Duratti’s passing a loss for Swampscott

It was by pure happenstance that Al Duratti became a manager of one of the four inaugural teams when Swampscott began its Little League in 1954.As it turned out, it was the beginning of a nearly 60 year stay that affected the lives of too many young men to even begin to count.That long run came to a sudden and unexpected end when Duratti passed away of natural causes on Thursday at his home in Ipswich, leaving those who played for, with and called Duratti a friend and mentor to try and explain his legacy.”He was a good man who will be missed,” said Betty Holmes, widow of Andy Holmes, who along with Duratti was among the four men who coached the first Swampscott teams. “He taught the kids a lot of good baseball and good sportsmanship. All the coaches admired Al and appreciated his baseball savvy.”One of those guys who went toe-to-toe against Duratti for many years was Bill Bufalino, who later coached with Duratti on the 1998 Swampscott team that claimed a state championship.”He really was one of a kind,” Bufalino said. “The kids loved him and he loved the game. He had a passion for it and was great with the kids.”As recently as a couple of weeks ago, Duratti was still spreading his wisdom, knowledge and love of the game as an assistant coach on Swampscott’s District 16 all-star team. The manager of that team, Lou Olivieri, was obviously stunned when he heard the news.”He really was the epitomy of what Little League Baseball wants to instill in its volunteers,” Olivieri said. “It’s a sudden loss for the town. He was a real teacher and he’s going to be missed.”Duratti’s won four state championships in five years as manager of the Swampscott all-stars, helping to put the program on the map among the elite Little League groups in Massachusetts. But according to WCVB-TV sports anchor Mike Lynch, it was another thing that he will remember most.”Being a parent and working, I can’t imagine being able to devote every single night for over 50 years to something,” Lynch said. “It’s absolutely amazing. They talk about a lot of famous people that have come out of Swampscott, but Al did more for Swampscott than any of us have done collectively in our whole lives.”Duratti also was a coach of Swampscott’s Pop Warner football teams and instilled the values of sportsmanship and fair play to his football players as well. Its something that Big Blue head coach Steve Dembowski still sees in his players even now.”As a high school coach, you get the benefit of these kids having a good understanding of the game,” Dembowski said. “He cared about the town and the kids that came through it. That’s why his teams were so successful.”Another person who knew Duratti’s teaching well was Tim Cassidy.”Al loved the game and loved the kids even more,” Cassidy said. “He was the best coach any kid or parent could have asked for.”Duratti was famous for his even keel on the diamond and it was a big reason that his team’s found big success.”He had the same temperment every night,” Lynch said. “He was a coach but also a father figure. When I got to play for him on the all-star team he was everything I thought he would be and more.”In 2003, the Boston Red Sox invited Duratti and Holmes to Fenway Park to throw out the first pitch at a game and they went to the game in style.”It was a once in a lifetime thrill,” Betty Holmes said. “So I hired a limo to take Al, Andy, (Duratti’s wife) Millie and I into Fenway ? We’ve lost a gem.”