Town Re-dedicates Pops Sabellico Field

With renovations complete, town officials attended a re-dedication ceremony this weekend for Pops Sabellico Field in Farmingdale.

"With the renovation complete, it's an absolutely beautiful field that little leaguers will enjoy for years to come," Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto said on his Facebook page. "I was also glad to get the chance to tell some of the players on hand about the important lessons I learned on the diamond."

The park, on Merritts Road in Farmingdale, was first dedicated by the Town in 2001 to posthumously honor James "Pops" Sabellico, a lifetime resident of Farmingdale who was a highly regarded baseball coach by the children of the community.

Improvements at the field include newly installed turf, renovated restrooms and a new scoreboard.

James Sabellico was born in New York City in 1924 and was one of 10 children. He was a standout baseball player on city sandlots and later in high school, before trying out with both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

He was invited back to the Yankees, but the war intervened and Sabellico went on to serve with the U.S. Navy in the European Theatre of Operations aboard the USS Thurston and served in Iwo Jima and Okinawa in the Pacific.

He returned from the service and married Rose Cavallo. They moved to North Massapequa, raising their two sons, Thomas and Robert. Like their dad, both sons coached baseball and became well known for their ability to teach lessons on the ball field that translated well in the game of life.

“He cared so much about the community and the kids who played ball here,”  Venditto said. “This beautifully renovated field will forever serve as a reminder of how much we cared about him.”