The Dalton Collegians were a semi-professional independent
baseball team located in
Dalton, Massachusetts. The team was founded in 1970 and coached by Michael T. Casey of Dalton, MA. In 1987, Mr. Casey became involved with an investor group who purchased and moved the
Little Falls Mets from
Little Falls, NY to
Pittsfield, MA
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfieldâ ...
.
The Dalton Collegians had many notable local and college baseball players that graduated to many levels of professional baseball. In 1985, the Dalton Collegians were ranked as one of the top amateur semi-professional teams in the country. The Collegians beat the
Baltimore Johnnies, who at the time were considered to be one of the top ranked semi-professional teams in the county as ranked by the World Baseball Congress. The Baltimore Johnnies couching staff were affiliated with the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
.
History
The Dalton Collegians followed the deep traditions of local and community baseball in Massachusetts. The Collegians played most of their home games in Dalton, MA which is situated next to Pittsfield, MA in Berkshire County. The Collegians, because of their success and skill as a semi-professional team, were invited to play at
Wahconah Park
Wahconah Park is a city-owned baseball park located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and nestled in a working-class neighborhood. One of the last remaining ballparks in the United States with a wooden grandstand, it was constructed in 1919 and seats ...
on occasion. Wahconah Park remains one of the last remaining ballparks in the United States with a wooden grandstand; it was constructed in 1919 and seats 4,500.
Pittsfield, Massachusetts is noted in a document believed to be the earliest written reference to baseball in North America. The document was located in the city of Pittsfield's library, the Berkshire Athenaeum. The reference is contained in a 1791 Pittsfield bylaw, which states that: ". . . for the Preservation of the Windows in the New Meeting House . . . no Person or Inhabitant of said town, shall be permitted to play at any game called Wicket, Cricket, Baseball, Football, Cat, Fives or any other game or games with balls, within the Distance of Eighty Yards from said Meeting House."
Rise to the majors
Many notable professional baseball players honed their skills during the summer months with the Dalton Collegians. Twenty-three players signed professional contracts with minor league teams from 1970 thru 1987.
*
Jeff Reardon
Jeffrey James Reardon (born October 1, 1955) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1979–1994 with the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta B ...
*
Turk Wendell
*Dan Duquette, General Manager, Red Sox
*Jim Duquette, General Manager of the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles
See also
*
History of baseball in the United States
References
{{reflist
External links
* https://archive.today/20130416073324/http://www.unico-of-pittsfield.org/halloffame.htm
* http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005025/2/index.htm
* https://web.archive.org/web/20090721171602/http://www.pittsfield-ma.org/subpage.asp?ID=226
* http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1799618
1970 establishments in Massachusetts
Baseball teams established in 1970