Franklin Fathers schedule the Inaugural Eddie Grant Kickball Tournament - June 14

via Franklin Fathers:

Franklin Fathers schedule the Inaugural
Eddie Grant Kickball Tournament - June 14

"Take us out to the Ballgame!

We’re thrilled to announce we’ve opened team registrations for the Inaugural Eddie Grant Kickball Tournament, a family-friendly event coming to Beaver Pond on Sunday, June 14th!

We’ll be posting more about Eddie’s incredible story, our fundraising efforts, and our wonderfully gracious community partners soon, but we’d love to have you join us.

Scan the QR code or find the registration link ->   https://forms.gle/LqbaRKZz3kHYKZ9D7!"

#community 

#franklinma

Shared from - https://www.facebook.com/share/1FMHFhBtxN/

Inaugural Eddie Grant Classic Kickball Tournament - June 14

Inaugural Eddie Grant Classic Kickball Tournament

Presented by Franklin Fathers

Join us for the **first-ever Eddie Grant Classic Kickball Tournament**, a fun-filled community event bringing families, friends, and local businesses together for a day of friendly competition and fundraising. This double-elimination tournament will feature teams from across the community competing for bragging rights, a trophy, and prizes — all while supporting local causes and celebrating community spirit.

Who Was Eddie Grant?

Eddie Grant was a Franklin native, Major League Baseball player, Dean- and Harvard-educated attorney, and World War I soldier who exemplified leadership, service, and community spirit. After volunteering for military service during WWI, he was killed in action in 1918 while assisting wounded soldiers. His legacy reflects teamwork, sacrifice, and dedication to something greater than oneself — values we aim to honor through this community-focused event.

🗓 **Date:** June 14, 2026

⏰ **Time:** 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Tournament Details

* Double elimination format (8 teams max)

* 5-inning games

* 30-minute time limit (revert to last full inning if time expires)

* Played using official kickball rules

Team Composition

* Minimum of 10 players per team

* At least **3 kids (ages 12–17)**

* At least **3 women (age 17+)**

💲 **Registration Cost:** $200 per team

🏆 **Prize:** Trophy & prize for 1st place team

More Than Just Kickball!

This is a full community event with something for everyone:

* 🎟 Day-of raffles featuring prizes & baskets from local businesses

* 💰 50/50 raffle (proceeds benefiting the VFW)

* 🚚 Food trucks on-site

* 🏰 Kids activities including bounce house & face painting

* 🥤 Light refreshments available for purchase

Volunteers Needed

We’re also looking for volunteers to help with day-of tasks such as setup, scorekeeping, raffles, and cleanup. If you’re interested in helping, please reach out!

Bring your team, bring your family, and come enjoy a great day of community, competition, and fun. Spots are limited to **8 teams**, so register early!

More details and registration information coming soon.

Facebook event - https://www.facebook.com/events/990288313511154

The Lost Plaque of Eddie Grant: A Monument That Vanished

via the MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau:

Captain Edward Leslie Grant of Franklin, Massachusetts — known as “Harvard Eddie” — was a rare figure in early professional baseball: a Harvard graduate, Major League third baseman, and later a World War I officer. After leaving baseball to practice law, Grant volunteered for service and was killed in action on October 5, 1918, while leading troops during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He became the first Major League Baseball player to die in World War I.

In 1921, the New York Giants honored Grant with a five-foot granite monument and bronze plaque at the Polo Grounds in center field. Unveiled before a crowd of 30,000 on Memorial Day, the inscription remembered him as “Soldier – Scholar – Athlete.” For years, players and veterans groups held annual tributes at the site, and the plaque appeared in the background of several iconic baseball moments (Willie Mays famous 1954 World Series catch).

When the Giants left New York after the 1957 season, fans flooded the field after the final game and began removing pieces of the stadium. Grant’s plaque was taken down during the chaos. Although newspapers initially reported it recovered, its whereabouts were never clearly confirmed, and it became one of baseball’s most talked-about missing memorials.

Over time, a piece of baseball folklore emerged — the idea that the franchise had been under a “curse” since leaving behind Grant’s memorial and legacy. Whether superstition or storytelling, the tale gained traction among fans and historians and the "Curse of Captain Eddie" was born. 

Eddie Grant marker on the Franklin
Town Common - Veterans Walkway

In 2006, after years of advocacy by researchers and veterans organizations, the San Francisco Giants installed a replica Eddie Grant plaque at their ballpark (now Oracle Park). In 2010, the team won its first World Series title in San Francisco — ending a decades-long championship drought and giving the story a poetic final chapter.

Today, Grant’s memorial once again has a visible place in the game he loved — and his story stands as a powerful reminder that heroes from Massachusetts helped shape both American history and American sports.

📷: MLB player Eddie Grant, who died during the Battle of Argonne Forest in France during WWI, is seen in a New York Giants uniform, Bain News Service, 1914.

📷: Willie Mays makes his famous catch off the bat of Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds. The New York Giants went on to sweep the Cleveland Indians in four games. | NY Daily News/Getty Images

📷: Left to right: Dave Bancroft of the New York Giants and Zack Wheat of the Brooklyn Dodgers place a wreath of flowers on Eddie Grant’s monument at the Polo Grounds on April 13, 1922.

📷: The Eddie Grant plaque outside Oracle Park in San Francisco. |

Alex Simon/SFGATE

You can find the photos referenced -> https://www.facebook.com/share/19XrMpXLsN/