The weather has put a damper on the East Boston Knights season. Scheduled to play 6 games in 7 days, the Knights can’t beat their number one foe….Mother Nature. The Knights have sat idle since Wednesday night when they dropped a heartbreaker to the Al Thomas Athletics 9 – 6. Starting pitcher Branden Eaton took the ball for the home town team and went 4 innings allowing 2 runs and leaving with a 6 – 2 lead giving way to Kenny Loungo. The 6 – 2 lead came courtesy of a Ben McBride grand slam bomb in the 4^th inning. With 1 out and the bases jammed with Knights, McBride took a Steve Doyle changeup deep into the night to give the Knights a 5 – 2 lead. The Knights would tack on another in the 5^th only to let the lead slip away. The A’s led by Freddie Carrera (4-4 3sb) took advantage of some odd plays to get the 6^th inning started and scored 7 unanswered runs to take a 9 – 6 lead they would not relinquish.  The Knights dropped to 3 – 3 on the season. Said Manager Eric Bellavia “We played a great game and had control of the entire game until the 6^th  inning. The A’s got a few lucky bounces to start the inning and took advantage of it. Good teams do that. We will move past this one and try to forget it, there is nothing we can do. No lessons learned form this one.”

Next up fot the YBL Knights:

Wednesday, June 12^th vs South Boston Saints at Ronan Park 7:30

Saturday, June 15^th vs Malden Bulldogs at Maplewood 8:00

Monday, June 17^th vs Malden Bulldogs at East Boston Stadium 8:00

GAME RECAPS:

RRBL KNIGHTS 

6/2/2013

Salem, MA – The Knights made the trip up to Salem, MA to take on the Brewers only to find Palmer Cove Field in too rough of shape from the weekend’s storms to play. The Knight’s weekend off didn’t stop them from moving into 2nd place in the division after the Red Dogs were swept for the second time in as many weeks at the hand of the Braves. The Knights now sit 2 games back of the Indians for the top spot. The RRBL game of the week this week features the Knights and Indians Friday at Brandeis University. The Knights will send Justin Wojcik (2-0) up against a Indians team that has been struggling to score runs of late. Their string of success has come primarily due to likely starter, Mark Infurna (5-0) who is looking at another Cy Young caliber season.

Next up for the RRBL Knights:

Friday, June 14^th vs Beverly Indians at Brandeis 8:00

Sunday, June 16^th vs Malden Titans at Devir Park 10:00

PLAYER PROFILE:

Player: Justin Wojcik

Position: Pitcher/SS

Throws: Right                                                           

Height: 5’ 11”

Weight: 170

Hometown: Dracut, Massachusetts

College: Bunker Hill

Favorite Color: Pinkish Red

Claim to fame: Once engineered a train home with Sean Hannon from Lowell to Billerica. Invented the children’s collectable toy “Woji-monster”

Justin Wojcik joined the YBL Knights in the 2011 season and was the starting SS and the number 3 starter for the Knights….He joined the RRBL Knights last season and was part of the back to back championship….Wojcik is 4 – 4 with a 2.80 ERA all time for the YBL Knights…..Wojcik is 2 – 0 with a 1.50 ERA currently for the RRBL team this season.

U.S. Congressman and Massachusetts Senatorial hopeful Ed Markey tours the East Boston Neighborhood
Health Center with California Congressman Xavier Bacerra last Friday. Dr. Karin Leschly,
medical director for family medicine at the Health Center provided the Congressmen with the tour.

U.S. Congressman Ed Markey made a campaign stop in East Boston last Friday in his bid to win the Massachusetts Senate seat.

California Congressman Xavier Bacerra joined Markey for a tour of the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center facility in Maverick Square. The facility was built using federal stimulus money and Markey and Bacerra got a first hand look at how the federal dollars were well spent.

Markey, who helped announce the $12 million EBNHC got a few years back to build the Maverick Square facility said he wanted to show Bacerra how proud he and entire community is over the facility.

“For me it’s a great honor show Bacerra this incredible facility in East Boston and how proud I am of it and how proud the staff, physicians and entire community is of it,” said Markey. “Ralph Waldo Emerson said ‘health is the first wealth’ and what we have done here in East Boston and Massachusetts ensures every child has access to health care facilities and there is a pot (funds) to build facilities like this were health care is made available and people can receive quality health care in a dignified setting where the only thing that matters is the health and well being of families.”

Of the EBNHC facility, Markey said it doesn’t make any difference of someone’s income level or nationality the only thing that matters is health care of children and families.

“This has been out business plan because we believe the more educated and healthy our young people are the better future workforce we will have,” said Markey. “East Boston is a perfect example of what’s going on across the country now thanks to Affordable Care Act. You can see what happens when you invest in health care and you can see change that takes place in the relationship families have with health care.”

Markey pointed out that while Republicans voted against the Affordable Care Act he and Bacerra voted in favor because it makes facilities like EBNHC and the quality of health care inside possible.

“It’s an ongoing battle but it is the right thing to do,” said Markey. “You can see the impact a facility like this has on people and families and the community.”

EBNHC President Jack Cradock thanked Markey and said the facility is stimulus money alive and well.

“I tell the Congressman all the time that when someone criticize President Obama and what he did they should come to East Boston and look at out facility and out colleague health centers around the country,” said Cradock.

Latest polls have Markey up by 7 points over Republican challenger Gabriel Gomez.

East Boston Neighborhood Health Center President Jack Cradock addresses the crowd after being honored for his outstanding achievements at the Health Center.

East Boston’s Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) began in the basement of Our Savior’s American Lutheran Church on Paris Street. It started in the basement of this church fighting slumlords in Eastie at a time when there was an influx of Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrants coming into the neighborhood.

At times these families wouldn’t have heat for two years. When buildings burnt down because the families were forced to use space heaters the landlords unfairly blamed the residents and began the rumors that these immigrants cooked on the floors of the apartments or in bathtubs.

“I remember NOAH’s first day. We got a call to assist a Vietnamese family which was being intimidated by an absentee owner over nasty conditions in an Eagle Hill apartment,” said NOAH’s Executive Director Phil Giffee. “The owner was also threatening them with eviction. East Boston has always been a welcoming community (and it should be proud of itself) but that event was a too-common experience in those days. If memory serves, we got the landlord to back off.”

With a goal to help these residents in Eastie because they had no one else to turn to NOAH was born.

“At the time the community needed two things,” explained Giffee. “East Boston needed an active enterprise that helped low income residents and a voice to resolve the housing crisis here.”

Giffee said there were to many absentee landlords taking advantage of the poor and having them live in substandard conditions. NOAH was there to take these immigrants complaints to the attorney general’s office and although it was hard at times it was these fights that helped NOAH emerged as a vital  neighborhood organization.

On June 20 NOAH will celebrate its 25th Anniversary with a summer bash at the Logan Hyatt Hotel. The event will honor Citizens Bank for the bank’s unique contributions and for its support to NOAH for over two decades. The event will be co-chaired by Robert Beal, President of The Beal Companies and Jerry Sargent, President of Citizens Bank and RBS Citizens.

John Jacobs, Chief Creative Optimist and co-founder of Life is Good, will be the evening’s keynote speaker.

While NOAH began as a way to improve housing conditions here it has blossomed into a respected organization that lends its name to community building, social and environmental justice and entrepreneurship for thousands of residents here.

In the early days NOAH ran on inspiration and spirit and today works on partnerships with local and area non-profits as well as community leaders and elected officials.

“And the many, many residents that do not have an official title with NOAH but were the backbone of the organization then and now,” said Giffee.

The misconception that NOAH somehow contributes to the demise of urban neighborhoods because it provides affordable housing has been disproved over the years as NOAH emerged as a stabilizing force in Eastie. Over the years NOAH has helped to drive out slumlords for the community, improved countless dilapidated buildings, improved Eastie’s housing stock and jumped on most environmental projects that added more green space to the neighborhood.

“I couldn’t be happier and I’m eternally grateful that I landed here landed here in East Boston 25 years ago,” said Giffee. “I met so many hardworking passionate dedicated people that have became close friends over the years.”

Giffee said from the beginning NOAH built on the human instinct to help other people move up in the world and year after year that original mission has been reaffirmed.

“Our role has always been to foster the human connection between people and help generations realize its not a South American and European divide in this neighborhood but that the people that come to East Boston now come here for the same reasons our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents did,” said Giffee.

So whether NOAH responds to seniors who need their homes repaired, a young family needing an affordable rental apartment, or yet another family facing a draining foreclosure - or to residents who need an advocate to help fix up a schoolyard, create open space or preserve our precious environment, Giffee said NOAH will continue to answer the call.

It’s been hailed as one of the best fundraising events in East Boston that shows the neighborhood and its residents at their best.

On Friday, June 14 at 6 p.m. the American Cancer Society’s Annual Relay for Life will kickoff at East Boston Memorial Stadium. The overnight event will feature teams from Eastie and Winthrop that will spend the night walking the track at the Stadium to raise money for cancer.

Like years past, the event will also honor cancer survivors and remember those who lost their battle to the disease.

This year will mark the 5th Annual Eastie Relay For Life and since its start in 2008 the event has raised over a $200,00 towards finding a cure for cancer.

“Across the country, Relay For Life events are held overnight as individuals and teams camp out at an athletic track, park or other gathering area, with the goal of keeping at least one team member on the track or pathway at all times throughout the evening,” said this year’s co-chair Tiffany LaCascia. “Teams do most of their fundraising prior to the event, but some teams also hold creative fundraisers at their campsites during Relay. Relay brings together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, faith-based groups – people from all walks of life – all committed to furthering the American Cancer Society’s efforts to save lives by helping people stay well, by helping them get well, by finding cures and by fighting back.”

Funds raised over the years at Eastie’s Relay For Life are enabling the American Cancer Society to impact the lives of those touched by cancer within the community by supporting vital, cutting-edge cancer research. Funds raised each year in Eastie provide cancer patients with services such as transportation to treatment, free lodging at Boston’s Hope Lodge, and round the clock support at the national cancer information center. Money is also used to publish lifesaving literature on cancer prevention, detection and tobacco control and developing a new generation of medicines that help those battling cancer.

The event, held from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. with participants camping out in tents around the track, gives everyone the opportunity to celebrate the survivors in their lives, remember those they have lost to cancer, and do their part in fighting back against the disease.

The survivors kickoff the first lap and are invited to a special survivor reception immediately following.

Then there is the extremely moving “Luminaria Ceremony” at 9 p.m. where candlelit bags that have been decorated in memory of someone who lost their battle to cancer are placed around the track as all participants take a silent lap.

“At the very least, we would love all residents to take part in the Luminaria ceremony, “ said LaCascia. “It is what Relay is all about.”

The night is also a celebration. There will be face painting, dance performances, entertainment, theme laps and much more. There will be fun activities for people of all ages.

“It is never too early or too late to get involved with Relay,” said LaCascia. “To learn more about the event, or to sign up as a participant, please go to www.eastbostonrelay.org.”

For more information please contact ACS Staff partner, Matt Blom, at matthew.blom@cancer.org or call (781) 314-2608.  East Boston Relay For Life Event Chairs Tiffany LaCascia and Kristin Reed can also be contacted at EastBostonRelayforLife@gmail.com.

MassDOT has scheduled a meeting to discuss the proposed rehabilitation project to the Lieutenant William F. Callahan Tunnel that connects East Boston to the North End.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the East Boston High School, 86 White St.

The project includes rehabilitation to the tunnel’s deck, curb line, gutters and replacement of the tunnel’s wall panels.

MassDOT project staff will present details including preliminary work schedule information and expected traffic impacts.

After removing 117 wall panels from the Callahan Tunnel in December 2013 and an additional two-dozen panels from the adjoining Sumner Tunnel last week, MassDOT decided to remove all 2,400 panels from the Callahan.

The removal of the panels came after a 100 lb. wall panel in the tunnel fell off the wall of the tunnel and landed in the road. The panels, which date back to the 1990s, are 9 ft. by 4 ft. and replaced older panels in order to give the tunnel a better look and reflect light for improved visibility in the tunnel for motorists.

After the panel fell, MassDOT was forced to shut down the Callahan so inspectors could perform a ‘pull test’ on the panels that line the tunnel.

After the inspections it was found that 117 panels did not pass the pull test and had to be removed. MassDOT officials said the framing holding the panels in place had corroded.

Inspectors took down every panel that showed some degree of looseness. The rest where firmly secured and MassDOT was confident they would not fall onto the road in the Callahan.

However, a week after performing the pull test in the Callahan, MassDOT inspectors moved over to the Sumner Tunnel where they performed the same testing.

They found that 26 panels needed to come down due to corrosion. MassDOT officials said any panel that moved even slightly was taken down in the Sumner.

Because the Callahan was up for an overhaul beginning this summer, MassDOT decided to take all panels down.

The overhaul of the tunnel will cost between $10 million and $12 million.

The Callahan Tunnel is one of three tunnels that connect East Boston to Boston via routes under the Boston Harbor, the others being the Sumner and Ted Williams Tunnels.  The tunnel was opened in 1961. It was named for the son of Turnpike chairman William F. Callahan, who was killed in Italy just days before the end of World War II.

As the weather heats up so do the East Boston Knights. The YBL Knights win their only game this week vs. the Savin Hill Hornets and the RRBL Knights swept a double header against the Pepperell Red Dogs Sunday to go undefeated on the week. Pitching has been the key for both teams as both teams try to climb to the top of their respected divisions. The YBL Knights now sit at 3 – 2, 2 points behind leader McKay Club Beacons in the “Yaz” division. The RRBL Knights currently sit in 3^rd place at 5 – 3 only 1 ½ games behind division leader Beverly Indians. Knights General Manager Eric Bellavia seems happy with both teams so far. “We are right where we want to be thus far. We certainly have high expectation for both teams but don’t expect to go undefeated. I have been extremely happy with our pitching staff. They have been amazing.” The Knights boast the YBL’s top ERA at a minuscule 0.72. “The hard work in the offseason is starting to bear fruit. We focused on recruiting pitchers that could be come in and help us immediately but more importantly be open to the idea of starting and pitching out of the bullpen in between starts. We only have 5 games to go on but so far it has been successful.”

GAME RECAPS:

YBL KNIGHTS

5/31/2013

EAST BOSTON, MA…..After starting the season 2 and 2 on their 4 game road trip to open the season the Knights returned home after an 11 day layoff to face off against division foe Savin Hill in the blazing heat at East Boston Stadium.

The Knights sent Sean Hannon to the bump to face off against Nate Hoder. Hannon went 3 innings striking out 8 allowing only one hit in his season debut for the Knights. Newcomers Corey Laliberte and Max Ockner combined along with Steve Hueston to finish off the job Hannon started. In all Knights pitching allowed only 2 hits and struck out 15 Hornets on the night. Laliberte struck out the side in the 4th inning making his first ever appearance as a Knight.

Offensively the Knights bats went cold. Chris Dowd hit a shot that got by the left fielder for an RBI triple. Dowd now leads the YBL in RBI with 8. Jared Kenney chipped in with 2 RBI and Geoff Harris stole 2 bases on the night.

Next up fot the YBL Knights:

Wednesday, June 5^th vs Athletics at Ronan Park 7:30

Friday, June 7^th vs Medford Maddogs at Morelli Field 8:00

Saturday, June 8^th vs Brighton Blacksox King Field 1:00

Saturday, June 8^th vs South Boston Saints King Field 4:00

RRBL KNIGHTS

6/2/13

PEPPERELL, MA – The Knights traveled to Pepperell for a double header against the division leading Red Dogs. Dan Moran (3IP; 4H, 3R, 3K) started the game for the Knights and ran into trouble early. 3 runs scored in the first with one out before Moran struck out the last two batters to stop the bleeding. The knights got on the board in the 2 nd when John Scull (3-4; 3B, 2B, 2RBI, 2SB) doubled to left-center, stole both second and third, and then scored on a Tim Antonellis (0-1; RBI, SacB) fielder’s choice.

The Red Dogs will score 2 more runs in the third making the score 5-2. The Knights answer back with 2 in the fourth inning sparked by singles by Scull and Joe Vitale (2-3; R, BB). Antonellis moved them over with a sacrifice bunt before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Eduardo Colmenares (2-4; 2B, 3RBI) and single from Jaret Kell (3-5; RBI). Colmenares would go on to tie the game by knocking in Geoff Harris (2-4; SB, HBP) in the 6 th .

Scull collected his third hit on the game in the 7 th on a triple that scored Aren Eaton and Patrick Donohoe giving the Knights all of the lead they would need to cruise to victory. Sean Perkins (4IP; W, 6K, 1H) held the Red Dogs scoreless over 4 frames to collect his first win of his RRBL career, a 10-5 come-back victory.

Other Notables: Omar Ortiz made his return to the knights going 1-2 with a double and a run scored.

PEPPERELL, MA – The second game of the double header between the Knights and Red Dogs got off to a quick start with Justin Wojcik (4IP; W, 3H, 4K) retiring the 5 of the first 6 batters. A fly out in the 3rd would be the only ball out of the infield for the Red Dogs against Wojcik. After scoring 1 run in the second by way of three consecutive errors, the Knights broke the game open with a 12 run third inning. The knights sent 16 batters to the plate with Eduardo Colmenares (3-3; 2B, 4RBI, SB) and Omar Ortiz (2-3; 2B, 2RBI) doing most of the damage by way of a combined 4 hits and 6 RBIs while each scoring twice.

The Red Dogs would score again in the 5th off Patrick Donohoe (1IP; K, BB, HBP) before he struck out the lead-off batter to end the game. The Knights improved to 5-3 on the year with their sweep of the Red Dogs. With the day’s win, the Knights climb back to above .500 and only a game and a half out of first place in the division behind the Beverly Indians. The Knights next match-up will be next Sunday against the Brewers at Palmer Cove in Beverly at 10AM.

PLAYER PROFILE:

Player: Sean Hannon

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Height: 6’ 0”

Weight: 180

Hometown: Tewksbury, Massachusetts

College: Daniel Webster

Favorite Color: EBK Blue & Gold

Claim to fame: Dunked on playground basketball legend Dan Medeiros leaving him posterized at Livingston Street Park.

Sean Hannon joined the Knights in the 2011 season and quickly made an impact throwing a no-hitter against the Medford Maddogs in his second game ever in an EBK uniform…..Sean is 9 – 5 with a 2.76 ERA and 109 K’s in 96.1 innings pitched all time for EBK….Sean earned All star status last season pitching at Fenway Park….Attended Shawsheen Tech high school.

Sponsored by New Balance Foundation, the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center Let’s Get Movin’ Walk/Run for Fitness begins as young participants in the program begin the race.

Customers enjoy a lunch break at Market Caf’s new outdoor seating area in Maverick Square.

The Salesians Boys & Girls Club and Zumix will each receive a  $5,000 grant from the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) as part of $120,000 in community grants that went to 24  Boston nonprofits during the Authority’s annual awards luncheon on May 29.

The awards were distributed as part of the MCCA’s Community Partnership and Hospitality Scholarship Fund, a two-part program established and sponsored by the MCCA and former  State Senator Jack Hart. The program is funded by revenue generated from consumer shows held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. The goal of the program is for all of Boston’s neighborhoods to benefit from the work of the MCCA as well as to provide  workforce development support for Massachusetts students entering the hospitality industry.

“The Salesian Boys & Girls Club of East Boston is extremely grateful to the MCCA for this grant,” said Boys $ Girls Club Executive Director Father John Nazzaro. “It is earmarked for an art and cultural development program we will call “Sit in a Circle” that will allow our Club members to recognize their own self-worth, talent, imagination and understanding of diverse cultures and history through interactive dialogue with their peers using creative tools such as digital cameras, art supplies, music, dance, writing, and story-telling.”

Fr. Nazzaro said this program will generate innovative peer-to-peer interaction through structured individual and team building settings advances informational, educational and tolerance activities while offering opportunities to fine tune each child’s specific talents and skills.

Over at Zumix the money will be used to expand its community arts programs.

“We’re so grateful to the MCCA for their support! Their generous grant will allow us to continue to run our Community Arts programs such as our Jazz at the Firehouse series and our Summer Concert Series,” said Zumix Executive Director Madeleine Steczynski. “We’re so happy to be able to provide great arts events for our community and thank the MCCA for helping to make this possible.”

Since the program launched in 2007, the MCCA has awarded more than $647,845 in  grants to dozens of nonprofit organizations in Boston and $65,000 in academic scholarships to local students.

“We understand the importance of the extensive number of nonprofits who work tirelessly to serve all of Boston’s diverse neighborhoods,” said MCCA Executive Director James Rooney.  “Our Community Partnership  Grants program is a way for the MCCA to reward these nonprofits for the positive contributions they are making to Boston and its collection of neighborhoods.  The grants are also a way to ensure that the organizations receive the funding that allows them to  continue to make our city’s communities better places to live, work and enjoy.”