Delvecchio Named Cape League’s Top Game Official

HYANNIS — Rick Delvecchio has spent virtually his entire lifetime involved in baseball as a player, coach and for the past several years, as an umpire.

Rick Delvecchio, 2015 Cape Cod Baseball League Umpire of the Year (Curly Celement Award).
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports

A Braintree, Massachusetts native and a former baseball and ice hockey player at the University of Connecticut, Delvecchio was named this week the 12th recipient of the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Curly Clement Award as the top umpire for 2015. Delvecchio was behind the plate for the Cape League championship title game Wednesday night between the Y-D Red Sox and host Hyannis Harbor Hawks at McKeon Park.

“It’s an honor to be recognized with an award named after an umpire like Curly Clement,” Delvecchio said. “All umpires strive to be recognized, especially among your peers.”

Delvecchio is vice president of baseball operations at the South Shore Baseball Club in Hingham and was assistant coach for the East Cobb Baseball program of Marietta, Ga., one of the nation’s premier youth baseball programs.

“Rick is known as the ‘baseball magnet’ for his propensity for getting hit by baseballs behind the plate,” Cape League senior deputy commissioner Sol Yas said. “But he’s a tough guy and never had to leave a game. Confident of his umpiring skills, Rick is in control at all times.”

He played baseball at UConn and Northwest Oklahoma State, where he was a two-time All-American catcher and is the school’s all-time hit leader. Delvecchio is

Cape League umpire Rick Delvecchio makes the call at home plate at McKeon Park in Wednesday’s Cape League championship game.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports

Braintree High’s ice hockey career scoring leader and was defensive standout and leader on the 1989 state champions.

Robert “Curly” Clement worked as a Cape League umpire over a span of four decades and was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2002. He umpired 16 NCAA Division I Baseball Regionals, several Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I Baseball Championships and two NCAA College World Series.

Affectionately known as the “Candy Man” because of his propensity for passing out candy to players, coaches and field managers during disputes, Clement’s final Cape League appearance was spent working home plate at the 2000 CCBL All-Star game. He died in 2006 after a long illness.

Previous Clement Award winners are Bill Fisher (2014), Pat Burns (2013), Joe Caraco (2012), Mark Ottavianelli (2011), Michael Sadowski (2010), John Leeds (2009), Harry Greer (2008), Tim Carey (2007), Peter Hall (2006), the late Jim McNally (2005) and Walter Bentson (2004).

— Story written by John Garner, Cape Cod Baseball League Director of Public Relations. Edited by Capecod.com Sports Editor Sean Walsh, former Cape Cod Baseball League Director of Public Relations (1999-2003). Follow Walsh on Twitter @coachwalshccbm or email him at [email protected]. Photos by Sean Walsh