Southington South Baseball

Hall of Fame-Southington’s boys of summer: The 1969 Little League all-stars raised the bar for youth sports By JOHN GORALSKI, Editor The boys leaned off the sides of the gleaming fire trucks to wave at the gathering crowd on the town green. Southington residents lined both sides of Main Street to cheer for their boys of summer as they passed. The impromptu procession of teenagers from Recreation Park drank in the fanfare that was so well-deserved and so unexpected. In the summer of 1969, this small group of local boys grabbed headlines during their unlikely run that fell just short of the international stage. No Southington team—before or since—has come closer to the promised land. The 1969 team’s late summer surge ended just two victories from the Little League World Series. “The emotion among the fans and parents poured into the community, and the hometown parade was the icing on the victory cake,” said former sports writer Art Secondo, who followed each inning in print and on the radio. “It was a moment in time that those of us, especially the players, would secure in their memories to be recalled forever.” Nobody could have predicted the storied run when the small group of Southington Southern Little League all-stars met their rookie coach at the team’s first practice at Recreation Park. Sure, they were the best in the fledgling South Little League, but they weren’t even the team to beat in the town. The Southington Southern Little League came from behind to beat the Southington Northern Little League in the District 5 championship game. Smart money would have been bet on the boys from Southington’s northern league…until the South beat them in the district finals. The Southington Southern Little League all-stars were underdogs every step of the way as they dispatched everyone in the district, the state, and the region. They won with blow-outs, comebacks, and one-run pitching duels. They beat teams from Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island before finally falling prey to a Pennsylvania power. In 1969, Little League tournaments didn’t have pool match-ups, so teams couldn’t jockey for position. There weren’t double-elimination safety nets, loser’s brackets, or second chances. It was a head-to-head brawl that left top teams scratching their heads, asking how they lost to this small band of Southington boys that seemed more interested in postgame ice cream and hot dogs than any sort of championship quest. “At the first day of practice we had no clue about how good we’d be,” said starting outfielder Jack Fager. “We just wanted to play, be good, and have some fun. Then, as time went on, game after game, you know what? We were pretty good.” Starting pitchers Mike Truss, Steve Kiltonic, and Joe Triompo shouldered most of the load on the mound with Gerry Moss anchoring the team behind the plate. Rick Buzanowski, Tom Carbone, Joe Triompo, Gary Burdette, and Jeff Boislard defended the infield, while Steve Kiltonic, Jim Gugliotti, an