Arnie Allen Diamond
 | |
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| Full name | Arnie Allen Diamond at Guv Fuller Field |
|---|---|
| Address | 790 Main Street |
| Location | Falmouth, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 41°33′18.79″N 70°36′14.70″W / 41.5552194°N 70.6040833°W |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Field size | Left Field: 320 ft Center Field: 385 ft Right Field: 320 ft |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1938-1939 |
| Tenants | |
| Falmouth Commodores | |
Arnie Allen Diamond at Guv Fuller Field is a baseball venue in Falmouth, Massachusetts, home to the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL).
History
[edit]Located in downtown Falmouth, the town athletic field was constructed in the late 1930s with assistance from the Work Projects Administration.[1][2] The facility was dedicated in 1952 in honor of Elmer E. "Guv" Fuller, longtime coach and athletic director at Falmouth's Lawrence High School.[3][4][5] Fuller, whose nickname referenced 1920s Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller, had quarterbacked Falmouth's high school football team in 1905 and 1906. He returned to his alma mater in 1926, and remained a central figure in the town's athletic programs until his retirement in 1952.[6][7][8]
Falmouth's CCBL ballclub has called the field home since 1964, having previously played its home games at the Central Park field in Falmouth Heights.[9] In 2004, the baseball diamond at Guv Fuller Field was named in memory of longtime Commodores' volunteer Arnie Allen. Allen began his association with the Commodores as a seven-year-old bat boy, and remained with the club for 46 seasons, serving primarily as the team's equipment manager, and receiving the league's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.[10][11][12] Aging and in need of significant upgrades,[13] the facility was awarded a field improvement grant from the Yawkey Foundation in 2006.[14][15] Another round of major upgrades began in 2018.[16][17]
Arnie Allen Diamond at Guv Fuller Field has hosted the CCBL all-star game festivities several times, including its first all-star game in 1966,[18] and its most recent in 2003.[19] The field has seen Falmouth claim six CCBL titles, including four consecutively from 1968 to 1971.[20][21] The ballpark has been the summertime home of dozens of future major leaguers such as Tino Martinez,[22] Darin Erstad,[23] and Jacoby Ellsbury.[24]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "The Heart of Falmouth is its Village Green". Falmouth Enterprise. Falmouth, MA. May 8, 1953. pp. 21, 22.
- ^ "Fuller Field's High Stands Will Disappear". Falmouth Enterprise. Falmouth, MA. April 6, 1962. pp. 1, 5.
- ^ "Nov. 8 Will Be "Guv" Fuller Day". Falmouth Enterprise. Falmouth, MA. October 10, 1952. p. 1.
- ^ "Moses To Be MC For Dedication Of Fuller Field". Falmouth Enterprise. Falmouth, MA. October 17, 1952. p. 1.
- ^ "Fans Brave Chill Autumn Wind To Watch Dedication Of Field". Falmouth Enterprise. Falmouth, MA. November 14, 1952. p. 3.
- ^ Moses, George L. (November 7, 1952). "Tribute to the Coach". Falmouth Enterprise. Falmouth, MA. p. 5.
- ^ "Guv Fuller Honored At Dedication Of Town Athletic Field Saturday". Falmouth Enterprise. Falmouth, MA. November 14, 1952. p. 12.
- ^ "Dedication to "Guv"". Falmouth Enterprise. Falmouth, MA. January 2, 1953. p. 7.
- ^ Crowley, Dan (2004). Baseball on Cape Cod. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 61. ISBN 0-7385-3508-7.
- ^ "Falmouth to Dedicate Arnie Allen Diamond". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. June 17, 2004. p. 13.
- ^ T.J. Lasita (June 24, 2004). "Legendary Commodore Honored". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ Russ Charpentier (November 3, 2002). "High Class". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ Walsh, Sean M. (June 30, 1994). "Greener Grass, Brighter Diamonds: Ranking the Fields of the Cape League". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. pp. 5, 27.
- ^ "Yawkey Foundation donates S300K for Cape League fields". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. March 2, 2006. p. 21.
- ^ Laura Rasmussen. "Falmouth Commodores' 2008 Season Much Brighter Now Thanks to Improved Lighting System at Guv Fuller Field". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ Christine Legere (January 24, 2018). "Falmouth Recreation Department looks to upgrade Guv Fuller Field". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ Brad Cole (May 11, 2018). "Falmouth Commodores Provide Update On Guv Fuller Field". capenews.net. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Four Kettleers Make All-Star Team". Barnstable Patriot. Barnstable, MA. July 26, 1966. p. 6.
- ^ John Garner, Jr. (July 29, 2003). "All Star Game was a Hit to the Very End". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ "The Way it Ended". The Cape Codder. Orleans, MA. September 3, 1970. p. 23.
- ^ "Falmouth Wins Cape League Title Deplorable Brawl In Fourth Game". The Cape Codder. Orleans, MA. August 26, 1971. p. 23.
- ^ "Cape League Wrapup". Barnstable Patriot. Barnstable, MA. July 3, 1986. p. 10.
- ^ Judd, Grant (January 31, 2002). "Cape League honors its own". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. p. 8.
- ^ Murphy, Sarah (November 1, 2007). "A mother knows: Host mom was early witness to Ellsbury's greatness". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. p. 16.