Welcome to the Needham
                Summer Baseball Website

      Needham Summer Baseball Scholarship
     The Needham Summer Baseball Scholarship, in memory of Gert McSweeney, will be awarded to a senior who played Needham Summer Baseball and/or Legion Post 14 Baseball. 
     Please submit a short essay, "How Baseball Has Influenced My Life", to Needham Summer Baseball, c/o John Gallello, 30 Howland st. Needham, Mass. 02492.
     If you have any questions, please call John Gallello at 781-444-3202.

                    
                                      Gert and Joe McSweeney

Gert Mc Sweeney, and her husband Joe, started out with John Gallello, the current manager of the Legion Baseball Team in 1981 when John managed the Needham West Little League Red Sox.  Gert was at all of the games, often keeping score, and offering John timely advice such as, when to take a pitcher out, where to play a kid, or just how to run the club.  When John moved up to manage the Legion Team the McSweeney's went with him.  Gert and Joe ran the concession stand at Memorial Park for the Legion Team.  Gert continued to offer John advice, yelling from the concession stand.  Sometimes, when she got mad enough, she would go out to the fence and advise John from there.  When John got T-shirts for the team he asked Gert what number she wanted.  She said number 3.  That's what she got, and no one else was allowed to wear that number.  Before Gert passed away she requested that in lieu of flowers she wanted donations to go to funding the Legion Team.  There were so many donations that John got new game jerseys for the team.  Each jersey is adorned with  Gert's initials on the sleeve, and the number 3 is retired.  Gert's game jersey was framed, enclosed in glass, and is displayed at Joe's home.  John established the Gert McSweeney Memorial Scholarship Fund.  Each year two scholarships are awarded to two players who played Needham Summer Baseball, and/or Needham Legion Baseball.  In spirit Gert is still at every game because John wears the number 3 t-shirt under his uniform jersey.  John says, "I can't play without her."

         
The two 2007 recipients of Needham Summer League Baseball's Gert McSweeney Memorial Scholarship Award.  From L to R Needham Post 14 Manager John Gallello, Charles J. McCann, William Everts, and Gert's husband Joe McSweeney.

         
The two 2008 recipients of Needham Summer League Baseball's Gert McSweeney Memorial Scholarship Award.  From L to R, Needham American Legion Manager John Gallello, Needham High School's Matt Dunn, Needham High School's Brian Hopkin, and Legion Coach Joe McSweeney.