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2024 Jim McElroy Jr. Lifetime Achievement Awards

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2024 Recipient Jim McElroy Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award 

TOM ABRUSCATO 

HEAD COACH W.T. CLARKE H.S. (EAST MEADOW)

Tom Abruscato is the head baseball coach at Wt. Clarke High School. 

2024 Nassau County Sectional Champions!!

The W.T. Clarke Varsity Baseball team defeated Wantagh 5-0 to win the Nassau County Championship!!!

Tom is a 2X New York State coach of the year, 5X LI Newsday coach of the year, and 23X Nassau County / Conference coach of the year. In his 25th year varsity coaching career he has led Clarke to a combined 39 New York State, Long Island, County & Conference championships, as well as compiling over 510 wins. It’s not supposed to be that easy, but Clarke baseball has certainly made winning look routine over the past 25 years since Tom Abruscato took over as the varsity head coach in 1999.Most importantly, he has sent 130 players to college with 4 more college commitments in the 2024 class. Abruscato is a 1988 graduate of Sewanhaka High School where he was an All-State selection. To this day, it remains their last Conference Championship in program history,. They ultimately lost to MacArthur in three games in the County Finals, which was played at NYIT.



2024 Recipient Jim McElroy Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award 

ANTHONY CHIRONNO 

FOUNDER/DIRECTOR LONG ISLAND CHALLENGER ANNUAL BASEBALL JAMBOREE (MASSAPECQUA) 

Click the image for 2024 Long Island Challenger Baseball Jamboree website

The Little League Challenger program was in 1989 to give boys and girls facing physical and mental challenges an opportunity to enjoy the full benefits of Little League participation. Playing with baseball equipment on Little league fields , the Challenger Division participants learn not only the fundamentals of baseball, but also how it feels to pull together as a team, being cheered by family and friends. The first Long Island Challenger Baseball Jamboree was hosted at the Town of Babylon Tanner Park Complex on October 2, 2011. The 2024 Long Island Challenger Baseball Jamboree will take place at John Burns Park on Merrick Road in Massapecqua. Past Particpants include Planview L.L. Challengers, East Meadow L.L. Challengers, Commack South L.L. Challengers., Glen Oaks L.L. Challengers, Merillon Athletic Association Challengers, Massapecqua Coast L.L. Challengers & Central Suffolk Baseball & Softball . Challengers



Tony & Nicky Chironno’s Personal Challenger Baseball Success Story I am sometimes asked how my son, Nicky, and I got involved with Challenger Baseball. It started back in 2002, when we enrolled in the Challenger Division of the Lindenhurst American Little League. We heard about the program from a neighbor. We enrolled Nicky with little expectation of him being able to socialize or play in a game as Nicky was not interactive with others – a common trait of autistic children. As I indicated on the registration form that I was willing to help out any way I could, I found myself being a first-time Coach. At first, Nicky wasn’t very attentive to the game, often self-stimming (indulging in repetitive motions, such as flapping a string in front of his eyes, and concentrating on that exclusively), as were many other autistic children. The Challenger Directors, Carolyn and Joe Jankowski, had more success than I in getting Nicky to play and take a turn at bat. As with some of the other players, Nicky would play for half the game and then sit in the dugout watching the other players. Just by sitting in the dugout, benefits were being reaped. Nicky was watching, learning, and comprehending the basics of taking turns, encouraging others, cheering each other on, and especially the development of new friendships amongst peers. As much of a benefit Challenger Baseball is for the children involved, the parents and guard- ians of the children benefit as well. Parents get together during each game and share their experiences with programs, treatments, and other topics related to the children’s autism. New relationships have arisen between families of autistic children and mutual support is realized between these families. Since 2002, Nicky has yearned for his independence while on the ball field, wanting to hit and field the ball by himself. Surprisingly, he has succeeded. His success on the ball field has crossed over into his daily lifestyle. The skills he learned on the ball field has allowed him to better interact socially at home, school, and while in public. I know of no other program that builds companionship and the social skills for autistic children, than Challenger Baseball.





James McElroy Jr. Biography

McElroy, James F. (Jim) Jr. –  Beloved husband of Joan, father of Jim (Mary), brother of Mary Patricia, grandfather of Matthew, Deirdre, James, and John, and mentor and friend to all who knew him. Longtime leader of the Cadets Baseball Club, Jim was involved with sandlot baseball from a young age. In 1944 he played on the first Brooklyn Cadets team, which is reported to be the oldest active amateur baseball program located in New York State. Coach McElroy was associated with the Cadets for an astounding 72 years, first as a player, then coach, manager, chairman and director, but more than that, he was the heart and soul of the organization, together with his beloved and devoted wife Joan, who served at his side.
During such a long career, he knew and coached many players who went on to sports success, including: Joe Torre (Manager, Los Angeles Dodgers and NY Yankees) Frank Torre (Boston Braves), Fred Wilpon (Owner, New York Mets), Sal Campisi (St. Louis Cardinals), Bob Aspromonte (Houston Astros), Frank Tepedino (New York Yankees), Rusty Torres (New York Yankees), Matt Galante (Houston Astros), Bob Quinn (San Francisco Giants) and George Kalafatis (Detroit Tigers).
In addition to the Cadets, he was a driving force of the AAABA (All American Amateur Baseball Association), headquartered in Johnstown, PA, an organization dedicated to advancing youth baseball. Having played in their annual tournament as a teenager, Jim stayed with the AAABA, coaching and managing several teams that made it to the annual summer classic, then serving as its president, liaison and historian for their national committee. He also was a staunch committee member of the AAABA Hall of Fame, responsible for the induction of many former major league and division one college players who had spent their formative years playing in the tournament.
He was so dedicated to coaching and being part of the tournament, that when his son, James III (Jim) was being born, he kept an open phone line to the press box so he could hear the play-by-play of his Brooklyn team winning the championship. Local baseball was close to his heart, and he coached for St. Francis College while becoming assistant athletic director and earning his Bachelor’s Degree magna cum laude in 1977. Jim always was a part of baseball and garnered inductions into the Parade Grounds League Hall of Fame, AAABA Hall of Fame, Saint Francis College Hall of Fame, CW Post Baseball Program Hall of Fame and the Brooklyn Sandlot Hall of Fame. He was honored at Shea Stadium in 1977 by the Greater New York Mets Boosters, and received numerous awards including the USA Baseball National Volunteer Coach of the Year (1993); the Steve Lembo Award from the New York Professional Baseball Hot Stove League (1994), and the National Golden Diamond Award for Coach of the Year (1993).
A printer by trade, Jim rose in the field of financial printing to become a Customer Service Representative, responsible for making sure jobs were done right, on time, and to the satisfaction of demanding customers. His attention to detail, diligence, quick wit, and charming personality made him successful in this endeavor.
After his retirement, as if running the Cadets Baseball Club were not enough, Jim became the Executive Director of the Catholic High School Athletic Association for the Diocese of Brooklyn. There he served as a liaison between the high school principals and athletic directors,
where his intricate knowledge of sports, ability to manage diverse viewpoints, and knack for cutting to the heart of an issue allowed him to handle issues that arose with aplomb. His sense of fairness boosted the cause of girls’ sports in particular, and this April Jim was inducted into the Girls Catholic High School Athletic Association Diocese of Brooklyn Hall of Fame.
Jim will always be remembered for being the mainstay of Cadets Baseball, where he encouraged players, coaches, and managers, and for his invaluable contribution to the sport of baseball in its purest, most joyful form – that comes from fair play for the love of the game, and how it helps young people pursue their best selves. Jim’s beloved wife, Joan, his sister, Mary Patricia, his daughter-in-law Mary, and his grandchildren, Matthew, Deirdre, James, and John, will remember and cherish his love, guidance, and continuing influence in our lives.





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