‘Good morning yesterday, you wake up, and time has slipped away, and suddenly, it’s hard to find, the memories you left behind, remember, do you remember?’
Richard Valenti had put up a poignant and innocent post recently, on social media, mourning the passing of a Belleville High classmate and teammate, in David Starr.
When I read it, the shock to me was sudden. Wasn’t it yesterday that David, Richard and so many others were a part of the Belleville High baseball team, some 42 years ago, which won one of the most prestigious championships in high school, the Greater Newark Tournament (GNT)?
I guess the answer is yes, and no, because 1981 was indeed (now) over 42 years ago, but for anyone who was a part of that team, yes, it does seem like yesterday.
I was fortunate enough to cover that team for a local newspaper. The head coach was the legendary George Zanfini. The ’81 Buccaneers had come close to winning a GNT crown in 1980, and the varsity baseball program at Belleville had put together some impressive seasons over the years, heading into 1981. But since the program was independent from 1979 to 1982, there weren’t any championships to play for, other than the GNT and sectionals.
So when the Bucs won the GNT championship, on May 31, 1981, defeating Glen Ridge, 10-4, on that Sunday afternoon in Verona, the memories do flood back.
There was Anthony Coco, pitching a complete game that day. There was Joe Corbalis, with a huge hit in the second inning that gave the Bucs a nice early lead, and Coco screaming at me (in a good way), ‘Bluto’s my man’, as I sat in the team’s dugout. (Bluto was Corbalis’ nickname).
When the Bucs had sealed the victory, the players celebrated and Zanfini took great pride in handing out the championship medals, before the short bus ride back to Belleville High.
And while it does seem like yesterday, a lot has indeed happened since 1981. With David’s passing, three players from that team have left us, along with the great coach, Zanfini.
David passed away on Dec. 30, 2023, at the age of 60. On Jan. 27, 2024, family and friends will come together to honor a man, in a memorial service, who simply said, was as good a person as you’ll ever meet.
Recently, Valenti and Ken Constantino, also a 1981 Belleville High grad and a part of that GNT title team, took a few minutes to remember their friend.
“I was close friends with Dave since the third grade,” said Richard. “Myself, Billy (Ziermer), Joe Corbalis and Dave all went to #5 school, and of course we were all very close. Sports was our thing, and Dave was very compassionate, whether we played in the school yard or in little league.”
Constantino, known to his friends back then as ‘Kenny Gotz’, was also close to Starr, who was nicknamed ‘The Chief’.
“The first thought that comes to mind about Dave Starr was that he was a competitor, as scrappy and tough as anyone I ever played with,” said Ken. “He never backed down at the plate, and looked forward to hitting against the toughest pitchers.
“He was also a true team player, who was among the first to congratulate his teammates after a good play.”
Constantino remembered Starr as the ultimate teammate.
“Dave was a ‘top of the order’ guy, with quick hands, fast feet, and seemed to get on base whenever the team needed it most,” recalled Ken. “He could slap a hit the other way, from the left side of the plate, and be on second base before the outfielder had a chance to take it out of his glove.
“He was a high energy player, who really loved the game. Dave focused on his skills throughout the off season – spending time at the batting cages, and working the speed bag in his basement.”
The ’81 Bucs, in addition to that GNT title, had also advanced to a sectional final, and finished with a 22-7 record. Belleville concluded that season ranked seventh in the state.
“Dave was a huge part of our successful 1981 season,” said Ken. “He batted .310, with a bunch of clutch hits, as he played a strong left field all season.”
Winning the GNT title in ’81 wasn’t easy. The Bucs had won a first-round game, against Cedar Grove, but then ran into a tough Columbia team, on May 17, a Sunday morning, in Belleville. Columbia opened an 8-0 lead, in the first inning, but Eugene ‘Fu’ Cancelliere provided 6 2/3 innings of incredible relief, and the Bucs, with that potent lineup, paced by Frank ‘The Bear’ Fazzini, would rally back for a 15-9 victory.
Onto the semifinals, Belleville had another tough game, at Verona Park, in the GNT semis, against a really good Bloomfield High team, which had a marvelous pitcher in Anthony Sarno. On May 23, 1981, the Bucs and Bengals waged a 12-inning battle, which ended in a 5-4 Belleville victory. Sarno and Coco both pitched complete games that day, which wouldn’t even be allowed under high school policy today.
Zanfini would later call it one of the best games he was ever a part of.
“Dave was most proud of our 1981 GNT championship, especially the way we won the final game,” recalled Constantino, referring to the GNT title win. “We were playing a team (Glen Ridge) that outscored their opponents 17-0 in the tourney, and facing a pitcher (Rob “Goose” Gillespie) who was 9-0, with a 0.54 ERA for the season.
“We may have been underdogs on paper, but as far as Dave was concerned, there was nothing to worry about.”
Belleville trailed, briefly, 1-0, after one inning. But the Bucs were quite confident they’d win, and in the second inning, the offense went to work.
“After going down 1-0 in the first inning, our offense responded with five runs in the second inning, on our way to an historic 10-4 victory,” said Constantino. “The Chief was on base twice, and scored both times in the win. We handed the opposing pitcher a pretty sound drubbing, that would be something Dave would reference for years to come (mainly because the Bucs were able to defeat a really good pitcher).”
Most importantly, the friendship would transcend five decades.
“Dave and I have known each other since Belleville Little League, and our friendship continued for over 50 years, as it has with several of our teammates from that season,” said Constantino, referring also to Coco, Jerry Ross, Bluto, Richie Valenti, ‘Shep’ (Paul Scheuplein) and Billy Z. “We had many, many fun times off the field, but when I think of Dave Starr, I will always think of #11, and the memorable moments we shared on the baseball diamond.
“”It was a privilege to be part of such a great group of guys, and we will dearly miss one of our baseball brothers!”
For many years, Ken Constantino has run an incredible golf outing, the Duke Classic, to raise money for Embrace Kids. The outing has been held at Hendricks Field, in Belleville, and in 2011, a number of players from the ’81 GNT squad came by, on the 30th anniversary of that title. And among those there was David Starr, along with Zanfini.
Valenti gets the final word on what Dave meant to he and his friends.
“We played high school baseball together, the four of us from freshman year, through our senior year,” said Rich. “Sooo many great memories over the years, from sports or just hanging out. Later in life, when Dave moved to Asbury Park NJ, and I moved to Pennsylvania, and got married, we didn’t talk as much, but we spoke once in awhile, and had our occasional baseball reunions.
“Dave suffered with bad health the last few years, but he’ll always be in our hearts, and no one can ever take away our wonderful memories.
“God bless and RIP Dave.”
‘Here comes the setting sun, the seasons are passing one-by-one. So gather moments while you may, collect the dreams you dreamed today. Remember, will you remember, the times of your life?’
Mike Lamberti, From Margate To Cleveland, And Back ! 