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Bridget Girch, left, and Kersti Melchiore, on right, snap photos of freinds and family of the late Bill Gonillo, in front of the Bluefish press box which was renamed in honor of Bill for his work as a sports cameraman and sportscaster for News 12. In group from left to right is family friend Stacie Guilfoyle, Bill's mom and dad, Vito and Judy Gonillo, and Bill's sisters Christine Gonillo and Vita Cruz. Bill's father Vito also threw out the ceremonial first pitch in Sunday's game against Somerset.
BRIDGEPORT — In the very beginning, when Carey Paige was pitching his heart out to keep the Bluefish alive in the 1998 Atlantic League championship series, Bill Gonillo was there, his TV camera propped on his shoulder.

A year later, when general manager Charlie Dowd held the championship trophy high and led his players and his manager on an impromptu celebratory conga line through the stands, Bill Gonillo was there, TV camera propped on his shoulder.

Throughout all the years, the good seasons and the not-so-good ones, Gonillo, the sports director for News Channel 12 in Norwalk, was there. He covered the Bluefish since their creation, taping highlights, doing live shots, interviewing players, managers, fans, you name it. Quick with a joke, even quicker with a smile, Gonillo was a breath of fresh air whenever he burst into the press box, looking for what was left of the media spread.

Food was a love. Covering sports was his passion.

But last September, that passion left us. Gonillo, who battled diabetes for over 20 years, died at his home in Woodbridge from diabetic complications. He was just 44 years old.

While Gonillo may be gone, his memory will live on. The Bluefish have seen to that. On Sunday, they honored Gonillo by naming the press box at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard after him. It was part of a day designed to celebrate a life and raise awareness and money for diabetes research.

The idea to honor Gonillo originally came from Stacie Guilfoyle, the

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wife of Mike Guilfoyle, the Bluefish's all-time leader in saves. She first met him at Bridgeport's 1999 media day.

"I was ushering then and he asked me where he could get something to eat," Guilfoyle said, smiling. "Of course, nothing was open but I went up to the kitchen and got him something. That was kind of it, we just bonded from there."

Whenever Mike Guilfoyle got into the games, Gonillo always made it a point to find Stacie, who was dating the pitcher at the time. The two would wind up talking about everything. Everything except baseball.

"He'd always come over to me whenever Mike was pitching and we'd laugh and joke. A couple of times, I held the camera for him so he could interview people," Stacie said. "A couple of other times, I'd hold it so he could get something (to eat)."

Bluefish CEO Mary-Jane Foster remembers watching Gonillo on television, doing a TV game for Cablevision. "The first time I met him was after I'd seen a broadcast," Foster said. "It was after one of those games they did and I was so amazed at how much he knew. I was scratching my head thinking, 'How does he know all this stuff? How can he get up there and just do that?' I was so surprised.

"It (the relationship) only got better after that. I don't know a guy ... there are very few people in the world whose heart can expand the way Bill's did. I so enjoyed spending time with him. What a great guy."

As part of the pre-game ceremony, which included the unveiling of the sign over the press box door on the concourse level, Gonillo's father Vito, 83, threw out the first pitch. Gonillo's mom Judy, along with his sisters Christine and Vita were on hand.

"I have to think that Bill had something to do with this," Judy said, looking at a beautiful sunny, blue sky, in sharp contrast to a forecast that called for rain and cold. "It's a beautiful day and a special day."

The team donated a share of the ticket sales from Sunday's game to diabetes research and the Bluefish Booster Club also donated $100.

He worked for 12 years at News Channel 12, three times winning the Associated Press "Broadcaster of the Year" award. But before that, he was the radio voice for Yale University sports for WELI-AM. He also worked as a sports anchor for a time at WVIT-TV Channel 30 in Hartford and was a pre- and post-game host for Hartford Whalers hockey on WTWS-TV in New London and WTXX-TV in Waterbury.

There was magnetism about him. And pull that you couldn't resist. I don't think there ever was a time that I didn't see him with a smile on his face or with a warm greeting. And if there was something funny going on, Gonillo would be right in the middle of it.

"He was great. He was always there for you," Stacie Guilfoyle said. "He was good for a hug or a kind word. He was just a great person."