PHILIP (TONY) BEGOS Top-shelf leadoff hitters are about as hard to discover as uranium, so when one comes along as good as Tony Begos— former star shortstop and captain of the classy Worumbo Indians—admiration is warranted.
A native of Compton, R.I|., Begos, was a master of the hit and run. Nicknamed the “Rhode Island Flash,’ he was all-state as a shortstop (he also played a steady second base) for West Warwick High.
That prompted the Providence Bulletin, which picked the all-state squad, to describe Begos as “‘a clever infielder with the ability to go as far to his right as to his left, possessive of a strong throwing arm and a fine batting eye. There wasn’t a better shortstop in the state.” After high school, the 155-pound Begos starred at Providence College, then later in the Providence Amateur League. He also played in the Cape Cod League, The Eastern Professional League and finally with Lowell of the New England League.
His stellar play at each road stop was enough to get him selected to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame this year, his seasons with the semi-pro Worumbo Indians among his finest.
An avid horticulturist, sunflowers were his specialty. Philip Anthony Begos was a quick thinker on the field, fast with a swarm of stolen bases, and a real competitor, which is why he was captain of the ‘Indians from the moment he stepped onto the diamond.
In tight spots, the infallible Begos also used two slogans to stay loose. If he was up at bat with a chance to win the game, he would tell himself “‘c’mon, Joe, be tough.”
lf the present Lisbon Falls resident was in the field with the game on the line, a time when many fielders with the ball would go to anyone but them, he would Keep repeating “stay loose.” These pep talks in the heat of battle somehow worked.