Berkshire County Jimmy Fund Classic

The John Porter Award

Given annually to the top individual player fundraiser of the classic , the John Porter award is named after an original member of the Berkshire County Jimmy Fund Council. John was a past coach in the Pittsfield North little League and an original volunteer at the Classic. He continued his service each year until his death from cancer in 2003.

Past winners of the John Porter Award:

1993 - Chris Howard, North Adams, $654
1994 - Jim O'Brian, Pittsfield West, $583
1995 - Eric Kushi, Pittsfield South, $673
1996 - Zack Brammer, North Adams, $ 802
1997 - Shane Snyder, Pittsfield South, $851
1998 - John Skutnik, Pittsfield South, $677
1999 - Ryan Joppich, Cheshire, $610
2000 - Cody Civello, Pittsfield South, $1001
2001 - Nick Avanzato, Pittsfield South, $674
2002 - Chris Dudak, Pittsfield North, $606
2003 - John Bressett, Cheshire, $610
2004 - John Bressett, Cheshire, $1500 (Record!)
2005 - Jesse Dupont, Great Barrington, and Justin Hopkins, Pittsfield South, $800
2006 - Jack Thistle, South C-D, $1172
2007 - Nicholas Carnivale, Pittsfield South C-D, $1266
2008 -

Jack Brennan Award

Awarded since 2000, this award recognizes individuals who have been outstanding contributors to both the Classic and the Jimmy Fund . The Jack Brennan award is named after a longtime contributor to area baseball and an original member of the Berkshire County Jimmy Fund Council who passed away in 2004 following a courageous and inspiring battle with cancer. Jack was a great athlete himself, playing ball at Holy Cross and coaching at Pittsfield High School as well as in the Pittsfield South Little League for many years. Much honored and beloved, Jack's legacy is celebrated by the honorees of this award.

Past winners of the Jack Brennan Award:

2000 - Dick Ward, Pittsfield South
Dick was a longtime volunteer in the Pittsfield South as a coach, officer and director. He set the standard of team and league fundraising for the Classic as well as being a strong supporter of the Jimmy Fund over the years at various Council activities.
2001 - Don Gleason, District 1
As District 1 Administrator for over 20 years, and with close to 40 years service in Little League, Don has been an influential and strong supporter of the Classic since its inception in 1991.
2002 - Karen Pleu, Lee Little League, and Steve Phaneuf, North Adams Little League
Respectively as president of Lee Little League and as a longtime coach in North Adams, Karen and Steve have led as examples of individuals who have grasped the ideals of what the Classic is all about. Karen has overseen two Classics as host in 1996 and 2001. Her commitment to both Little League and the Jimmy fund has set the standard for the other South Berkshire leagues. Steve has coached the North Adams team many times and has been very involved in the fundraising efforts of his league. He has twice led North Adams in becoming the top fundraising league in the Classic.
2003 - Mike Larabee and Joe Joppich, Cheshire Little League
Mike and Joe have formed a coaching tandem in Cheshire that has on numerous occasions exhibited what a team in the Classic should be. Although Cheshire was not always the top entry, their teams always exhibited the sportsmanship, effort and fundraising that all leagues should strive to emulate.
2004 - Mike Harrington, Pittsfield West
Mike has been a longtime volunteer umpire in the Classic. He is always glad to volunteer his services and truly understands what the Classic stands for. A former coach for Pittsfield West, Mike donates all his yearly earnings as an umpire for that league to the Jimmy Fund.
2005 - Rick Murphy
A former Pittsfield Little Leaguer himself, Rick played ball at Boston College and is current GM/Vice President of the Tri-City Valley Cats of the NY-Penn Single A League. Over the years, Rick has hosted players of the Classic to a Jimmy Fund Night at Joe Bruno Stadium to reward the fundraising efforts of our teams. These events have given our players many memorable nights and a lasting impression of what a great event the Classic was -- an impression they all will carry with them forever.
2006 - John Kelly
John, proprietor of Kelly's Package Store, has spent the past 20 years continuinghis family's tradition of working to raise money for the Jimmy Fund. John has been insturmental to the success of our program, coaching little league and and being backbone of the Dalton-Hinsdale fundraising. To date, the league has been the top fundraiser four times.
2007 - Tony Marcella, Sr.
Tony has been donating his time as an umpire for our Classic over the past 15 years. He is past president of Dalton-Hinsdale Little League, a Deputy Sherrif of Berkshire County, and a Division I-A college football referee. Tony was instrumental in getting Dalton-Hinsdale's fundraising efforts off the ground, setting a new record of $5,700 during his tenure as president. The Marcella family has been involved in helping raise funds and working with the Jimmy Fund for the past 25 years.
2008 - Matt Stracuzzi
Matt, a longtime Little League coach for close to 30 years in Pittsfield South Little League, has served as coach in our Classic many times. A probation officer in Berkshire County District Court, Matt's fundraising has contributed to the South Little League being the top fundraising league 11 times in our Classic. His involvement with the youth of Berkshire County over the 30 year period has had an influence on many young people. Matt is a worthy recipient of this award - his former coach, Jack Brennan, would be proud to see him win it.