RallyNorth.net

Local baseball teams will play in Spofford's memory

Thursday, April, 03 By Dan Guttenplan
Staff writer

Perhaps a moment of silence wouldn't be long enough to memorialize one of the region's most influential sports figures.

In that sense, it's only fitting that the entire opening weekend on the local baseball scene will be spent paying tribute to Bert Spofford, who died at the age of 90 last July.

Georgetown High will host the inaugural Bert Spofford Tournament Saturday and Sunday. Fittingly, only teams with which Spofford had an affiliation | Newburyport, Amesbury, Georgetown and Ipswich | drew invites from tournament organizer Mark Rowe, who is the current Georgetown baseball coach.

Spofford's widow, Doris Spofford, and only son, Dickie Spofford, will attend a pregame ceremony honoring Bert at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Both Doris and Dickie Spofford still reside in Bert's hometown of Georgetown.

Bert Spofford adopted Amesbury as his home as an adult, and his impact on that town's local baseball programs is substantial. He coached Amesbury High, American Legion and semi-pro levels in Amesbury. As for the Newburyport connection, Spofford penned more than 1,000 pages of Newburyport baseball facts as part of a 16-book series on the local sports scene that is now available at the Haverhill Library. Spofford's ties to Ipswich go as far as his close friendship with long-time athletic director and football coach Elliot Roundy.

Dickie Spofford, 61, believes the inaugural tournament is the perfect way to honor his father.

"I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Coach Rowe and the other coaches in the area," Dickie Spofford said. "To pay tribute to my dad | knowing how close he and all the coaches were | it's a wonderful thing."

Bert Spofford routinely attended Georgetown games as recently as last season, often offering advice to players between innings. Long-time Amesbury coach Jerry Mondalto served as Spofford's assistant before his 19-year stint as head coach of the team. Newburyport coach Bill Pettingell continues to reference Spofford's hand-written books and plans to publish a "History of NHS Baseball" | authored by Spofford | in the coming years.

"I learned a lot from Bert," Pettingell said. "He was wonderful to talk to about pitching. He had a nice, easy demeanor, and he was an educated person. The books he wrote | it was a labor of love."

Rowe said he began planning the tournament almost immediately after Spofford died last July. Amesbury and Georgetown will face off Saturday at noon, immediately following the ceremony for Spofford. Newburyport and Ipswich will play in the late game at 3 p.m. The losers of the Saturday games will meet in a consolation game on Sunday at noon. The winners will play the championship game at 3 p.m.

"A lot of people from Georgetown are coming down for it," Rowe said. "We'll talk about Bert for a little bit during the ceremony."

Spofford's widow, Doris, who does not plan on speaking at the ceremony, feels the tournament is a better tribute than a field namesake.

"They wanted to name a field after him, but Bert wouldn't have wanted that because it would take away from (whomever) the field was originally named for," Doris Spofford said. "It's good that they started a new thing for him."

Spofford's only son believes his father's memory is best honored through a competitive sporting event.

"He loved kids, and he loved competition," Dickie Spofford said. "He loved the camaraderie. It's one of the most rewarding things he took pride in. He could help the kids develop into better athletes and people.

"He always preached, 'Whatever you do, be smart, be aggressive, and don't ever give up.' He loved teaching. Some of the greatest treasures in life for him were kids coming up years later and expressing their acknowledgement and thanks for giving them a chance. That's why this tournament is perfect for him."

The inaugural Bert Spofford Tournament