Page 11 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 115

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #115 August 2022 11

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Memories of The Cornwall Cubs 1975-1978

By Submitted Article Keith Gilligan – 2nd Base
Claude Chevrier – 2nd Base, manager
Publishers Note: This article was submitted by Alain Chevrier – Pitcher, catcher
John St. Germain, who grew up in Cornwall. Yvon Gauthier – Shortstop
He has recently retired. John catches up on Jeff D’Alessio – 3rd Base, outfield
Cornwall News reading Sports Energy Online Paul Laprade – Centerfield
each month. John and his wife presently reside Kevin Fraser – Rightfield
in St. Catherines, Ontario. Paul Marshall – Leftfield
George Tyo – 2nd Base
moved away from Cornwall almost 40 years
I ago, but I never forgot the wonderful memories Norm Marion – Pitcher
of playing for the Cornwall Cubs baseball team In 1975 our first game as a new group was
played in Massena, New York. We remembered
from 1975 to 1978.
arriving at the Massena Central High School Red
Approximately 10 years ago, by the grace of Raiders baseball diamond to face a team that all
social media, I was able to reconnect with one of my
seemed older than we were. We were all 15 or 16
teammates, Jeff D’Alessio from Elizabethtown, years old, and they were mostly 18 years old. The
Kentucky, who moved away in 1979 to attend Massena starting pitcher was a player named Mike
college in the United States. Ever since then, we
“Cubes” Deshaies. He was a smooth right-hander,
frequently have reminisced about our playing but I remember the Cubs hit him hard.
days and basically living at the Bob Turner/Joe St.
However, in 1976, his younger brother Jim
Denis field during our teenage years.
“Ace” Deshaies, who was a tall left-handed
Around 1972, we used to watch the Cornwall
pitcher who threw extremely hard, had joined the
Cubs baseball team play on Sundays at the “Bob”. team. Ace eventually was drafted by the New York
I remember watching Wayne Murphy pitch to Photo Submitted
Yankees and enjoyed a fine career as a starter for
Benny Guindon and thought that I’d be on that a number of MLB teams, mostly with the Houston
team in a few years if all went well. Decades have now passed since we were on
Astros. Today, Ace, who now goes by JD, is the a baseball diamond together, even one like we
D’Alessio remembers to this day telling his color commentator for the Chicago Cubs, after
played on at Joe St. Denis Field, which was made
mother that one day he wanted to play for the Cubs having spent many years in the same role with the
of rock pebbles. But the memories, some good
when he saw neighbor Kevin Koontz drive his bike Houston Astros. We played Massena many times and some bad, still linger with many of us.
to games, with his green and white uniform on. over the years.
A few years ago, many of us got together for
Years later, we would be in those same uniforms. Back then, we played against teams from
a reunion of sorts at Shoeless Joe’s. Stories were
In 1975, the team featured an entire lineup of all Montreal, upstate New York, Ottawa, Gloucester,
told like they had happened a week earlier, and not
new players. Pembroke, Brockville, Prescott, Smith Falls,
many, many years ago.
Our roster varied from year to year but generally Nepean, and many others. Memories are a special thing, and while we
included: For a brief moment in 1977 we became
didn’t understand it or even know it back then
Jim McDonald – Catcher the Cornwall Indians, and joined an Eastern when we were teens, our players were linked
Brian Burns – Pitcher Ontario League, but there was turmoil within forever by those summers that we spent together.
John Parisien – Pitcher the management and that team folded. However, We were teammates then and still to this day.
Geoff Trasuk – Pitcher, 1st Base, outfield within a week, we were back as the Cornwall
John St-Germain – 1st Base Cubs again. That’s a pretty special feeling to have.