Comfort Zone News
back to article indexLocal athlete tackles the challenge
of bringing national tournament to hometown
PLAY BALL!
Brian LaPointe (left) holds the trophy that was retired to Federal Heating after their Little League team won numerous championships in the 1960s. Bob Nutile displays one of many awards he won as a star high school athlete.
Eight regional championship teams from across the country, along with their fans, families and friends, will descend on Robert J. Nutile Field. But no matter how long it takes even the furthest team to travel here, it’s nothing compared to the lifelong journey that Bob Nutile, the field’s namesake and inspirational force behind the event, has taken to see this day happen.
It’s a journey that started in the 1960s, when young Bobby Nutile began playing Winchester Little League on the very field that would be named in his honor over 40 years later. Since graduating Winchester High School in 1967, where he was an all-scholastic in football, hockey and twice in baseball, he was inducted in the school’s Hall of Fame. But there was still much more road to travel.
Since 1967, Bob Nutile has been involved in all facets of baseball in Winchester, as a player, coach, score-keeper, and umpire, often spending seven nights a week at the field. Eventually, he took over as president of the Winchester Little League.
“When I came onboard there were less than 500 kids in the programs,” says Bob. “Now there are well over 1200.” And it was this dedication to the game that led to the Cal Ripken World Series eventually “coming home.”
“We had hosted a number of district, state and regional tournaments from 2003-2007 and it was suggested to me that I might be a good candidate to try to bring the nationals to Winchester,” says Bob. “Well, I didn’t give it much thought until I was calling in scores to the regional commissioner during the 2007 Babe Ruth World Series for 14-year-olds, which was held in Quincy. As I’m calling in scores, the regional commissioner keeps saying to me that the league headquarters wants to know why I didn’t want to host the nationals in 2009?”
A meeting of Hall of Famers as Bob Nutile (a longtime member of the Winchester High School Sports Hall of Fame) meets Red Sox slugger Jim Rice (a recent inductee of the Baseball Hall of Fame) at Robert J. Nutile Field.
This is where Federal Heating came in. The connection between Bob Nutile and Federal Heating stretches back to the 1960s, when the company’s founder, the late Al LaPointe, was President of the Winchester Little League and among its players were Bob Nutile and the LaPointe brothers, John and Steve.
“Federal Heating was the sponsor of the Athletics team back then,” recalls Brian LaPointe, who is now president of Federal Heating. “My brothers won the championship so many times they retired the trophy to us.” Ironically, the team that Bob ended up coaching to many more championships was the Athletics.
“My brother, John, was in the same class as Bob Nutile at Winchester High School.” adds Brian, “and even then you could see how important baseball was to his life. So when we were approached to donate the air-conditioning for the press box, we didn’t hesitate.” Federal Heating will be installing a two-ton Carrier rooftop system, as well as the ductwork to the rooms below.
Trying to bring together a major national baseball tournament, find local housing for a large number of players, fans and family (league rules require all players stay with a “host” family, as opposed to a hotel), get the field in tip-top shape, and coordinate a weeklong schedule of special events, all while trying to raise the more than $200,000 needed to pull it all off, in a less-than-friendly economic environment, would be a daunting task for just about anyone. But for Bob Nutile, there are challenges that have to be overcome on top of those.
In 2006, Bob was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital with a cerebral hemorrhage. And if that wasn’t a hard enough card to be dealt, follow-up tests uncovered a trio of staggering illnesses that would have emotionally crippled a lesser man. But for Bob, who has endured a lifetime of overcoming and winning the challenges encountered on the ball field, ice rink and gridiron, there was no backing down. Along with the support of friends and family, Bob Nutile continues to fight and win tiny battles each and every day.
Winchester’s love for Bob culminated in October 2007 with the naming in his honor of the Robert J. Nutile Field. It was an emotional ceremony that Bob says he will always remember.
But that was in the past. In the future lies the daunting task of getting the Cal Ripken 2009 World Series Championship off the ground. It’s an event, says Bob, that’s important to the town. “Hosting this tournament is definitely a great thing for Winchester,” says Bob. “It puts us on the map.”
“Baseball is Bob’s life,” says Brian LaPointe, “He has given it everything he has for over 40 years. He’s been working tirelessly to bring this event to Winchester, and we’re just happy to be a part of it.”
Whether it’s bringing the Cal Ripken World Series to his hometown, or battling serious illnesses, Bob Nutile approaches both in the very same way. “I simply refuse to lose,” he says.
Federal Heating is very pleased to have the Nutile family as a customer.
