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COMMODORES
CONNECTION
HOST
FAMILY
SPOTLIGHT:
SPRING 2016
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1
FALMOUTH COMMODORES 2016
THE MURPHYS
Host families are an important part of the Commodores
organization and vital to
putting a team on the field
each season. With a roster of
30 players, it takes a number
of dedicated and generous
individuals who open up their
homes to these young men
and make them a part of their
family. Helen Murphy and Tim
Duggan, along with nieces
Carly Restuccia and Laura
Host Family...
Continued from front page
recently made a TV appearance on Fox/
CBS Providence discussing Red Sox spring
training. Their 2014 Commodores were
Austin (Audie) Afenir and Matt Eureste.
Audie was drafted in the 25th round by the
New York Yankees and is playing in their
minor league system. Matt is a senior at
the University of Oregon. Last year (2015),
Bryce Montes de Oca and Mitch McIntyre
made their summer home at the Murphys’.
In addition, Helen and Tim were generous enough to help out with housing an
intern partway through the season. Bryce
(Missouri) is scheduled to return to the
Commodores this season and can enjoy
another summer at home with the Murphys. The Commodores appreciate their
host families like the Murphys, and all that
they do for the players and the team.
If you are interested in hosting a Falmouth
Commodores player, please visit Host
Families on the Team Info tab at www.falmouthcommodores.com or send an email
to [email protected].
New Scoreboard
For Guv Fuller Field
At the last game of the 2015 season, the Falmouth Commodores unveiled a brand new,
state-of-the-art, solar-powered scoreboard
that was installed in left field at Guv Fuller
Field. This new scoreboard replaces a vintage 1988 scoreboard that was frequently in
disrepair and so old that replacement parts
Sponsored by a
grant from Falmouth
Road Race, Inc.
are no longer available. The scoreboard
was made possible by a $43,000 award from
Falmouth Road Race, Inc., following a grant
submission by the Falmouth Commodores.
The scoreboard shows a full 10 innings,
with details about the status of the game
not previously available on the original
scoreboard. It has environmentally friendly
LED lighting, which should last for 20
years, and is solar powered with a backup
battery thus obviating the need for underground electrical wiring. The scoreboard
has a remote controller with a wireless
signal that can be operated from the press
box behind home plate. The new placement of the scoreboard in left field now
allows for good viewing by both Commodores and visiting fans from both sides of
the field. Falmouth High School’s baseball
team will also use the new scoreboard.
A tremendous thank you is extended
to Falmouth Road Race, Inc. for making
this possible.
Murphy, are in their fourth
year serving as a host family.
Laura, who is in her sixth
season as the Commodores’
athletic trainer, provides care
for her players both on and
off the field. The Murphys
have built strong bonds with
the 6 players they’ve hosted and with their families,
and they continue to keep
in touch. One of their first
players, Brandon Finnegan
(2013), was drafted in the first
round of the 2014 draft by
the Royals and now plays for
the Reds. Helen and Tim will
be going to see Brandon at
spring training in Glendale,
AZ. Nick Friar, also a 2013
Commodore, is a sports
columnist with the New
Bedford Standard-Times and
Continued on back page
2015 Commodores
On Sunday, June 12th, the Falmouth Commodores will open their 2016 season at Guv Fuller
Field. Top colleges and universities across the
country, such as Florida State, University of Kansas, Rice University, among others, will be sending their best players to spend a summer with
the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). The
CCBL is the premier summer collegiate baseball league and the showcase for Major League
Baseball. As a testament to its unsurpassed quality, scouts from all of the Major League Baseball
teams will visit the Cape in the search for new
talent and prospects for the 2017 draft.
If you have never been to a Commodores
game, this season will be a great opportunity
to experience a quality sporting event in a
family-friendly environment. If you are already
a Commodores fan, get ready for an exciting summer of baseball. Admission to the
games is free, though donations are gratefully
accepted. Come and sit in the bleachers, or
maybe bring a blanket or folding chair and
watch a game on the lawn. If you have children
between the ages of 5 and 12 years, sign them
up for Kids Club, which gives them the opportunity to run the bases after some games,
and get up close to the players, among other
specially planned events.
The Falmouth Commodores, like all member
teams of the CCBL, are run by volunteers
who throughout the year work tirelessly to
plan, operationally manage, and raise the
$200,000 needed to cover the annual cost to
field a team. Thus, we are continually seeking
donations and offer sponsorships to support
this tremendous Cape Cod tradition and ask
for your support.
The 2016 Falmouth Commodores will play 22
home games at Guv Fuller Field right in downtown Falmouth. Come on by. Have a hot dog
and soda and enjoy an afternoon or evening
of great baseball.
Al Irish has been involved with the Cape Cod Baseball League
(CCBL), and specifically the Falmouth Commodores, since the age
of 5 years, when he first began attending games with his family in
1925. It is little wonder why Al was honored last summer, with a donation to the Falmouth Commodores for his lifetime achievement,
by the Masonic Falmouth Marine Lodge, where he served as Master
in 1970. Al is a lifetime and active member of the Commodores
Board of Directors and serves as its historian. He frequently can be
found at the front gate of Guv Fuller Field on game nights welcoming fans, handing out the daily stat sheets, and collecting donations.
There is no person who knows more about the Commodores than
Al. He possesses a wealth of nostalgic information about the team
and the CCBL.
How can
you Help?
Contribute to the Commodores Campaign
Donate now at www.falmouthcommodores.com
Creighton scholarship winners 2015
The Falmouth Commodores award scholarships to high school seniors who are residents of Falmouth. This scholarship is
awarded each year in memory of George Creighton, a long-time volunteer and past president of the Falmouth Commodores.
Mr. Creighton was very active in youth sports and baseball in particular. The scholarships are awarded in recognition of student
sports participation, academic achievement, volunteerism and financial need.
JUSTIN ZMUDA
is a 2015 graduate
of Falmouth High
School (FHS) where
he was a member
of the National Science Honor Society.
Justin served as a
Peer Mentor during both his junior and
senior years, mentoring 15 different students in grades 3-8. He was a member
of Best Buddies and played baseball
and football while at FHS. Justin is an
active volunteer who has given time
to the VIPS programs at two different
Falmouth Elementary Schools, served
as a coach for Falmouth Recreation Department, and has put in countless hours
with the Falmouth Commodores. When
he was younger he served as a bat boy,
has been a host brother to more than 15
players, and has helped with countless
tasks at the field and during the off season. Justin is attending the University of
New England as a Pre-Pharmacy Major.
ELIZABETH
PALMER is a 2015
Falmouth High
School Graduate
where she was a
member of the Art
Honors Society.
She was also a
member of the Girls Varsity Hockey
Team, who, this year, were League and
State Champions. Along with her twin
sister, Margaret, she was a bat girl for the
Commodores when they were younger
and really enjoyed it. Elizabeth is
attending Fitchburg State University to
study Nursing.
MARGARET
PALMER
graduated from
Falmouth
High School (FHS)
and was senior class
president for the
class of 2015.
She was Assistant Captain of the FHS
Girls Hockey Team and Captain of the
FHS Girls Golf Team. Margaret participates in the Jacks Pact program, Rotary
Youth Leadership awards, and volunteers with the Falmouth Road Race and
Falmouth Youth Hockey Program. She is
attending UMass Amherst.
KIDS CLUB 2016
What goes better with baseball than peanuts and Cracker Jacks? Kids! Kids were the
inspiration for the new Falmouth Commodores Kids Club launched during the 2015
season. We wanted to provide kids with
fun, exclusive activities during the season,
as well as facilitate interaction between
the kids and the stars of the summer—the
baseball players. The Commodores are the
first, and only team to date, in the Cape
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Cod Baseball League to launch a
Kids Club, and it proved to be quite
popular with our youngest fans.
Some of the benefits and activities
available to members include:
special name badge and Commodores lanyard, discounts in our
team shop, free pitches at our radar
speed pitch, singing “Take Me
Out to the Ballgame” during the
7th inning stretch, name displayed
on our Kids Club board and in the
program book, a limited edition
Homer pin, and a Commodores
team photo. A hot dog reception
with Homer marked the end of the
season, held before one of the last
in-season home games. The most
popular perk overall was access to
the field after games and running
the bases, often with Commodores players
cheering the kids on and meeting them at
home base with a high five! Our inaugural
summer season was a great success with
more than 80 Kids Club members. This
summer we have more exclusive activities
and events planned. If you are interested in
joining for the 2016 season, please see the
information at right.
THE FALMOUTH
COMMODORES KIDS
CLUB is a membership or-
ganization targeting boys and
girls in kindergarten through
grade 6. The Kids Club is
meant to stimulate children’s
interest in baseball at a young
age and to build their relationship with the team and its players with the intent of establishing a long-term connection.
For $10 you can join the Kids
Club family. This membership
includes a hot dog reception
with Homer, a team picture,
your name displayed on the
Kids Club board, Kids Club
membership card, limited
edition Homer button, and
other exclusive offers throughout the season. Look for our
tent at the field; we will have a
sign-up available!
COMMODORES CONNECTION
IN MEMORIAM – PAT LOFTUS
Not a boss,
but a mentor
and a friend
By David Lauterbach
Guest Contributor
COMMODORES and
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Commodores players and coaches come to Cape Cod from many states across the country.
While they are here playing or coaching baseball, many participate in a number of community activities supporting the Town of Falmouth, most of which are youth-related activities.
The 2015 season began with the Commodores hosting a youth baseball night for all
age groups of Falmouth Youth Baseball.
•
Since 2008, Pat Loftus was the
head of broadcasting for the Falmouth Commodores. Each year
he would peruse through dozens
of applications from college students all over the country to hire
his media team, which started
in 2008 as just two broadcasters and eventually grew to two
broadcasters, a public address
announcer, web reporter, and
field reporter. At the beginning
of every season, Pat started off
as the boss of the team, but in
the end he was everyone’s mentor, and more importantly, friend.
In 2013 and 2014, I worked for Pat
first as the team’s PA announcer
and then as one of Falmouth’s
broadcasters. If Pat couldn’t make
it to a game, which was rare, he
would make sure to tune into
the broadcast in order to help us
improve and develop as a group.
That’s what made Pat different.
He didn’t want anyone to grow
individually. Instead, he wanted
us to grow as a team.
The Falmouth Commodores’
broadcast program has already
produced one ESPN broadcaster, Mike Couzens (2008),
and many other Minor League
Baseball and NCAA Division 1
Broadcasters. But those accomplishments were only possible
because of the man who started
the program back in 2008,
Pat Loftus.
Volume 2, Issue 1
Players and coaches assisted at the Morse
Pond School (Falmouth) field day. Coaches
Brad Stoll and Jack Marder, with players
JJ Matijevic (Arizona) and Andrew Snow
(Arizona State), participated in the two-day
outdoor athletic/games event.
Players J.B Woodman (Ole Miss) and
George Brandecker (Pittsburg State), among
others, visited the Falmouth branches of
Rockland Trust Bank and Cape Cod Five to
greet customers and sign autographs.
•
Players Tristan Gray (Rice), Ben Ancheff (St.
Thomas U-Miami) and Boomer White (Texas
A&M) attended Cape Cod Baseball Day at
the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis. This is a
Cape Cod Baseball League-sponsored event
that includes meeting and greeting fans,
signing autographs, and taking photos.
•
Boomer White (Texas A&M) and other
players attended the annual Waquoit
Congregational Church Baseball Day
service.
•
The Club hosted the annual “Playing Above
the Influence Day.” This event is hosted in
conjunction with the Falmouth Prevention
Partnership, educating parents and children
about substance abuse. The players assisted in the activities and the Club donated
autographed prizes.
Mark Kasprzyk
Named President
of 2016 Falmouth
Commodores
A thank you to
Steve Kostas
•
University of Kansas players Stephen Villiens
and Michael Tinsley made an appearance
at the Carousel of Light in Hyannis and
the Mullen Hall School in Falmouth. They
played pass with the children, signed autographs, rode the carousel with the children,
and attended an ice cream social.
Mark Kasprzyk, a long-time resident of
Falmouth and Commodores Board
member has been named President of
the Falmouth Commodores. Mark brings
a life-long love of baseball, and involvement
with the team and the Town of Falmouth.
He replaces Steve Kostas who served as
President since 2013. Steve and his family
have moved to Florida. The team wishes
to thank Mark for taking on this challenge
and Steve and his family for all their efforts
over the years.
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