Adolph Didey Clavio

Adolph “Didey” Clavio

 Although a terrific player in his day, Didey is best known as a sponsor and a manager. In the Hudson Valley if you were playing against one of Didey’s teams, you knew you were playing the best.  In his career, Didey played both second base and shortstop for the Pastime Athletic Club of Newburgh. Except for a 4 year stint in the navy, Didey played from 1936 until 1968.  In 1946, Didey managed the team, playing against such teams as: Kodak of Rochester with pitcher Shifty Gears, The Raybestos Cardinals featuring both Metro Zurek and Rocky Marucci, Trinkas Manor who had on the mound Fireball Roberts and Bullet Mitchell, Iona Island who featured Glen Bergen and Bill Gultz and the Poughkeepsie Brewers with Cliff Ong.  Didey also sponsored and coached “Didey Dolls” a women’s slow pitch team from 1975 to 1987. This team played in Class “A” National Championship Tournaments in Sacremento California in 1983, and in Hamilton, Ohio in 1981. Five other times this team won the states and three times the Eastern Regional.  In addition to softball, Didey played semi-pro football for Newburgh Recreation and was the boxing coach for the P.A.L. He was the founder of Pop Warner football in Newburgh, once playing a benefit softball game with the Raybestos Cardinals to raise funds for the league.  Didey is known as “Mr. Softball” in Newburgh and has about 50 trophies in his tavern to testify to the success of his teams.