Alan Greenwood

What a hoot it would be to ask baseball players of earlier generations about the business of today’s Major League game.

They’d be unimpressed, if not downright disdainful, by the mindset on both sides of the negotiating table. Winter for them meant finding decidedly unglamorous work to get by.

Wouldn’t it be priceless to see Bryce Harper selling shoes, Manny Machado plowing roads or Carlos Correa tending bar.

If only we could ask a player or two who forged early links between Nashua and the big leagues.

FEB. 18, 1927 – “Clyde Sukeforth, caretaker of the North Common rink during skating season and the ‘belting beauty’ of the New England Baseball League, entrained to join the Cincinnati Reds.

“Ritchie Ryan, also of this city, star second baseman with the Millionaires and captain of the Georgetown University nine, leaves the latter part of this month to join Rochester of the International League.”

Note: Millionaires was the nickname of the Nashua ballclub, not a reflection of the players’ bank accounts.

FEB. 19, 1952 – “Two Nashua mitt-swingers, New Hampshire Golden Gloves champions, are expected to figure prominently tonight as the New England Golden Gloves tournament reaches its climax at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.

“… Nashua’s representatives include state 175-pound champion Johnny Mandravelis and 147-pound champion Mike Mercier.”

And, five years later …

FEB. 20, 1957 – “Mike Mercier of Nashua, state 147-pound champion,was knocked out in the first round by George Maddox of New Bedford, Mass., in the semifinals of the New England Golden Gloves tournament at the Lowell auditorium last evening.”

Despite the KO, Mercier’s staying power commands a salute.

FEB. 21, 1987 – “Mark Lamminen will probably go through the Class S tournament with the middle and ring fingers of his right hand taped together. And if the senior on the Wilton-Lyndeborough High School basketball team had it to do all over again, he may have played his entire career that way.

“Lamminem, who dislocated the middle finger at practice Tuesday, played the game of his career Friday night, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in Wilton’s 86-61 preliminary-round ,ow down of Concord Christian.”

FEB. 22, 1992 – “Obliterating the frustration of dual-meet losses to four strong wrestling programs this winter, Nashua captured the Class L team championship. Brothers Rob and Ben Dawson led the Panthers to their best team showing in 15 years and first state title since 1989.”

Brent Arbogast, Dave Szabo and Steve O’Connor also won individual titles as Nashua took the team championship with 185 points to Keene’s 167.

FEB. 23, 1977 – “The Bishop Guertin cagers won their regular home-game schedule last night with a 76-63 victory over Alvirne High School.

“High-scoring Tim Scott once again paced the Cardinal attack with 26 points. Rugged forward Gregg Murphy followed with 24 and Steve Lapierre had 12.

“Mark Crisman led the Broncos with 15.”

FEB. 24, 2017 – “Amherst’s Devin Gilligan, the senior guard for the Southern New Hampshire University Penmen, was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Year on Thursday.

Gilligan had a breakout season, averaging 20.2 points a game, shooting 58.3 percent (194 of 333) from the floor, as well as 46.7 percent (43 of 92) from 3-point range.

Contact Alan Greenwood at agreenwood@nashuatelegraph.com.