Malden today, tomorrow and yesterday – Top 200 Hoopsters; Part 1

  It’s that time of the year again, good people of Malden. Time to revisit my top 200 basketball players in the history of my life while living and playing basketball in the best hoop city in the Commonwealth: Malden! This is by no means a definitive list. I’ve got great memory recall, but Father Time has diminished my ability to think on my feet as quickly as I did in the past. If I have excluded you or made a glaring error, please let me know and we’ll rectify that after I have carefully examined all the facts. These are ballplayers that I have played with, and against, in my lifetime. They all have lived in Malden at one point in their lives or were born and raised here. The list is in no particular order. Joe wasn’t the best I ever played with/against (close though), and number 200 (Joe Frauton) was not the worst. Again, if I did not play against or with you in those glorious hoop days of yesteryear, that is why you aren’t mentioned here. For your reading pleasure is the first fabulous 50:

  Joe Levine, Cliff and Bert Cioffi, Jimmy Cahill, Irwin Zalko, Paul Abare, George Miller, Danny Meyers, Arthur Carbone, Joe Bartoszewicz, Rod Forbes, Bruce Vining, John Stanasek, Tommy Hoffman, Mark Burns, Harold Sparrow, Tommy Blanchard, Tony Howard, Danny and Jerry Lynch, John Furlong, Shawn Brickman, Dave Slaine, Steve Powell, Kenny Fulgham, Douglas, Gregory and Philip Rogers, John Doherty, Bobby LeBlanc, Gary Campsmith, Billy and Steve Nolan, Ricky Raymond, Tommy Restucci, Bobby Trodden, Johnny D’Orlando, Johnny Wilcox, Rose Ann Tomasello, Jerry Lynch, John Crannell, Dave McNary, Norm, Mark and Dave Pashoian, Buddy Arthur, Tina Doherty, Billy Hanifan, Barry Fitzpatrick, Chuckie Borstel and Brenda Sousa.

  It is said in Malden today, tomorrow and yesterday…

  It was 82 years ago this past spring that the children of Edgeworth got their elementary school back. The Emerson School reopened its doors in the spring of 1939 (after a complete renovation), and the children, mostly of Italian immigrants, that flooded Ward 2 at the turn of the century didn’t have to walk up to the Leonard School on Pleasant Street any longer. Dommy Settemio entered the second grade; Johnny Barry and Johnny Marsinelli were entering the third grade; Joe “Tiger” Settemio went into the fourth grade; Peter Trabucco, Samuel “Sammy” Saldutti and Larry Scibelli into the fifth grade; and Pasqual “Patsy” Chiacchia into the 6th grade. Prominent Edgeworth names learning their ABCs at the Emerson in ’39 were Puopolo (not Donald because he would have been way too young!), Bucci, Angelo, DiPaolo, Mehos, Pisaturo, Sica, Notarangeli, Brandano, Fantozzi, Pagliccia, Cuoco, Martino, Gennetti, Parker, DiSerio and Russo.

  Very hard to believe, but we’re fast approaching the 13th anniversary of the passing of “Old Blue Eyes” – Frank Sinatra. For your reading pleasure my favorite Frank quote: “Rock ’n’ roll smells phony and false. It is sung, played, and written, for the most part, by cretinous goons. And, by means of its almost imbecilic reiteration, and sly, lewd and in plain fact, dirty lyrics … it manages to be the marching music of every side-burned delinquent on the face of the earth.”

  Sitting in the Forestdale Cemetery on a quiet Sunday morning with Honey Dew Donuts coffee and Boston Globe is like sitting in a wildlife preserve in your very own backyard! Spotted two hawks dive-bombing right above my car, ducks (not those disgusting Canada geese – real ducks), a heron that resembled a prehistoric dinosaur upon takeoff and a flock of nasty looking turkeys parading by my car. Who knew!

  On a Forestdale Cemetery side note, I am always amazed at how well kept the cemetery grounds looks. Can’t be easy keeping 60 or so acres looking so good with such a small crew. Amazing job by some amazing Malden employees who care.

  “Long ago, and not so far away…” A couple of years before his major league baseball career would end tragically, Roy Campanella appeared at Patkin Cadillac on Eastern Avenue to sign autographs and shake hands with the locals. Patkin’s was located a stone’s throw from the long gone Harry’s Showboat and almost across the street from the old Faulkner Mfg. Company. One exceptionally small hand that “Campy” shook that day in 1955 was of then 10-year-old Harvey “Nat the Cat” Nadler. Young Harvey also had an issue of Sport magazine signed by the Hall of Famer but for the life of him cannot remember where he placed it.

  “This is the end, beautiful friend, this is the end, my only friend, the end” – the election results on November 2, in my humble opinion, were a clarion call, so to speak. As the so called “voice of his generation” Bob Dylan once sang, “the times they are a changin’.” Indeed, they are. Malden 2021 does not resemble Malden 1961 – however, you’d like to quantify that – or even Malden 1981. Time brings change: the good, the bad and the ugly. We in Malden are fortunate. Seems we’ve always been open to change, for the good mostly; the ugly, once in a while. Again, however, you’d like to quantify that. Whether it be an ever-changing downtown area or politicians that, for the most part, “get it,” or a school system that strives to be the best they can possibly be for every child in the city – Malden always rolls with the punches. There’s room for everybody within these five square miles. That’s the way it’s always been. Let’s hope the recent call for unity in government by Councillor Spadafora is heeded. Meet the new boss, not the same as the old boss. Old Malden, meet New Malden. Let’s all play nice and continue our upward trajectory.

  Postscript 1: I am very happy that old friend Rob DiMarco did so well at his first run for public office. Good guy whose campaign was well run, and with class. That’s what I’m talking about! Rob, Malden needs more citizens like yourself to step up and bring us forward. Congratulations on a job well done and please consider another run in the future.

  Postscript 2: Chris Simonelli, I call him the “Comeback Kid.” Chris ran a very visible (and loud at times) campaign, putting heart and soul into every single moment. Those in Ward 7 who remember Chris know what to expect from the original energizer bunny. Those newbies to Ward 7 will be gobsmacked at his energy, “can do” attitude and novel approach to any situation placed in front of him. Chris’ story is one we should all be proud of. Chris would be the first to admit that his life, at times, was a struggle. The power of redemption is sweet. The double play combo of two wonderful children and hard work has put Chris back in the saddle, so to speak, ready to help Malden and Ward 7 be a better place to call home.

  Postscript 3: Craig Spadafora, once again, was the top vote getter. He deserves each and every one of those votes. He deserves to be reelected, each and every time he runs. There is nobody that works harder or has a firmer grip on the issues than Craig. More importantly there is nobody who runs for office that loves Malden more than this man, IMHO. If you decide to focus on the “R” next to his name, frankly, you don’t get the big picture. Focus on that meaningless letter and the city of Malden suffers. For more than 100 years, the Spadafora family has made Malden a better place to live. They are war heroes that have paid the ultimate price. They have been elected officials doing a full-time job at part-time wages. They are business owners who bring joy, happiness and compassion into our lives. They have families and choose to settle down right here in Malden just as their great-grandparents a century ago – for the betterment of all. Craig, congratulations once again.