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Welcome to the Web site of the Southbridge Little League
CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEB SITE AT WWW.SOUTHBRIDGELITTLELEAGUE.COM!
OPENING DAY 2008
Southbridge Little League's 2008 Opening Day parade and ceremonies will be held Saturday, April 26. This year's ceremonies will be held at West Street Field due to the renovation work done to our Major division field at Henry Street Field.
More information, including the parade route, will become available shortly.
PLAYER NOTIFICATION AND PRACTICES
All players should be notified of what team they've been selected for by mid-to-late March. Teams may start practice as soon as the manager has contacted their players. Practices may be held at the Southbridge Community Center (the former National Guard Armory) off of Morris Street, Henry Street and West Street fields, and several other locations. Players are encouraged to wear sweatpants, baseball pants or similar apparel for all outdoor practices throughout the season. Wearing shorts is not a good idea for outdoor practices as coaches will be teaching players how to properly slide into bases.
Home of the Southbridge Little League
The 2008 Board of Directors, as voted at the Annual Meeting of the Members on September 19, 2007:
President - Shaun Moriarty
Vice President - Ted Hilli
Treasurer - Derek Lamica
Secretary - Melanie Tretheway
Safety Officer - Missy Chapman
Player Agent - Gail St. Laurent
Junior/Senior League Coordinator - John Keyes
Equipment Manager - Paul Richards
Head of Umpires - Esteban Carrasco Jr.
Coaching Coordinator - Dennis Tretheway
Head of Grounds - Mike St. Laurent
Information Officer - Kerry Walker
At Large - Terry Putnam
At Large - Cheri Demers
At Large - Kip Putnam
2008 Subcommittees:
Events and Fundraising Committee
Esteban Carrasco Jr.
Missy Chapman
John Keyes
Melanie Tretheway
Kerry Walker
Gail St. Laurent
Joan Gibeault
Terry Putnam
Constitution Committee
Ted Hilli
Derek Lamica
Paul Richards
Division By-Law Committee
Kip Putnam
Mike St. Laurent
Dennis Tretheway
New Fields Committee
Ted Hilli
Shaun Moriarty
Kip Putnam
Mike St. Laurent
Dennis Tretheway
Friday, October 19
Work underway on Little League field
SOUTHBRIDGE — As baseball fans throughout Southbridge pay rapt attention to the Major League Baseball playoffs — especially the fate of their beloved Boston Red Sox — the town's Department of Public Works isn't forgetting about the pint-sized players who plan on suiting up for Little League teams next spring.
DPW crews are making commendable progress on a project to upgrade the McCann Field complex on Henry Street, where the Little League holds the bulk of its games.
"Things have been moving right along," DPW director Hamer Clarke said yesterday. "The field has been fine-graded, and [crews] are getting the rocks out of the sub-surface."
In August, the town council voted borrow and appropriate $60,000 toward the projects, which involves realigning the main field, re-grading the playing surface, putting down a coating of stone dust on the base paths and linking the field to the town's water and sewer systems.
Last month, the council approved an additional $18,000 expenditure for new fencing, as several councilors argued that the field would otherwise be left vulnerable to vandalism.
Through fund-raisers and private donations, the Little League is expected to reimburse the town for the additional funding it provided for the fencing.
DPW workers broke ground on the project in early October, shortly after the council had finished its deliberations on the subject.
Fortunately, favorable weather conditions — upon which the speedy completion of the field upgrades depends — have been present throughout most of the month.
The weather "has been fairly cooperative," Clarke said. "We've lost two days due to rain."
With rain in the forecast for today and this weekend, however, there may be some interruptions in the near term.
Weather permitting, Clarke said, crews should be able to do some field layout work on Monday and spread grass seed in the outfield on Tuesday.
Barring the unforeseen, "we will have completed everything we need to complete in the next three weeks," Clarke said.
Beyond that point, he said, there's nothing left to do except "let mother nature take its course," and hope that the grass will sprout in time for opening day next spring.
Councilors have warned that the Henry Street field may not be ready in time, and that alternative options should be explored. But Little League officials have insisted that the games will go on, one way or another.
Southbridge has other locations were Little League games could take place, such as fields at West Street School and on Morris Street.
In the long-term, Little League officials look forward to the potential construction of a large, multi-use athletic complex on the site of a former Torrey Road dump.
Town manager Clayton Carlisle has suggested the possibility of borrowing $1.5 million over several decades to provide the necessary funding.
Concurrently with the Henry Street field upgrade project, the DPW has been processing the soil at the Torrey Road site to determine whether the area is suitable for athletic fields.
News Staff Writer Matt Reynolds may be reached at (508) 909-4132, or by e-mail at mreynolds@stonebridgepress.com.
Thursday, October 11
League holding Texas Hold 'Em night
SOUTHBRIDGE — Finding new ways to raise money for the Southbridge Little League has been one of the mantras that league president Shaun Moriarty has lived by over the course of the past year.
One of the ways the SLL has raised money is a Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament. The third such tournament will be held next Friday. Oct. 19 at the Mill Street Brews/Artists Development Complex on Mill Street.
"We've decided to do different kinds of fund raising," Moriarty said last night, "than what we've traditionally done. This expands our donation base for not only Southbridge, but from out of town."
Many groups use Texas Hold 'Em as fundraisers for schools and other youth organizations, drawing players from surrounding towns that don't usually donate to that particular organization.
"(Texas Hold 'Em) was something that people looked at as a fad," Moriarty said. "But it has staying power."
Quite a few have helped pay for needed items: Moriarty said the tournament will help defray the cost of the league's general operating budget.
"That budget covers equipment and new uniforms," he said. "Every year, the cost to run the league — insurance, equipment, upkeep on the fields — goes up. To lessen the burden on our parents, we've broadened our fundraisers."
Other than poker tournaments, Moriarty brought in a local psychic in an effort to raise funds for the league.
"We're always looking at different fund raising ideas," he added.
There is a $75 buy-in to enter the tournament, which will feature appetizers, a cash bar, a silent auction featuring autographed Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots memorabilia, and numerous prizes — including a $1,500 payout for first place.
Seating is limited so purchasing advance tickets is highly encouraged. Tickets are available at Smashmouth Sports on Main Street in Southbridge, by contacting Southbridge Little League Board of Directors Terry Putnam at 774-230-3659 or Moriarty at 774-230-6870 or by e-mailing SouthbridgeLittleLeague@hotmail.com.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the first hands will be dealt at 7 p.m.
Sean Sweeney is the sports editor of the Southbridge Evening News. Dial him directly at 508-909-4133, or via e-mail at ssweeney@stonebridgepress.com.
Thursday, September 27
Ballfield improvements will happen
SOUTHBRIDGE — The funding is there for improvements to the McCann Field complex on Henry Street, but one town councilor says the scope and timing of the project may overwhelm the Department of Public Works.
Councilor Conrad Vandal said Monday night that several DPW employees — both regular staff and management personnel — have reservations about whether the department can juggle the field upgrades with other important projects.
"It would be nice if they could do it," Vandal said, "but I was told they are all stretched out."
Vandal said he supports renovating the Henry Street fields but wanted to issue some words of warning "before everything gets in motion and nothing gets done."
Town Manager Clayton Carlisle said the DPW director, Hamer Clarke, has given no indication that the field project can't be completed on schedule.
Councilor Robert King said the DPW director "shared no concerns about time" when he discussed the project at previous meetings.
"I can't imagine moving a fence takes that long," King said.
Clarke affirmed his commitment to the Little League project at last night's meeting of the Department of Public Works Subcommittee.
"Our department will do the very best we can to make this happen," he said.
Clarke said the DPW broke ground on the project Tuesday and moved the removed the old fencing yesterday. He said new grass seed could be spread by the second week in October.
In August, the council voted to borrow and appropriate $60,000 for upgrades to the Henry Street field complex.
That money will be used to realign the main field, re-grade the playing surface, add a fresh layer of stone dust to the base paths and provide water and sewer service.
Councilors approved an additional $18,000 expenditure for new fencing Monday night, but the Little League — through fund-raising campaigns and private donations — will be expected to reimburse the town for that portion.
"The [Little League] board will do everything we can to raise as much as it can for the purpose of reimbursing the town," Little League President Shaun Moriarty told the council.
Moriarty said the Little League has already received commitments from 11 local companies interested in contributing to the fencing project. He said he wasn't certain how much money those companies agreed to donate.
The town's goal is to upgrade the fields before opening day of the 2008 season, and time is of the essence. The Little League may not resume play until next spring, but it remains imperative that the DPW squeezes in the work before winter temperatures harden the soil.
Vandal said the DPW, according to his conversations with employees, already has its hands full with the ordinary slate of autumn tasks.
"It's a busy time for the DPW," he said.
Prior to Clarke's reassurance, Councilor Ronald Chernisky Jr. said Monday that the Little League should have a contingency plan in place in the event that the new grass doesn't sprout before opening day.
Moriarty said the show would go on either way, since the league has endured many years without the luxury of a grass infield.
The problem, Chernisky replied, is that the entire playing surface — infield and outfield — could end up bereft of grass.
Even if the grass grows on time, councilor Steven Lazo suggested at the DPW subcommittee meeting, it won't survive the pounding it is likely to receive.
"If the grass comes up," he said, "they're going to beat it down really fast."
One potential alternative, Moriarty suggested, would be to share playing time at the Morris Street field with the town's Lassie League.
Officials from various youth sports leagues were scheduled to meet last night to hash out their demands for portions of available field space.
"We can't afford to not play baseball," Moriarty said. "If we skip a season, how many of these kids are going to come back next year?"
Without baseball, he said, many of those kids would undoubtedly find less productive ways to spend their time.
The town manager has proposed borrowing up to $1.5 million dollars to finance the construction of a large, multi-use athletic complex on the grounds of a former Torrey Road dump.
In the meantime, he said, the town should take reasonable steps to ensure adequate playing conditions at existing fields.
"I ask you to look at this as a chance to see the glass as half full," Carlisle said.
According to Carlisle, the DPW has cleared brush on two of the 10 acres where the new field complex would be located.
Clarke said last night that the DPW crew working at Torrey Road has been transferred to Henry Street to concentrate on the Little League fields.
During the councilors' forum period, Chernisky cautioned the town manager against behaving as if permission to move forward with that project had already been granted.
Chernisky called plans for the athletic fields " a creative idea and a clever idea.
"That doesn't necessarily mean that it's the best idea for Southbridge," he said, expressing some concern about locating the fields on a former dump.
"I'd like to know more about [the soil] before I put it on areas where children are playing," Clarke said last night.
Carlisle said the Torrey Road property is being cleaned up now so the council can eventually decide whether it makes sense to place athletic fields there.
News Staff Writer Matt Reynolds may be reached at (508) 909-4132, or by e-mail at mreynolds@stonebridgepress.com.
Thursday, September 27
Editorial: Ball fields a worthy investment
The calendar says autumn, but the thermometer defiantly crept up to summer levels this week, sending people back to the beach — however briefly — for one last opportunity to bask in the sun.
At the same time, area residents are picking apples and pumpkins to begin fall celebrations with an eye toward scoreboard watching in Foxboro and Boston.
Perhaps there is no better time for Southbridge officials to be discussing what to do about much-needed improvements to the Little League fields on Henry Street.
Last week, Town Councilors met with Little League officials to hammer out an agreement through which the McCann complex will be upgraded before the first pitch is thrown next spring.
That involves borrowing $60,000 for shifting and realigning the main field, connecting it to the town water and sewer systems and regrading the playing field followed by a fresh coat of stone dust on the base lines. The League would continue its fund-raising projects in an effort to refund the town's money for the $18,000 of the $60,000 total used for new fences to protect the fields. The League has already lined up 11 companies interested in contributing.
It was a sunny outlook all around.
But things took a brief side trip to Mudville last night when concerns were raised that the Department of Public Works crews entrusted with doing the heavy lifting might be too busy with other jobs to get the work done.
Several DPW staff and management employees have voiced those concerns to a councilor.
Yet a ninth inning rally may have saved the idea, as DPW Director Hamer Clarke, who is just weeks away from his retirement, has assured town officials the work will get done — at least far enough to make certain the fields are playable.
Councilor Ronald Chernisky Jr., meanwhile suggests it might not hurt anything for the league to avoid using the Henry Street field next spring if that's what it takes to make sure the work is done right.
While sharing a field with Lassie League players at the Morris Street field is not out of the question, it would take careful scheduling between the two leagues. Ultimately, missing a season is out of the question for Little League officials, and we would agree.
If the League has to miss a season because of field problems, it might lose a lot of its players — children who most urgently need the organized activity Little League offers.
These are kids that have also put in their own "sweat equity" into the field, reporting before this season to help groom the field and basepaths, clean up and give the scoreboard a fresh coat of paint. They followed that up with a spring and summer of practices and games.
Little League teaches more than the game of baseball. It's designed to also instill kids with respect for the rules of the game and the spirit of sportsmanship.
Town Council's approval of the field repair plan is a wise investment in these children. The fields will be repaired. If it takes a bit of field sharing to see it through, the leagues should work together as an example of the sportsmanship they teach.
Play ball.
Friday, September 21
Councilors go to bat for Little League field
SOUTHBRIDGE — Town councilors and Little League officials hammered out a preliminary agreement Monday night to ensure the timely completion of renovation work at the McCann Field complex on Henry Street.
Since that agreement was brokered at a special council of the whole meeting, it still requires ratification before the full council.
At a meeting in August, the council voted to borrow and appropriate $60,000 for upgrades to the Henry Street field complex.
Councilors voted Monday to direct that money toward shifting and realigning the main field, connecting it to the town's water and sewer systems, re-grading the playing surface and refurbishing the base paths with a fresh coating of stone dust.
They also consented to making the down payment on some new fencing around the field, but with the expectation of an eventual reimbursement from the Little League.
Lazo Construction has volunteered to build a concession stand on the Henry Street property using donated materials. The realignment of the main field will be calculated to accommodate the placement of that concession stand.
The goal is to have everything in place before the Little League's opening day next spring.
The council of the whole meeting had been called in part to address some confusion about the scope of the project being envisioned.
That confusion had arisen because Department of Public Works director Hamer Clarke's estimate for the project came in at more than four times the budgeted amount.
In that estimate, Clarke had included some items, such as drainage work, that Little League officials weren't interested in pursuing.
Little League vice president Ted Hilli agreed that the Henry Street fields need work, but he warned against pouring money into a black hole, given the dangerousness of the neighborhood and the league's longstanding ambitions to host games elsewhere.
"The more money we invest down at Henry Street, the less chance of us moving to a better facility," Hilli said.
At a subcommittee meeting last month, Town Manager Clayton Carlisle talked up a proposal to borrow more than $1 million to finance the construction of a large, multi-use athletic complex on Torrey Road.
Carlisle said the additional field space would dovetail nicely with the new middle-high school earmarked for that location.
Until, and if, that plan comes to fruition, Hilli said, the Little League could manage with minimal fixes at Henry Street.
Right now, he said, "we need to have the field level so it's safe to play on, where the kids can see a true bounce."
He mentioned "holes and divots throughout the field" that could be patched up before next season.
Carlisle said the council would have to determine how far it's $60,000 appropriation could stretch and look at accomplishing the remainder through private donations and volunteer labor.
"The key word here is 'do,'" Carlisle said, stressing the urgency of breaking ground on the project before the onset of winter.
He said the town and the Little League needed to develop "an action plan for the next 30 days."
Clarke said DPW workers could have the field ready by next spring. He said the department would likely have to borrow some equipment to carry out the re-grading.
How to pay for the new fencing was a bone of contention during the meeting, and it nearly derailed the entire conversation.
Councilor Ronald Chernisky Jr. pressed the Little League for a verbal commitment that it would raise enough money for the fencing in time for opening day.
But Little League President Shaun Moriarty said he was uncomfortable making such a gesture without first consulting the league's board of directors.
"Manpower is never really a huge issue for us," Moriarty said. "We have a lot of volunteers. But, financially, it's tough."
He cautioned that higher registration fees could be a tough sell for the parents of Little Leaguers.
Some worried that without adequate fencing, work on the rest of the project would go for naught.
Dennis Tretheway, a Little League manager, predicted the absence of fencing would result in four-wheelers and snowmobiles chewing up agreed noted councilor Catherine Nikolla, to invest money to upgrade the baseball field while leaving both it and the planned concession stand vulnerable to vandalism.
The solution, Carlisle suggested, was to erect the fence in time for baseball season but allow the Little League to continue its fund-raising efforts until it can pay the town back in full.
"I don't want you to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory," he told Little League officials.
News Staff Writer Matt Reynolds may be reached at (508) 909-4132, or by e-mail at mreynolds@stonebridgepress.com.
Wednesday, August 8
Fields of dreams closer to reality
SOUTHBRIDGE — Southbridge Little League officials have long envisioned moving baseball games from the Henry Street neighborhood to a more youth-friendly venue.
At last night's meeting of the Town Council's Department of Public Works Subcommittee, they learned that those dreams may well be within reach.
Town Manager Clayton Carlisle got the ball rolling on a proposal — endorsed in theory by the subcommittee and representatives from different youth sports leagues — to set aside property on Torrey Road for the construction of a large, multi-use athletic complex.
Carlisle said the athletic complex could serve as the "ultimate location" for all of the town's youth sports leagues and recreational programs, thus creating "multiple opportunities for using [the fields] up and down the age chain."
The new fields would complement the outdoor athletic facilities associated with the planned construction of new high school and junior high school buildings on the Torrey Road site.
"We are years behind the curve in providing adequate fields," Carlisle said, alluding to the neatly manicured Little League fields prevalent in surrounding communities — fields whose design the Southbridge Little League directors wish to emulate.
As for how an estimated price tag of $1-1.5 million would be covered, Carlisle said the town could borrow the money and schedule annual repayments over a 30-40 year stretch, using funds from the Recreation Department's Enterprise Fund.
Carlisle mentioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers rural development grants, as one potential funding source.
Councilor Pamela Regis asked whether the town could secure Community Development Block Grants or Community Development Action Grants to help defray the cost.
The trouble, Carlisle said, is that the demand for such grants typically exceeds the supply.
"We have great hope as we apply, but there's lots of competition for them," he said. "Often, we are better off going with what we know we have."
On the bright side, he added, "we are coming out of a stingy series of administrations for turning money over to the towns."
Carlisle couched the proposal for a new athletic complex as an alternative to plans advanced by the Southbridge Little League to refurbish and realign the fields on Henry Street. Those plans called for an upgrade to the Major division field in advance of the 2008 season, with further upgrades to follow in the subsequent years.
Initially, Little League directors anticipated a cost of $25,000 per field, but Department of Public Works Director Hamer Clarke said last night the actual figure would be closer to $180,000 — "which," Little League President Shaun Moriarty wryly noted, "is obviously a significant difference."
Coupled with the series of field upgrades is the planned construction of a two-story concession stand and press box. Payment for that structure, however, will not come from the town's coffers, as the construction firm owned by School Committee Member Scott Lazo has volunteered to build it using donated materials.
Carlisle said he would be amenable to a scaled back version of the field renovation plans consistent with the original $25,000 estimate. At his recommendation, the subcommittee passed a motion to recommend to the full council a short-term bonding plan to finance those renovations.
A more ambitious investment in the Henry Street complex would be counterproductive, Carlisle reasoned, noting that resident complaints have always revolved around the quality of the neighborhood, rather than the quality of the baseball fields.
"Nothing that we spend there is going to make you happy overnight," he said.
The town manager stressed that the construction of a new athletic complex wouldn't result in other fields around town being squandered or disregarded.
"I don't think we should walk away from our existing assets," said Carlisle, who called the Henry Street field improvements "a short-term solution until we can get the big scheme worked out at Torrey Road."
Asked whether the Southbridge Little League was on board with that broader vision, Moriarty said he wanted to consult fellow league directors before speaking on their behalf, but he allowed that the project, at first glance, "sounds more than agreeable."
"We're just trying to improve upon what we have currently," Moriarty said. "Ideally, we'd like to be elsewhere. However, the divide we have between us [has been] whether it's feasible to go elsewhere."
Only one audience member took issue with situating new athletic fields on Torrey Road, the location of a former burning dump. While Carlisle felt the addition of athletic fields would beautify the property the dump used to occupy, John Pulawski — who said he wanted to avoid appearing "disagreeable"— wondered whether dangerous substances there have been eradicated in full.
Recalling the burnings he used to witness during his childhood, Pulawski said he used to believe "that's where purgatory was."
The ball is now in the court of the town's various youth sports league coordinators, who need to reach consensus on how field space would be divvied up should the Torrey Road complex come to fruition. Carlisle said he expects them to hammer out a workable compromise within three to five months.
Moriarty asked the five councilors in attendance at the subcommittee meeting where they stood on the proposal put forth by the town manager. All five offered their endorsement.
Council chairman Laurent McDonald was especially emphatic in his support.
"If you want my sentiments: It's about time," he said.
News Staff Writer Matt Reynolds may be reached at (508) 909-4132, or by e-mail at mreynolds@stonebridgepress.com.
Wednesday, August 8
Thoughts from Press Row: A get-together for new fields? Make it happen
Some 370-someodd days ago, your favorite well-mannered, well-dressed, slimmed-down (I'm happy to report that I'm down eight pounds) correspondent — that's me — penned a 936-word column about how the town of Sturbridge's combined youth leagues should get together and hammer out an agreement over a new complex on town-owned land off of Old Route 15. As far as I know — and from what I've heard recently — nothing has been done by those leagues to come to a mutual understanding on what should be done and how the land should be divvied up between them.
I quoteth the great Bugs Bunny when I say this: For shame, doc.
Now, some 370-someodd days later, I come before the recreational leagues of Southbridge to say the following: it's time for you to do what Sturbridge can't seem to get accomplished.
Quick aside: Are you insulted, Sturbridge? Are you offended? Good. Do something about it then.
The fact that Southbridge is behind the times with athletic fields is no secret. Travel to any one of several area towns — Charlton, Spencer, Oxford — and you will find incredible athletic facilities for the youth of those towns, all located off the beaten path.
After last night's DPW Subcomittee meeting at Town Hall, it looks as though the town is looking to head off the beaten path to construct new fields for not only the Southbridge Little League, but for Lassie League, Pop Warner, Youth Soccer, Men's Softball, and — get this, kids — a combined high school/junior high school field complex.
OK, so you're thinking to yourself, "Where in town are they thinking about putting all of that? That's at least 10 fields!"
How does Torrey Road sound to you?
(Pauses to wait for everyone to bring their eyes back to the column after shrieking and recoiling in terror.)
OK, calm down. Remember something, kids: I'm not originally from around here, so I'm not 100 percent familiar with how Torrey Road was in the past. I do have an idea, though, as one attendee of last night's soiree in the Rice Conference Room referred to a memory of Torrey Road as his old belief of what Purgatory actually was.
From what I understand, the town has some 250 acres of land — clean land, Town Manager Clayton R. Carlisle assured us — where the old Torrey Road Burning Dump that would be perfect for not only this brand spanking new athletic complex that would make kids from all over the state drool, but it could also be the site of the future Southbridge High School and the future junior high, Carlisle said.
(Organs strike multiple angelic chords in unison.)
Did you hear that? Everybody sing with me! Hallelujah!
(Pauses.)
OK, maybe I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself here. Yet I can't help it — imagine it, though: a sparkling athletic center with two new educational jewels along side of it? I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
But before any of that can happen, the town of Southbridge needs to focus on other things, things just a little more realistic than two new schools.
Last night's meeting not only gave preliminary approval to put together a short-term bonding plan for the renovation and realignment of Henry Street Field's Little League portion — which also sets into motion the plan for a two-tiered press box and concession stand — but Carlisle also wants to have a summit meeting between the School Department (a nice introduction for Alan Harrison, I'd say) and directors of the town recreational leagues. Within the next three-to-five months, Carlisle wants them to have a plan put together, a plan that would, in short, show how the leagues plan to divvee up the field allocation.
Here is the official Press Row stance on the matter: Do it. Do it now and get it over with. Show the rest of southern Worcester County that Southbridge is tired of being slow to react to the rest of the area when it comes to providing quality athletic fields for the youth of this town.
Here is what needs to happen for all of this to work: the leaders of the respective town leagues — Shaun Moriarty, Dave Curboy, Scott Lazo, Tim Cooke, and the gentleman who runs the Southbridge Softball Association (sorry, I don't know your name, but I would like to meet you soon) — need to use a "what is good for the town is good for all involved" approach when looking at this issue. They can't be greedy and take a bigger chunk of the pie for their leagues. They need to come to a pact that benefits everyone in Southbridge proper. An agreement is necessary, and I'm sure that everyone wants to see this project come to fruition.
This one simple act is a necessary step — even though it's a baby step — into returning the town of Southbridge to athletic prominence, and making the town the envy of the rest of the area.
I only hope it doesn't take another 370-someodd days to get started.
Sean Sweeney is the sports editor of the Southbridge Evening News. His Thoughts From Press Row is a satirical and pull-no-punches look at sports which runs Friday in this space — and during the week when necessary.
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