Dylan Poulin playing in Cooperstown dream
Like many teenagers, when it comes to listening

to his parents, Dylan Poulin has successfully mastered the art of selective hearing.

But one piece of p a r e n t a l advice he has chosen to eagerly embrace from an early age is to "always clean your plate" ... home plate, that is.

Poulin, a perennial all-star catcher from Ashburnham, will be responsible for taking care of home plate 200plus miles from home, as he and his teammates travel to Cooperstown, NY to compete in the prestigious National American Tournament of Champions. This year's tournament will be

boasting 95 different 12

year-old all-star squads

from across the country, and

on Sept. 1, a "Cooperstown Dream Parks" national champion will be crowned.

While a championship would certainly fulfill a "dream," Poulin has also been grounded

in "reality," reveling

in the experience and

the special journey that

has brought him to this picturesque

town of Hall of Famers.

Back in April, Poulin - who at the time was competing on a local AAU team - was approached by several scouts and invited to try-out for an elite 12year-old baseball squad that would be representing Massachusetts in a number of different tournaments over the summer. Poulin, along with 90-plus other invitees from across the state, accepted the invitation and traveled to Cambridge for a series of try-out sessions. Winnowing down the talented pool of players was a difficult, time-consuming task, but in May, Poulin would learn that his stellar play had earned him a coveted spot on the 14-player squad.

Dylan and Roger Poulin

While the news thrilled Poulin and his family, the person who likely took the greatest pride in this accomplishment was someone who had never even had the privilege of seeing Poulin play. George "Mike" Shattuck - Poulin's deceased great-grandfather - had also answered the call to "clean his plate." He did such an extraordinary job at it, that in 1933, the Boston Braves offered the then 17-year-old standout catcher a contract right out of high school.

But life - as it often does - threw Shattuck a "curve ball" when his father wouldn't allow him to accept the contract, saying that there was no money in baseball and that he needed, instead, to go to college. Shattuck would heed the advice of his father, go off to college, and went on to become an all-star in the political arena as a state representative out of Pepperell.

"I just know [my grandfather] is in his grave right now, giving a big thumbs-up to Dylan," said Corrie Swanson, Dylan's mother.

Swanson and her father were outstanding athletes in their own right and, along with Swanson's mother and brother, have nurtured and supported Dylan's passion for baseball throughout the years.

Poulin's baseball pedigree is not limited to just one side of the family, however, as his father, Roger Poulin, also crouched behind the plate during his baseball career. With all of this baseball blood coursing through his veins, it's been impossible to keep Poulin away from the diamond and the game that has been such a big part of his lineage.

"From the time he could sit up, we would pitch him the ball and he would swing the bat," said Roger, adding that many of those early swings were right inside the house. "He was just a little baby, but you could see that he loved it."

Since those early days, Roger has spent thousands of hours helping his son to realize his "diamond dreams," throwing him batting practice until his arm was ready to fall off, taking him to pitching lessons, and helping to coach a number of his teams. Throw in an uncle, Bob Poulin, an aunt, Tracy, and cousins, Shelbi, Jesse, and Ryan - all of whom eat, drink, and breathe baseball - and you have a real family affair.

Many family members have made the summer sojourn to Cooperstown to watch Poulin compete against the best of the best 12-year-olds.

"It gives Dylan a chance to play with kids who are just as good, if not better than he is," said Roger. "He's being pushed and this will only help him to become a better player. This whole experience has also made him a more humble player."

In the opening game of pool play (six games total), Poulin and his teammates proved that they can more than hold their own with the other elite teams from across the country, notching a 4-2 victory over Alabama on Aug. 28. At the conclusion of pool play on Aug. 30, the top teams will advance to the play-offs, where one loss will send you home until next summer.

Championship or not, Poulin will return home after Labor Day, start 7th grade, and continue to hone his baseball skills in the hopes of competing at the next level. With commitment, determination, and perhaps a small dose of divine intervention, Poulin may someday realize his great-grandfather's dream of playing professional ball. Seventy-three years removed from that Boston Braves contract, there is now money in baseball.

- Submitted by Nancy Bakanowsky