They are still playing the game they love and playing it well.
Former Chelsea High baseball stars Brian Doyle and Roy Butt and former Malden Catholic football standout Richie Kelley were reunited on the diamond Sunday at Pine Banks in Melrose. Doyle is a member of the Astros team in the Over-30 League while Butt and Kelley are teammates again on the Pirates team following their youth baseball affiliations in Chelsea Little League and the Chelsea Youth Baseball League.
Brian Doyle, forever a champion
Brian Doyle is enjoying his experience in the Over-30 Baseball League a lot. His son, Ryan Doyle, who played Division 1 college baseball at Bryant University, is the Astros’ shortstop and as he showed again in Sunday’s game with his superb hitting and fielding, he’s the league’s best all-around player.
When fast-pitch softball was king in Chelsea (thank you, Arnold Goodman) Doyle played outfield for the colorful New Bridge Café teams. He moved on to the Polish Political Club before suiting up for the Sagamore Club in the modified fast-pitch league.
“I’m strictly a first baseman and pitcher [in an over 48-league],” said Doyle. “I still love baseball. I get to play on a team with my son, that’s the best part. I get to play in the league with Roy Butt and Richie Kelley, and I’ve become good friends with a lot of guys in the league.”
Brian Doyle has always been an All-Star-caliber player and a team leader, beginning in the Chelsea Little League when he helped Harpo White’s Red Sox team defeat Bob Wheeler’s Red Legs in the City Series.
Doyle holds a special place in CHS baseball history as the starting centerfielder for Joe Bevere’s 1974 team, one year before the Red Devils captured the Eastern Mass. championship.
A left-handed power hitter and centerfielder, Doyle played alongside Bobby Spinney, Mike Lush, Jerry Dion, Bob Ham, Tommy Duval, and Kevin Veator during the 1974 season. Spinney was the leftfielder on that team while Roy Lettieri was the rightfielder. Doyle and Lettieri were the captains. Another teammate was left-handed pitcher Alex Riseman, who went on to play college baseball at the University of Tampa.
“We had a good team. We almost made the tournament in 1974,” recalled Doyle. “I knew the ’75 team would have a great core, especially with Spinney and Duval and Mike Lush. The ’75 team had pitching, too. Bobby Rogers came into his own [in the rotation with Mike Lush]. Spinney would get on base and steal. Jerry Dion would move him along and Mike Lush would drive him in.”
Ryan Doyle said he can see the flashes of brilliance from his father’s longtime baseball career. “I’ve heard how great he was in high school. He still hits it farther than I do,” said Ryan humbly.
Roy Butt, hitter extraordinaire
Perhaps the greatest moment in Sunday’s Pirates-Astros game came when the Astros intentionally walked Roy Butt with first base open in a one-run game.
The sheer respect for the left-handed batter Butt’s productive and powerful hitting is still present, several years removed from his career as an offensive force in the Chelsea Little League, Chelsea Youth Baseball League, Chelsea Babe Ruth Baseball, and for Joe Bevere’s Red Devils.
Longtime CHS baseball fans will well remember what is considered the most memorable batting performance in school history, the day Roy Butt set a record by hitting four consecutive doubles against a very good Revere High baseball team.
Butt is the first baseman and player-coach for the Pirates. In his first at-bat, Roy showed his amazing batting eye with a single to right field.
“I played fast-pitch (Ippy’s Amoco and Sonny’s Glass) and modified fast-pitch (Winnisimmet Club and Elks Club) for about 10 years and then we moved over to Melrose,” said Butt.
A two-time Little League All-Star, Roy Butt was drafted No. 1 by the CYBL Twins who became the Cardinals.
“All of the Cardinals went back into the draft and I was drafted by the Braves, but we became the Cardinals,” said Butt. “In my last year, we lost to Larry Notkin’s Royals in the finals. My manager was Chris Lepore. Richie Kelley was my teammate. Larry nicknamed Richie, ‘12-8-6,’ because he hit into two 6-4-3 double plays in the series.”
There was no bigger or more enthusiastic supporter of the Chelsea Youth Baseball League during that time than Roy’s father, William “Roy” Butt, who was sit just beyond the third baseline and hold court with baseball guys like Al Palladino and others like the YMHA director of maintenance Scooch. Mr. Butt’s witty observations and strategic calls are priceless memories.
That family support was present Sunday as his wife, former CHS athlete Anna Malinowski and their son, Tom, sat behind the home plate backstop the entire game.
“I love playing in this league,” said Roy Butt. “It’s a great league. It’s competitive but it’s fun. It’s serious, but not too serious. I can still hit the ball, but I can’t run.”
Yes, Roy Butt will also be a big hit on a baseball diamond, especially in the batter’s box where his sweet swing stands the test of time.
Richie Kelley, a marvelous athlete who still competes
in triathlons By day, Richie Kelley works in a prestigious position as the chief financial offer at Regis College in Weston. On Sunday mornings, Kelley has been suiting it up for the Pirates in the Over-30 Baseball League. He still can play as his RBI single showed in Sunday’s 4-3 walkoff win over the Astros. “I’ve been playing on the same team with Roy [Butt] for many years now,” said Richie. “I played against Roy in Little League and on the same team in Pony League.” A resident of Clinton Street in Chelsea, Kelley attended Malden Catholic High School where he was an award-winning athlete. He received the football team’s unsung hero award as a lineman and played two seasons in the Lancers’ powerful hockey program. His brother, David Kelley, played hockey on the North Shore Raiders with Lancers’ star Keith Tkachuk, winning a state championship. Richie’s hockey background stems to the Chelsea Youth Hockey program where he was a teammate of Paul Nowicki. “Paul was an unbelievable goalie and we won three state championships. Joe Bevere and Artie Deleidi were also on those teams.” Richie, 54, is still an active competitor in triathlons, having recently participated in the Half Ironman Triathlon in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, home of the Penn State Nittany Lions. He has competed in eight triathlons. Richie has a daughter, Kaitlyn, who is a nurse practitioner. “I’m very proud of her,” said Richie. As for his continuing baseball career, Richie added, “I love the game. I’ll play baseball as many years as I can, until they drag me off.”