1980 NEAA TACOMA LONGSHOREMEN WASHINGTON 16 & UNDER BASEBALL CHAMPIONS

The NEAA Tacoma Longshoremen team went 32-0 which was the first time in state history that a team in that age group had gone undefeated through an entire season. The team won the State Championship in an eight-team field that was held at Sprinker Recreation Center.

The team’s top pitchers were Kevin Stock, Ted Henderson, and Gary Leach. Also contributing to the successful season was their great defense, many who acknowledged it as the best in the state. Top gloves were Gregg Leach, Kevin Stock, Mike Stortini and Rob Webber.

The Tacoma Longshoremen (28–0), champions of the Tacoma City League, headed a fielded of eight teams in the Washington State 16 & Under Boys’ Baseball Championship. The Lakewood Rotary team were the defending state champions but going into the State Tournament had already lost three times to the Longshoremen.

The team emerged from a pitcher’s duel in the finals to record a 3–0 triumph over the Rotary nine at Sprinker Center to win their first state crown. Kevin Stock tossed a one-hitter, struck out eight and walked two. Lakewood’s Guy Bickford tossed a two-hitter, one of them a run-scoring single by Shawn McDougall. The Longshoremen scored their other two runs on errors.

The most valuable player of the tournament was the Longshoremen’s Gregg Leach who played first and second base and pitched. He got the decision in the 8–1 quarterfinals win over the Pierce County Amvets. He also hit 5-for-10 for the tournament.

TIPPING THE CAP —

Don Mooney—For a young boy in late 1940s America, one of the most common dreams was to someday play in the big leagues. Perhaps only slightly more attainable (and age appropriate) is the dream to be a bat boy for a professional team. Don Mooney was one of the few who got to live that dream.

Born Aug. 28, 1931, in Tacoma, Mooney first started working in sports as a parking lot attendant and usher for the Tacoma Rockets Hockey Club from 1946–49. But for one magical summer in 1947, Mooney was the bat boy for the Tacoma Tigers. This season brought lifelong memories and lifetime friendships with Clay Huntington, Earl Kuper, and Dick Greco.

Mooney was a solid athlete in his own right, earn- ing all-league honors twice as the hockey goalkeeper at Stadium High School. He also lettered twice as an outfielder for the baseball team before graduating in 1949. Following graduation, Mooney spent time working for the Milwaukee Railroad and serving in the Army during the Korean War. He worked for more than 30 years as an assistant and then as a traffic manager for Nalley’s Fine Foods. He was also a member of the coaching staff for the Foss High School girls’ slowpitch and boys’ basketball teams. Through it all, Mooney carried a song as a talented tenor in many theater productions, including the Stadium High School opera group.

Giovanni “John” Tomasi—While John Tomasi name might not stand out to many baseball and softball fans, that’s just the way he intended. A lengthy career spanning more than six decades as an umpire featured time as batboy for the 1948 Tacoma Tigers of the Western International League as he dedicated himself to making games function as smoothly as possible while staying out of the spotlight.

Tomasi first donned an umpire’s mask at the age of 14, when Harry Truman was in the White House. Two years later, he spent a summer as batboy for the local Tigers, and that combination of experiences set him on a course that would make the diamond his second home for the rest of his life.

Born August 1, 1931, in Tacoma, Tomasi graduated from Lincoln High School in 1951. By that point, he was already five years into his umpiring career and three years removed from his time as batboy. He got his start as an umpire in the summer of 1946, working for two dollars a game in the old Cub Scout youth softball league in Tacoma. Take inflation into consideration and the pay’s not a whole lot better in the 21st century.

“If you’re in this business for the money,” Tomasi said, “you’re in it for the wrong reason.”

Tomasi was clearly in it for the right reason, as his

2015 Hall of Fame Inductees continued contributions to the game stayed out of the frame of fame and fortune but made the game better for all he worked with. Inducted into the America Softball Association Region 15 Hall of Fame in 2004, he spent more than 60 years as an umpire. By the end of his career, he had had served as Chief Umpire for the SMSUA for several years and umpired the 2008 ASA Men’s Senior 50AA Slowpitch West National Championships.

Tomasi served in the army during the Korean War. He moved to Snohomish County when he married in 1966.

He worked high school and recreational baseball league games, as well as fastpitch and slowpitch softball, for more than 30 years before settling into softball exclusively in the late ’70s. Through the years, Tomasi trained and mentored many of his fellow umpires.

Bill Silves, the Umpire in Chief for ASA Region 15, an area that includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska said, “He’s helped a lot of people in their climb to become better umpires without asking anything in return for himself.”

In the ’70s, Tomasi fell in love with men’s slowpitch softball and in 1979 he worked his first ASA national championship in York, Pennsylvania. Throughout his career, his goal was to not distract from the game in front of him.

“Well, the good umpires aren’t really noticed,” Tomasi said. “You call your game, walk off the field, get in your car and leave.”

Tomasi passed away on June 3, 2018.

Ken Higdon—Ken “Higgy” Higdon was born Feb. 26, 1963, and graduated from Wilson High School in 1981. He began his baseball career at the age of 15, working as a batboy for the Tacoma Yankees and later the Tacoma Tugs of the Pacific Coast League. Both clubs were Triple A affiliates of the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians, respectively.

Higgy eventually moved into the role of Clubhouse Manager for the Tacoma Tigers, the Oakland A’s Triple A team. In all, he spent almost 10 years at Cheney Stadium gaining valuable knowledge and experience in running a professional baseball clubhouse.

In 1983, Higgy was afforded the opportunity to go to Arizona for Winter and Spring ball to assist in the clubhouses for the Dodgers and Oakland organizations. In 1987, he left Tacoma for a fulltime position as Equipment Manager for the California Angels’ Minor League complex in Mesa, AZ.

Seven years later, Higgy was called up to the big leagues in Anaheim. He served as the Clubhouse and Equipment Manager for the Angels, working endless hours and giving his heart for the organization from 1994 until his retirement in 2009. During his time in Anaheim, the Angels made six postseason appearances and won the 2002 World Series, for which Higgy received a ring.

Upon retirement, Ken and his wife Sabrina moved to Sandpoint, Idaho. Throughout his life, Ken was an ambassador for baseball to kids getting their start in the game. A diligent worker and fiercely loyal friend, he continuously gave his time and resources to help organizations that supported the sport.

Ken unexpectedly passed away on January 4, 2017 following a routine surgery.

Nick Tucci (dec)—Nick Tucci, like the stadium where he worked, was an institution. You may not have known his name, but if you were one of the several million baseball fans who filed into Cheney Stadium to watch games in all kinds of weather since it opened in 1960, you probably knew his face.

Tucci, who died Jan. 9 at age 92, began working for Tacoma’s Class AAA baseball franchise the first year it came to town. He started in May 1960 as an usher, helping fans find their seats in what was then a brand-new ballpark.

By 1967, Tucci had moved up to Chief Ticket Taker, and he remained in that role for decades. Through a security check by the FBI before President John F. Kennedy attended a campaign rally there in September 1963; through a concussion caused when Tucci was hit by a foul ball; through seven name changes for the Tacoma franchise; through windy, rainy, cold night games, Nick was always there.

He missed only seven days of work through the mid-1990s, according a profile written by the Tacoma News Tribune’s Bart Ripp and published in 1996. Two of those absences were after the foul ball hit his head. “I didn’t get the ball,” said Nick.

Cheney Stadium was not his only civic activity. He also worked at the Tacoma Dome, the Puyallup Fair and the Goodwill Games when they came to Puget Sound in 1990. In fact, he supervised ticket takers for the events in Tacoma.

Nick Tucci was born in Fairfax, south of Carbonado in southeast Pierce County. He didn’t play sports in high school. He was a Sea Scout. He graduated from Puyallup High in 1949.

He served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War.

He married his sweetheart Gloria on June 3, 1952, and they were wed for more than 69 years. Like most of those he helped in the early years at Cheney Stadium, Nick Tucci was a sports fan.

“There was people coming out in those days who were interested in the ballgame,” he told Ripp. “They came to watch the game.”

At the stadium, he would typically carry a bag filled with souvenirs. He had ticket stubs from the PCL All-Star Game at Cheney in 1974, another from a Sugar Ray Seales boxing match in 1973, a newspaper clipping from a 1949 Western International League game between the Yakima Bears and the Tacoma Tigers.

But more than the trinkets representing memories, Nick loved the fans. And they loved him back.

“Some fans won’t go in the first-base or third-base gates (at Cheney Stadium),” Nick told TNT. “They like to come in the main gate so they can see me.”

The people were what made the job great, he said. “The people I only see once a year or two. The people I see every night. It’s always the people.”

Quinn Wolcott —At age 19, Quinn Wolcott, who grew up in Puyallup, was the youngest umpire hired to work in the minor leagues in 2006. He was also the first umpire from Pierce County to make it to the major league as well.

Seven years later in 2013, Wolcott made the jump to the Major Leagues. His first games in the MLB were a doubleheader between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers. Then on July 4, 2014, Wolcott was hired to work in the MLB fulltime and he replaced Gary Darling, who had retired.

At 28 years old, Wolcott was the youngest umpire working in the Major

Leagues. Wolcott’s first postseason assignment was the 2016 National League Wild Card Game between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets.

Wolcott’s climb to the top all began in 2006 when he attended the Jim Evans Umpiring Academy in Florida. He was then assigned to a short season in the Northwest Rookie League. At just 19 years old, he was at that time the youngest umpire in professional baseball.

In 2011, after umpiring in A and AA minor leagues for six years, Wolcott was promoted to AAA Pacific Coast League and he umpired winter ball in the Dominican Republic that season as well.

In 2013, Wolcott worked the Arizona Major League Spring Training. He was named the AAA PCL Crew Chief. It was his third year in the AAA Pacific Coast League.

Wolcott played baseball and football at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup. He started umpiring youth t-ball when he was only 12 years old.

Before going pro, Wolcott worked local high school and college baseball games. On his climb up through the minor leagues, he umpired in the Northwest League, the Midwest League, the AA Southern League and the AAA Pacific Coast League.

In his climb up to the MLB, Wolcott said one of his biggest thrills was working the first game at the new, remodeled Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. It was a long climb up to the MLB, one that Wolcott worked hard to achieve.

In Tacoma call 252-383-2636

Fax 253-383-1061

In Western Washington Call 1-800-232-1012

2015 Hall of Fame Inductees continued

Bill Ruth (dec.)—Bill Ruth, who passed away September 7, 2021 at 87 years young, sponsored, managed and played on Senior Softball teams for almost thirty years. As the owner of W. E. Ruth Realty he actually sponsored his first slow pitch softball team back in 1967 and his teams were well known for competing, consistently, at the highest level for many years. Bill was also President of the Independent Sports Association. His main business was real estate throughout the Northwest and in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Bill became President of Senior Softball USA in 2000 and was a guiding voice behind the growth of SSUSA in both America and around the world. Bill was inducted into four halls of fame—USSSA, Senior Softball National, SSUSA and the ISA.

I played on several Senior Softball teams that Bill sponsored and we won Senior Softball National titles in the 55 & over and 60 & over division. For 20 years Bill and his staff organized trips all over the world with the result being Senior Softball players from the USA playing teams from various countries.

In the words of Terry Hennessy, Executive Director of Senior Softball USA, “the memories of this very special man are the best legacy Bill Ruth could leave us.” A very special man indeed.

Ron Zollo (dec)—Let’s tip our cap to Ron Zollo, who was the longest tenured full time employee in the history of Cheney Stadium. Ron joined the Tacoma Twins in 1972 after one year with the Portland Beavers as a marketing and sales executive. He coupled with Stan Naccarato with Baseball Tacoma, Inc. and transformed the Triple A team into one of the most successful in the entire country. Cheney Stadium was the place for great outdoor baseball, a strong season ticket base and fun promotions for the entire family.

The Z-Man, as he was fondly known, was a passionate baseball fan and knowledgeable about players, statistics and eventually autographed merchandise. He was well known around the country as a collector and authenticator.

Ron established and maintained relationships throughout baseball and was friends with many of the greatest players who played for Tacoma, including Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Jose Rico and Scott Brosius.

He was the organizer of the first Used Car Night at Cheney Stadium when a used car was given away each inning to a lucky or sometimes unlucky fan! The first time the promotion was held, Joe Garagiola talked about it on the Game of the Week.

When the baseball card and autographed memorabilia business boomed in the late 80’s and 90’s, Ron organized several successful autograph shows at Cheney Stadium with Hall of Famers, Jim “Catfish” Hunter and Willie Stargell. At one time Ron had autographs of every major athlete and celebrity.

The in-stadium voice of Cheney Stadium, Ron handled the public address duties for over 20 years and had the great opportunity to be in front of the microphone for the United States vs. the Soviet Union baseball game in the 1990 Goodwill Games. It was the Russians first international game they ever played and Ron’s introductions were broadcast around the world.

No one loved baseball more than Ron and he was a true icon in the history of Tacoma Baseball at Cheney Stadium.