chip off the old block. Strong, steady and versatile, Uncle Pete’s son could play any position, he did so well. Most often played shortstop or catcher.

7) Kenny O’Hare Jr. Played any position, usually outfield. Good hitter. Ran well.

8) Carbery O’Shea Jr.: all around ballplayer, coach, played outfield hit with consistency and power. One of the best at helping out younger players.

9. Squirt Aherne and Mike Fitzgerald (tie) Squirt: another smooth operator from Marine Walk.

Mike Fitzgerald worked hard at it. Bulldog as a catcher.

RobinWright, Squirt and Mike Fitz can be seen in this 1957 photo:

Early to mid 1960’s. These players were the ones that mostly learned the ropes from an early age from Uncle Pete. The picture shows part of the 1960's team team when they were just kids in 1957, and they played together under the same coaching for year after year until they dominated in the early and mid 1960's.

Pictured front from left: Kevin McGuinn, Jim O'Hare, Mickey Kurachek, Allen Aherne, Hans Hommels. Back row from left: Meegan Keegan, Danny Weinlandt, Larry Lynch, Johnny Glascock and Bill Ervin

1) Johnny Glascock and Danny Weinlandt: co- MVPs of the early/ middle 1960’s. Johnny was the best hitter and Danny the best pitcher. Johnny hit with power, and played first,and often caught both Danny and Ronnie Swedborg.

Danny pitched and batted left handed and pulled the ball, so his power hits were often doubles, but he hit for a good average. His pitching style was fast and hard to hit. Whereas Danny's Uncle Ed Weinlandt’s (see above) pitching style was slow and patient, Danny at his best could be too fast to hit.

Johnny Glascock was as versatile an athlete as there was. He was pretty big, but athletic enough to captain his wrestling teams in high school and college. He hit the Chocolate Church every now and then, and hit a lot over the fence. Caught enough because he was big and tough, but athletic enough to play a fine first base.

(picture at right: Doug Wright and Danny Weinlandt reminesce at Saltaire Reunion, September 2008).


3. Ronnie Swedborg: Pitcher. Right handed. Often he would pitch one game, Danny would pitch another. Ronnie was a couple years older and really pitched a lot in the early 1960’s before Danny and Johnny came of age. But he pitched in the mid 1960's for this team.

Ronnie could pitch maybe as fast as Danny, but he always pitched with his arm cocked at the elbow, as if he had a cast on his arm. That made his release a little higher than your normal underhand delivery, and it was very hard to get a good sense of where the ball was coming from. Also hit well and hit for power. All in all, Danny and Ronnie Swedborg were the very best pitchers in Saltaire in the 1960’s.

4. Allen Aherne. Great reflexes here made for a great third baseman. Could go to his right and get up to get the runner at first as well as anybody. Hit will and with power.

5. Kenny Torrey: both played at the same time, and a good argument can be made about either as being the best third baseman. Kenny Torrey, a little smaller than Allen, and a little bit more athletic. Allen could hit the ball farther; Kenny always hit a lot of singles. Kenny got bigger a few years later, and was an all-America playing baseball in small college. There is now a squash gym at Columbia Univ. named after Ken Torrey, assistant director of athletics to this day.

6. Eugene Piper: he was really important at short stop and he hit for average, especially for this team in its earliest years. Fine reflexes, and was a good match for his second baseman Bill Ervin. Butch Cassidy to Blervin's Sundance Kid.

7. Bill Ervin: could turn a double play with a good relay from Eugene or Kenny or Allen.
Bill Ervin had a good eye at the plate, batted for average, and had a good range at second base. On the small confines of a softball diamond, with Billy Ervin at second and Johnny Glascock at first, ground ball hits between first and second bases were rare.

8. Dick Latham: Great agile athletic infielder/outfielder, a lot of people know him from the 1970’s and beyond, but the judge started playing on Saltaire teams in the 1960’s and outshining kids 25 years his junior.
9. Phil Keane: another hardworking athlete who could hit. Phil and others bridged this team with the great teams that immediately followed it.



THE LATE 1960'S AND THE END OF AN ERA: THE LAST GREAT TEAMS before the formation of the Saltaire Softball league and organized schedules. These kids below not only rounded out the 1960’s with great teams, they would be the core of the exciting league play that started in the the early 1970’s:

1.)Bobby “Turtle” Cerveny, MVP of era. Grew into a great power hitter, hit the roof of the Chocolate church as many times as any person. He showed all the kids his age that they were just as good as all the great teams before them.

2. Denis Keane. Great hitter and fielder, he garnered a lot of votes for all around ballplayer.

3. Kevin Cunningham: big, strong, athletic and hit with lots of power. Like the Wrights and Connolly's before them, the Cunninghams contributed 3 great players to their generation. Kevin was the best athlete of the three.

4. Noel Feustel: lots of votes here, not just for athletic prowess but for pioneering new leagues. Another power hitter who was left handed and limited to doubles, Noel anchored the teams he built and kept all those guys together for years after the 1960’s.

4. Terry Cunningham: Big, Tall, Fun. Boy, we miss Terry. Could play outfield, and hit well. His humor probably kept the more serious Kevin on an even keel and the whole team benefited from his sense of proportion.

5. Bill Cunningham. The oldest Cunningham could hit the ball a mile. Level headed and cool, had a good eye and hit for average.
6. Mike Bernstein. Fastest ever in the outfield.
7. Chris Boyman: these guys were really good, even at an early age. Heree's Scoonj and Bernstein in the late 1970's but they were real good at early ages and sarted impressing people in the late 1960's.
8. Rudy Schott: older, played more later, but he played in the 1970’s and can’t be ignored in voting as a great pitcher.
9. Chip Hull: "Cosmo" received one vote from himself as “most notorious player ever.” Stepped on a nail and got an enormous flapper, 2008.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER OF ALL 1940-1969 IS:

A TIE

The co-winners of best players ever, 1940-1969 are:

MR. BOB WRIGHT AND

MR ROBIN (FOSSIL) WRIGHT

CONGRATULATIONS ALL

SALTAIRE38.BLOGSPOT.COM

Jim O'Hare,

Derf Fontanals

Editors for now