Jul 30 6:00 PM Duprey Field Vernon OriolesSouth Windsor Phillies	Jul 30 6:30 PM Buzzy Levin Field Bristol GreenersMiddletown Mets	Jul 30 7:00 PM McKenna Field M&T BankEast Hartford Jets	May 22 6:00 PM McCoy Field South Windsor PhilliesVernon Orioles	May 22 7:00 PM Northwest Park Bristol GreenersRainbow Graphics	May 23 6:00 PM Muzzy Field East Hartford JetsBristol Greeners

Tag: katz

Sat. 10/19/24Wed. 12/18/24 by Weston Ulbrich

Rob Dibble Played Hartford Twilight Ball in ’83

Robert “Rob” Keith Dibble graduated from Southington High School in 1982 and was drafted in the 11th round by the St. Louis Cardinals. Instead of going pro, he enrolled at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. During the summer of 1983, he played in the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League on the Katz Sports Shop club of Meriden, Connecticut. Shortly thereafter, Dibble was selected 20th overall in the 1st round of the MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase by the Cincinnati Reds.

As their closer, Dibble’s big right arm helped the Reds win a World Series in 1990. He was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 1990 National League Championship Series (NLCS). He also earned a pair of MLB All-Star appearances in ‘90 and ‘91. Dibble was part of the Cincinnati bullpen nicknamed the “Nasty Boys” which included Norm Charlton and Randy Myers. After twelve professional seasons, Dibble finished his career as relief pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers.

He now hosts the Rob Dibble Show on 97.9 ESPN radio at studios in Hartford, Connecticut.

Wed. 01/03/24Mon. 01/22/24 by Weston Ulbrich

Where Are They Now? GHTBL Players Leading Impressive Careers

Recently, Rainbow Graphics player-manager Jason Valliere accepted a role as Assistant Sports Information Director at the United Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. Congratulations to Jason on his latest career move! Jason is on a path to a promising career in sports. He joins the countless number of twilight players who have worked for high profile institutions – men who have led inspiring careers in athletics, business, and public service.

Jason Valliere, Player-manager, Rainbow Graphics

Hundreds of twilight leaguers have made their mark in a wide array of professions and careers. From coaching to teaching to sales and management, you might say that GHTBL alumni help keep the economy going. And you might be wondering, “where are they now?” Well, here’s a list of former twilight players and their current occupation followed by their company or organization:

Ryan Aiken, Operations Manager & Treasurer, High Grade Gas Service, Inc.
Greg Annino, Senior Field Technician, Greenskies Clean Energy
Chris Anselmo, Realtor, Marino Realty
Brian Archibald, Special Education Teacher, Bristol Central High School
Jeff Bagwell, Special Advisor, Houston Astros
Steve Bartunek, Insurance Agent, RDDK
Andy Baylock, Director, UConn Football Alumni/Community Affairs
Ken Bratina, Program Director, Connecticut Junior Republic
Conor Bremer, Supplier Program Manager, Dynetics, Inc.
*Brett Burnham, Financial Advisor, Northwestern Mutual
*Steve Cannata, Head Coach, Kingswood-Oxford School Baseball
Clarke Caudill, Area Sales Manager, Intuitive
Tony Cekovsky, Regional Account Manager, Monster Energy
*Jack Champagne, Teacher, Longmeadow School District
*Paul Ciotto, Engineering Director, Aetna
Rob Cipolla, MSSP Sales, IBM
Chris Corkum, Founder, Chris Corkum’s Baseball, Inc.
*Scott Cormier, Vice President of Purchasing, Katsiroubas Produce
*Tony Dedominicis, Musician
Tyler Dew, Attorney and Claim Director, Chubb Insurance
Ryan DiPietro, Senior Environmental Inspector, BL Companies
Mark DiTommaso, Kitchen Designer, EHL Kitchens
Doug Elliot Jr., Financial Advisor, Marcum LLP
Doug Elliot Sr., President, The Hartford (retired)
Jake Fournier, Financial Manager, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Paul Gallo, Lead Instructor, Los Angeles Dodgers Training Academy
*Ralph Giansanti Jr., Financial Advisor, Infinex Investments, Inc.
*Roberto Giansiracusa, Owner, GimaSport
John Gieras, Teacher, Somers Public Schools
*Kevin Gieras, Detective, New York Police Department
TJ Grande, Senior IT Business Management Specialist, Burns and McDonnell
Matt Grosso, EVP of Business Development, Wentworth DeAngelis & Kaufman Insurance
Jerry Hasler, Vice President, Forestville Manufacturing
Mike Hepple, Insurance Broker, Wentworth, DeAngelis & Kaufman Insurance
Rick Hewey, Contract Administrator, Hartford HealthCare
Charlie Hickey, Head Coach, Central Connecticut State University Baseball
Dan Hickey, Client Manager II, Lockton Companies
Nick Hock, Batting Practice Specialist, Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles)
Matt Hodges, Off Campus Operations Manager, University of Pennsylvania
Jack Hurley, Pension Consultant, PASI
*Scott Jeamel, VP Financial Consultant, Charles Schwab
Dave Katz, Owner, Katz Sport Shop
Chris Kehoe, Technical Architect, TriZetto Group
*Tom Kirby, Chief Financial Officer, JE Shepard Company
*Steve Krajewski, Assistant Director, Vernon Parks and Recreation Department (Retired)
John Kubachka, Operations Manager, Town of Newington
James Kukucka, Financial Analyst, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Ryan Lamarche, Owner, RDL Painting
**Gary LaRocque, Director of Player Development, St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Lavatori, Vice President of Client Services, Fred C. Church Insurance
Marc Levin, Owner, Malloves Jewelers
Derek Litke, Business Develop Manager, Triumph Group
*Jason Maule, Physical Education Teacher, Meriden Public Schools
*Brian Marshall, Field Reimbursement Manager, Novartis
Steve Matyczyk, Principal, Tariffville Elementary School
Frank McCoy Jr., Personal Injury Attorney, McCoy & McCoy
Adam McLaughlin, Senior Vice President, Webster Bank
*Todd Mercier, Manager, Murray Kaizer Inc.
Daryl Morhardt, Head Coach, Housatonic High School Baseball
Greg Morhardt, Professional Scout, Boston Red Sox
Mike Mowel, Chief Accounting Officer, Safepoint Holdings
*Walter Nakonechny, Science Department Chair, Rockville High School
Tyler Olander, Assistant Coach, University of Saint Joseph Men’s Basketball
Basilio Ortiz, Youth Services Officer, CT Department of Children and Families
Cory Parker, Sales Manager, AnnieMac Home Mortgage
Joe Parlante, Sales Account Manager at New England Industrial Supply
Jim Penders, Head Coach, UConn Baseball
*Adam Peters, Corporate Safety Director, KBE Building
Kevin Powell, Second Vice President, Travelers (retired)
*Bunty Ray, Teacher and Coach, Bristol Eastern High School
Cory Riordan, Pitching Coach, Dunedin Blue Jays (Toronto Blue Jays)
Kevin Rival, Founder, CT Rivals AAU Program
Jake Ruder, Manager, Fastenal
Peter Rynkowski, Senior Executive Recruiter, Ed-Exec, Inc.
*Dave Sacco, Operating Manager, Rhino Insurance Services
*Harvey Shapiro, Manager, Wareham Gatemen (retired)
*Michael Schweighoffer, Chief Lending Officer, Farmington Bank
Jim Shannon, Owner, Metro Communications
Charlie Shover, Plant Manager, Corsicana Mattress Company
*Jim Snediker, Commercial Insurance Leader, Travelers
Chris Strahowski, Teacher, Windham Technical H.S. & Adjunct Professor, SCSU
David Swanson, KZone Producer, ESPN and Founder of Swanson Baseball
Rob Tenzca, Project Manager, Arcadis
Tom Thibodeau, Head Coach, New York Knicks
**Leo Veleas, Head Coach, Berlin High School
Pete Walker, Pitching Coach, Toronto Blue Jays
Justin Waz, Director of Revenue Operations, RecDesk Software
Josue Zamora, Police Officer, State of Connecticut
*James Ziogas Jr. Attorney at Law, Ziogas Law

*GHTBL Hall of Fame Inductee
**GHTBL Hall of Fame Gold Glove Honoree

Comment below with your addition to this list.

Fri. 10/15/21Fri. 10/15/21 by Weston Ulbrich

Bernie Williams Began his Career in the Twilight League

Before achieving stardom with the New York Yankees, Bernie Williams spent a summer in the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League. The story started when Williams was 16 years old. He was discovered by Yankees scout Roberto Rivera in Puerto Rico, however the right-handed outfielder was too young to sign a contract. The Yankees decided to stash Williams in Connecticut at Big League Baseball Camp on the campus of Cheshire Academy. His camp instructor, Frank Mohr, recruited Williams to play for GHTBL’s Katz Sports Shop team in the summer of 1985.

Bernie Williams’ signed Katz Sports Shop jersey, 1985.

As a teenaged prospect, Williams saw limited playing time in the twilight league among college-level competition. In 20 at bats for Katz Sports Shop, he had 4 hits. The team’s player-manager, Dave Katz once reminisced of Williams: “He was a really nice kid. He was shy, like he is now. He was so quiet, you didn’t even know he had a Spanish accent. Everybody on the team took to him. One thing does stick out in my mind. I hate to mention this; he dropped a routine fly ball in one game. But I remember my first baseman telling me that people at the camp said Bernie had all the tools.”

Bernie Williams, Outfielder, New York Yankees, 1993.

The Yankees signed Williams as an undrafted free agent by September of 1985. It was the start of a 20-year professional career, solely with the Yankees. Williams played rookie ball in Florida’s Gulf Coast League and spent six years in the minors developing into a switch-hitter. He broke into the majors in 1991 and became a fixture in center field at Yankee Stadium until 2006.

Bernie Williams featured in Record-Journal, 1996.

Williams was a 4-time World Series champion with the second most postseason home runs (22) in major league history behind Manny Ramirez (29). Williams compiled a career .297 batting average, 287 home runs, 1,257 RBI, 1,366 runs scored, 449 doubles and a .990 fielding percentage. He earned five All-Star selections and four Gold Glove Awards, a Silver Slugger Award, the 1996 AL Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award and the American League (AL) batting title in 1998.

Bernie Williams, Outfielder, New York Yankees, 1998.

Bernie Williams, Outfielder, New York Yankees, 2005.

Known for consistency and postseason heroics, Bernie Williams is considered one of the best switch-hitters in baseball history. He is also an all-time New York Yankees great. The team honored Williams by retiring his uniform number (#51) and dedicating a plaque to him in Monument Park in 2015. Nowadays, he is an accomplished jazz guitarist. Following his retirement from baseball, Williams released two jazz albums and was nominated for a Latin Grammy.

Author’s aside: The baseball world took Bernie Williams for granted. We did not realize the magnitude and depth of his career while he was an active player. What a story and what an interesting character. Much love Bernie!