Will Haynie receives CCBL’s sportsmanship award

By Webdriver on August 15, 2015

Will Haynie (Cotuit Kettleers) receives the Daniel J. Silva Sportsmanship Award

Daniel J. Silva Sportsmanship award. The award is given to one person in the league who best represents strong will and the sportsmanship aspect of the game. It is decided by the umpires and officials who have a connection with players not always seen from the stands.

The award was given to Will Haynie (Alabama), having no clue he was even considered. “It’s a real honor. I actually had no idea I was being presented with that today.” His sportsmanship stems from his respect for the g award ame and respect for the players on the other side.

Director of Officiating, Sol Yas, has been presenting players with the award for 13 years. He claims it’s a terrific way to get the umpires involved and present an award to someone so deserving, “It’s an award highly regarded by the league and by us.” Yaz noted even through Haynie’s struggles, he never lost his ability to play the game the right way and never lost his respect.

Pictures provided by SportsPix and the CCBL

Posted in News, Summer Baseball

Delvecchio selected Cape League’s top umpire of 2015

By Webdriver on August 13, 2015

By: John Garner Jr.

Cape League umpire Rick Delvecchio in action / SportsPix

08/12/2015 5:25 PM – Rick Delvecchio has spent virtually his entire lifetime involved in baseball as a player, coach and for the past several years as an umpire.

A Braintree, Mass., native and a former baseball and ice hockey player for the University of Connecticut, Delvecchio has been named 12th recipient of the Curly Clement Award as top umpire in the Cape Cod Baseball League for 2015.

“It’s an honor to be recognized with an award named after an umpire like Curly Clement,” Delvecchio said. “All umpires strive to be recognized, especially among your peers.”

Delvecchio is vice president of baseball operations at the South Shore Baseball Club in Hingham and was assistant coach for the East Cobb Baseball program of Marietta, Ga., one of the nation’s premier youth baseball programs.

“Rick is known as the ‘baseball magnet’ for his propensity of getting hit by baseballs behind the plate,” Cape League senior deputy commissioner Sol Yas said. “But he’s a tough guy and never had to leave a game. Confident of his umpiring skills, Rick is in control at all times.”

Rick Delvecchio, winner of this year’s Curly Clement Award / SportsPix

He played baseball at UConn and Northwest Oklahoma State, where he was a two-time All-American catcher and is the school’s all-time hit leader. Delvecchio is Braintree High’s ice hockey career scoring leader and was defensive standout and leader on the 1989 state champions.

Robert “Curly” Clement worked as a Cape League umpire over a span of four decades and was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2002. He umpired 16 NCAA Division I Baseball Regionals, several Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I Baseball Championships and two NCAA College World Series.

Affectionately known as the “Candy Man” because of his propensity for passing out candy to players, coaches and field managers during disputes, Clement’s final Cape League appearance was spent working home plate at the 2000 CCBL All-Star game. He died in 2006 after a long illness.

Previous Clement Award winners are Bill Fisher (2014), Pat Burns (2013), Joe Caraco (2012), Mark Ottavianelli (2011), Michael Sadowski (2010), John Leeds (2009), Harry Greer (2008), Tim Carey (2007), Peter Hall (2006), the late Jim McNally (2005) and Walter Bentson (2004).