On Sunday morning, the Chelsea Softball League conducted its Opening Day ceremonies at the Chelsea High School softball field.
Minerva Cruz directs the 12-team league, which holds games on Sundays. Chelsea sports enthusiasts will recognize her as an exceptional athlete and volleyball player—she graduated from Chelsea High in 1990 and was a classmate of heavyweight champion John Ruiz. Minerva continues to play volleyball in an Everett league.
The city owes Minerva significant recognition for preserving this cherished men’s softball tradition while also establishing a women’s league that competes on Saturdays at the same field.
Longtime Chelsea sports fans recall the prosperous era of the Chelsea Municipal Fast Pitch League, when spectators filled the old Carter Park, and the subsequent Chelsea Modified Fast Pitch Softball League that operated at Highland Park before relocating to Carter Park.
Notable softball figures from those years include Bobby Halas, Bill Palladino, Eddie McCarthy, Homer Norton, Thomas Fay II, Bucky Cole, Kenny Lava, the late Arnold Goodman (who served admirably as president), the late Tommy Phillips, and the late Ricky Gallant, a formidable home run hitter.
We are delighted to witness Minerva Cruz stewarding the league during this new era, bringing enjoyment to players, supporters, and families through softball—a wonderful recreational pursuit that, like baseball, represents a national and Chelsea tradition.
We extend our gratitude to Minerva Cruz for her contributions to Chelsea and its softball community.