Opening day stirs baseball memories — and new hopes for Brighton batsmen

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The start of the Major League Baseball season is always a good time to reflect on the beauty of the “Grand Old Game.”

Baseball is a graceful sport only fully appreciated by those who grew up watching and playing it.

I cherish the memory of a Philadelphia childhood spent listening to baseball games on the radio in the back seat of my father’s car and at Al Frankel’s candy store and pool room, where I worked after school. My dad and Al had a strong passion for the game, and they learned to play as boys, just as many of us do. I can still see the joy on both men’s faces as they watched the games on television or listened to them on the radio.

I still enjoy games broadcast over the radio more than TV, because it allows me to use my imagination to understand the on-field aspects of the game.

My dad and Al were Dodgers fans for varied reasons. Like most Black people of his generation, my dad rooted for the Dodgers because of Jackie Robinson, the first Black man to integrate the big leagues back in 1947.

Al Frankel rooted for the Dodgers because of his love and pride for Sanford “Sandy” Koufax, the Jewish Hall-of-Fame left-handed pitching star for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Surrounded by Dad, Mother, Al and just about every other Black person I knew, I had little or no choice as to the Major League Baseball team I would root for. It was the Dodgers and nobody else.

Brighton High School pitcher Lester Martinez looks in for a sign. PHOTO: BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

But I secretly loved the Cleveland Indians, the first American League team to sign a Black player — Hall-of-Famer Larry Doby, who became the first Black player to go to straight from the Negro Leagues to Major League Baseball. And the New York Yankees won my affection because they won a lot.

My father more or less dismissed them as teams from “the other league,” as he called the American League.

The irony of this scenario was that the Cleveland Indians, with Doby (who came to the majors just weeks after Jackie Robinson) and Hall-of-Fame pitching star Satchel Paige, won the World Series seven years ahead of the Dodgers’ victory in 1955. But that didn’t make much difference in my house or the candy store/poolroom job. At those two vital locations of my childhood, it was Dodgers and no other team — period.

My love and passion for this crazy game, with its encyclopedia of rules, is stronger today than at any period of my life. Baseball is, and will always be, my favorite sport.

There is no better example of the passion the game excites than the group of 23 young men from Brighton High School who have been playing my favorite game with boundless joy despite the lack of two primary pieces of equipment — gloves and cleats.

The entire squad is made up of children of legal immigrants, some from countries like the Dominican Republic, where baseball is a way of life.

According to Randolph Abraham, Brighton High’s dean of students, athletic director and baseball coach, 10 are from the Dominican Republic, while the other 13 hail from Haiti and Puerto Rico. The group is made up of 9th- and 10th-grade players.

Brighton catcher Eros Espinosa behind the plate. PHOTO: BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

“We’ve been blessed to have enough open seats that these students have enrolled here,” said Abraham, who has received numerous donations to equip the team.

“There has been a positive response from the surrounding communities in regards to our situation,” he said. “One lady sent in a donation of $500, and others have pledged donations. We now have enough baseball spikes for every player.”

Gloves, which can cost as much as $300, are another matter. So are coats.

“If it comes to a question of a coat or a decent glove, this school has taken on the challenge to address both issues — coats first, gloves second,” said Abraham.

In the meantime, this young team shows promise on the field, despite a 10-9 loss to Chelsea in their first game of the season.

Abraham predicts a bright future for his team, with star sophomore players Eros Espinosa (catcher and pitcher) and Kevin Espinal (infield/catcher) playing leading roles.

“We just lack experience in playing the game. Once we gain experience, look out. We are going to be tough to play. My job is to keep these young men focused on their classwork, behavior and learning the nuances of playing the game of baseball,” he said.

Abraham, a father of two, knows from experience what his young players are going through. “Coming to America when I was 7 years old, I learned the importance of a good education. Athletics inspired me, but I was more focused on succeeding in this life. I am trying to impart those life lessons on my current players,” he said.

If this young team needs any further inspiration, they need only look to the story of Ronel Blanco of the Houston Astros. The 30-year-old Dominican Republic journeyman pitcher tossed a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1, in only his eighth start in Major League Baseball.

Blanco, who washed cars to support his mother and family over the last few years, was given a chance and is making the most of it.