Dalton Collegians

Overview:

The Dalton Collegians were a semi-professional independent baseball team located in Dalton, MA. The team was founded and coached by Michael T. Casey <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsfield_Mets>. The team had many notable local and college baseball players that graduated to many levels of professional baseball.

History:

The Dalton Collegians existance followed the deep traditions of the game and history of local and community baseball in Massachusetts. The Collegians played most of their home games in Dalton, MA which is situated next to Pittsfield, MA in Berkshire County. The Collegians because of their success and skill as a semi-professional team were invited to play at Wahconah Park on ocassion. Wahconah Park remains one of the last remaining ballparks in the United States with a wooden grandstand, it was constructed in 1919 and seats 4,500.Wahconah_Park

Pittsfield, Massachusetts is noted in a document believed to be the earliest written reference to baseball in North America. The documents was located in the city of Pittsfield's library, the Berkshire Athenaeum. The reference is contained in a 1791 Pittsfield bylaw, which states that: "…for the Preservation of the Windows in the New Meeting House . . . no Person or Inhabitant of said town, shall be permitted to play at any game called Wicket, Cricket, Baseball, Football, Cat, Fives or any other game or games with balls, within the Distance of Eighty Yards from said Meeting House." <http://www.pittsfield-ma.org/subpage.asp?ID=226>

Rise to the Majors:

Many notable professional baseball players honed their skills during the summer months with the Dalton Collegians.

Jeff Reardon Jeff_Reardon

Turk Wendell Turk_Wendell

External links:

1. http://www.unico-of-pittsfield.org/halloffame.htm

2. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005025/2/index.htm

3. http://www.pittsfield-ma.org/subpage.asp?ID=226

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_baseball_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-0

5. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1799618

6. Wahconah_Park