The North End Athletic Association Youth Majors Baseball Program held its annual all-star game on Saturday, June 24, on Dom Campochiaro Field at Langone Park.
This year, the NEAA honored two people for their continued support of the North End Athletic Association (NEAA) and the youth of the North End: Pamela Donnaruma, publisher of the Post-Gazette newspaper, and the memory of James “Jimmy” Pallotta. The NEAA is very thankful for all that Pam and Jimmy – now through his family, have done for the NEAA. The game was played under the lights with the Pallotta All-stars squaring off against the Donnaruma All-stars!
Attendees enjoyed free pizza, soft drinks, and snacks along with all the players and their families. A balloon entertainer was on hand along with Regina Pizza and Spadafora Slush.
After the game, there was an awards ceremony with MVPs chosen for each team. Also, as has been our recent tradition, they gave out awards to all the players in the youth majors program. Special awards – one per majors team – were given in honor of Uncle Fred Carangelo for League MVP, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Sportsman of the Year.
MVP Awards:
- League MVP – Carlo Crocini
- Playoff MVP – Joe Everett
- Pitcher of the Year – Eamon Vraibel
- Rookie of the Year – Max Howard
- Sportsman of the Year – Vinny O’Bryne
- Coach of the Year – Mike Martignetti
Carangelo Award Winners:
- Cardinals – Luca Orlandi
- Cubs – William White
- Indians – Sonny Blazo
- Tigers – Joe Broderick
- Play of the Game Award – Jojo Brienze (Walk off single)
In the end, the final score of a very close game was 11 – 10 with the win for the Pallotta All-stars. Everyone who attended enjoyed this family event.
Photos by Hristina Tasheva and Matt Conti.
The N.E.A.A. congratulates all of the Allstars and award winners, as well as all of the players who played in the 2017 N.E.A.A. baseball program! The N.E.A.A. provided baseball for over 200 children ages 4 to 21 throughout the spring. Baseball continues with our Dodgers traveling program for ages 13 to 21 throughout the summer. We appreciate all the support we got for the program from sponsors and our parents.
Special Thanks goes out to all the volunteer coaches and especially our volunteer Commission Ralph Martignetti!