Mount Rushmore of Boston Sportswriting: First Pitch at Falmouth
This article was written by John Whitman Clark
This article was published in Cape Cod Baseball League: From College Stars to Big League Futures (2026)
Boston sportswriters with Falmouth players, L to R: Dan Shaughnessy, Leigh Montville, Bob Ryan, Peter Gammons. (Photo: Alexa Harbach)
Between them, they’ve been inducted into 11 halls of fame, won two J.G. Taylor Spink Awards, written numerous New York Times best-selling books, and been awarded more sportswriter of the year awards than you can count. These are just some of the accolades piled up by a quartet whom many deem the “Mount Rushmore of Boston sports writing.” On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Bob Ryan, Peter Gammons, Leigh Montville, and Dan Shaughnessy stopped by Guv Fuller Field in Falmouth to watch the Commodores take on the Cotuit Kettleers.
Ryan, a longtime writer for the Boston Globe, shamefully admitted that this was only his second Cape League game, and declared that the “hole in my athletic soul living in Boston all these years has been the Cape League.” Although he said he wasn’t very familiar with the league, according to Ryan, “the league’s reputation obviously precedes itself.” What struck Ryan’s eye, however, wasn’t a difference in the play on the field – high-level baseball is high-level baseball no matter where you look. What stuck out to him was the lack of change. “The only thing was the people with the lawn chairs on the hill, people enjoying the game outside the bleachers, I guess as part of the Cape League charm,” Ryan said. If nothing else, he perfectly described “Cape League charm” with that statement. Not unlike the Cape league, Ryan icon has a prestigious reputation of his own. Even as a basketball-oriented guy, Ryan’s range of coverage includes 20 NBA finals, 9 World Series, 5 Super Bowls, and 7 Olympics. I dare you to find a résumé that compares.
However, if you’re looking for the Cape Cod Baseball League expert, look no farther than Peter Gammons. Anyone who respects the history of both baseball and the written word likely holds Gammons in higher regard than almost any man in history. He is a winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, given by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, an award that many believe to be the most prestigious achievement possible for a sports journalist. For Gammons, the Cape League presents a version of baseball other avenues of the sport simply cannot offer. “I always look for, which is one thing every scout should look for as well, is how much a player loves playing baseball.” He says his preference for the Cape league over NCAA ball is the freedom of the players. “I think they’re freer. One of my major complaints about college baseball coaching is that the coaches are too controlling of players,” said Gammons. He believes that these are grown men, and they should be allowed the freedom to play the game the way they deem necessary.
As far as pure writing skill is concerned, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better author than Leigh Montville, who has as many New York Times best-selling books as a half-inning has outs, as well as six other successful authoring jobs. He has written biographies of the some of the biggest names the wonderful world of sports has ever offered, including the likes of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Muhammad Ali, and even Dale Earnhardt, Sr. For Montville, he takes the approach of “never worked a day in my life” to his job, saying that “you never think you’re working, even when you are.” Some of these men have made their money through the newspaper, others through television, others have even written books themselves. But when it comes to sports literature, Leigh Montville is more than likely your favorite author’s favorite author.
Dan Shaughnessy represents the fourth leg of this historic sporting media stool. The 14-time Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year built his legacy by becoming a perfect representation of Boston media: unforgivingly critical, and an unprecedented drive to deliver the truth for not only Bostonians, but for all New Englanders and Americans. As for his take on the Cape, he feels it gives advantage to everyone involved with big-time baseball. For scouts, it’s a chance to see which players can and cannot hide behind the aluminum lumber, and who actually has power when swinging a wooden bat. For coaches, they enjoy their respective players getting the opportunity to continue sharpening their iron and working on their craft for the summer. For players, it’s a chance to take in the fair weather and the astounding coastline views, and enjoy the greatest of what a young American summer has to offer.
These four men have seen more baseball than most of us would be lucky enough to watch in five lifetimes, and for decades they have been both the literary and television voices of one of the hardest media markets in the world. Boston expects winners, Boston expects the truth, no matter how harsh, but most importantly, Boston expects the best of the best, be it on the field or off. If I had to offer you one takeaway from my time with these legends, it’s that Boston can hang its hat on knowing these four have delivered on all three of those, and then some.
JOHN WHITMAN CLARK was a junior at the University of Alabama at the time of his article, studying sports journalism. The Cape Cod League, more specifically the Falmouth Commodores, was his first taste of sports media. During his time at Alabama, he has spent time covering and talking everything Crimson Tide football, baseball, and basketball with Tide 100.9, the flagship sports radio station of west Alabama.