John Pein had put his athletic career behind him. The Secaucus native and former Hudson Catholic two-sport standout (baseball and hockey) was content with his new life as a seventh-grade math teacher at North Bergen’s Lincoln School.
“The truth is that some people don’t even know about what I did in sports,” said the 34-year-old Pein, who first went to Hudson Catholic, helping the Hawks to win championships in both sports, and had a fine baseball career at Caldwell College. “If someone asks me about it, I’ll acknowledge it, but I’m not bragging about it. Even my mother tells me that I should talk about it, but that’s not me.”
So you can imagine the emotions that Pein felt when he was given the news that he’s about to be inducted into the Caldwell College Athletic Hall of Fame next month.
“It was a shock,” Pein said. “It was great to hear about it. I never thought that it would come this soon, if ever at all. I’m still relatively young.”
Pein said that he didn’t know what to say when he received the call.
“My jaw dropped and then there was this long pause,” Pein said. “[Caldwell College athletic director] Mark Corino asked me if I was still on the phone. I really couldn’t believe it. It’s a very good feeling.”
What makes the induction even more surprising is that Pein almost never went to Caldwell in the first place.
“I was all set to go to Wagner College to play hockey and baseball, but the financial aid package wasn’t enough, so at the last minute, I went to Jersey City State, then transferred to Caldwell when they started the baseball program [in 1996]. We only had about 15 or 16 guys and 10 were freshmen.”
Pein, who was a third baseman and pitcher in high school, started off as a catcher and pitcher at Caldwell and eventually became a quality designated hitter.
Pein went on to win 18 games as a pitcher at Caldwell, which still ranks No. 2 all-time at the school. His best year was his senior year, when he posted a 7-4 record with 70 strikeouts and batted .398, helping the Cougars reach the conference title game for the first time ever.
The Caldwell College Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner will be held Friday, Sept. 23 at the George R. Newman Center on the school’s campus, with the cocktail hour beginning at 6 p.m. For further info about tickets for the dinner, contact Caldwell College athletics at (973) 618-3260….
The Hudson County sports scene lost two important people this week, when George Waddleton and Cay Nagel Bastek passed away.
Waddleton is one of the best basketball players to ever come out of Hudson County. He went from being perhaps the greatest St. Peter’s Prep player ever and the school’s first 1,000-point scorer to a fine career at the College of Holy Cross, where he played from 1954 through 1957. He played there with fellow Hudson County Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtics great Tommy Heinsohn.
Waddleton was a three-sport athlete at St. Peter’s Prep (football, basketball and baseball), but made his biggest contribution in basketball. A member of the St. Peter’s Prep, Holy Cross and Hudson County Sports Halls of Fame, Waddleton was 77 years old and died after a long illness. His younger brother, former Jersey City Councilman Danny Waddleton, also became a great basketball player in his brother’s footsteps…
Cay Nagel Bastek was the mother of St. Dominic Academy track coach and athletic director John Nagel, but she was a fixture at all SDA athletic events and for many years. She was the first person you would see at SDA basketball games, taking the admissions and greeting the fans. Her bright eyes and smile will be sorely missed…
The Police and Fire World Games are coming to New York City later this month and there will be a strong representation from Hoboken in the games. Bobby Trumpner of the Hoboken Police Department and John Cunning of the Hoboken Fire Department will play in the golf competition (getting to play courses such Bethpage Red, Split Rock, and Eisenhower Park) and Joe Piccinni and Chris McGlinchy of the Hoboken Fire Department will play in the soccer competition. Brian Greene and Dan Cunning will act as volunteers for the two-week long event…
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.