~ Malden Musings ~ Boylemen Do It Again

Malden…beyond Edgeworth, through the eyes of Aaron and Mayer Mintz…

If you are a regular reader, you know that the Mintz brothers (Aaron and Mayer) are (really good) “Friends of Malden.” They have (once again) taken time out of their busy lives to help 2024 Malden understand and connect with our very rich and historical past.

I think we all realize that it is imperative that we keep these stories alive for future generations. For that we shall be forever grateful to Maldonians like the Mintz boys, now part of the Malden diaspora; not physically amongst us but their hearts remain firmly entrenched in Blue & Gold! So, without any further meandering preamble, it was 60 years ago that the Malden High School boys hoop team won their 2nd Tech Tourney Championship (in five years) – as told by Aaron and Mayer Mintz:

“The 1964 Malden High Basketball team became the second squad of hoopsters to win the famed Tech Tournament, the 1960 team being the first. Coach Art Boyle used a 6-man rotation to forge a 15-1 regular season record, losing only to Somerville and its zone press on Feb. 7, 1964.

“Rodney ‘Puggy’ Forbes and Dave Barris were Boston Globe first team All Scholastics and led the team. Forbes, a 6′ 3″ forward averaged 18.5 a game and his last second jump shot gave MHS sweet revenge for their one loss as they beat Somerville in the Tech Semifinals. 5′ 11″ Dave Barris followed in the footsteps of his brother Al, a 1960-point guard and Dave’s 14 points a game and floor leadership were key elements.

“The center was 6′ 5″ Angel Torres, whose inside scoring and rebounding weren’t as important in the Tech finals win over Catholic Memorial as was his defense on CM star Ron Teixeira. Ira Mahakian was a sharpshooter who averaged 15 points a game, but he was also a tight defender who helped to front Texeira in that title game. Forwards Pat Gillen, a 6’ 4” rim protector, and 5’11” Paul Finn, who averaged 7 pts a game, shared the fifth starting position. Finn had been the waterboy for the 1960 Tech Tourney champs.

“Sadly, Ira Mahakian is the only player of those six who is still alive. Mahakian went on to a fine college career at Bates College in Maine under famed coach George Wigton and had a long career in food distribution management.

“Major John Patrick Gillen Jr was an Army Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and passed away in 1984 at age 38.

“Angel Torres also went in the service after high school and later played at Boston State in the 1970’s. Torres taught Phys ed and coached basketball at Medford High but died in a drowning accident in 1989.

“Paul Finn played football at Amherst College and later coached Malden High football for many years; ‘Hawk’ passed away in 2022.

“Dave Barris co-captained the Salem State College Team of 1968 and had a long career as a math teacher and basketball, soccer and track coach at Arlington Catholic High and the Northeast Metro Regional Vocational High Schools in Wakefield. Dave died in 2010.

“Rodney Forbes was a Little All American basketball player at Boston State under Coach Jim Loscutoff and was drafted in the 11th Round by the Celtics in 1969. Puggy, who still could be seen playing on Malden courts into his 40’s, died suddenly in 1993 from heart disease.

“At the post-game celebration at Dave Barris’s house, Dave’s mother had made a cake. The Globe reported that Dave was positive Malden would win but Florence Barris was ready to substitute GBL Champs. Luckily, the 1964 team made Dave’s prediction come true and the MHS had their cake and ate it too.

It is said in “Malden Musings”…

• While my grandchildren Lola and Christian enjoyed what Boda Borg has to offer, the grownups went next door to enjoy what All Season’s Table has to offer: some of the finest Pan-Asian cuisine on the North Shore! Although we were disappointed Douglas (Tran) and Jackie (Bouley) were not around this late February evening, we were not disappointed in the food or drink. I drank responsibly, of course (best Cosmos in town), but ate like the glutton I usually am when I visit Malden Square’s holy site. My beef with black bean sauce (peppers & onions/white rice) was outstanding as always. Side of Shumai with the Classic Chinese Hot & Sour Soup and, as I say from time to time, fuhgeddaboudit!!
• We were in awe of Buddy DeMontier growing up. Buddy was only a year ahead of us at MHS (1974), but he was years ahead of us in everything else in life. Cool, handsome, with a menacing look about him, he was also throwing 90 mph for Bob Rotondi’s Knights back then. He also looked a lot like Johnny Cash in “The Man in Black’s” heyday! From what I recall, his stampin’ ground was the Square all the way up to the Green, which included some of Malden’s finest eating and drinking establishments back when the Square had “character” – hello, Jack Haneys, the Centre Bar & Grille, The Do Re Lounge, Riley’s Roast Beef, Signor Pizza. I got a hit off Buddy once. Yup, closed my eyes, stuck my bat out – bingo – a late swing pop-up over the first baseman’s head. I remember that vividly (and the many times I whiffed against him). Although my only at bat in the BRL against the legendary Dave Caiazzo resulted in a 3-pitch looking at a fastball strikeout, I can still brag that I got a hit off the celebrated fireballer Buddy DeMontier! Well, to make a long story short, Buddy emailed me recently. I was all excited to get an email from an OG like Buddy, and I will be just as thrilled to see him in person at the coronation of Bob Rotondi at the Inaugural Baseball Legacy 2024 Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 7 at the Moose.
• Speaking of Buddy, there was this epic pitching duel back in the summer of 1970 at Linden Park between the Stars’ Jerry Robbins and Buddy from the Knights. Both were 14-year-old stud hurlers with rubber arms; the game ending in a 3-3 tie, called in the 7th because of darkness. I had a front row seat on Bob Rosano’s bench as a 13 -year-old on the Stars for the matchup. The Stars were red-hot – winning 10 straight games before running into a roadblock: the always tough, well-coached Bob Rotondi–led Knights. Buddy and Jerry hooked up in a good old-fashioned pitching duel, with Buddy fanning 14 Stars (me twice!) and allowing just five hits. Jerry was touched for just two hits, striking out 11 Knights in the process. For the Stars, Billy “The Pride of Linden” Doyle had a perfect night at the plate with a triple, single and two walks to go along with five stolen bases. The last one averted the loss for Jerry and protected his 8-0 pitching record at the time. Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh with Buddy pitching lights out, Billy stole third then dashed home with the tying run when the catcher’s late throw went into short left field. Jimmy D’Addario was also perfect for the night with a double and two walks. Charley Norman (who went on to have a long illustrious career as one of Malden’s best softball players) rapped out a double and single. Joey DeFilippo and Mike Puccia collected all the hits for “Rotondi’s Knights – Once a Knight always a Knight.”
• Speaking of the late Jerry Robbins…The Kierstead Park facelift was long overdue. With as much visibility as it gets on a main drag, such as Eastern Avenue, it sure made sense to beautify this very much neglected gem of an open space. My only concern was that the Jerry Robbins Memorial Stone remains preserved. It will be. Back in 2017 Malden acknowledged Jerry’s humanitarian legacy by naming the baseball diamond at Arthur S. Kierstead Park in his honor. The Jerry Robbins Memorial Field is located just a block away from the former Robbins family business site. The stone commemorating Jerry sits at the corner of Eastern and Willow. My brother Joe and I salute Jerry every time we walk past it. Jerry was an amazing human being, one who wore his heart proudly on his sleeve – missed by many, many other human beings to this very day.
• Dave (Barris’s) brother Al (Edgeworth’s very own!) is alive and well and can probably outwalk most of us. (I know he can outtalk most of us!) I kid, Big Al. It is always a pleasure to sit, drink coffee and shoot the breeze with such a man of knowledge, wisdom and wit. His Malden recall of yesteryear is a wonder to behold.
• This article was written before I got to sit and break bread with Buddy at the coronation banquet for Bob Rotondi on Thursday, March 7, at the Moose. A full report on the Baseball Legacy HOF Banquet night and Buddy will follow.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – on Tuesday, February 27, my recently turned two-year-old grandson, Milo, received his first haircut. With a mile-wide grin, he looked adorable enjoying a cherry lollipop sitting in the barber’s chair like an old pro. The cherry lollipop – as he would say about any piece of candy he was devouring – “not junk, Papa!” Thanks for the memories, my precious one!

—Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to the Malden Advocate. He can be reached at Pe*****@*ol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms.