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09/30/2016 12:00 AMThe Southern Connecticut Diamond Club will soon hold its annual Hall of Fame induction dinner and one of this year’s inductees is East Haven resident Michael Lamberti. Michael received the honor based on his contributions to the game of baseball at the local level and will be inducted on Wednesday, Oct. 26 in a ceremony at Monticello’s Restaurant in Meriden that begins at 5:30 p.m.
Michael was a standout baseball player at Lee High School in New Haven, where he set several school records. Michael has since coached multiple area teams, was president of the Annex Little League, and is still a board member in the league. He’s also a founder, co-director, and head umpire of the East Shore Travel League in East Haven.
“I didn’t do this to get an award,” says Michael. “When I did it, I did it out of the goodness of my heart. I’ve been involved for about 28 years.”
Diamond Club Hall of Fame member and board member Tony Notarino was the one who nominated Michael for induction. Notarino has seen the East Shore Travel League become the largest AAU baseball program in the Northeast with more than 280 teams for kids aged 9 to 18 and he knows that Michael has had a major impact on the league’s growth.
“He’s really given back to the kids over the last 25 years. He’s really been involved with baseball, which is why I nominated him and why it was a [15-0 unanimous vote] that he got in,” says Notarino. “The Diamond Club considers the people who have given to baseball and promoted baseball. Michael was a player, coach, and umpire who has the love for the game.”
Michael feels honored that he was selected to join the Hall of Fame, but he’s even more excited about being part of this year’s prestigious class. Michael will be inducted with Matt Alteiri, who’s the head coach at Sheehan; Dick Jeynes, a who coached Milford High School and was an assistant at Yale University; John Stuper, a former Major League Baseball player who now coaches Yale; and Ed Sylvia, who was a longtime athletic director and coach at Housatonic Community College. Oakville’s Elmer Deschaine will receive the Andrew Gassira Umpire Award and Robert “Pat” Mailhouse of Branford will receive the Tony Mentone Memorial Distinguished Service Award.
“All of those guys are legends in the area, so I’m honored to go in with them,” says Michael.
As a player, Michael was a standout at Lee High School. He played in 72-consecutive varsity contests and set program records for career batting average (.451) and hits (103). In 1978, Michael was honored with the Jack Lackman Award, which was presented to the top 10 players in Connecticut by the Italian-American Civil Rights League.
Michael is proud of his accomplishments on the field, but what he’s done in the AAU world has been truly remarkable. There were 11 teams and 11 umpires when Mike, Sal Punzo, and Chuck Coyle started the East Shore Travel League. Now, it’s the second-largest AAU baseball organization in the country.
“Every year, we get bigger. We have good baseball. If you go through the East Shore Travel League, you’ll see a lot of kids that are now playing college baseball and in the minors. It’s a good league, everybody knows it’s good competition, and people like to come and respect our program,” says Michael. “We try to do what’s best for the kids. Without the children, we don’t have a league. Without the kids, we don’t have a program, and I stress that to everybody.”
Michael still officiates games as an umpire in the league and it’s something that’s given him great joy throughout the past two decades. The joyous emotions will certainly be flowing through Michael next month when he officially becomes a member of the Southern Connecticut Diamond Club Hall of Fame.
“I’ve been umpiring for nearly 18 years. I’ll do 13 or 14 plates on a weekend and it’s tiring. I’m 57 years old, but it gives me gratitude of watching kids grow up and they call me coach when they see me,” says Michael. “To be honored with that great group, it’s a dream come true. When they told me, I was in shock. With the dinner getting closer, to be among a group of professional people who also gave their life up for baseball, it’s nice to be honored along with them.”