On Thursday, Aug. 18, sports radio personality and New Rochelle native Craig Carton returned home, leading a celebrity-laden team against all-stars from the city in an annual charity softball game at City Park. The game, now in its fifth year, gave area fans a chance to see local softballers square off against a host of former professional athletes, and helped raise money for the New Rochelle Parks and Recreation Gift Fund.
Carton, who co-hosts the popular Boomer & Carton radio show on WFAN alongside retired NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason, graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1987 and has returned to his hometown for the last five years for the annual charity softball game, tabbing his former teacher and New Rochelle football coach Harold Crocker to manage the city team while he and Esiason captained the WFAN All-Stars.
This year, the celebrity team included NHL player Matt Martin, former NFL player Chris Simms, local NFL product Ray Rice and a number of other on-air personalities from the radio station. Former New York Yankees great Mariano Rivera, who lives in Rye, also took the field, but opted to play for the New Rochelle squad, manning first base for much of the game before coming on, naturally, to close out a 7-6 New Rochelle win.
“I always talk about New Rochelle fondly, and the fact that we get to come out here, support the Parks and Rec and shine a light on New Rochelle, that means the world to me,” Carton said. “And for the people coming out to support us, people coming out here for the first time, that’s what New Rochelle is really all about.”
Crocker, who currently serves as the director of Athletics, Intramurals and Recreation at Ramapo College, said that he is not surprised at all by his former student’s success in the radio world, where he as emerged as one of the most influential radio hosts in the area, or by his desire to give back to the community.
“Even back then, you knew that [Carton] was a character, but he was someone that had a lot of character,” Crocker said. “He always had this go-get-it attitude, he’s a great guy, a great family man, and great for the city of New Rochelle.”
Carton’s popularity in his hometown was certainly on display last Thursday, with the hundreds of fans in attendance, although the former Huguenot is quick to shift the reason for the turnout onto the other notable figures on the field, including Rivera and Rice.
“You can forget about me, you have Ray and Mo, who is the greatest closer of all time,” he said. “But it shows that these guys care about giving back, they have pride in what they do and where they come from, and it really changes the dynamic of what we’re trying to do out here.”
