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“Mr. Cotuit Kettleer” Arnold Mycock passes away

04/22/2016 2:55 PM

Article By: CCBL Public Relations Office

     With tremendous sadness and regret we announce the passing of Arnold Mycock of Cotuit, Massachusetts affectionately known as, “Mr. Cotuit Kettleer.”  He died in his home on April 22, 2016, at age 92 after a brief illness.

     For generations of Cape Cod Baseball League players, fans, and volunteers, the name Arnold Mycock and the Cotuit Kettleers are synonymous.  “There are not many days that go by where Cotuit and the Cape Cod Baseball League are not sharing an Arnold Mycock story,” Cotuit Kettleers President Paul Logan said.  “Arnold was a wonderful friend, we all loved him very much, and he will be sorely missed.  We are deeply saddened by his loss and our condolences go out to his wide circle of family and friends.”

     Arnold Mycock was born in Fall River, Massachusetts on February 5, 1924, the son of Abraham Mycock and Evelyn G. “Lena” Wordell.  He grew up on Riverside Avenue in Pottersville, a village neighborhood in the town of Somerset, MA.  He was a star athlete at Somerset High School where he graduated in 1942, and was later inducted into the Somerset High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.  After high school graduation, Arnold Mycock proudly served his country in the Army Air Corp during World War II.  After completing his military service, Arnold attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and, in 1950, moved to Cotuit, MA. 

     Arnold Mycock joined the Cotuit Kettleers organization in 1950 as a volunteer offering to do, “whatever needed to be done,” a trait which he carried until the day he died some 67 years later.  He quickly immersed himself in the Cotuit Kettleers organization with his lifelong love of baseball and desire to volunteer.  Arnold’s profession was that of a Title Examiner, however those who knew him well said that he would have been an integral part in the management of any professional baseball organization.  Arnold helped form the Cotuit Athletic Association in the early years as the main sponsor of the Cotuit Kettleers and the fledging team quickly became a fabric of the community.  Whether it was fundraising, bookkeeping, assessing a ballplayer’s talent, building a new fence, recording hitting & fielding statistics, or cutting the grass at Lowell Park, Arnold did it all.

     Arnold would become the General Manager of the Kettleers later in 1950, and he continued in that position until 1994, an incredible run of 44 years.  As General Manager, Arnold Mycock guided the Cotuit Kettleers to over 770 wins and 12 Cape Cod Baseball League Championships.  During that span, Arnold nurtured the baseball careers of more than 40 players who went on to play in Major League Baseball.  He worked tirelessly with his dear friends Art Brennen and Mo Sherman, affectionately known as the “Three Amigos,” to oversee, guide and improve the Kettleers organization.

     In addition to his unparalleled service to the Cotuit Kettleers, Arnold Mycock was a driving force in the very creation of what is known today as the modern Cape Cod Baseball League.  He was instrumental in combining two separate baseball leagues on Cape Cod into a single league, forming its non-profit incorporation in 1963, and gaining NCAA-sanctioned status for the newly organized Cape Cod Baseball League.  Combined, these efforts created the modern Cape Cod Baseball League that is widely recognized as the best summer collegiate baseball league in the Nation.  Thereafter, Arnold Mycock served in numerous League roles, which included, Vice President, Treasurer, League statistician, and scheduler.

     In recognition to his decades of limitless volunteer service in Cotuit, and to the Cape Cod Baseball League, Arnold was honored by the Cape Cod Baseball League as an inaugural member of its Hall of Fame in the year 2000, and the League Championship Trophy is named after him.  At the ceremony inducting Arnold into the Cape Cod Baseball League’s first Hall of Fame Class ever, Arnold said, “Little did I dream I would one day be standing here before this crowd.  I am indeed honored to be in such company.”

     In 2012, the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) presented Arnold Mycock with their prestigious Meritorious Service Award at the ABCA Convention in Anaheim, CA.  The Meritorious Service Award is presented annually to a person who has proven himself/herself in service to amateur baseball and the ABCA, and whose actions and involvement have resulted in a notable impact on the sport.

     On July 8, 2012, hundreds of Cotuit Kettleers fans crammed Lowell Park two hours before a 5:00 p.m. game to salute Arnold Mycock, and to dedicate the press box building at the park in his name.  On a glorious sun-splashed Sunday afternoon, Arnold sat near home plate with his family beside him, and accepted the community’s outpouring of love and affection with his trademark humility.  In accepting the honor of having the press box named after him, Arnold stated, “Thank you, Bruce (Murphy), Coach (Mike Roberts), and Paul (Logan).  This dedication is an unbelievable honor for me.  So I accept it on behalf of all the volunteers, past, present and future, whose efforts have been made at Lowell Park, as you see it today.  These efforts continue to strive to make improvements for the benefit of our community, our fans, and players.  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

     A humble man who avoided the spotlight, Arnold was a genuine baseball fan through and through.  He loved the game of baseball, and he loved the Cotuit Kettleers.  Arnold had many friends and admirers in Cotuit and around this great country, and he was truly one of the finest gentlemen you would ever meet.

     “Arnold Mycock was the heart and soul of the Cotuit Kettleers organization, a very special part of and our long history, and a true gift to all of us.  No one put in more time and effort into the Cotuit Kettleers and the Cape Cod Baseball League than Arnold.  While we mourn the painful loss of our dear friend, we are humbly and deeply grateful that Arnold Mycock shared so much of his wonderful life with us,” Logan said.  “No one was more dedicated than Arnold, and no one that I know had a greater appreciation for baseball in Cotuit and the Cape Cod Baseball League.  Arnold touched thousands of lives, there was no one else like him, and we will miss him.”  Around Cotuit, Cape Cod, and America, baseball has lost a treasure known simply as, “Mr. Cotuit Kettleer.”