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Two Friends of South Jersey MSBL Pass Away Unexpectedly
By Terry Annese (with thanks to Joe Aupperle)
In this time to be thankful for the many friendships we make on and off the field, South Jersey MSBL extends our deepest sympathies to two members of our extended family who have passed away unexpectedly this offseason.
Laura (Bellew) Hamby, 41, of Sicklerville, the owner and manager of The Sandlot Baseball and Softball Academy in Sicklerville, passed away suddenly on October 23, 2008.
The Sandlot has served in recent years as the practice home to several South Jersey MSBL ballclubs, as well as being the baseball instructional home of our own Rumors B&G Phillies' infielder Joe Cruz. More often than not, whenever you walked in the door at The Sandlot, you were greeted by Laura's ever cheerful smile and her genuine Southern-style charming repore.
A native of Alabama, Laura is survived by her husband, Rob, four sons and one daughter, as well as various extended family in Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi.
South Jersey MSBL extends our condolences out to Laura's family.
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Henry "Hank" Schiavone, 69, longtime member of the South Jersey Umpires Association (SJUA) and close friend to many coaches and players of the South Jersey MSBL, waged his gallant battle against a malignant brain tumor this past year with a dedication that mirrored his prior military life. Hank's service in the U.S. Army included three tours in Vietnam as an Airborne Ranger and the receipt of numerous medals for his heroic actions, including three purple hearts and six bronze stars.
Following mid-summer brain surgery, Hank was welcomed home by many of his baseball colleagues who stopped by to lift his spirits, recalling old stories about past adventures on the diamond and off. Unfortunately, Hank has lost his cancer battle and left us on October 28, 2008, passing away at the Samaritan Hospice Inpatient Unit in Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly, N.J.
A former correction officer with the N.J. State Dept. of Corrections, Hank is survived by his wife, Hannelore; their four adult children, one grandson and various extended family. SJMSBL players likely have crossed paths with one of Hank's sons at least once or twice in between the white lines - Mt. Laurel native Tony Schiavone, who followed in his dad's footsteps and currently serves as a veteran SJUA umpire.
A story involving Hank that will always stick in my memory dates back at least 6-7 years now, back to one of the first seasons we ever had the SJMSBL Fall League.
We all had drudged all the way out past Rt. 206 to play out in Tabernacle and it just was an awful day to play ball. Cold and wet, we got the field ready and only one umpire, Hank, shows up to do the game by himself. In all honesty, my first thought was, "We'll have to make the best of it, but at least I can save a few bucks only having to pay the one man fee."
Well, as both teams are sloshing through what was otherwise a forgettable fall game, I keep noticing that in between innings Hank was going over to the back of the cage towards the 3B side to talk to who I quickly realized was the only fan we had at the game for either side.
I eventually noticed that our solo fan was a older woman sitting content in her lawn chair, otherwise enjoying what was pretty much a sloppy ballgame. After about the third or fourth inning, I happen to make my way over in the same direction as I crossed over from the 1B dugout to go to coach third. As I walk by, I decide to go extend a quick thanks to our ONE fan for coming and Hank turns and says, "Terry, I'd like you to meet my wife." She then pleasantly says 'Hello' and I am just amusingly astonished that we couldn't get anyone to come watch us play out here in the middle of nowhere, but the umpire's wife is here! I thank her again for her dedication and Hank, in a voice that can only come from one who loves their partner dearly, says to her, "Time for us to go back to work."
The game ends unremarkably and we are walking back to the parking lot and there is Hank, umpire and dutiful husband, still in uniform and carrying his mask in one hand and his wife's lawn chair in the other. He walks his wife to the car and juggles everything to open the door for her as I am looking from off in the distance and just smile from ear to ear. I still had to pay Hank so I walked over to his car and suddenly didn't care one iota about the one-man fee. I gave him both full fees, telling him instead, "Please take that bride of yours out for some hot chocolate or coffee or something!"
A few of us here at South Jersey MSBL, including myself and 35+ Moorestown Marlins' pitcher Gabe Mastrangelo had the opportunity a couple of years back to train as state-certified umpires under Hank's instruction. I for one am proud to have known such an honest, caring man who clearly loved his family, baseball and all of us who play the game with passion - with all his heart and soul.
Hank was a good guy who will be missed by many on this Earth.
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