Yawkey Baseball League

Each week Stu Sklaver will be profiling a hitter and pitcher of the week.

For the first week of the 2018 Yawkey Season, Stu has selected Matt Costanza of the McKay Club Beacons as his hitter of the week and Dan Shaw of the South Boston Saints as his pitcher of the week.

To read more on both Matt and Dan follow this link

The Yawkey League Family is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of YBL Hall of Famer – Harvey Soolman. Harvey was a player and manager in our Junior Park and Yawkey years. He touched many lives with his love of the game.

Our thoughts and prayers are extended to Harvey’s Family. We all pray for the repose of his soul.

The 2018 YBL season will open this weekend.
Stoneham and Revere will be featured in our week end of baseball.

Here is the schedule of games for the weekend:

Saturday – May 12 at 5PM
Revere vs Stoneham
Location – Recreation Park in Stoneham

Sunday – May 13 at 5PM
Stoneham vs Revere
Location – Revere High School in Revere

All of our remaining teams will open their seasons beginning Monday at various venues.

Play Ball!!
Dave McKay

Good Day baseball fans!

Yes. It is that time of year once again. Get to your equipment locker. Evaluate your gear — glove and cleats. Order the eye black — get ready. Baseball is around the corner!!!

The Yawkey Baseball League begins its 28th year in May. The wheels are turning. Each franchise is prepping. Recruiting new players and firming up commitments from last years stars are the order of the day.

We have conducted 3 Winter Meetings. Each meeting has been interactive and productive. Our 2018 Board is in place. Each team has made a firm commitment to make this the best year ever.

The YBL will begin our season with 10 teams. The teams will be divided into 2 – 5 team divisions named for Ted Williams and Carl Yastrezemski. The alignment of the two divisions will be determined in April. We are also discussing our play off format.

Managers are looking over financial proposals as well. Determinations are being made on how we can properly supplement our budget.

I am pleased to report the Yawkey Foundation has graciously provided us with a grant to help our mission to develop a quality amateur baseball league.

We have also taken a look at our Rules & Regulations. Every franchise is combing through the rules and will make a final vote in April on this package.

On a personal note. I am proud to announce I will be celebrating my 50th Anniversary coaching and developing amateur baseball programs in Greater Boston this year. Its an honor to be involved in this great organization. It is tremendous dealing with men who love and respect the game.

Our next meeting will take place at Heritage Hall on Granite Avenue in Milton on April 10. I hope to see all our teams in attendance that night.

All the best. Respectfully submitted,

Dave McKay
Yawkey League President

It has been announced that the Red Sox have submitted a petition to the Boston Public Improvement Commission to have the Yakwey Way be renamed. On Thursday March 1 the board of the Yawkey Foundation sent a letter to Dave McKay, the President of the Yawkey League. In this letter the board expressed their disapproval with the actions taken by the Red Sox as well as to defend the Yawkey legacy.

The full letter can be found by following this link.
A letter from the Yawkey Foundation

On Tuesday January 30th, the Milton Babe Ruth League will be hosting a Night of Baseball at Florian Hall in Dorchester. Rich Hill will be the featured guest, while Michael Silverman of the Herald will be the featured speaker. All proceeds will benefit the Milton Babe Ruth League and Craig Breslow’s (former Sox pitcher, current FA) Strike Three Foundation, which supports children’s cancer research.

There will be a couple of brief MLB videos, including one about Rich, and then there will be a Round Table discussion, featuring Silverman, Rich, Breslow, Matt Hyde (NYY Northeast Scout and former Cape Cod League, BC and Michigan coach) and Jeremy Bleich (2009 1st round pick of NYY out of Stanford, still in AAA) and possibly Steve Buckley of the Herald (unless the Pats go to the Super Bowl, as he will go to MN to cover it). Lots of cool raffle and silent auction items, including signed items from Rich, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Jose Altuve and more!

Pasta, meatball and chicken tender dinner, with a cash bar. Tickets are $25 each and there are only about 50 left (out of 400). There will be a big number of kids going too (Little Leaguers and Babe Ruth players), so please feel free to bring children. It would be nice to get at least one table of YBL people there to support Rich. Joe O’Hara is serving as emcee and will be making a presentation to Rich from the YBL and Al Thomas Club.

Please let me know if you’d like any tickets and/or would like to be part of a table of 10 for the YBL. You can Venmo the money to @Chief29 or send a check payable to YBL to Joe O’Hara, 45 Oval Rd #27, Quincy, MA 02170.