Cape League mourns Wareham's John Wylde

The Cape Cod Baseball League today marked the passing of long-time Wareham Gatemen president and GM John Wylde, who died early this morning after a long and heroic battle with cancer. He was 70 years old.

 

Wylde assumed his role as the team’s principal architect back in 1983, and worked tirelessly ever since to boost the professionalism and competitive profile of both his club and the league. Along the way, he accumulated 15 playoff appearances and five championship banners, and had charge of such future major leaguers as David Murphy, Carlos Pena, Ben Sheets, Mo Vaughn, Barry Zito, and current Boston Red Sox Justin Masterson and Daniel Bard.

 

A mainstay behind the Spillane Field public address microphone, Wylde was a fixture at the league level as well, serving as head statistician and official scorer, official tryout coordinator, and Major League Baseball liaison. I had the privilege of meeting him while researching my book about the Cape League’s inner workings, and he was nothing but welcoming and supportive in all of his roles. His extraordinary and meticulous work was a wonder to behold, and he deserved every accolade he received when he entered the Cape League Hall of Fame in the fall of 2007.

 

Thank you, Mr. Wylde, for your generosity of spirit, statistics, and sportsmanship. You will be missed.