By Charlie De Biase Jr. | debiase@siadvance.com
What’s wrong with starting the celebration a little bit early?
Nothing, as far as the guys who once made L&M Tavern a household name are concerned.
The legendary Staten Island Touch Tackle League team, of course, learned it was getting inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame (SISHOF) earlier this year. However, even though the official ceremony isn’t until November, the former players and coach decided to get together to start the festivities ahead of time.
On July 14, they did just that. Eleven former players and one coach got together at Jody’s Club Forest in West Brighton to not only reminisce, but talk about the upcoming SISHOF induction ceremony on Nov. 17. The SISHOF is located inside the CYO-MIV Center in Pleasant Plains.
L&M has a laundry list of accomplishments through the years including, most notably, four straight SITTL regular-season and playoff championships and a 46-game winning streak. L&M, of course, played in the highly touted league’s top division and always rode a team-first culture to immense success.
Those in attendance at last month’s shindig included Nick Antonucci, Bert Benedetto, Daryl Dinkins, Bill Masella, Joe McAdams, Larry Puccerelli, John Santora, coach Gunnar Sjolander, Kristin Sjolander, Sean Slattery, Dwight Stilwell and Pat Sweeney.
“We’re elated for the coming Induction Ceremony in November,’’ said Benedetto. “We’re proud to be together and gathered at Jody’s Tavern to celebrate our election into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame.’’
