Busting Balls for 25 Years

For Poppy's softball team, busting balls has a dual meaning both on and off the field.

The team, which was formed in 1985 and is sponsored by Poppy's Cafe, a staple in downtown Rye for decades, has a sense of camaraderie that has been forged during 25 years of summer league play.

Gerri Piovesan and her husband, Bobby, currently coach the Ballbusters, a women's softball team made up of both young and more seasoned players.

"We're all fun and we have team members that are 60 and girls that are 22 and we all get along," said Gerri Piovesan, who at 60 is the oldest of the Ballbuster's players.

Gerri, who opened Poppy's Café with her father Robert "Poppy" Chapderlane in 1985, said she started a separate team with Gina Penichet, Sharon Chapderlane, Gerri's sister, and Linda DeRenzis after not being pleased with the team's original sponsor.

The Ballbuster's are named after Poppy Chapderlane, who coached the team along with Pepe Iannerilli beginning with their first season in 1985. Their unusual moniker came from the players always "busting the balls" of their first coach and hardly ever heeding his advice on the playing field.

"We always busted his chops," Gerri said about "Poppy."

Poppy, who died in 1996, eventually stepped down as the team's coach. Bobby Piovesan took over and Iannerilli continues to assist with coaching duties.

The team has carried on tradition  by "busting the balls" of Bobby Piovesan, even disregarding their coach's advice if he tells one of them to stay on third base.

"When he told the runners to stop they would just run right by him," Gerri said. "We live up to our name. It's a good thing."

The Ballbuster's currently have a 10-3 record. It won back-to-back championships in 2007 and 2008 and are currently in good position to reign as champions once again this year.

Many of the team's original players still suit up for games. The Ballbusters also includes players like 10-year veteran left-fielder Stephanie Shaughnessy and 15-year veteran utility player Missy Rizzuto, who will do anything that is asked of her, Gerri said, whether that means sitting on the bench or playing a different position.

Many of the team's players said their commitment to the Ballbusters is unwavering. Penichet, who is re-married and now lives in South Salem, said she has stayed with the team for 25 years because the players are her connection to Rye and a good group of friends whom she can turn to when she needs help.

"I love the people," she said of her teammates.

Sharon Chapderlane, another original player, said the group's longevity has helped them on the field, though some players can't run after the ball as quickly as they used to.

" We're wiser, [but] we're getting old," she said. "We're not as fast as we used to be.

Despite age, DeRenzis, another Ballbusters' original, said the team's camaraderie has helped them over the years.

"We still all play well together," she said. "We win as a team and lose as a team."