Subscribe
Community
A Memorial Day tribute
Longtime softball coach Morrison still remembered
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by TAMMY SHOWALTER
Tommy Morrison became the 12th name on a memorial stone at Stethem Park on Saturday. From left are Tommy Morrison Jr., Susan Morrison Kline, Sheri Morrison and Waldorf Little League president John Long.
|
E-Mail This Article
This first line of the Little League pledge is one baseball and softball players never will forget and it was recited again at the 2010 opening ceremony of another year at the Robert D. Stethem Memorial Sports Complex in Waldorf on Saturday.
The complex, which opened in 1990, is named after Petty Officer Robert Dean Stethem, a 1980 Thomas Stone High School graduate who was a defensive back for the Cougars and who enlisted into the Navy on May 4, 1981. Stethem was also a little leaguer.
On June 14, 1985, Stethem was returning home from an assignment in Nea Makri, Greece, aboard TWA Flight 847 when it was hijacked by Hezbollah terrorists. Stethem was beaten and tortured for hours before he was murdered.
The U.S. Navy Seabees named the Naval Construction Training Center Headquarters Building Port Hueneme in his honor and, in 1994, the U.S. Navy christened the USS Stethem (DDG-63) in his honor.
This year as coaches, players, fans and visitors walk by the memorial statue at Stethem, they will pass by the 12 names listed on the memorial stone. The 12th name is Tommy Morrison, born August 30, 1941.
Morrison's name was added to the stone on Saturday after a ceremony in his honor was given with his three children, Sheri, Susan and Tommy Jr., and family in attendance.
Friends and loved ones talked about experiences with Morrison that forever changed the face of Little League baseball and softball.
Morrison was the president of Waldorf Little League for more than 30 years and was instrumental in getting Big League softball off the ground.
Morrison, who passed away on May 7, 2008, took two teams to the Little League World Series, winning with the Juniors baseball team and the Big League softball team. Morrison also coached at the College of Southern Maryland, formerly known as Charles County Community College.
Skeeter DeAtley, former co-coach of the senior league Pirates, spoke of memories coaching with his longtime friend.
"I could always call you friend," DeAtley said from the podium. "I miss you."
John Carturo coached with Morrison at CSM.
"He believed if you played your best, you had fun," Carturo said. "He loved baseball, but he loved the kids most of all."
Barbara Montgomery, 20-year treasurer of Waldorf Little League, enjoyed her time volunteering next to Morrison. Both of her children played for Morrison as well.
"We're on the third generation here at Waldorf and some of the grandparents are still helping out, which is nice. We couldn't do it without them," Montgomery said.
Montgomery expressed how difficult it was to put the ceremony together, but was delighted to set the day aside just for Morrison as his legacy always will live on.
"When we started here we only had baseball for the boys aged nine to 12," Montgomery said. "We were bursting at the seams and couldn't wait to find a field to play on. Now the children have more things to choose from that baseball and softball have really taken a backseat, so we're smaller than we used to be. The last couple years have been productive, but not nearly as many teams as we used to have."
Montgomery said the umpires are superb, but that they are never enough. Some parents have stepped up to help out.
"We couldn't do it without the parents," Montgomery said.
May 25 marked the beginning of another year of Big League softball with Waldorf Little League facing Baden at Stethem and Northern Calvert Little League Black facing Northern Calvert Little League Blue, the two new teams in the league, at Cove Point Park in Lusby.
Northern Calvert Blue is coached by Steve Marinaccio and Northern Calvert Black by Fred Greever.
And the road to Kalamazoo, Mich., for the Big League World Series will go through District 7 again this year as Stethem once again will host the Eastern region tournament.
Last year's All-Star team went 4-2 in the double-elimination tournament, just a few base hits shy of going to the Big League World Series.
The title went to Pennsylvania, who ousted Southern Maryland in the championship on Aug. 3.
Tim Martin's Waldorf team won the District 7 tournament last year, beating St. Mary's in a 4-3 comeback win in 10 innings with a base hit by Breanna Pickerall. Martin is looking forward to the season.
"I think we're going to have a great season," Martin said. "The girls who are on this team are really dedicated and put 100 percent effort into each game. I think the team that will give us the most trouble will be St. Mary's. Monty Wood [St. Mary's head coach] has put a lot of effort in assembling this team and recruited some talented players this year."
Memorial Day weekend baseball
After the Morrison dedication on Saturday, the third annual Maryland District 7 Invitational Tournament, hosted by Waldorf Little League, got under way for majors and juniors baseball.
The 11- to 12-year-old Waldorf Blue saw its first home run on Saturday. Tucker Clark saw a four-seam fastball come in and connected, clearing the 225-foot right field fence.
The 13-14 St. Mary's American team run-ruled Calvert American 22-2 when Calvert got into pitching trouble.
Matthew Keates brought in some runs with his bat, including a two-run single to right-center in the third inning, while Trevor Young was aggressive on the base pads, bringing in three runs himself.
Pitchers Matt Hardy, Tyler Ziemba, Matthew Eastburn and Paul Brady got the job done for St. Mary's.
The junior baseball team played the championship game Sunday at Waldorf's Regency Furniture Stadium, home of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
The Junior League Waldorf Pirates beat St. Mary's to come out on top with a 2-1 record, winning the tiebreaker.
Calvert Little League won in the major league division with the tiebreaking 3-0 record.
