Memories Of Sports And Spring In Easton

There is no dearth of media and commentary and reflection out there right now focused on the sensation of the arrival of spring, with its warmth, longer days, the perfume of nature awakening.  Yeah, sure, I know, we have had a historically mild winter – but I don’t care, it was winter all the same.

I’m ready for this.  Now watch – even though the temps have been extra mild last week, we will have ourselves an epically cold spring and summer.   Nah, not going there; not going to happen.

What I am focusing on in this column are my recollections of spring and sports in Easton. 

This is a very noncomprehensive recollection.  Just touching on things, and seeking to inspire and promote the recollection of others. 

I think back to all those years ago, like a little more than 40 years ago – yikes! – when I first became aware of sports in a meaningful way.

I never played organized baseball, but my older brother did; he was on the North Easton Savings Bank team in Little League.  He was actually very good, and wacked a lot of home runs.  I think he should have stuck with baseball instead of running track in high school.

In fact, Tad DeCouto, who is my age, and now the owner of a successful construction and development company, was the bat boy for the team when my brother played for the squad, and Tad has said that if my brother, Creig, didn’t smack a HR in a game, then he, Tad, was not happy. 

Back then Little League games were played at , and a couple diamonds next to the Junior High, at Father Hannah Field behind , up at Unionville Playground, and at the "one" field up at Militia Park. 

I would go to the games with my parents.  I remember getting myself a soda while I was at the games.

How come I’m thinking that Howard Insurance had itself a Little League juggernaut?

In late spring, the Easton Huskies of the semiprofessional baseball Cranberry League began to practice and play games at Frothingham Park.   They would play throughout the spring and into late summer. 

It was fun to sit in the stands at Frothingham and watch the Huskies play.

It's still fun to sit in the stands and watch the Huskies play.

Back when I was a mere tyke, OA played its home baseball games at Frothingham –and it still does today.  It plays its games today at the Robert J. “Buddy” Wooster Field at Frothingham.  

Buddy Wooster is the long-time caretaker of Frothingham, former baseball coach of OA, and was such a distinguished athlete at OA that he is in the OAHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

Now, I need to throw this out – and people there is a comments section following this column – who hit the longest ball at Frothingham?   Did anyone ever hit a ball out of Frothingham? 

Remember when track & field meets were held at Frothingham?  I do.  Until 1971, or maybe 1972, OA held its home track & field meets at the park. 

The track at the park is not a full quarter mile by the way.  It is 400 yards – but the proper measuring and starts and finishes were accommodated and provided for, so that competitors ran the accurate distances … e.g. 440 yard (quarter mile), 880 yard (half mile), and mile.

In its day, that cinder track at the park was actually a very fast track, as cinder tracks go.

Frothingham was the long-time site of the annual South Shore Principals Track & Field Championships, a prep event that brought in schools from all over the South Shore – big schools and small schools.

In the 1960s, twilight meets were held at the park.  Now, I need to go back and confirm, but I think the great middle distance runner, Art Dulong, of Randolph High School, and later Holy Cross College, in one of those meets ran a two-mile in the very, very fast 9:02 to 9:04 range.  (Dulong would run an 8:33.2 two mile while at Holy Cross; that mark is still the Holy Cross school record.)

If you sit in the stands today at Frothingham Park, that stretch of grass in front of you, between the stands and the homestretch of the track – and which runs for about 80 yards – that is where the shot put circle, and the long jump runway and pit, and the pole vault runway and pit were located.

Even after the new synthetic track was put into use in the early 1970s, junior high and middle school field days – with their running competitions – were held at the park. 

Some of the first running races in which I competed were at Frothingham. 

So, again, this is a very incomplete “thinking back” of sports and spring awakening – and this all goes back starting more than 40 years ago. 

As I frequently do here, I make a request – please comment here on those spring sports of Easton of yesteryear.