Cumberland, a ‘hot bed’ of local slow pitch softball – John Cardullo

by John Cardullo, sportswriter

Is the town of Cumberland the newest “Hot Bed” of local slow pitch softball?

Since it’s induction ceremony in November 2018, the executive board of the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame have noticed that a fair share of inductees has been coming from an area that would otherwise seem as uncommon. Although the 158 inductees represent the typical softball players from Warwick, Cranston, Johnston and Providence, what has been noticed is that the town of Cumberland has had 10 members inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The parade of Hall of Famers includes Kirby Murphy, David “Doc” Leach, Ben Aceto, David Almedia, Dale O’Dell, Brad Yankee and his father Steve Yankee, Cindy Mascio, Lori Palagi and Kathy Pinto. All these Famers got their start in Cumberland, and went on to achieve amazing careers, and making such an impact on their sport that they were elected into the most exclusive softball club in the state, the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame.

All of which leads me to ask, how can so many people from the small town of Cumberland make it into the Hall of Fame? What set Cumberland apart? Was it something in the water, as they say? Was it the magic of playing on “Tucker Field” that set them apart?

Cumberland was established in 1746 in the northeast part of Rhode Island and has a population of 36,186 people. Compare that to the population of 190,792 that lives in Providence. Cumberland began as a farming community and became a textile and manufacturing town, and in 1895 Cumberland High School opened its doors. Like many of its larger counterparts, Cumberland was a single high school town. It is here where youth and developmental programs prepare and groom their athletes to move up the ladder and to play varsity sports for the “Clippers.”

The community and the high school are very proud, and athletes tend to stay home rather than leave town to play for the private schools and institutions that draw talent from other towns and small cities. As the city schools began to spread out and open more elementary and high schools, Cumberland remained a one high school town. I have had the opportunity firsthand that when a Cumberland team comes in to play in any sport, your team must be prepared – because Cumberland comes to play!

Where did the rich history of slow pitch softball come from? Pre-1996 most of the sports that were offered in that era were the usual little leagues and pre-teen sports. Mostly the main sports were aimed at boys. Football, baseball, hockey and basketball. For the girls, there was gymnastics, basketball and slow pitch softball, for the most part.

For a male athlete to switch over to softball after playing baseball is not a decision that was easy to make for most players. Hall of Famer Dale O’Dell sums it up perfectly, “Baseball, hockey and basketball were the sports that I played. It wasn’t until I tore my rotor cuff that I even considered playing slow pitch softball. Eventually I made my way to play into the high competitive leagues [and that’s] when I began to like the sport. Unfortunately, to play against what the state and region had to offer, I had to travel to Cranston, Providence and Woonsocket.” Men’s softball was playing at the highest level at those fields, as well as in Warwick and Hope Valley.  

Kirby Murphy, the best and most decorated player from Rhode Island ever to play softball said, “If it wasn’t for David “Doc” Leach getting me into the games as a teenager at Tucker Field, who knows where I would be today?” Murphy who has won over 25 World and or National Championships, has won titles in the United States, Canada and Italy (while a member of the armed services team). Murphy, at 62, continues to win World and National championship at the Senior softball level, traveling throughout the United States playing in the country’s biggest tournament.

Murphy is the only player ever to have his own signature bat. “Playing at Tucker field on Sunday mornings and Monday evenings was a lot of fun! But to get to the level that I wanted to play, I had to go play against the best.” So, Murphy went the same route as O’Dell and Aceto, and both Yankees. It wasn’t to long afterwards he was being recruited to play on traveling regional teams and then playing for National caliber teams. The line of connected Hall of Famers began, Aceto to Leach to O’Dell to Murphy and both Steve and then his son, Brad Yankee. Dave Almedia sponsored many teams during his time as well, Valley Motors was a softball powerhouse out of Attleboro while winning in the USSSA. But Almeida was from Cumberland and that is where he got his start.

As for Lori Palagi, Cindy Mascio and Kathy Pinto, their journey was much different from their male counterparts. They all played softball at Cumberland at the same time. Most of the girls began at Garvin and Tucker Fields in Cumberland. Although they were in different grades, their common interest was sports. They all moved up through the recreation leagues. During their time at Cumberland High they played slow pitch softball. They never experienced the fast pitch game. “We played before 1996 when the first women’s Olympic team won the gold medal”, Palagi said. “For us it was slow pitch, but when the ASA became the governing body of girls and women’s softball, they became USA Softball and everything from that point on was geared to the fast pitch game!”

While at Cumberland High School they led their team to the 1980 State Championship. The slow pitch sport didn’t desert the ladies, many girls went on to play for some the states top women’s teams. Mascio, Palagi and Pinto ended up playing many years on the same teams. Luther Roofing and the great Fair Warning teams not only dominated the state of Rhode Island, they were a Northeastern regional women’s powerhouse and made their mark on the National level as well. They all went on to play for The Mice, a women’s traveling team out of New York. Mascio said “once they moved from slow pitch to fast pitch, I didn’t really enjoy the game as much. Fast pitch has very little action. In slow pitch the action is pretty much nonstop”. She went on to say, “I loved the memories that I made during my playing days – as well as the friendships that I had made!”

Palagi, like Murphy is still playing competitive softball today in the women’s senior softball division. These days she travels 7 to 8 times a year with her national team called the Fossils who are based out of New York. Playing for Ruff Stone out of North Providence to begin her traveling career, moving over to Fair Warning then The Mice out of New York. “When I am not traveling the country to play in different tournaments, I play in the Coventry recreation league. I have fun, and I am able to get my swings in on a regular basis.”

The bottom line is that there is no magic being worked up in Cumberland that leads to the doors of the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame. There is just a culture of community pride, a dedication to youth sports programs and talent that would rather play for their hometown teams than to leave for perceived “greener pastures”. The softball legacy that runs from Aceto to Leach to Almedia to Yankee to O’Dell to Murphy to Palagi to Pinto to Mascio to Yankee is a deep one that remains strong today. It is safe to say that Cumberland will continue to turn out Hall of Fame caliber athletes for years to come.