LWN071521

JULY 15, 2021
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 11
PHOTO | PAULA MULLER
Lynnfield pitcher James Pasquale throws a pitch against Peabody
West Sunday evening at the Wyoma Little League field.
Peabody West,
Lynnfield rained out
COURTESY PHOTO | SEAN STELLATO
NFL agent Sean Stellato and his daughter Gianna have teamed up to write their second book
together, which will be released on Saturday.
Stellato ready to release
some more ‘Football Magic’
By Mike Alongi
LYNN — Despite starting 15
minutes early and playing as
quickly as possible, rain once
again pushed back the scheduled
District 16 tournament game
between a pair of unbeatens in
Peabody West and Lynnfield on
Sunday evening at the Wyoma
Little League Field. The two
teams only got in 1 2/3 innings
before the rain became too
heavy to play through, pushing
the conclusion to a later date.
Although it didn’t have much
time to play, Peabody West still
jumped ahead early with a pair
of runs in the top of the first. A
pair of walks and a passed ball
put two runners in scoring position,
then Brendan Kobierski
notched an RBI infield single.
A throwing error on the same
play brought a second run home,
giving Peabody West an early
2-0 lead.
On the mound, Lynnfield’s
James Pasquale had four strikeouts
and Peabody West’s Cullen
Pasterick had two strikeouts in
the early innings.
Lynnfield and Peabody West
had plans to get in the rest of
the game on Tuesday evening
(5:45), so the game did not end
before press time.
By Mike Alongi
Two years after the release
of the first book in the series,
Salem native and NFL
agent Sean Stellato and his
14-year-old daughter, Gianna,
are back with the release
of their new story entitled,
“Football Magic: A Pirate’s
Tale.”
This is the second book that
the father-daughter duo has
combined to write, a follow-up
to “Football Magic: Buddy’s
New Beginning.”
“To be able to write and
do a project like this with my
daughter has been incredibly
special,” said Stellato, who famously
helped lead the 1994
Salem High football team to
a Super Bowl title. “When
Gianna was struck with this
battle with juvenile arthritis
and lupus, we went right into
our toolbox and said, ‘What
can we do to start a movement?
What can we do to educate?’
It’s all about creating awareness
while also giving kids a
fun book to read.”
The new story picks up
where the last one left off, with
main characters Buddy and
Gianna riding high after winning
the league championship
at school. Even better, Buddy’s
dad decided to keep the family
in Salem, so that Buddy and his
sister can stay with their new
friends after adjusting to life in
a new town in Massachusetts.
When Buddy and Gianna
discover something magical, it
leads them on a mysterious adventure
through historic Salem
and Marblehead. Things seem
to be going great — until the
wicked Kurtin Drapes and his
raven reveal some dreadful
plans. With the clock ticking
and time running out, will they
be able to outwit Drapes? Can
Buddy and Gianna do the impossible,
or will the magical
ball lose its luster forever?
To celebrate the release of
the new book, Stellato has put
together the Football Magic
Book Release Gala, which
is set for Saturday, July 17
from 6 to 10 p.m. at House of
the Seven Gables in Salem.
The event will feature a book
signing, a meet and greet, a live
DJ and even a treasure hunt for
the kids. There will also be a
VIP reception beforehand at
The Hawthorne Hotel from 5
to 6 p.m.
“Ever since I went there on a
field trip in 1990, I’ve always
been fascinated by the House
of the Seven Gables and I’ve
always dreamed of holding an
event there,” said Stellato.
A number of local businesses
are sponsoring the
event, including Kowloon,
Kame Restaurant, The Cookie
Monstah, The Cheese Shop of
Salem and Tuscan Brands.
A host of current and former
NFL players — including current
and former members of
the New England Patriots like
Rob Ninkovich, Brandon King,
Nick Thurman and Jonas Gray
— will also be in attendance to
support the event.
“It’s very special to me to
have these guys come out and
support what we’re doing,”
said Stellato. “You have the
business side of things with
these guys, but I can really appreciate
the fact that they come
out in their free time and help
out like this. We all share a
vision of helping others in the
community.”
At the end of the day,
Stellato is looking forward to
an exciting night where both
children and adults can have a
great time.
General admission tickets
to the event are $35 and will
include entry, a copy of the
book, food, desserts and more.
A family four-pack can also be
purchased for $60 (one adult,
three children) or $80 (two
adults, two children), and there
will also be VIP tickets available
for $100 that will include
access to the VIP reception
and an autographed copy of
the book. A donation to The
Arthritis Foundation will be
made from the proceeds of
ticket sales.
Tickets can be purchased at
https://www.seanstellato.com/
upcoming-events.
FILE PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK
Peabody boys basketball coach Thad Broughton will be hosting the
annual Peabody Basketball School for boys and girls this summer.
Peabody Boys and Girls
Basketball School 2021
The Peabody Basketball
School is returning in 2021,
and sign-ups are now available
via the Peabody Recreation
Department.
The Peabody Basketball
School is run by Peabody High
boys basketball coach Thad
Broughton, and the staff of the
school consists of players and
coaches from his Tanners team.
The school will be split up
between boys and girls camps,
with the boys attending from
July 12-16 and the girls attending
from July 19-23. All
camps will run from 9 a.m. to 2
p.m. Monday through Friday.
The school is open to boys and
girls from third to ninth grade
and the cost is $150. To register,
contact the Peabody Recreation
Department online at peabodyrecreation.com,
by phone
at 978-536-7130 or in person at
50 Farm Ave.