The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
A dedication for Bransfield on perfect baseball day
MIDDLETOWN — Sunday was warm and breezy at Palmer Field, typical conditions for baseball in July. Jim Bransfield would have appreciated it.
Middletown Post 75 played really well, winning two games against Madison, and Jim would have loved that, too. Lots of offense. Very good pitching. Outstanding defense. Attendance was good. Fans were into it. The renovations to the park, the pristine baseball diamond — Jim would have felt pride in these things.
All of the pieces fit perfectly together on Fan Appreciation Day, which included the dedications of the baseball and football press boxes in memory of Jim, who died earlier this year, and his son, Dana, who died in 1990.
Post 75’s leadership put together a brief and meaningful program that recognized Jim as public-address announcer, writer, teacher, fan, father, brother, mentor and friend. It was important to be at Palmer Field on this day.
Among the speakers was Robert Santangelo, the city’s deputy mayor, who said, “the city of Middletown was always in Jim’s heart.”
Councilman Gene Nocera said, “Jim might have been the most recognizable voice in Middlesex County.”
Post 75 commander Larry Riley said, Jim “probably did more for the American Legion in Middletown than anyone else.”
Jim’s brother, Doug, said trying to capture Jim’s love of local sports and the community as a whole “would be like taking the Grapes of Wrath and condensing it into two pages of cliff notes.”
“He never considered any of what he did as a job. He considered it an honor and privilege to serve the community in these capacities,” Doug Bransfield said. “On behalf of the Bransfield family, we are deeply appreciative, humbled and
honored to be here today.”
Jim was covering Post 75 baseball games in some way since the 1960s. He especially appreciated the state championship teams of 1968, 1979 and 1982, an era when Post 75 baseball was A Big Thing in town. He was also behind the mic when Post 75 hosted the American Legion World Series in 1988 and 1999.
On Sunday, it wasn’t a reach to think that most everyone at the ballpark was touched either directly or indirectly by Jim’s work.
As the dedication wrapped up, the first song to come from the Jim & Dana Bransfield Press Box speakers was Sinatra’s “New York, New York” — an anthem for Yankees fans. And Jim was a BIG one.
Then, Post 75, fresh off of a Game 1 victory over Madison, went out and won again to build on its momentum ahead of the state tournament this coming weekend.
“Of all the days we wanted to win two, we wanted to win two on Jim’s day,” Post 75 coach Jay Famiglietti said.
Jim probably would have expected nothing less.
CLASS L WELCOMES XAVIER
Middletown and Xavier last met on the football field on Thanksgiving in 2012. If they square off again someday, could it be in the state playoffs?
Xavier’s enrollment has fallen below the CIAC cutoff for Class LL by a count of 10, so this fall the Falcons will play in Class L. Middletown has been a postseason staple in the division. Xavier in Class L could be just a one-year thing. But just imagine, if Xavier’s enrollment remains within the range and the Falcons start to win again, and Middletown keeps up its crazy consistency … well, football fans would just love it.
Fourteen schools are switching divisions this fall. Coginchaug’s co-op team with Hale-Ray and East Hampton is among them, moving up from Class S to Class M.
Xavier last made the playoffs in 2014, when it beat Shelton in overtime to win the Class LL small-division championship — its fourth in a five-year stretch. The Falcons were 4-6 last season, their first non-winning record since finishing 5-5 in 2007.
Middletown is bidding
for a seventh straight playoff berth in Class L. The division lost New Canaan, the team that eliminated the Blue Dragons last December, to Class LL. Last season was the one time in its six straight playoff appearances that Middletown played the Rams, who won state titles from 2013-16.
“New Canaan is obviously a great program and their record speaks for itself, but I don’t worry about it, strange as that sounds,” Middletown coach Sal Morello said. “There are so many good teams in Class L. It’s one less great team, I guess. We have plenty of other things on our plate to worry about.”
A RULE WORTH CHALLENGING
Post 75 right-hander Luke Garofalo was one out away from pitching a nohitter against Zone 3 leader Cheshire a week ago Saturday. He went to a 1-1 count on the next hitter, and with the pitch count at 105, his day was over.
The national legion rule lets a pitcher finish the count, but Connecticut legion officials removed that part from their books. I’m going to guess most state coaches hate the fact it was decided for them.
Had Garofalo thrown a
106th pitch, the rule says he and coach Jay Famiglietti would have been ejected and subject to suspension, and the game would have to be forfeited if Cheshire were to protest before the final out.
It’s ridiculous, and not just because it hurt Garofalo. It’s clear that the state’s leadership is trying to protect young arms, but to not have a chance to finish a count? Garofalo, who had 15 strikeouts, deserved to finish the hitter. If he did, he might have had a nohitter for his resume.
Instead, Famiglietti removed him. Cheshire tied the game on a walk and two hits and won in extra innings.
FREE WRESTLING CAMP
Middletown-area youths ages 8 to 12 who would like to learn how to wrestle can attend Camp Colter for free later this month at Keigwin School.
Instruction is overseen by Middletown High coach Mark Fong, Xavier’s Mike Cunningham and some of their programs’ wrestlers. The camp will run July 30 through Aug. 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“This is one way for us to try and grow the sport and get the kids to make a connection
with wrestling,” Fong said.
Camp Colter is funded by the Community Foundation of Middlesex County. The camp is named for Colter Abely, who graduated from Xavier in 2010 and wrestled for the Falcons. He was 20 when he died six summers ago in an automobile accident.
For more information, contact Fong at fongm@mpsct.org.
The foundation also is holding the annual Colter Golf Classic on Saturday at Portland’s Quarry Ridge. Proceeds go to the foundation’s Colter Abely Achievement Fund, which benefits the wrestling programs at MHS and Xavier. For more, visit https://middlesexcountycf.org/news-events/events/2018-colter-classicgolf/.
40 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Some jewels in Middlesex County history, straight out of the Press’ archives:
⏩ Dom Perno, Joe Reilly and Tom LaBella were in the stands at Xavier to watch a Parks and Recreation Summer League basketball game between Middletown and South Catholic. The great Corny Thompson coached Middletown’s summer team that
day. A team’s entry fee was $100, and co-captains Mike Rankins and Al Marshall organized a car wash and bake sale to raise the money.
John Pinone, who went on to play for Rollie Massimino at Villanova and was a third-round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in 1983, had 25 points in South’s 70-61 win. Pinone has coached the Cromwell High boys team for nearly two decades and led the Panthers to the Division V state title in March.
⏩ Wesleyan’s Upward Bound program graduated its 13th class, with Bernie Fields as the guest speaker at the Monte Green Inn. Among the grads was Ricky Privott, who was heading off to Central Connecticut State College. Privott was a guard for the Middletown High Tigers teams that won 76 straight games between 1976 and 1978 (the streak reached 80). Privott currently is the coach of the Blue Dragons boys basketball team.
⏩ Women and girls from around the state came out to Middletown for the 8th Annual Lucy Bettencourt Cross Country Runs. Among the participants in the 2.54-mile high school division was Sue Bysiewicz, who finished third.