Bloom Earns High Honor: Wyoma Graduate Receives Sonny Man Hill Award

Matthew Bloom, recipient of the Sonny Man Hill Award, is pictured with Rosemary Hill, who presented the award Sunday.

Matthew Bloom, recipient of the Sonny Man Hill Award, is pictured with Rosemary Hill, who presented the award Sunday.

Matthew Bloom played nine years in the Wyoma Little League organization, starting in the T-Ball program and completing his career as a Major League All-Star.

Bloom, 13, received Lynn Little League’s highest honor, the William “Sonny Man” Hill Award at a luncheon Sunday at the Lynn Housing Authority. Rosemary Hill, the wife of the late “Sonny Man” Hill, presented the award to Bloom.

A seventh grader at the St. Pius V School in Lynn, Bloom said he was excited to receive the award.

“I’m really excited and I’m very grateful to the Hill family,” said Bloom.

Steve Krause, a former Pine Hill Little League coach and Item sports editor who delivered an inspirational message about sportsmanship to the five finalists during the speaking program, asked Bloom what he felt contributed to his receiving the prestigious award during a post-awards ceremony interview with the Item and Lynn Journal.

“I really enjoy helping other people and whether it’s my teammates, whether it’s my friends – I enjoy having other people enjoy baseball as much as I do,” said Bloom.

Bloom, an infielder for the Wyoma Yankees team who admires Boston Red Sox star Dustin Pedroia, said he had a great experience playing baseball in the league.

“I really enjoyed all nine of my years in Wyoma Little League,” said Bloom. “I met a lot of great friends and great coaches there. Wyoma is a great league and [league president] Mr. [Tony] Luciano has certainly done a lot to help it, especially this past year. He managed to get us lights for the field which is really exciting.”

Among Matt’s coaches in the league was his father, Kevin Bloom, a former Item sports correspondent and baseball coach at Shawsheen Tech who played baseball at Bishop Fenwick High School.

“Sometimes it can be a little tough playing for your dad’s team but mostly I enjoyed it because he tells me what to work on and he gets to see me at all practices and all games,” said Bloom. “My father has really inspired me a lot. He’s a teacher and he always works extra hours and puts in a lot of work into everything he does, the same thing with coaching.”

Kevin Bloom thanked the Hill family and the Lynn Little League organization for carrying on the award’s outstanding tradition.

“I’m grateful to the Hill family and the nomination committee for doing this awards ceremony,” said Bloom. “It’s a great opportunity for the Little Leaguers in Lynn and I’m very proud of Matthew and all the nominees who were tremendous young men. Just to be nominated is a tremendous accomplishment.”

The other finalists for the award were Aedan Leydon of West Lynn, an eighth grader at Sacred Heart School, Daniel Lilja of Pine Hill, an eighth grader at Pickering, Thomas Chez of East Lynn, an eighth grader at Pickering, and Elias McDonald of Lynn Shore, an eighth grader at KIPP.

Joe Gill, chairman of the award selection committee, said Matt Bloom was a very deserving winner of the award.

“We had five outstanding kids who embodied everything we looked for in the award,” said Gill. “They understand that there’s more to the game than winning. It’s how they are as a person. Matt had a tremendous interview and when looking at the recommendations, between his participation in different activities and his willingness to go above and beyond what a Little Leaguer usually does, all those attributes made him a superb choice for this award.”

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