Waltham Baseball Program To Honor Local Legend With Dugout

WALTHAM, MA — If you've seen a baseball game recently at Leary Field you might have noticed the fence around the dugout is a bit roughed up and there aren't that many things that scream Waltham High School pride. The team's coach got to thinking it was about time to do something about that.

"I'd like to try to get as much school spirit on the field. Make it look it like it's our home field," said Varsity Baseball Coach Mike Peterson.

The Waltham High School Baseball program wants to build new dugouts at Leary Field and while they're at it, name them after Al Scafidi who was the Waltham High Baseball coach and a bit of a local legend from 1979-1993. The one hitch, of course, is money, especially at a time when the school budget is on the tighter side.

So the coach made an appeal to the general public for help raising the money it will cost to build and install a new dug out, which could cost around $10,000. Within 24 hours of his posts to social media, he'd raised $1,600 and got pledges from local business owners donating some supplies and time. He's now up to $2,300, he said.

"It was really quite amazing," said Peterson. "It's kind of come together pretty quick and people have been pretty generous."

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Peterson, who coaches along side Larry Scafidi, Al's son said the idea to recognize Scafidi had been swirling around in his head for a while.

"Since Al was such a big part of the program it only made sense to somehow have part of the field named for him," he said. "What better way than a dugout where he coached for all those years."

Scafidi the coach

Scafidi, who passed away in 2005, made quite the impact on the program during his years at the high school and his name has been a mainstay in Waltham Baseball in the decade-plus since his death, according to Varsity Baseball Coach Mike Peterson.

Scafidi was born and raised in Waltham, he was a 1948 graduate of Waltham High School where he captained the baseball team and then came back to coach (after serving with the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict) for more than a decade between 1979 and 1993.

He was forced to retire because of an illness that year, but he had served in that capacity for 13 seasons and and baseball was in his blood. Before coaching at his alma mater, he helped to co-found the Stan Musial Baseball League, coached and served as a president in the Waltham Connie Mack Baseball League. In 1956 and in 1981 coached teams that played in the Connie Mack World Series. Then from 1976 to 1979 he coached the Hudson Catholic High School baseball team. Oh, and he was also a coach for the USA High School Baseball team that played throughout the United States and in Taiwan.

When he wasn't coaching baseball, Scafidi sense of team playing was still evident in all that he did, according to his obituary he was a member of the Loyal Order of Moose, Lodge No. 1018 in Waltham and was named its 'Man of the Year' at one point. He also belonged to the Waltham Elks, the Joseph F. Hill American Legion Post No. 156 in Waltham and the Waltham Sons of Italy. He was also a former member and past chairman of the Waltham Parks and Recreation Board. And he owned Waltham's Embassy Trophy Company.

Surprise!

The naming of the dugout in honor of Scafidi was meant to be a surprise to his assistant coach, said Peterson. But he inadvertently left the son of Scafidi's name on the first email chain he sent out.

"I checked it, too," he said laughing.

So what did his assistant coach think of the idea?

"He's a man of few words," said Peterson. "I've known Larry my whole life and he's been a huge influence in my life, especially baseball... I could tell he was pretty excited for it."

The plan now is to finish figuring out the final costs with the number of donations that have come in; Joe Burgoyne of Ideal Concrete Block based in Waltham will donate brick cement and paint to get the foundation built, and he's had someone else pledge to donate the labor. "It's very generous," said Peterson.

The idea then is to get coaches and players to help build the dugouts in time for use in the spring, complete with plaque and opening ceremony.

Thursday night a team of volunteers will assemble to go over the logistics. Then they'll head to the superintendent of school's office and then to the School Committee to get permission to accept all of the gifts, per protocol.

And any extra funds that come in, he said will go toward renovating the rest of the field or head back into the baseball program.

If you're interested in donating the team is asking checks be sent to: Waltham Hawks Baseball, 28 Sartell Road, Waltham MA 02451. You can also make donations online by clicking this link.

Image via Google Maps Street View Screen shot.