Holyoke field in demand
Thursday, June 03, 2004

by Gary Brown

They called it Elmwood Park, an expanse of Holyoke land set aside in 1895 for recreational use.
In 1938, men of the Works Projects Administration (WPA), which had been formed to help the nation out of its Great Depression, built a concrete grandstand near the park's main baseball diamond.
AdvertisementLater, as a fitting salute to a native son and World War I hero, a portion of the park was dedicated on Labor Day, 1939, in the name of John S. MacKenzie - a sailor who in 1917 had won the Medal of Honor for bravery under fire.
Since that dedication day, MacKenzie Field has served as a haven for local baseball on all levels. Pee Wee teams have played there. So have sandlot, high school, college and Tri-County League teams. From 1977 through 1982, MacKenzie Field even went professional, serving as home to the Holyoke Millers of the Double A Eastern League.
Holyoke's big ballyard may be best known because of its long association with Western Massachusetts interscholastic tournament play. It was on that field in June of 1960 that Chicopee High sophomore Al Stanek struck out 25 - still the regional record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game.
Now, MacKenzie Field gets a new tenant. The Holyoke Giants of the New England Intercollegiate Baseball League will play 21 home games there. It's a wooden-bat venture, maybe a step below the nationally known Cape Cod League, but certainly an interesting addition to the local sports scene.
Of course, when Holyoke becomes the land of the Giants, somebody will have to lose playing time at dear old MacKenzie. The injured parties will be Holyoke's entry in the Hampden County American Legion program, along with junior teams of the Mickey Mantle League.
Holyoke's Tri-County League representative won't have to move. Manager Jim Long's Peoples Bank team, a TC power in recent years, again will have its full home schedule at MacKenzie.
"I admit that I had some concerns when I first heard that the Legion and Mickey Mantle teams would have to move," Long said. "I've coached in Holyoke a long time (44 years) at all levels, so I know what it means to the coaches involved."
That aside, Long sees the arrival of the Giants as a positive for the Connecticut Valley.
"Anything that can create added interest in local baseball has to be good for everybody involved," he said. "The Giants have a bunch of nice people running their operation, and we have a good relationship with them."
The one conflict between Long's team and the Giants regarding MacKenzie Stadium dates could come at playoff time. "Their regular season ends July 30, and our playoffs start July 23. There could be some overlapping, but we can work it out. We could play at 5:30, and they could play at 7:30," Long said.
A playoff doubleheader certainly should not be viewed as a conflict, but an ideal showcase for local baseball.
Make it happen, men. You have the teams and you have the field - a baseball haven since the days of the WPA.
Garry Brown can be reached at gbrown@repub.com