JUNE 4, 2004
Fans greet Golden Eagles
By THOM RANDALL

Local News - THE POST-STAR

GLENS FALLS -- Local baseball legend Bobby Wilkins of Hartford hurled the first pitch -- letter-high, a little inside, into the catcher's mitt.

Announcer Brian Delaney bellowed, "Let's hear it for your Glens Falls Golden Eagles."

A.J. Heller and 368 other spectators clapped and cheered, making a noise greater than expected from the bleachers at East Field.

"This is exciting," Heller said, watching the play begin. "I was a season ticket holder for the Glens Falls Lumberjacks through 2002, and I missed baseball big-time last year when they left town."

As the Golden Eagles faced the Mohawk Valley Cobras on Thursday night, another chapter of Glens Falls baseball history began. The Golden Eagles, a new franchise of the New York Collegiate Baseball League, launched its inaugural season.

The Eagles beat the Cobras 7-1. For game coverage, See Page C1.

Sitting in the aisle seat in the 10th row behind home plate was Bonnie George of Glens Falls. For two decades, that seat was hers -- whether she was watching the Glens Falls Tigers, White Sox, Red Birds or Lumberjacks.

On Thursday, she said the new collegiate team was a "good fit" for the city.

"I'm glad to see hometown players, and we're expecting to see some great baseball," she said.

Across the aisle, Chuck White talked with his girlfriend, Susan Salvato, about the team's prospects. In the early 70s, White played in Little League, he said, pitching against local players Dave Palmer and Dave LaPoint, who went on to achieve major-league fame.

"It's great we have a baseball team back in the city," he said. "I looked forward to this game all day."

Manning a concession stand, Dave Gallagher of the Golden Eagle's booster club hawked 50-50 tickets.

"It's like old times already," he said.

Paul LaMay, a veteran spectator of Glens Falls professional baseball, sat in the top row, cheering with five of his friends. LaMay went to school with the Golden Eagles coach -- John Mayotte -- who coached several college baseball teams, including one ranked among the best in the nation.

"This collegiate league is great," LaMay said. "A lot of major leaguers will be coming out of these teams."

Golden Eagles team owner Charles Adams stepped behind a hedge and threw some switches to try to re-energize a bank of lights illuminating home plate -- when they weren't tripping electrical breakers and going dark.

"Coach Mayotte is a perfectionist," he said. "And collegiate coaches around the country know his reputation and sent us their best players."

Charles "Roach" Hicks bellowed as Golden Eagle catcher Tommy Hill threw a missile to the second baseman, who tagged out a Cobra player stealing a base.

"Our catcher's much better than the competition," he said. "And the pitcher Brad Beatty -- he's so fast, the ball's in the catcher's mitt before the batter's into mid-swing."

Lawyer Mike Infantino peered through the chain-link fence encircling the ballpark.

"This is great baseball, and I'm an hour late for dinner," he said. "I keep telling myself I gotta leave, but I can't."