Rookie of the Year

On this day in 1975 - Fred Lynn, who led the league in runs, doubles and slugging percentage for the AL champion Red Sox, is the overwhelming choice as AL Rookie of the Year.  

 

I don't know who our rookie of the year is but every week we seem to have a new rookie.

 

Over sixty players signed in today so we were able to use three fields for the first time since the snowbirds left in the spring.The National League fielded two teams themselves and actually sent a couple players over to the American League fields.

 

The Nationals played on Servicemaster Field. The home team was comprised of F Miller, Moots, Thompson, Remington, B Miller, Merritt, Barnes, Leggett, Fulton, Morey, and G Baker. The first five batters reached base and scored giving them an early lead  The visitors (Altemose, Kline, Mundy, Lopez, Bombard, Bess, Bloom, Smith, Mills, L Baker, and Lewis) were  only able to put one run across in their half of the first. After a big first, the bats went quiet as they managed a lone run in each of the next two innings. The home team was shut out in the second but managed to narrow the gap to a lone run by scoring five in the third. The big hit a bases loaded double by Bess. During the next three innings we saw the lead change as the home team was held to no runs while the home team scored one in each of the three innings.

 

In the seventh, the visitors retook the lead as Thompson had a critical double and helped them score four runs. While the offense came through, so did the defense as they actually held the visitors scoreless in the last three innings. The visitors managed another four runs in the ninth to give them 15 for the game. With the home team shut out in the last three innings, the final score was 15 to 9.

 

Key Performances

Ron Thompson    5 for 5

Bill Miller    4 for 5

Walt Leggett    4 for 5

John Fulton     4 for 5

 

Ed Kline     5 for 5

Wayne Mundy    4 for 5

Greg Bombard    4 for 5

JT Smith    4 for 4

 

The American Team on Golds Field played a very competitive game that was close until the very end. The visiting team of Dampier, Gonzalez, Hamilton, Jacobson, Toro, Alumbaugh, Constantine, Coffman, Rodriquez, and Wells looked the team to beat after scoring five runs in the first and holding the home team of Witmer, Laffoon, D'Herin, Held, Zelazny, Butler, Schapler, Davis, and Hartley to a scant two runs. In the second the home team tied the game as the visitors went three and out and the home boys scored two to knot the game. In the third Freddie Gonzalez's home run helped the visitors score three. The home team answered with five off seven singles. In the fourth both teams seemed to score at will. Tom Hamilton had a triple while Jacobson, Toro, and Gonzalez had doubles for the visitors. The home team managed five again on six singles.

 

Over the next three innings, each team scored a total of five runs. Key hits for the visitors were Alumbaugh's double and Gonzalez's triple. Schapler, Davis and Held all had doubles for the home team. In the eighth inning Les Jacobson's double was the big hit but the team left a couple runners on base and managed only two runs. The ninth started with the visitors getting their first three batters on base and starting to feel the momentum shifting. Fortunately solid defense stopped them after only two runners crossed the plate. The final score was the Home Team 25 and the Visitors 22.

 

Key Performances

 

Freddie Gonzalez    6 for 6 with a home run, a triple and two doubles

Tom Hamilton    5 for 6 with a triple and double

Les Jacobson     6 for 6

 

Donnie Witmer    6 for 7

Joe DHerin     5 for 7

Bob Zelazny    6 for 7

Dean Schapler    5 for 7

JD Davis    4 for 6

Dave Hartley    4 for 6

 

 

While everyone else was done, The American League game on Gatorland Field played on as neither team could shut down the other. The visitors (Chrest, Rivera, Jacobs, Wolff, Benson, Simon, Marino, Pepin, S Hill, Ota, and Lopicolo) scored five in the first aided by Bill Wolff's homerun. The home boys (Scarbrough,Shaffer, King, D Hill, Wise, Byrd, Herbie O, Reagan, Levesque, Bowley and Holder) unfortunately went four and out. It was more of the same in the next inning as the visitors were out scored 4 to 2. In the third, the first five batters scored for the visitors and it looked like the game would soon be over Too bad no one told the home boys as they scored six in the bottom of the third to close the gap They batted ten batters and had eight singles along the way. Both teams scored two in the fourth leaving the score at 16 to 10, favor of the visitors.

 

The next three innings saw solid defense and key hits by both teams as the visitors scored five runs and the home team 4 runs. So going into the eighth inning the home boys had a comfortable 21 to 14 lead.Duff Hill lead off and scored the only run for the visitors, leaving the door open for the home team that had the meat of their line up coming up. Tommy wise home run produced four runs and it looked like it was going down to the ninth. Unfortunately Tom's hit was it for the inning as the next two batters made outs.

 

With only four runs separating the teams going into the ninth and a big crowd gathering the visitors  sent Jose Rivera up to start the inning. Fifteen batters and eleven runs later they took the field on defense. During the run Frank Jacobs had a home run and Bill Wolff a double. The home team failed to recapture their earlier success and they went three and out to end the game. Final Score Visitors 33 and the Home Team 18.

 

Key Performances

 

Larry Chrest     6 for 8

Jose Rivera    7 for 8

Frank Jacobs    6 for 8 with a double and home run

Steve Hill    5 for 6 with a home run

Ken Ota 5 for 6

Pat Lopicolo    6 for 6 and winning pitcher

 

Denny Shaffer    5 for 5

John Byrd    5 for 5

Herbie  O     4 for 5

 

In Case You Missed It

Here's a recap of a few administrative items. 

The first is that the Enjoyment Book Sales Campaign has begun. The books are $30.00 and are well worth the money. Not only is it a good deal for you but it generates over 1/3rd of our revenues for the year. These funds are critical if we want to continue to do the same things we have done in the past. So please get one for yourself and one for a friend. 

Second is to remind you of  the magic date of 29 November which is the date all registrations must be in if you want to be available for the draft. That is also the date that you need to have indicated if you want to be a rostered player or a pool player for the upcoming season. (you should have already done that on your application). In addition, it is the cut off date for folks that want to play in a different league from their age group. You must submit a request to the BOD in writing. Right now the cut off is 69 years old for the National League  but it could change based on total numbers. My recommendation is if you are one year from that date (up or down) and have a preference I would submit a request to the BOD. 

Third, please update your contact information when you sign in on Tuesdays and/or Fridays.  We'd like to make sure our membership roster is up to date.

And Last: Thanks for your participation, we couldn't do it without you. Just keep it movin'.

Beer Friday

So then, by the time the game on Gessler Clinic Field finished, the boys that played on ServiceMaster had been done for 3 innings and you know what that means. Yep, they'd already had a couple... so it goes on Beer Fridays.

On ServiceMaster the Visitors, led by JD Davis fielded Dampier, Edwards, Duff, Butler, Schapeler, Lafoon, Jacobson, Hartley, Mohan, Byrd and Matta against Gerry Witter's Home Squad of Coffman,Scarbrough, Jacobs, Rivera, Chrest, Giordano, Diaz, Hill, Wells and Lopiccolo.  As it turns out, it was a bit one sided as the visitors scored in all  but 2 innings while holding the Home team scoreless in 6 of the 9 innings.

Both teams started off scoreless but the visitors put up 5 in the second,1 in the 3rd and 2 more in the 5th to go up 8 - 0 before the Home boys scored their first run. In the 5th the Home team plated 4 to cut the lead in half  but then went for the zeros again in the 6th and 7th while allowing the Visitors to score 7 more making it 15-4 after 7 innings. 

JD's Visitors added another pair in the 8th and then agreed to flip-flop the ninth with the score at 17-4.  Gerry Witters Home team managed to plate 8 in the extended 9th inning to make the final score 17-12.  Hey, at least the final score looks respectable.

The Visitor's defense was the key element as they made the plays when they had to shut down the home squad.  Excellent plays were turned in by JD Davis,  Jim Lafoon, and Roger Edwards to close out innings leaving runners stranded.  Of course the Home squad had their moments too on nice plays turned in by Jose Rivera, Frank Jacobs and Don Witmer.  


Key Hitters included 

Chuck Duff 4 for 5 triple
Ron Butler 4 for 5 triple 2-doubles
Jimmy Lafoon 4 for 4 
Les Jacobson 2 for 3 and a walk
Nick Matta 3 for 4
Don Scarbrough 4 for 5 triple
Chuck Giordano 2 for 3 and a walk
Eddie Diaz 3 for 4
Larry Wells 3 for 4

Before I recap the mixed league game  played on Gessler Field I want to take a few lines to cover some administrative items. The first is that the Enjoyment Book Sales Campaign has began. The books are $30.00 and are well worth the money. Not only is it a good deal for you but it generates over 1/3rd of our revenues for the year. These funds are critical if we want to continue to do the same things we have done in the past. So please get one for yourself and one for a friend. Second is to remind you of  the magic date of 29 November which is the date all registrations must be in if you want to be available for the draft. That is also the date that you need to have indicated if you want to be a rostered player or a pool player for the upcoming season. (you should have already done that on your application). In addition, it is the cut off date for folks that want to play in a different league from their age group. You must submit a request to the BOD in writing. Right now the cut off is 69 years old for the National League  but it could change based on total numbers. My recommendation is if you are one year from that date (up or down) and have a preference I would submit a request to the BOD. Now to the very exciting game between two fiercely competitive teams. 

 

The visiting Team was expertly managed by Rich Moots. His team consisted of Zelazny,King, Reagan, Hill, Bess, Holder, Merritt, Moots, Smith, Bowley, and G. Baker. The home team was   lead by Jeff Simon. His players were Herbie O, Simon, Shaffer, Marino, Miller,  Barnes, Levesque, Morey, Mills, Bloom, L. Baker, and Poke Rodriquez. The score was tied after the second inning as both teams scored a single run in the first and then went three and out in the second. Ray Mills only threw five pitches in his half of the second. The third inning saw the visitors score three quick runs from the bottom of the lineup. Not to be outdone, The home team responded with five runs as Frank Miller had a critical hit with the bases loaded. The fourth inning was a tale of extremes, Team Moots scored five runs as nine batters came to the plate while Team Simon went three and out.

 

The fifth inning was a slugfest as both teams managed to score five runs each. In the sixth each team managed a single run as the lead off hitter got on and scored in each instance. With the home team being the only team to score in the seventh (they managed to get two) they closed the gap to a mere run. The eighth inning was reminiscent of the fifth as a bunch of runs were scored....four by the visitors and five by the home team. As a result the game was knotted at 19 a piece going into the last inning.

 

So with it being anyone's ball game, Team Moots had a run explosion as they batted 17 players and managed to score twelve runs. Pretty confident as they took the field to play defense, they quickly knew they were in for a dogfight as Team Simon quickly loaded the bases with no outs. With the aid of a strike out and an unassisted double play by Duff Hill the game quickly game to an end without a run crossing the plate. The final score being Team Moots 31 and Team Simon 19. The game being much closer than the final score.

 

Key Performances

 

Bob Zelazny  6 for 7.

Russ King    6 for 7

Bob Reagan     7 for 7

Duff Hilll    5 for 6

Gene Baker 4 for 6

 

Herbie O    4 for 5

Frank Miller    5 for 5

Poke Rodriquez    4 for 4

Lee (Eagle Eye) Baker    4 walks

 

The Perfect Game

I always thought that there's something at least a little funny about a bunch of old guys like us, playing a kid's game and calling each other Jimmy or Donny or Bobby; kid's names for old guys.  

Anyway I came across this article the other day that might help explain some of it. Hope you enjoy it.

Sports Nuts and_Baseball

A's Win!!

Well, not recently but in 1972  the Oakland A's won their first World Series with a 3-2 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 7. It was the first championship since 1930 for the franchise,when they were the Philadelphia Athletics.

ServiceMaster Field

Both teams tried to master the art of hitting, so they could take a "W" home today. The game action included big hits, squeaky hits, some great fielding and some tin gloves.

The Visiting team had the following players: Rivera, Coffman, Hamilton, Jacobs, King, S. Hill, Hartley, Schappler, Simon, Leverque and Matta.

The Home team, consisted of Gonzalez, Lafoon, Jacobson, Duff, Giordano, Butler, Grabb, Oesterreid, Wells, Mohan and Lopiccolo.

The Home team took an early lead scoring 5 runs right off the bat. Five of their first six players scored on a plethora of hits. In truth, many of the hits were short pop flys, that just managed to find the open slot. Hey we all know that in the scorebook, a hit, is a hit, is a hit and 5 runs is cause for concern. Credit Gonzalez, Lafoon, Jacobson, Duff, Giordano, Butler, Grabb and Oesterreid for a quick start.

After 1 inning the score stood: Visitors 2 - Home team 5.

We all know. it's not how you start, but how you finish, that can earn you a win. The 1st inning was the only inning the Home team would win. The Visitors would tie the game in the 3^rd inning and they never fell behind again. The 3rd inning Visitor’s rally started with a Tommy Hamilton single, followed by consecutive hits off the bats of Jacobs and King. After the next two batters flew out, Schappler, Simon , and Leverque grabbed hits and Matta walked. The next batter flew out to end the rally. The Visitors actually loaded the bases twice in the 3^rd inning, but they only managed to score 4 runs, as they stranded 3 runners.

After 3 innings of play the score stood: Visitors 7- Home 7.

Here is a riddle for you, what has 18 legs and catches flys? The answer is supposed to be a baseball team. In this case the answer is Jose Rivera, who runs like he has 18 legs and catches everything. Jose made a great catch, in the outfield, to kill off a 5^th inning rally. Charlie Giordano hit a towering fly ball to deep LC, Jose ran back at full speed, stuck out his glove and caught the ball over his shoulder. The play ended the inning and stranded Chuck Duff at 3^rd.

The 5^th inning catch seemed to inspire the Visitors, because when they came up to bat in the top of the 6^th, they were ready to rock. In a peculiarity of softball, the player who made a great defensive play to end the previous inning, is now leading off the next inning. Rivera singled and Coffman, Jacobs, King, Hill and Hartley all followed with hits, pushing 5 across the plate.

At the end of six innings the score was Visitors 13 – Home 10.

While it was still anyone’s game to win, or lose, the Visiting team did not let up. They loaded the bases twice in the 8^th inning, with hits from Jacobs, King, Hill, Hartley, Schappler and Simon. Matta came up with the bases loaded and one out, he hit a  sac fly, to center, to score Hill, giving the Visitors 5 runs.

The Home team went down 1-2-3 in their half of the 8^th.

With the Visiting Team now leading by 8 runs, the plan was to try and get a double digit lead and keep the dangerous Home team at bay in the 9th. Russ King  and Frank Jacobs were on board with the plan, both players hit triples. Hamilton scored on Jacob's shot and Jacobs walked in, on King's conquest.

The Home team came up to bat, down 10.  They managed to score two runs, when Lafoon, Jacobson and Duff all reached base on hits. Then 3 of the next 4 batters were retired, ending the game.

                                                                         Final score: Visitors 22- Home 14.

Visitor Stats:

WP: Matta

Rivera: 3/6

Coffman: 3/6

Hamilton: 2/5 and a walk

Jacobs: 5/6 with a double and two triples

King: 5/6 with a double and a triple

S. Hill: 3/6

Hartley: 3/5

Schappler: 4/5

Simon: 3/5

Leverque: 2/5

Matta: 2/3 with a walk and a Sac

Home Stats:

Gonzalez: 2/5

Lafoon: 3/5

Jacobson: 4/5.

Duff: 4/5 with two doubles and a triple

Giordano: 1/ 3 with a walk and a sac

Butler: 4/5

Grabb: 3/5 with a HR

Oesterreid: 1/5

Wells: 1 / 4

Mohan: 1/ 3 and a walk

Lopiccolo: 1/ 4

The mixed league game was played on Gessler Field. The final outcome saw Marshal Bloom's team beat Rich Moots' team 21-9. Both teams were evenly matched with Marshall's team  being made up of Bess, Merritt, Chrest, Zelazny, Constantine, Hill, Miller, Bloom, Witter, Baker, and Holder. Moots countered with Reagan, Fulton, Dampier, Mundy, Marino, Moots, Smith,Hepworth, Hite,Mills, and G Baker. The difference in the game was some strategically placed singles by Team Bloom and two big hits by Duff Hill. 

 

The  game started off with Bob Reagan getting on and scoring the only run that inning for the visitors. The home team scored the maximum allowed five runs as seven batters went to the plate. Neither team managed to score in the second or third inning as the infielders on both teams played spectacularly. Unfortunately the third was a repeat of the first inning with Team Moots scoring one lone run and Team Bloom getting five.

 

In the fifth and sixth innings, Team Bloom outscored Team Moots 5 -2 in each inning opening up a substantial lead. It could have been closer but in those two innings Team Moots stranded five base runners.In the seventh, Team Moots scored twice, but again stranded two runners. Team M

Bloom went four and out. In the eighth inning Bobby Reagan scored again for the visitors (his third of the game), but were matched by Team Bloom.

 

With the score 20- 8, Rich gave his team a rousing pep talk as he tried to rally his troops to overcome the deficit.  Alas, enthusiasm was not enough to overcome the defensive plays by Frank Miller and Chris Constantine and they were only able to score one additional run. Jerry Witter was the winning pitcher in his inaugural game as he just got into town late the night before.

 

Key Performances

 

Bob Reagan    4 for 4

Ray Hepworth    3 for 4

Richard Marino     3 for 4

Fred Dampier    3 for 4

 

Larry Chrest     5 for 5

Bob Zelazny     4 for 5

Chris Constantine    5 for 5

Duff Hill    5 for 5 with a double and home run

Frank Miller    4 for 5

Jerry Witter    3 for 4 plus winning pitcher

Dennis Holder    3 for 4

Earl Weaver

he key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/baseball_2.html#IV0SLxzHzFJ615Vs.99

 Earl Weaver once said that "the key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals and three run homeruns".  We don't get many three run homers but we do have fun.

The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/baseball_2.html#IV0SLxzHzFJ615Vs.99

 

Lee and Bobby had three fields ready to go as we thought we might hit the magic number of sixty players. Imagine my surprise today as our numbers were down significantly from earlier in the week. We barely managed to field four teams as 42 players signed in.

 

The visiting team, managed  by Richie Moots had Reagan, Merritt, Zelazny, Marino, Moots, Barnes, Smith, G Baker, Mills, and Holder. They had a rough go of it as they only scored 2 runs in the first six innings and found themselves down by 17 runs at one time. They played solid defense for the most part but Ron Thompson gave them absolutely nothing to hit all day. When they did manage to connect with the ball, it seemed that the sure handed fielders caught everything hit their way. Bob Hite and Herbie O seemed  to catch everything. There was a small rally in the seventh and eighth innings as the visitors scored two in the seventh and four in the eighth. These small rallies did not close the gap sufficiently to prevent the flip flop rule from being implemented. Even with the extra at bat they were unable to score in the ninth.

 

The visiting team comprised of Bess, Herbie O, Thompson, Byrd, Simon, Miller, Hite, Bloom, L Baker, and Chrest were managed by Jeff Simon. They were pretty awesome as they scored at will in every inning except the third when they went three and out. They batted nine  in the first and scored four. This was followed by five in the second as Byrd and Hite both hit doubles. The first five batters scored in the fourth as Bob Hite's double drove in the last two runs. While the trend in runs produced over the next three innings (3-2-1) the difference between the scores continued to grow. So beaten out of an at bat by the flip flop rule, The Home Team managed a 20 to 8 victory.

 

Key Performances:

 

John Merritt        4 for 5

Dennis Holder    4 for 4

Herbie O            5 for 5

Ron Thompson  4 for 5 home run (winning pitcher)

Bobby Hite         4 for 4 with 2 doubles

Larry Chrest       4 for 4

 

 

The American League Teams played it out on Gessler Clinic field. The visiting team, managed by Joe D'Herin had Gonzalez, Coffman, Laffoon, Jacobs, D'Herin, Hill, Matta, Wells, Wise, and Hartley. The first three innings they were unable to score any runs as only two runners reached base. During the same period, Les Jacobson's team of Rivera, Dampier, Hamilton, Jacobson, Scarbrough, Benson, Constantine, Grabb, Davis, and LoPiccolo scored six runs.

 

The fortunes reversed in the fourth inning as D'Herin's team batted around and scored five runs. Les' team scored one as Jose got a double and advanced on the next two batters hits. End of four the score was Visitors 5 and Home 7. In the fifth, Joe's first two batters got on and scored but then were shut down by solid defense from the infield. Les' home team answered  with five in their half of the inning as Jose hit another double.

 

Team D'Herin was only able to score once in the last four innings and so they saw a close game get out of reach as Team Jacobson managed to score three more runs before it was all over. The final score was Team D'Herin 8 and Team Jacobson 14.

 

 

Key Performances

 

Joe D'Herin          4 for 5

Fred Dampier       4 for 5

Don Scarbrough   4 for 5

Jack Benson         4 for 5

Larry Grabb          5 for 5

JD Davis            winning pitcher

 

15 October

We had our largest turn out in some time today as 58 players came out. That resulted in one three team game and one two team game. Let me begin with the two team game on Service Master Field. It was a very exciting game that resulted in a ten to ten tie after playing an extra inning. The visitors were DHerin, Laffoon, Toro, Held, Butler, Giardano, Gonzalez, Wise, Hamilton, Benson, Davis, and Ota. They failed to score in first three innings as Pat Lo Piccole shut them down. To their credit, they fought hard and actually took a one run lead in the top of the eighth.  The home team of Rivera, Dampier, Jacobs, Jacobson, Hamilton, Coffman, King, Constantine, Steve Hill, Diaz, Witmer, and Lo Piccole scored three during the same time period with Russ King's home run being the big hit. With a new pitcher in, Ron Butler's home run helped the visitors score six runs in the next three innings to get them within one run. The home team managed to keep a slim lead as Tom Hamilton had a triple and Jacobson and Witmer had doubles.

 

Innings seven through nine were more of the same with few runs scored by either team as solid defense came through. By scoring three in the eighth, the visitors actually took a one run lead. The home team  answered with one run to tie it up. With hopes high on both sides, both teams failed to score in the ninth. In the tenth, the visitors managed to get their runner from second in but then were shut down. The home team matched them by scoring their runner from second and then failed to score again leaving two runners on base. The result was a tie score.

 

Key Performances

Don Held     3 for 4

Ron Butler    3 for 4 with a home run

 

Jose Rivera    4 for 5

Frank Jacobs    3 for 4

Chris Constantine    3 for 4 with a triple

Donnie Witmer     3 for 4

Pat Lo Picolle    three shut out innings pitched

 

The three team game was played on Golds Gym Field. The hitting team managed by Marshal Bloom was made up of Bloom, Chrest, Reagan, Marino, Chamlee, Mohan, Frank Miller, Mundy, THompson, and Gene Baker scored two in the first to take the early lead. The sitting team of Simon, Grabb, Bill Miller, Moots, Wells, Leggett, Barnes, Mills, Byrd, and Gibson were managed by Jeff Simon. They batted nine batters in the first and scored three runs and left hree runners in scoring position. These would prove vital in the end result. The fielding team managed by Nick Matta, saw Torrez, Miguel Gonzalez, Hearn, Duff Hill, Matta, Hite, Merritt, Bess, Smith, Bowley, and Lee Baker score one in the first as Raul Torrez had a round tripper. Wayne Mundy scored the lone run in the second as they tied up the game with the sitting team. Going into the third, the fielding team found themselves trailing both teams by three runs. Gene Baker responded by starting a rally that tied up the score 3-3-3.

 

The fourth inning saw Team Bloom shut out, Team Simon scoring twice, and Team Matta managing one run. The fifth was explosive for two of the teams. The hitting Team (Bloom) managed eight singles as they scored the maximum five runs. Team Matta scored four as Duff Hill hit a home run to bring in four runs. No one scored in the sixth so going into the final at bat we had Team Bloom with nine, Team Simon with five, and Team Matta with nine. Team Bloom's bats came alive in the last inning and scored five runs off eight singles. This clearly established themselves in the drivers seat. Team Simon only managed one as Josh Wells got one to the fence to drive in the run. Down by four, Team Matta had the top of the order coming up and their prospects looked good.. MIguel Gonzalez lead off with a double and scored early. The following four batters reached based and pushed two more runs across the plate. With the margin being one run and a runner in scoring position, the next two batters were unable to get the ball past a smothering defense and so they fell one run short. Final score was Team Bloom thirteen, Team Simon seven, and Team Matta twelve.

 

Key Performances

 

Bob Reagan    3 for 4

Doug Chamlee    3 for 4 with two doubles

Frank Miller        3 for 4

Wayne Munday    3 for 4

 

Bill Miller     3 for 4 

Rich Moots    3 for 4

Reggie Barnes    3 for 3

 

Raul Torrez     3 for 4 with a home run and a double

Miguel Gonzalez    4 for 4

Duff Hill    three run homer

John Merritt    3 for 4

 

The Enjoyment Books go on sale this Friday. The cost is $30 per book. Please bring your money and be prepared to support this fund raiser. Buy one for yourself and one for your friends and neighbors. Books will be on sale for a month

 

MVP! MVP! MVP!

October 11, 1911 was the beginning of major league MVP awards, or as they were called a century ago, the Chalmers Awards. Ty Cobb of Detroit and Frank “Wildfire” Schulte of Chicago (NL) would be the first winners of the awards. Were you MVP of your game today?

The game on the old B field featured team Moots vs team Simon. Team Moots were the visitors and team Simon the home squad.  The visiting team  included Moots, Chrest, Mundy, Schapler, Smith, Fulton, Kline, Mohan, Mills, and L. Baker. The home team included Simon, Herb O,  Thompson, Hite, Lafoon, D. Hill,  Powell, Bess, Merritt, Bloom, and G. Baker.  

The home squad pulled out to  an early lead with a five run first inning  with base hits from their top seven batters.  The second inning was quiet with only one run produced by the home team.  

In the third frame team Moots scored three times featuring a double by Larry Chrest.  In the bottom of the frame Team Simon answered with four runs punctuated by a Duff Hill two bagger.   

The fourth inning the  produced just a single run by the the home team.  After four innings the score was still close at 11 to 4 favor of  team Simon.  

In the ensuing three innings the home team exploded for 15 runs to seal the deal.   The visitors scored once in the sixth inning.  The final was 25 -5. The winning pitcher was Larry Powell.  

Leading hitters for the visitors include:  
Mundy 4 for 5 with a double
Kline 3 for 4

Leading hitters for the home team include: 
Herbie O 5 for 6
Thompson 4 for 5
Hite 4 for 5, 
Lafoon 3 for 4 and a SF
D. Hill 5 for 5
Bess 3 for 5   

Also from the gossip column;  our friend and teammate Sammy Lopez had an electrical fire in his home.  As I understand it he is still able to use the home albeit with an interior wall somewhat blackened.  We're thankful that no one was hurt. If you want to help Sammy out please contact Eddie Diaz as he knows best what Sammy might need.

Here's a hint ... Don Larsen

That's right, Richie would know that October 8th, 1956 was a great day in Yankee history.  Don Larsen threw the first ever "perfect game" in the World Series and only the 5th perfect game in baseball history.  As you may or may not know, Don was considered a 'journeyman' pitcher and had pitched for 2 other teams before the Yankees. He ended his career having pitched for 7 different teams.  It just goes to show you that anyone of us could be tomorrow's hero. Fortunately none of us will have to endure Yogi Berra's hug.  Don retired in 1968 with a career batting average of .242; that's probably a permanent record for an American League pitcher. Asked if he ever got tired of talking about that game,  Don replied, "No, why should I?"

Well we didn't have a perfect game today but we did have enough players for 4 teams even though we had to use the field with the short porch as the other fields were too wet to use.

On the old 'A' Field with the short fences, the Home team fielded Bloom, Merritt, Marino, Shapler, Hearn, D. Hill, Kline, Bowley. Byrd, Mohan and Gibson against Moots, Fulton, Chrest, Oesterreich, S.Hill, Miller, Legett, Thompson, Mills and L. Baker.

The game was really decided by the 4th inning as the Visitors had hammered out an 11 to 5 lead.  The Home team managed to put up 4 in the fifth to only 2 for the visitors but then went scoreless until posting one final run in the 9th.  Despite the 200 ft fences on the old "A" field nobody hit one out.  Duff Hill and Ed Kline had extra base hits for the Home Team while Herb O., Steve Hill and Ron Thompson provided the extra base power for the visitors.

Final Score Visitors 17; Home Team 10

The other game pitted Coffman, Witmer, D'Herrin, Jacobson, Diaz, Zelazny, Grabb, Simon, Wells, Powell and King as the Visitors against Benson, Toro, Lafoon, Jacobs, Davis, Butler, Hartley, Wise, Lopiccollo and Dampier for the Home Team.

Russ King's Visitors started out like they couldn't be stopped posting 5 runs in each of the first two innings on a triple by Larry Grabb and a double by Larry Wells.  But the Home team hung in there posting 9 of their own off of a Juan Toro homer and double, plus doubles by Frank Jacobs, Ron Butler and Tom Wise.  

In the 3rd inning the Visitors only posted 1 run while the Home squad asserted themselves with 5 runs on  a doubles by Pat Lopiccollo and JD Davis. The Home team posted 2 more runs in the 4th highlited by another pair of doubles off the bats of Wise and Butler.

In the 5th the Visitors staged a brief rally posting 5 runs on a Zelazny double and a raft of singles but the Home boys replied with 3 of their own off a Butler double.  In the 6th the Home team shut-out the Visitors and posted 4 more highlighted by a Juan Toro double to make the score 16-23 in favor of the Home team.

Then the scoring slowed down.  In fact the scoring stopped altogether. The visitors failed to score after the fifth inning posting four gooseeggs in a row while the Home squad posted zeros in the 7th and 8th and then didn't have to bat in the 9th.

Final Score 16-23.   No Shame for the Home Team.

Top Hitters:

• Schpeler  4 for 5
• S.Hill 3 for 4 walk, double
• Miller 4 for 5
• Thompson 3 for 3 double, walk
• Mills 2 for 3 walk
• Coffman 4 for 5 
• Toro 4 for 6 HR 2-doubles
• Lafoon 5 for 6
• Jacobs 4 for 6 triple
• Davis 5 for 5 2-doubles
• Butler 4 for 5 3-doubles

Dues Time!!!

JUST ONE WEEK LEFT!!!

Get your dues paid by the 15th of October and save yourself $10!!  Dues paid before the 15th are only $30 for the entire year;  Pay after the deadline and it'll cost you $40.    Remember also that if we don't have your registration by the end November we won't be able to include you in the 2014 Draft.  Players signing up after that date may get assigned to a team or added to the pool for the 2014 season.  

Also if you're a player over 69 years old and want to play with the under 69 crowd or vice versa (an under 69 player wishing to play in the National League) you need to let a board member know by the end of November so that the board can consider your request.   

GET YOUR DUES PAID!!!

Dodgers Win! Dodgers Win!

Do you remember when?  The Dodgers won the World Series on this day in 1955 beating the hated NY Yankees in 7 games.  This was the first World Series win for the franchise and the first championship for any Brooklyn team since 1900.  The final score was 2-0 with Johnny Podres getting the win and complete game shut-out. Johnny Podres was also the Series MVP for winning games 3 and 7.

Our games today were not quite so close.  We had 39 players out today and since Don Witmer volunteered to play shortstop for two teams we fielded 4 teams.  On ServiceMaster field,  the Visitors had their way with the Home team winning by a score of 20-5.   The Visitors included Hartley, Benson, Byrd, Kline, Barnes, Moots, Lopiccollo and Bloom While the Home Team had Marino, Hite, D. Hill, Mohan, Pennick, Bess, Merritt, mills, and Gibson.  This game finished their 9 innings while the other game was still in the 7th inning. The score-keeping has been a bit lackadaisical lately but it looks like the big hits were a pair of Jack Benson homers and a Dave Hartley homer all for the visitors.  While a double and a homer off the bat of Duff Hill were the best of the home team's shots.

On Gessler Clinic Field the game started off close and stayed close through about 6 innings but then the Home team must have gotten tired. After 6 we were at 13 to 14 but in the last three innniings, Freddy Gonzalez's Visitors put up 15 runs to JD Davis' Home Squad's 5 leaving the final score at 29 to 18. This included the 9 run 9th inning where it seemed like everybody scored! Freddy's Visitors included Gonzalez, D'Herin, Lafoon, Jacobs, Herb O, S. Hill, Simon, Wells, Lopez, and G. Baker against JD's Home Team of Coffman, Edwards, Butler, Jacobson, Scarbrough, Devis, Diaz, T. Smith, Bowley and L. Baker.  The Visitors big hits came from Jimmy Lafoon with a triple and a double, Frank Jacobs with a triple, Joe D'Herin with a double, and Freddy Gonzalez with a pair of triples.  Meanwhile the Home Team got a 3 RBI homer from Don Scarbrough and a pair of doubles by Les Jacobson.

Thanks to Nick Matta for umpiring the Gonzalez vs Davis game.

Today's Top Hitters:

Benson 5 for 7 2 homers
Byrd 4 for 7 
Kline 4 for 6
Barnes 4 for 6
Moots 4 for 5 walk
Lopiccollo 4 for 6
Gonzalez 5 for 7  2-triples
D'Herin 5 for 7
Lafoon 7 for 7 double triple
Jacobs 5 for 6 triple
S Hill 4 for 6
Coffman 4 for 5
Butler 3 for 4 sac fly
Jacobson 4 for 5
Scarbrough 3 for 5

On a sad note; 
Elmer Black, our good friend and team mate is dealing with the death of his wife Brenda. She passed away the day before yesterday. She came many times to games and always there on the fun food days. Elmer is a great friend to many of us please keep Elmer and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

POLK COUNTY SENIOR SOFTBALL HALL OF FAME

POLK COUNTY SENIOR SOFTBALL

HALL OF FAME

Nominations will be accepted from October 1 through November 15 for election and induction into the Polk County Senior Softball Hall of Fame in a ceremony to be held on March 12, 2014 at the Carillon Lakes community in Lakeland.

Candidates for nomination must have unquestionable character, loyalty, dedication, and have made contributions that helped improve senior softball in Polk County.

Candidates must have participated as players in Polk County Senior Softball programs for at least 10 years.

Candidates must have served on the Board of Directors with a senior softball program in Polk County for at least three years, OR served as a senior softball team captain during the January through March season in Polk County for at least five years,    OR volunteered in some other function related to senior softball in Polk County for at least five years.

Each nomination must be submitted in writing to Fred Dampier or Wayne Mundy, and it must include a complete biography of the proposed nominee and how the criteria outlined in the previous paragraph have been met for inclusion into the Polk County Senior Softball Hall of Fame.

61

That's the number, 61.  On October 1st 1961 Roger Maris hit his 61st home run breaking Babe Ruth's record and the hearts of all of us Mickey Mantle fans.  Mickey was supposed to break that record not Roger. So it goes; Baseball is about broken hearts on the one hand and supreme joy on the other.  Go Rays!

We managed to get two teams of 11 and two teams of 12 today for a two game showdown.  The Senior division fielded the solid Visiting Squad of Bess, Mundy, Chrest, D. Hill, Herbie O, Byrd, Merritt, LoPiccollo, Bloom, Baker, Gibson & Mills against the Home Boys of Moots, Miller, Kline, Smith, Chamblee, Hearn, Abney, Mohan, Bowley, Barnes, and Baker.

While these two teams looked evenly balanced on paper it turned out to be an old fashioned shellacking by the home squad even though the Visitors stayed close until the 6th inning when the Home Boys put up 10 runs in the last three innings to close out the game.  The visitor's highlights included a Homer by Hill with a man on base but offset by By the Home squad's homers by Hearn and Miller not to mention triples by Smith and Chamblee.

Final Score: Visitor 8, Home Team 19. 

Defense dominated the Junior League game on the other field.  This game ended by 10:30am with a final score of Team Dampier (visiting) 8 runs to Team Gonzalez (home) 10 runs.   Team Dampier fielded S. Hill, Torres, Alumbaugh, M. Gonzalez, Lopez, Scarbrough, Pinnick, Hartley, Wise, Benson, Grabb and Dampier against Team Gonzalez's line-up of Coffman, F. Gonzalez, Witmer, Jacobs, Lafoon, Butler, Giordano, Schapeler, Diaz, Simon, Marino, and Wells. 

Three up and three down seemed to be the rule as both pitchers Steve Pinnick (for Team Dampier) and Larry Wells (for Team Gonzalez) kept the power hitters off balance.

Team Dampier's defense held Team Gonzalez to 6 scoreless innings.  Team Gonzalez only managed to score in two innings but they put up 5 runs in the third inning and the 8th inning to score all they needed. The visitors can point to their only highlighted hit; a triple by Larry Grabb that drove in three. While Team Gonzalez never did put up an extra base hit.  Excellent defensive play guys.

Final Score: Visitors 8 Home 10

Leading Hitters Today:

Chamblee 5 for 5 Triple
Hearn 5 for 5 Homer
Kline 4 for 5 
Smith 4 for 5 Triple
Witmer 3 for 4
Lafoon 3 for 4