GOOD NEWS

The City of Winter Haven has notified me that the ball fields are in playing condition right now. That does not guarantee us that we can play ball in the morning, but there is hope. It is supposed to rain this afternoon and evening. Please check the website in the morning for updates.

This message brought to you by our sponsor All State Insurance.

 

On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, we had our Summer Party for the folks that play ball with us all summer. Lou Guzman brought his tent and provided music for the party. The food, Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers, and the fixing's was furnished by Glory Days Grill in Winter Haven. The drinks, chips and cookies were furnished by the Board. Everyone was very pleased with the food and I want to give a great big THANKS to Michael Francisco, Steve and the rest of his crew for providing the food. 

We have been playing three team games every Tuesday and Friday with no rainouts. Fabian is on vacation so there have not been any writeups. I can't get anyone else to take the interest in writing up the games. 

We will have a vacancy for the Treasures position on the Board soon. We need someone to step up and volunteer for this position. If you are interested, see a board member or the commissioner.

This message brought to you by our sponsor Glory Days Grill.

Tuesday August 29th

Games are on. Lets play ball before the hurricane gets here.

This message is brought to you by our sponsor Jarrett-Gordon Ford.

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Friday August 25th

Games are on.

This message is brought to you by our sponsor Ingram Financial.

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Tuesday August 22nd

Games are on. Summer party is on. The fan in the dugout is on. The heat is still on. Stay hydrated.

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 Friday, August 18th

The managers today were Spitaleri and Wally. Spitaleri jumped out with 5 runs in the 1st inning and all goose eggs were put up by both teams until the 5th inning. Then they both started scoring, but Spitaleri could only muster 5 more and the Wally team kicked it in overdrive to win the game 15-10. 

The hitters.

4 hits. Miguel

3 hits. Gutenberger, DeLoach, Castilleja, Kniery 

            Vining 

2 hits. Hicks, J.Rod, Spitaleri, Rad, Raymundo, Lynch, 

            Vandenberg, Wally 

See y'all Tuesday for the summer party brought to us compliments of Glory Days Grill Restaurant.

This message brought to you by Kincaid Electric 

Write up by Loren Fabian. 

Friday August 18th

Games are on. Expect to play full games today. Weather is nice.

This message is brought to you by our sponsor Merrill Lynch Securities 

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 NEWS FROM THE BOARD MEETING

1. The Summer Party is scheduled for Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 11:00 AM. Glory Days Grill will be providing Hamburgers and condiments. The Board will be providing chips, cookies and drinks. The games for that day will end when the food arrives. 

2. There is an open Position on the Board. The Board is looking for a Treasurer who has general knowledge of accounting. If you are interested in that position, please contact a Board member or the Commissioner. 

3. It is time to start submitting your applications to play ball in Winter Haven for the 2023/2024 season. Applications are due by the end of September. The link for the applications is on the right side of the Home page of our Blog. You can mail it to the address on the application or bring it to the ballpark with you on any Tuesday or Friday. Copies are available at the ballpark. The cost is still $40.00. 

4. Tommy Hamilton has volunteered to be in charge of uniforms this year. We will get new shirts and maybe hats. 

5. SPONSORS - It is time to start contacting your sponsor(s). If you got a sponsor last year, please make contact with them and let them know how much we appreciate their donation and see if they will sponsor again this year. We need to know who our sponsors are by the end of September so we can get the necessary artwork to are shirt vendor.

Don Witmer, Commissioner

This message is brought to you by our sponsor Glory Days Grill.

 Tuesday, August 15th

We had 28 players show up so we tried something different today. We made 3 teams, 2 teams with nine players and one team with ten players. The other option was a two-team game with 14 players. The three-team game gave everyone a chance to take a break and stay in front of the fan. The tradeoff was the game didn't get over until 11:15 AM whereas a two-team game would probably have ended at 10:30 AM. The good thing is everyone got to have more times at bat than with 14 players on a team.

Another very hot day with a 3 team game that the heat ended after 6 innings. It's hard not to admire the dedication of all the players that keep showing up in the heat (which may be lessening soon) to participate in WHSS.  The score sheets disappeared before I could get them, but I know the managers and the score. Managers were Wally, Spitileri and Constantine. The final score was Constantine 15, Wally 14 and Spitileri 10. I recall 2 fine plays. One by Spitileri playing 1st base of a diving stop of a ground ball headed for right field which he recovered in time to toss to the pitcher from his back at first to retire the hitter. The other was by Mark Tutrani playing at 3rd base of probably the hardest hit ball of the year headed down for the left field corner. He reacted in time to snag the liner about a foot behind his body at the time it hit his glove. If he were right handed, I don't think there would have been a chance. 

See y'all Friday 

This message brought to you by our sponsor Kincaid Electric 

Write up by Loren Fabian 

Tuesday August 15th

Games are on. 

This message is brought to you by our sponsor Ingram Financial.

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 Tuesday, August 8th

Wally led teams get back to back wins. On Tuesday the score was 18-9 over a team managed by Fabian.

Fabian jumped out 5-2 after one inning but never led again and couldn't even double that score while the Wally team scored in every inning but the 4th. 

The hitters. 

4 hits. Rad w/HR

3 hits. Constantine, Zelazny   Miguel, Lopez 

            Gutenberger,  Tutrani, Ramon, Boswell

2 hits. Rob, Hite, Hudson, Wally, J Rod, Dampier

This message is brought to you by our sponsor Red Hoagland Hyundai

On Friday the managers were Zelazny and Wally with Wally coming out on top 13-11. Wally jumped out 9-3 after 2 innings but Zelazny put up a nickel in the 6th inning to pull within 2 but failed to score in the open 7th inning with the tying runs on base and only 1 out. 

The hitters. 

3 hits. Gutenberger, Tutrani, Castilleja, Dampier  

            Kniery. Ramon, Stripling, 

2 hits. Pablo, Rad, Lynch, Vandenberg, Marino

            Zelazny. Testa, B.J. Capozzi

This message brought to you by our sponsor American Legion

Post 8, our long standing, full time sponsor. 

Write up by Loren Fabian

Friday August 11th

Games are on. It is still hot. The plan for today is 7 innings for a two team game or fewer innings for a three team game. Lets be safe and don't get anyone hurt. 

This message is brought to you by our sponsor American Legion Post 8.

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Friday, August 4th

Two 13 player teams today managed by Bob Zelazny and Wally. And Wally comes out on top 19-17 to start a 2-game winning streak for him. AND the books were kept quite well so hitters can be noted. New player Ric at SS for the Wally team raced to the outfield grass to snag a sharp backhand line drive to stop the tying runs from scoring and possibly save the victory. Wally jumped out 10-2 after 2 innings but after 5 only led 12-11 and it was anybody's game after that with the Wally led team hanging on. 

The hitters

4 hits.    Hicks, Ric, Gutenberger 

3 hits.    Zelazny,  Toro, Reagan, Harrell, 

               Gonzalez, Stripling, Hite, Dampier

2 hits.    Rad, Ramon, Robb, Tutrani, Miguel, 

               Hudson

It was very gratifying to see Bob Hite back with us again for a game and we sure hope to see him again come Tuesday. And commissioner Witmer did another excellent job of umping.

See y'all Tuesday

Write up by Loren Fabian

This message brought to you by our sponsor Smith Chiropractic

Tuesday August 8th

Games are on. 

This message is brought to you by our sponsor Dell Lake Village.

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 American League Update

On Thursday, August 3, 2023, the Winter Haven team traveled to Solivita for an exhilarating two-game match-up. Fighting the heat all day. In the first game, our team displayed an impressive offensive performance, scoring four runs in the opening inning, while skillfully preventing Solivita from scoring any runs for the following two innings. As the game progressed, our relentless hitting continued, resulting in a remarkable total of nineteen runs, compared to their eight, securing a resounding victory for our team.

The second game proved to be a fierce battle, with both teams exchanging blows on the scoreboard. Our bats were on fire today, ultimately leading us to triumph with a final score of Solivita eleven and Winter Haven eighteen. All in all, it was an exceptional day for our team, showcasing our determination and skill on the field.

This message brought to you by our sponsor Duke's Brewhouse, Winter Haven.

From LGG

Friday August 4th

Games are on. 

This message is brought to you by our sponsor Glory Days Grill.

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Tuesday, August 1st

There were only 2 teams today because the American League players who usually play with us were scheduled to play Solivita on Thursday. So, we had a 2-team game for a change with 13 players on each team. The heat was not very intense with a slight breeze so we played 9 innings. The managers were Wally and Fabian. The score was 3-3 after 2 innings and Fabian led 7-5 after 4, but Fabe's team could only muster 2 runs the rest of the way and Wally put up a couple nickles to win the game 16-9. Way to go Wally.

Write up by Loren Fabian 

This message brought to you by our sponsor Ingram Financials 

Tuesday August 1st

Games are on. 

This message brought to you by our sponsor All State Insurance.

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