STAMFORD — There were plenty of hugs, jokes, embellishments and food. But most importantly, there was an abundance of love when the 1991 Stamford Senior Babe Ruth Baseball All-Star team held a 25-year reunion.
Many of the former teammates traveled across the country and brought their families to Stamford to relive a wonderful summer memory and display the bond that made the group special.
“We had thought about having a 20-year reunion. But 25 years is a perfect time to look back,” said Greg Smyth, one of the star pitchers on the squad. “This has been in the works for the past seven months. I’m in Florida and a lot of guys are spread out across the country. Getting together has been long overdue. We’ve been on the phone so much over the years talking about that 1991 squad.”
One thing that made the 1991 Stamford Senior Babe Ruth Baseball team unique is that four members of the squad — Greg Smyth, Ryan McHugh, Tony Rich and Marvin Perkins — all were selections in Major League Baseball drafts. A fifth Stamford-based player, Eric Spann, who didn’t play for Stamford Senior Babe Ruth, was also drafted by MLB.
The 1991 Stamford squad has always considered itself among the greatest postseason Babe Ruth All-Star teams, even though it did not advance to the Senior Babe Ruth Baseball World Series. The 1990 Stamford Senior Babe Ruth Baseball All-Stars advanced to the 1990 World Series in Niles, Michigan that was won by Staten Island (NY).
“We lost in the 1991 New England Regional championship final to Eastern Massachusetts. Eastern Mass. was ranked as the No. 2 Senior Babe Ruth baseball team in the country,” Smyth said. “I was with the Houston Astros at spring training one year and my locker mate was the guy on Eastern Mass. who hit the grand slam homer to beat us in that final.”
Mike Walsh was the head coach of the 1991 team with Tracy Nichols (pitching coach) and Bob Kennedy (assistant coach). All three were on hand for the reunion.
“One of the best rewards you get in coaching is to see how well the kids have done in their lives years later,” Walsh said. “Being here and seeing everybody and seeing their families is what’s special for me. To see what great citizens they are now is fabulous.”
“Coach Nichols (at Trinity Catholic High and with Senior Babe Ruth) was the person who taught me the fundamentals on how to be a pitcher,” Smyth said. “When (Stamford Senior Babe Ruth shortstop) Tony Rich and I were playing baseball at Rollins College in Florida, that’s when we realized how good the level of baseball was in Stamford. The fundamentals we were taught prepared us so well playing at Rollins and after that.”
The bond within the group was unique because the team represented a true cross-section of Stamford.
“We knew each other since age 8. We’d just go to the park and play baseball,” Chris Twardy said. “As the years have gone by, we’ve all realized that playing with this group was the best times of our youth. It was a great brotherhood totally committed to each other.”
Over the 25 years, two members of the 1991 squad — Novich Hunter and Marvin Perkins — have passed on. But both their families made an appearance at the reunion.
“Growing up with played on different teams in different leagues. We played on different high school teams. We lived in different parts of town,” Smyth said. “We competed so hard against each other. But when we came together for Senior Babe Ruth Baseball we understood that we all represented Stamford. That we were proud to carry the torch and the tradition of Stamford baseball. The Will Smith song “Summertime” was our theme song that summer.
“To this day no matter where we live now in the country, we’re all Stamford kids at heart,” Smyth continued. “And we understand now that our baseball success was hard-fought and came from hard work. That competitiveness carried over into our success in life and our present careers.”
rich.depreta@scni.com
