Boston Park League


The Boston Park League, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest amateur baseball league in the United States.

History

The Boston Park League was founded in 1929 by Bob Cusick, program director for the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. Cusick envisioned a high quality, yet highly participatory, amateur baseball league with teams based in, and featuring residents of, the various neighborhoods of Boston. Charlestown, East Boston, South Boston, Hyde Park, Brighton, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Mattapan, South End, and Dorchester all have had teams at some period of time.
The league was rabidly popular among local area baseball fans, and in the 1930s and 1940s many games would draw as many as 5,000 attendees. Once the playoffs got underway, that number was known to swell to as many as 12,000 fans per game. Attendance remained high throughout the 1950s and 1960s, often in the range of 5,000 to 6,000 fans per game.
Such popularity made the league among the best compilations of amateur talent in the nation, featuring top quality players from local and regional high schools and universities. At its peak, the BPL comprised a sizeable population of former professional players, many of whom still had hopes of garnering enough attention to get another shot at a professional position.
The league has always been considered an amateur league, although for a brief period in the 1960s the league actually did pay a few select players, often higher profile ex-pros, in hopes of raising the league's profile and quality of play. Former Red Sox relief pitcher Mike Fornieles is a prime example, playing a number of years for the league's Supreme Saints.
In recent decades, the league's presence has diminished somewhat, becoming less of a regional draw. However, the quality of play and passion among its players remain high. Attendance is also lower, with most games at present drawing a more modest number of fans, often less than 100 for mid-week, regular-season matchups, although some weekend and playoff games can still draw 500 or more attendees. The league is still considered to be the gold standard of amateur baseball in the Boston metropolitan area and, aside from the extremely competitive Cape Cod League, remains arguably the best amateur baseball league in New England.
In 1982, the City of Boston decided to pass on the administrative duties to a small group of former players and coaches. The league named Bill Mahoney its first President, Harvey Soolman Secretary Treasurer, and Walt Mortimer Umpire in Chief. With the need for more funding, the Budweiser Brewing Co. of Medford, Ma., distributors of Bud Light, sponsored the league for four years. The Yawkey Foundation came on board in 1986, and has continuously sponsored the Boston Park League for the last 27 years.
During the baseball strike of the mid-1990s, many Boston Park League players were granted spring training invitations by Major League teams, including 1993 BPL League Most Valuable Player Mike Carista, who was offered an invitation to spring training by the Boston Red Sox. Carista was a former Red Sox draft pick, but had left professional baseball years earlier.
Under the guidance of veteran manager Jim Cody, All Dorchester Sports League has won the Boston Park League the past two seasons.

List of League Presidents

Many notable players have spent time in the Boston Park League.
2019 - ADSL
2018 - ADSL
2017 - TJO Sports
2016 - Towne Club
2015 - Palmer Club
2014 - Palmer Club
2013 - Cannon Club
2012 - Carlson Club
2012 - Carlson Club
2010 - Carlson Club
2009 - Carlson Club
2008 - Grossman Marketing
2007 - Boston Padres Baseball Club
2006 - Palmer Club
2005 - Stockyard
2004 - Palmer Club
2003 - Palmer Club
2002 - Palmer Club
2001 - Hines/ADSL
2000 - Mass. Envelope
1999 - Palmer Club
1998 - Mass. Envelope
1997 - Larkin Club
1996 - Larkin Club
1995 - Larkin Club
1994 - ADSL/Avi Nelson
1993 - Serra Club
1992 - Mass. Envelope
1991 - Towne Club
1990 - Hyde Park Sports
1989 - ADSL
1988 - Triple D's
1987 - Triple D's
1986 - Hyde Park Sports
1985 - Towne Club
1984 - Towne Club
1983 - Mass. Envelope
1982 - Mass. Envelope
1981 - Triple D's
1980 - Mahoney Club
1979 - Supreme Saints
1978 - Conley Club
1977 - Mass. Envelope
1976 - Conley Club
1975 - Mass. Envelope
1974 - Mass. Envelope
1973 - Mass. Envelope
1972 - Conley Club
1971 - Franklin Club
1970 - Mass. Envelope
1969 - Craven Club
1968 - Woolf Club
1967 - Supreme Saints
1966 - Herb Connelly Club
1965 - Herb Connolly Club
1964 - Supreme Saints
1963 - Supreme Saints
1962 - Kelley Club
1961 - Charlestown Hawks
1960 - St. Paul's
1959 - St. Paul's
1958 - Charlestown Cardinals
1957 - St. Paul's
1956 - McCormack Club
1955 - St. Paul's
1954 - St. Paul's
1953 - St. Paul's
1952 - Hal Crosby Club
1951 - Boston Elks
1950 - Kane Chevrolet
1949 - Crownburners
1948 - Crownburners
1947 - Dick Casey Club
1946 - Veterans Administration
1945 - Navy Yard AA
1944 - Dick Casey Club
1943 - Dick Casey Club
1942 - Dick Casey Club
1941 - Dick Casey Club
1940 - Dick Casey Club
1939 - Dick Casey Club
1938 - St. Augustine's
1937 - Dick Casey Club
1936 - Roslindale Wolfs
1935 - Jordan Marsh
1934 - Jordan Marsh
1933 - Roslindale Town Team
1932 - St. Thomas
1931 - St. Thomas
1930 - Agawam A.A.
1929 - St. Thomas, J.P.

Playing Fields Currently Used by the BPL


Note, Kelley Field is maintained by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Department of Conservation & Recreation, while the others are maintained by the City of Boston's Parks Department.

Current Teams in the BPL (2019)

Mass Envelope is the current longest standing league member. They changed the name of their team to Grossman Marketing in the 2008 season, following a corporate rebranding in 2006.
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2015 Boston Park League Standings

Palmer 21-11-2 *
TJO Sports 20-13-1
ADSL 20-14-0
Towne Club 18-5-1
Cannon 15-19-0
Grossman Marketing 12-19-3
Padres 9-24-1
2015 Playoffs
Palmer Club defeats Towne Club
ADSL defeats TJO Sports
Palmer Club defeats ADSL
2015 Batting Champion
Ben Balvy .444 18 72 25 32 4 3 1 .625
2015 Pitching Leader
Josh Desai 1.62 7 2 0 60.2 21 14 81 20 0 1.34 1.203
2015 Category Leaders
Batting
AVG: Ben Balvy
Hits: Chris Hoyt
2B: Tim Corey
3B: Jorge Deronimo
HR: Alex Venditti
RBI: Chris Johnson
R: Derek Riddy
BB: John Mccue
SLG: Jorge Deronimo
OBP: Frankie Tierney
OPS: Ben Balvy
SB: Ryan Connelly
Pitching
ERA: Josh Desai
W: Josh Desai
S: Jared Blandino
IP: Tyler Shute
SO: Josh Desai
SOIP: Jarlin Gomez
WHIP: Raymond Malagon