|
THE COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER SOFTBALL 2010 HAS BEGUN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Well,
it is that time again. A time to count down the weeks to opening day
and that is a short 10 weeks away. I will be calling the teams to try
and get a jump on who is in and who is out, so that I might be able to
knock out a schedule or two if a particular division gets filled up.
All is calm this time of year, but as the days click off the calender
heading to April, the phone calls and emails start coming fast and
furious. If you have any
questions give me a call. Remember, there will be a Suffolk night
division this year, so if you want a slot call in and reserve one.
SUFFOLK NIGHT LEAGUE BACK IN MAJOR SPORTS FOR 2010
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14 After
a year with no night softball in Suffolk County in the Town of Islip
for the week night leagues down at East Islip Marina, we are back in
the game. I believe all the leagues will get back the fields they lost
last year down at the Marina. The night teams over the last couple of
years will be informed and Major Sports can get back to the business of
running a night league in the Town of Islip.
THE SUN SETS AS THE SNOW FELL
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20 Well,
the sun sets on another year of Major Sports. This was the 18th year
and it just seemed like it was yesterday that I was going around
looking at fields that I thought I could use for a softball league.
Time does fly.
I want to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope that it is an enjoyable time for all.
I
may have gotten my Christmas gift from the Town of Islip a little
early. I think that they will be re-issuing the night fields down at
East Islip Marina to the leagues. We will see...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
PLAYOFF GAMES SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29
There
were a bunch of playoff finals this past Sunday and some good games as
always. There are still two teams left that will finish up this week
and then that will be it for 2009.
The Outfield Pub met up with
the Warriors on Sunday for a final. The Pub has been one of Major
Sports best teams for the last couple of years and there is a reason
why. The Warriors came out and took an extra inning first game, 20-19.
Then the Pub took the next two, 9-4 and 17-8. The Warriors played well,
but on this Sunday the Outfield Pub played a little better. The Jimbos
took their final by winning, two good games, 12-10 and 14-8. That first
game was won in the last in with a three run homer. The Marauders took
a well played playoff series from 12 Angry Men. The 12 won the first
game in a blow out, 15-2 and then the Marauders settle down and won the
next two, 15-4 and 9-4. The Shamrocks and Rebels finish up this week in
a playoff final.
THE DALERS, PROTECTING THEIR HOUSE SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22
The
Dalers took on and beat the Bellmore Knights last week on November
15.They were the only games played that day. So, with one more series
to go they met up with the top seed in Evolution. I knew it would
be a good match up and I also knew it would go down to the wire. The
Dalers took the first game, 21-8. They came out of the shoot and took
the initiative. However, what happens sometimes is that the second game
can be a let down if you do not win it. Evolution has probably more
final playoff experience than any team that has ever played in Major
Sports the last 18 years. So, they bounced back and took a barn burner
of a game, 17-14. Now it is down to one game and anything goes. On this
temperate Sunday in November it was the Dalers protecting their house
and taking a final, 10-5 victory. My congratulations to both teams in
great final playoff series and to the Dalers especially for beating a
tough Evolution team.
The Warriors took on and beat the Islip
Cardinals, losing the first game, 15-9 and then bouncing back for two
victories, 11-6 and 8-2. The Outfield Pub moved on and will meet up
with the Warriors in their final on Sunday. The Shamrocks beat the
Diamondbacks and the Rebels beat Frequency Electronics. The Jimbos move
on to a final on Sunday, also.
In the night division there was
one final with the Degenerates taking on and beating the JJK team in
two good games. Both these teams have been mixing it up for about 12
years. Joe, the manager of JJK was nice enough to call and say they got
beat by the better team that night. 12 Angry Men and the Marauders will
meet for their final this Sunday.
THE PLAYOFFS START
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8 Most
teams started the playoffs, but some teams finished up their regular
season. The Islip Cardinals took on and beat the Gorillaz in what I
knew would be a barn burner and it was. The G's took the first game,
20-17, but the Cardinals came back and took the next two, 18-17 and
17-5. Two proud teams, one winner. The Jimbo's move on after beating
the Heavy Hitters, 9-6 and 16-3. The Bellmore Knights met up with the
Sewer Rats and took their playoff bracket winning, 8-7 and 10-8. The
Long Shots beat the Sluggers, 7-0 and 16-2. JJK took two from
Manginnelli's, 17-12 and 26-4. The Degenerates beat the Young Guns and
Evolution took on and beat the Upper Deckers, 14-2 and 9-7.
AUTUMN PLAYOFF TIME FOR MOST TEAMS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 Most
of the teams will start playoffs this week. A few will not, put they
will be plug in next week. I want to thank all the teams for hanging in
there last week. Six teams did not play, but all the other teams did on
less than perfect fields. There is only so much I can do when the rains
come. Good luck to all teams this week.
2009: THE YEAR OF THE UMBRELLA
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 Enough
is enough with the rain. After this weekend I have just about had it.
The only good thing is the sun came out Sunday and we got them in. The
Shamrocks and the Rebels were the only teams that did not get their
games in this Sunday. The Islip Cardinals got some games in four to be
exact. They played the Coaches and dropped the first one and then went
on to win the second game and then they beat the A's for a double
header sweep. Three out of four is not bad. The Diamondbacks beat the
Safelite Auto team for a doubleheader sweep. The Gorrilaz took two from
a tough Warriors team, 20-6 and 19-7. The Ball Scratchers beat the
Heavy Hitters in a pair and The Jimbos and the Outfield Pub split. In
Nassau the Dalers took their games from the Sewer Rats, 8-4 and 9-6.
Evolution had their day in the sun, winning against the Bellmore
Knights, 10-8 and 11-8. The Upper Deckers took on and beat Frequency
Electronics in their games.
In the
Suffolk night divisions JJK beat the Degenerates for a pair, 10-3 and
15-11. 12 Angry Men had a big night beating a tough Young Gun team,
19-7 and 16-15. The Sluggers and Marauders split. The Beavers beat the
Long Shots for a pair of wins. Mangenelli's took the first game from
Schaefer BMW and then the lights went out in the second game before
they could finish. So, both teams will get a win.
NOT A TYPICAL AUTUMN OCTOBER
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 I
always look forward to October, because it is usually the nicest month
of the entire year. Warm days, no humidity, soft breezes and not much
rain. This is not one of those perfect Octobers by a long shot. We got
all the games in last week, but this coming Sunday looks bleak and it
has been real cold as far as I am concerned. This Sunday some teams
will have to move around to get some games in and they may have to
start a little later, so I can get the fields ready.
The
Shamrocks took two from the Ball Scratchers, 24-11 and 20-11. On the
same field in the next game, the Gorillaz split with the Islip
Cardinals. They lost the first game, 15-8 and won the second game,
21-9. The Jimbos had a long day. They played 4 games. They took the
first two against Safelite Auto, 26-3 and 13-1. Then they got beat by
the Heavy Hitters, 7-6 and 15-10. They just ran out of gas in those
last two games. The Coaches took two from the Diamondbacks, 8-0 and
10-0. I cannot remember when a team got shut out in two softball games.
I am still not sure who won the Warriors vs Outfield Pub games.
In
Nassau there were some good games as always. The Dalers met up with the
Bellmore Knights and both teams got a win. The Dalers won, 12-10 and in
another close game the Knights won, 11-10. The Sewer Rats took two from
the A's, 10-2 and 13-9. Evolution split with the Upper Deckers,
winning, 7-3 and losing, 11-9.
In the night division in Suffolk
JJK took a pair from 12 Angry Men, winning, 33-26 and 20-15. Two barn
burners. Scaefer BMW dropped two close games to the Marauders, 11-10
and 16-4. The Degenerates split with Mangenelli's. The Degen's won,
16-9 and lost, 15-10. The Beavers and the Sluggers split.
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN OCTOBER
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 After
last weeks rainout and rain again on Saturday it started looking
bleaker as the day went on. However, on a Sunday with no rain the games
have to be played. Some teams had to move around and I thank all those
teams that did so, because some fields were not playable. However, in
the end every team got their games in.
The Long Shots got their
first win of the season. Beating the Sluggers, 12-3. Then the Sluggers
bounced back for a, 16-8 win. It is nice seeing the Long Shots back in
the league after a year off. They go back a long way in Major Sports,
1995. They did not play last year, but it was nice hearing Carl's voice
over the phone two months ago saying they were back. JJK took two good
games from the Marauders, 18-13 and 17-12. The Young Guns and
Mangenelis split. The Degenerates took a pair from BMW, 15-8 and 17-5.
12 Angry Men took two from the Beavers, 15-13 and 14-2.
In
Nassau we had the Dalers meeting up with the Upper Deckers at
Farmindale. The Dalers took both games and they were two good games at
that. Winning, 7-5 and 9-8. The Sewer Rats took on Evolution and took
two games, 9-5 and 3-2. The Bellmore Knights took on and beat Frequency
Electronics, 20-14 and 20-8.
In the Suffolk morning divisions
with the fields still a little wet, the teams helped out on some
fields. My kudos to Lindy over at Holbrook Country Club for doing some
fine work on the field to get it playable. The Warriors came in though
and took two from the Coaches, 18-16 and 8-4. The Rebels have played
some of their best softball in the last two months, going back to the
summer playoffs. However, they have dropped about 8 one run games
during that time frame. They lost to The Jimbos, 10-5 and 10-9. The
Ball Scratchers and Safelite Auto split. The talk of the town is the
undefeated A's, which are the old Brentwood Yankees. They are now a
sweet 6-0 after taking two from the Heavy Hitters, 18-6 and 12-2. The
Shamrocks lost two one-run games, 9-8 and 10-9 to the Diamondbacks. The
Outfield Pub keeps on winning softball games. They took two from their
arch rivals the Gorillaz, 15-3 and 15-14.
RAINED OUT
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 The
rains came and that was it. I am just glad that it rained as hard as it
did. This way there were no questions about trying to get fields ready.
If it would have stopped earlier and the sun was out for a few hours, I
would have tried to get some fields ready. However, that did not
happen. This will go at the end of the season.
GIOS PIZZA TAKES THE SUFFOLK TWILIGHT PLAYOFFS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 The
final two teams of the summer match up on Thursday night. Gios Pizza
was in the cat bird seat going into this playoff game with no losses,
while Oscars had one loss. Gios had cut through some tough opponents
getting to this game and Oscars was the defending champion. The game
started off slow with Oscars taking a, 3-0 lead in to the second
inning. It was back an forth for the next 3 innings as the teams were
locked into a, 7-7 tie. Then Gios opened the flood gates and scored 5
runs to take a, 13-7. Congratulations to Gios Pizza for
beating a class team in Oscars and getting to the playoff final by
beating the cream of the division.
OSCARS TAKE OUT RERUNS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 The
Reruns just cannot seem to get by Oscars when it comes to a playoff.
Last year I watch the first inning of their playoff game and they got
off to a good start against Oscars only to see Oscars chip away at that
lead and finally take the series. Yesterday the first inning was
scoreless and then in the second it was Oscars putting up some runs and
never looking back. The final was, 11-5. Oscars moves on to play Gios
on Thursday.
PERFECT WEATHER AND A PERFECT WEEK OF SOFTBALL
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 It
is nice to wake up early Sunday morning and not have to contend with
getting lakes off of softball diamonds. With this past dry week of
weather and a perfect Sunday it was a pleasure waking up and just going
out and grooming fields instead of having to move mountains of water
off of infields.
Let's start with the Suffolk Night Division.
The Beavers and BMW were moving along playing some nice softball until
it was time to cut the lights on at Old Nichols Road. They would not
come on. So, they did not finish their second game, which the Beavers
won, 11-6. JJK and Mangenelli's had to move to, get this, East Islip
Marina to play. They cut the lights on down there because there was no
other fields to go to. JJK won, 30-21 and 16-4 and 24-14. The
Degenerates beat 12 Angry Men, 18-6 and 24-14. The Sluggers took two
from the Long Shots, 27-12 and 8-7. The Young Guns took two more this
weekend, beating the Marauders, 27-14 and 8-7.
At Belmont Lake
we had Frequency Electroncis taking two real good games from the
Rebels, 16-15 and 13-11. A new team in the league, the Upper Deckers
met up with the Bellmore Knights and split. The Upper Deckers unloaded
on the Knights the first game, 32-11, but the Knights came back in the
second game to win, 19-14. Evolution met up with the Dalers and they
took the pair, 18-6 and 20-8.
The Suffolk Morning division had
some good match ups. The Outfield Pub, coming off their championship
2009 summer season, met up with the Islip Cardinasl. The Cardinals know
all about championships. They have won a bunch in Major Sports over the
last 12 years. This was not their day to revel in past glory. The Pub
took two great game, 18-15 and 15-13. The Jimbos took two from the
Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks were nice enough to pass on a forfeit
even though the Jimbos got to the field late. The Gorillaz took two
from the Coaches, 13-6 and 7-6. The Ball Scratchers took on and beat
Safelite Auto, 10-5 and 16-9. The Warriors beat the Shamrocks in a pair
as did the A's who beat the Heavy Hitters.
AUTUMN CLASSIC 2009 OPENING DAY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 I
knew it would be a sunny Sunday, so I was going to do whatever I could
to make sure I got the games in on opening day. Late Saturday night it
look bleak, but I did some fields that day and if I had to push some
games up for later starts to get them in, then that is what I would do.
We got them all in on some slushy fields.
The
Islip Cardinasl are back and they took two from a proud Rebel team. The
Cardinals won, 18-6 and 21-12. The Brentwood Yankees have changed their
name to the A's after 14 years. They took two from Safelite Auto, 34-2
and 15-0. The Heaby Hitters met up with a new team the Ball Scratchers.
The Heavies won, 17-0 and 3-1. The Outfield Pub and Gorilllaz met up to
start things off and split. The Pub won, 10-7 and the Goillaz won,
15-9. The Coaches are back and played the Diamondbacks and beat them,
11-9 and 14-1.
In Nassau, the
Dalers won two,18-6 and 12-0. The only other game that was played was
the Bellmore Knights and Evolution. Evolution took them both, 7-6 and
7-9. My apologies to the Upper Deckers for not starting this week.
In
the Suffolk Night Division, we had the Beavers and Sluggers splitting.
The Beavers won, 20-7 and the Sluggers took their game, 12-11. The Long
Shots are back and met up with another team that has returned after a
few years and that team is the Marauders. The Marauders won two, 14-2
and 12-11. Mangenellis met up with 12 Angrey Men and they split. The 12
won, 16-1 and Manges won, 10-9. JJK took two from the Degenerates over
at Hidden and the Young Guns, another team that is back after a few
years away from Major, took two one run games, 11-10 and 7-6.
SILVER BULLETS AND HIGHWAY HOMERS WIN BRACKET
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 The
Highway Homers took their bracket and the Silver Bullets took theirs
also. Their is one more bracket that has still not finished, because of
one of the teams vacation plan fell during the playoffs. Hopefully, we
can finish that off real soon.
OSCAR'S TAKE OUT DOUBLE R AND THE WARRIORS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 The
Suffolk Twilight brackets are getting down to the nitty-gritty. Oscar's
played two good games and eliminated two other good teams in that
bracket. Oscars beat Double R, 13-5. On the other field at Hidden Pond,
the Reruns got beat by the Warriors, 16-12. So, the two winners played
and Oscars shelled the Warriors, 24-0. In that bracket Gios has not
lost and have played 4 games against 4 good teams. They eliminated the
Renegades and Shamrocks on the same night. Reruns will play Oscars and
then the winner will play Gios. The Reruns are on vacation this week so
it may have to wait until the week of September 14.
HIGHWAY HOMERS AND AC GENERALS MOVE ON
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 More
teams were eliminated last night as we move through the Suffolk
Twilight Division. The Raiders got beat by the Highway Homers, 22-5.
That was the Raiders first loss, so they are still in it. Over at the
other field at Hidden Pond was the Master Batters and Organized Chaos.
Chaos took out the Batters, 20-8 and then match up with the Highway
Homers in game two. The Homers can out and put up 11 runs to Chaos's 7
for the win. Knocking Chaos out of the mix. At Venetian, the AC
Generals took on and eliminated the Muck Dogs, 7-3.
GIOS PIZZA MOVING ON
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 The
first day of September and the Suffolk Twilight Divisions are still
slugging it out. At Hidden Pond Gios Pizza took their first game
against the Shamrocks, 9-6. On the other field it was PCI Services and
the Renegades. The Gades won that won, 11-4. The two winners played at
7:30pm and Gios took the Renegades, 16-11.
STILL SHAKING MY HEAD
MONDAY, AUGUST 31 The
last day of August for 2009 and I still have not fully processed how a
player can assault an umpire. I know it happens, I have seen the videos
on TV and YOUTUBE, but cannot understand it. I know that I grew up in
the era of Ozzie and Harriet not Ozzie Osborne. Gentlemen, just go out
and play the game. It is a recreational game, not a blood sport. I know
all about the heat of the moment and the emotions, but it cannot be
done and it will NEVER be tolerated.
The AC Generals took it to
the Killer Kleats winning, 11-7. On the other field at Brookwood there
was a barn burner. The Renegades just got by the Silver Bullets, 10-9.
CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 The
final Sunday of a long rain soak season. This season should have been
over weeks ago. However, I am glad all teams got their games in and
with Friday and Saturdays rain I am just glad the fields were playable
and we finished up with some good finals.
EVOLUTION WIN OVER ROCKIES
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 These
teams have been playing each for what seems the beginning of time. On
this Sunday it was Evolution that had just a little more offense in the
end and took both games, 13-10 and 13-8. Two good games and two fine
teams.
OUTFIELD PUB DOES IT AGAIN
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 The
last couple of years the Outfield Pub has played some good softball and
this was another year they did the same. They match up with the
Gorillaz another powerful team and had a shoot out at Hidden Pond. The
first game went to the Gorillaz, who won it, 14-5. It is tough coming
back from a first game loss, but the Pub did that, winning, 12-3. Now,
it all came down to one 7 inning game. By that time both teams were
weary and tired and the score reflected that. The Gorillaz could not
push a run across the plate in 7 innings and loss the game, 3-0. Once
again congratulations to both teams for a good final.
HATS OFF TO THE KORE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 For
years Rocco Gregorio has put a team in Major Sports. Some of those
teams did not have the best talent, but they played and enjoyed the
softball experience. This year they had a good team that match up well
week after week with their opponents. They made it to the finals
against another old veteran team UTI. UTI took the first game and had
the mojo with them. They took that first game, 12-6. In the second
game, The Kore took a good one, 17-15. With one game to go The Kore dug
deep and surge ahead and never looked back. They took it, 15-2. The
Kore finally had one their championship.
DEGENERATES TAKE ANOTHER ONE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 5150's
took out a good McBrides team last week. They were ready for the
competition this week and in the final they would draw the Degenerates.
The D's came out swinging and took the first game, 14-6. I have to give
5150's credit for coming out in the second game and pushing the
Degenerates all the way to the 7th inning before they succumbed, 8-7.
This was 5150's first year in the summer league of Major Sports. They
matched up with the veteran team that has at least 14 years of playoff
softball under their belt. Both teams played well in the end and that
was the last inning of summer Sunday softball for 2009.
TOP GUN BEAT THE BEAVERS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 Top Gun took the Beavers in a three game series. Winning 2 out of the 3.
THE END OF THE LINE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 I
almost knew it would happen one of these days. Even after my post last
Friday on sportsmanship and the taunting of umpires and stating I was
not going to let my umpires put up with abysmal behavior from players.
On Sunday, for the first time in 18 years, an umpire was assaulted
during one of the games. The phone started ringing about 6:30pm and it
did not stop for about 30 minutes. The news from the field was that a
player hit and tackled an umpire and to be, literally, restrained by
the opposition or it may have been even worse.
I am not going to
go into details, but, after this I will not be able to tolerate even
the slightest disrespect for an umpire. My final warning.
Remember, underneath the velvet glove is a iron fist.
Playoff results will be posted by tomorrow. SPORTSMANSHIP AND SOFTBALL
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 I
have run his league for 18 years now, and unfortunately not one of
those years has gone by where I did not have take a few teams to task
for the way they treat the umpire and opponent. Every time I go over a
situation I get three different stories if I talk to three different
people. However, in the end if comes down to me taking a stand and
letting all teams know that I am not going to put an umpire on a field
to get abused for 7 innings. If you want to play if this league go down
to the field, play hard enjoy yourself and the competition. If you
think a game of softball is a green light for bad behavior and for
yelling at an umpire for 7 innings, you will find out the next time you
do it.
DOUBLE R AND RERUNS WIN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 28 Double
R took their game against a tough Warriors squad, winning, 16-9. On the
other field it was another good match up with the Reruns and Oscars.
The Reruns got the best of Oscars and won a close one, 14-12.
SUPER WEDNESDAY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 The
Suffolk Twilight Playoff schedule was packed with teams on this night.
I had some extra field time at Hidden Pond and put it to good use.
Sportin' Wood put the wood to the Master Batters, winning, 12-5. The
Renegades moved on with a sweet, 7-6 victory. The Gas House Gorillas
took the Weekend Warriors in the first game, 11-10, put were dropped by
Damage, Inc. in the next game, 15-10. The Highways Homers took on the
Horsemen and won, 10-6. In the game that followed, the Raiders beat
Organized Chaos, 16-9.
GIO'S AND SHAMROCKS ROCK
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25 The
Suffolk twilight division playoffs continue and there were some good
match ups. On paper they looked good, but that is why you play the
game. The Apaches had the Shamrocks out of the gate, 4-1 and looked
good. The Shamrocks, grizzled veterans that they are, took in stride
and commenced to chase the Apaches right out of the Little Big Horn.
For those who do not know, and believe some people do not know, the
Little Big Horn is where General Custard and the doomed 7th Cavalry met
their bloody fate at Custards Last Stand. Anyway enough with the
history lesson. The Shamrocks rolled, 17-5. Gios Pizza came into the
night with PCI Services ready to play some softball. I had to hear the
score twice to make sure it was right. Gios won 26-7.
MUCK DOGS AVENGE LOSS AND SILVER BULLETS WIN
MONDAY, AUGUST 24 The
Muck Dogs got back at the Killer Kleats to avenge a loss to them last
week. The Muckers won 12-8. The Silver Bullets took on and beat the AC
Generals, 12-2.
DEGENERATES AND 5150 MOVE ON
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 The
Degenerates and the JJK aka Gorrilaz have been mixing it up for over 12
years and last night was just a night where the Degenerates had a
little more. A little side bar the Gorillaz won a morning semi-final
bracket against half the players on the Degenerates when they beat the
Predators. The final score, 13-7 and 11-2. I did not get the scores
from Venetian until late Monday, I called around to find out what they
were and when I did I was a bit surprised. 5150 took out the red hot
McBrides in two games, 10-9 and 21-8. I though McBrides was playing
some of the best softball, but softball is that kind of game. In 14
innings it can be all over.
TOP GUNS AND BEAVERS MOVE ON
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 Top
Gun played a game Go Hards team in the gentle breezes of East Islip
Marina, pulled out two very close games, winning, 18-13 and 12-10. The
Beavers did the same against the Heavy Hitters, 14-2 and 19-12 and now
the Top Guns and Beavers will face off in a final.
PANTHERS BEAT REBELS IN A CLASSIC
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 The
Panthers, one of the newer teams in the league, met up with one of the
ole veteran teams the Rebels, who have had a glorious run in Major
Sports for at least 14 of the 18 years. When one of my veteran umpirs,
Jim Baccoli, called in the scores he did so with pride and enthusiasm
and labeled it one of the best he has done and he has done many a game
and playoff series. It went three games and every game was a one run
victory. The Rebels came back in the first game to take a 8-0 win. Then
the Panthers clawed back for a 9-8 win. With one game to go, it was
back and forth with the Panthers going up in the top of the 7th. The
Rebels had the hammer and when the smoke cleared the Rebels, with
the winning runs on base, could not push them across as the batter
slashed a line drive into the outfield that was played by the Panthers
outfielder for the final out. Three great games and the sportsmanship
was marvelous on both benches. My hats off to both teams.
UTI MEET THE KORE IN FINAL
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 UTI
played well and so did Prime Time, but the U got the wins in the end.
They took two, 10-5 and 12-9. Another good match up with a great
display of sportsmanship in the end. So, UTI get to match up with their
pals The Kore, which should be a good final.
GORILLAZ TAKE 2 FROM PREADATORS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 It
was a day of match ups that Major Sports has been having for 10 to 15
years. The same teams come back to play softball and the same rivals
renew playoff hopes year in and year out. On this Sunday it was the
Gorillaz taking two from the Predators, 7-4 and 14-11. Now the Gorillaz
will play the Outfield Pub for the bracket final.
THE ROCKIES BEAT LOCK & LOAD
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 I
know their was no joy on Lock & Loads bench after losing a heart
breaking 3 game series to the Rockies. They wanted to play last week
and the Rockies were on vacation, so they met up this week. The Lockers
had them on the ropes with a 15-12 first game victory. However, the joy
was short lived as the Rockies bounced back for a second game win with
a one run victory, 9-8. Now it was down to one game and the Rockies
pushed 9 runners across home plate and the Lockers only 5. So, there
was no joy in Mudville for Lock & Load. Now the Rockes will meet
Evoultion for a 9:00am final at Seamans Neck Park.
CLASH OF TITANS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20 Super
Thursday came and went as 4 of the better teams in Major Sports went at
it at Brookwood Hall. Double R drew the Reruns as their first opponent
and the Reruns came out, well...running and hitting. They took the win,
14-7. The Shamrocks met up with Oscars. The Shamrocks have just not
played like they did earlier in the season. I think it might be
vacation time for some on the team. Oscars came out, playoff ready and
scored in every inning for a 17-5 win. Down at East Islip Marina, Gios
Pizza took a first game playoff victory from their pals Sportin' Wood,
17-5.
DAMAGE, CHAOS, MASTER BATTERS AND RAIDERS WIN
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19 As
the summer heat hung in the air the playoffs continued. Damage, Inc.
got the vest of the Weekend Warriors, 11-8. The Gas House Gorillas gave
a bunch of runs away and could not match the Master Batters who won,
13-10. Organized Chaos took on and beat the Highway Homers, 10-8 and
the Raiders took on and beat the Horsemen, 15-6. All good match ups for
the Wednesday teams.
WARRIORS AND PCI SERVICES TAKE HOME WINS
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18 The
Apaches could not get out of the batters box in a tough loss to a good
team. Softball is like that. Sometimes you go down to the field and you
cannot push a run across the plate in one game and in then next game
you score 10 in the first inning. Unfortunately for the Apaches, there
was no second game. The Warriors won, 12-1. PCI Services and the
Renegades on the other hand played right down to the end of 7 innings
with a back and forth game and PCI took it 10-9.
PLAYOFFS START IN TWILIGHT DIVISIONS
MONDAY, AUGUST 17 The
Silver Bullets got the jump on GSI and took a, 12-8 victory in the
first day of playoffs in the Suffolk Twilight Division. The Killer
Kleats took on and beat the Muck Dogs, 6-5. Sportin Wood and the AC
Generals finished their season with the Wood winning two.
SUNDAY PLAYOFFS IN THE HEAT
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 It
is about time summer rolled around with some good ole country heat. It
made me feel right at home, like two a days at ECU once upon a time.
The heat was on and so were the playoffs. Evolution took on and beat
the Bellmore Knights, 17-10 and 8-7. The Knights had more than a few
chances to win at least one or the first two games. However, they could
not execute. This week Lock & Load will play the Rockies and the
winner will play Evolution the week after. The
Outfield Pub the top rated team in Major Sports came and almost got
upended by Road Kill. Road Kill took the first game, 13-8 and then the
Pub bounced back with two big wins, 15-13 and 10-3. UTI moves on as
does Prime Time. Those two teams will match up this week. The Rebels
took their games against Eight Men Out and now will face the Panthers,
who took out Platinum Hits, 10-2 and 5-3. In the night division 5150
beat the Heavy Hittes, the Degenerates took and beat 12 Angry Men.
McBrides moves on as does Top Gun the Go Hards and the Beavers.
LAST REGULAR SEASON GAMES
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 In
one sense it seemed like it just started and in the other it is always
a long season. The last of the regular season games were played tonight
and now all teams will be in playoff situations. Gios
Pizza and their friends, some of Reruns players play with Gios, unless
they play the Reruns and then they play with the Reruns, anyway...the
teams split their doubleheader to go into the playoffs. Double R and
the Apaches met up and the R took the first game and the second game
could not be finished. So, I will give both teams a win as I always
do. Good luck in the playoffs and remember play with the players you played with during the season. No ringers or you will be sorry.
WEEKEND WARRIORS BEAT MUCK DOGS
AUGUST 12 As
the last games of the regular twilight season are being played some
teams are turning it up. The Weekend Warriors took on and beat the Muck
Dogs, 19-4 and 16-0 as both teams move into the playoffs. Two big wins
for the Warriors. GSI and Highway Homers each took a win home as the
teams split. GSI won, 14-2 and the Highway Homers won, 11-5. The
Horsemen canceled at the last moment to knock out their games with the
Master Batters.
TEAMS FINISHING UP
AUGUST 11 PCI
dropped two to their pals the Warriors. I know these teams matched up 3
times this season, but when teams can only play on one day, the law of
averages say, when you have 22 teams, those teams will see each other 3
times in a 22 season. Sportin' Wood took on and beat Gios Pizza, 15-3
and 7-5.
RENEGADES TAKE TWO BIG GAMES
MONDAY, AUGUST 10 Under
a hot summer sun, it is about time it felt like summer, the Renegades
match up with the Shamrocks. Two good teams and two good games. I was
umpiring at the other field at Brookwood and you could see the action
and intensity of the match up. When it was over, the Renegades had
taken two, 12-8 and 14-6. The Silver Bullets finished up their season
with two wins over the Killer Kleats.
THE SUMMER PLAYOFFS BEGIN
SUNDAY, AUGUST 9 Several
teams started their playoffs today and some teams finished up their
season. Let's get into the playoff match ups first. Lock & Load
took on the Untouchables in a two out of three. The first game went to
the Untouchables,10-9. With a win under your belt you come out fighting
in that second game, but Lock & Load answered with a 25-3 win that
took the fight out of the Untouchables and then the Lockers's took the
third game, 13-8. A good series. The Rockies matched up with the
Diamondbacks and they took it in two, 14-9 and 8-6. Evoulution met up
with The Meat and took two in go away fashion. The umpire said The Meat
could not do one thing right in the two losses. Evolution won, 19-3 and
19-7.
In Suffolk the Panthers had a
come from behind first game win against Blue Balls taking the first
game, 8-7, with 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th and opened up on the
Blue Balls in the second for a, 17-7 win. Hats off to The Kore and
their manager Rocco. For years he has had a team in the league and has
suffered through a lot of losses and always took it, let's not say with
a smile, but with the conviction that he always knew he could put
together a better team the next year. Well, they won their first
playoff series against Butang, 11-6 and 10-8. Good job Rocco. All
other teams finished up their regular season and will start the
playoffs. One side bar, Mcbrides winning streak came to an end against
a tough JJK team. Both teams went home with a win, but Mcbrides had a
hell of a run.
RERUNS AND DOUBLE R TAKE TWO
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6 A
nice finish to a long week of softball had the Reruns taking on one of
their conference match-ups. They beat Oscars, 12-3 and 9-8. These
two teams will meet each other in the playoffs, so the fun is just
beginning. Double R took two from the Silver Bullets, who were nice
enough to fill in for the Shamrocks, who canceled the night before. The
Double R's took two, 9-8 and 19-7.
TWILIGHT TEAMS FINISHING UP
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5 This
is a make up week and next week will be a make up week also. For those
teams that have finished I will try and get them games next week if I
can. I will probably have three playoff brackets so it does not drag
out. I will go over that with you all after this week. The Highway
Homers took two from their pals the Raiders, winning, 103 and 11-9. The
Weekend Warriors dropped the first game to the Apaches, 8-4 and then
bounced back with an impressive, 16-4 win against a tough team. I knew
it would be a good match up, the Master Batters and Gas House Gorillas.
Just getting them on the same field was the problem. The Gorillas play
most of their games at Venetian and the Batters, coming from Bellport,
do not travel that far west. So, last night they met up at Brookwood
and it was a good two games for both teams. The Gorillas won the first
game, 10-9 and the Master's won the night cap, 8-7. Two good games...
OSCARS AND GIOS PIZZA SWEEP
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4
Oscars took on and beat the formidable Shamrocks. With Perry, Jr.
having 3 HR's and going 5 or 6 and Craig Frazier pounding the ball,
going, 6 for 8 with another 3 HR's, Oscars beat the Shamrocks, 27-5 and
11-3. Gios Pizza took on another good team in the Renegades and both
teams played well. In the end it was Gios winning two one run games,
8-7 and 7-6.
THE FINAL MONTH
MONDAY, AUGUST 3 I
always look forward to August. The last month of a long season of
softball that leads directly into college football in September.
However, it is always a daunting month to make sure all teams finish up
and that we finish up with a nice playoff and all the teams in that
playoff have nice match ups. Before I forget, my heart felt
sympathies to one of the Apaches who lost a parent over the
weekend. GSI was nice enough to take last night off because of the
unfortunate incident. The Muck Dogs got back to work last night and
took on Sportin' Wood. They took the first game, 12-9, but the Wood
came back for a pay back and took the second game, 10-6. The Killer
Kleats better put some of the "killer" in their offense. Silver Bullets
took them out behind the wood shed for whip them like a step child. The
Bullets won, 9-0 and 21-0.
GOT THE MORNING GAMES IN
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2 I
thought the weather man said a nice weekend? Saturday and Sunday??? At
this stage of the summer I am glad we have played as many games as we
have. In Nassau, my apologies to the Diamondbacks. The Raging Bulls
called me at 8:05am to tell me they were canceling. That is it for the
Raging Bulls and the Ballbreakers.
The Rockies took two from the
Untouchables, winning, 17-5 and 12-0. A couple of good games down at
Seamans Neck where the Knights took on Evouliton. The Knights won the
first game, 3-2 and Evolution came back for a, 9-8 win.
In
Suffolk Road Kill and Platinum Hits met up for two. The Kill took both.
The first one was a close one, 7-6. The second game got away from the
Platinum Hits, because Road Kill won, 25-1. The Outfield Pub took on
the Gorillaz and took both, 7-6 and 10-6. Butang had their way with
UTI, winning two, 6-5 and 11-3. The Brentwood Yankees and Keep It Green
split their two games. The Yanks won, 10-8 and the Green won, 15-7.
Blue Balls got back on track this week with two wins over the Rebels,
14-7 and 5-4. The Panthers met the Predators and the Preds had two much
offense for the opponent. The Predators won, 19-7 and 15-3. Eight Men
Out had a real long morning. They played 4 games, two against the
Diamondbacks and two against The Kore. Unfortunately, they dropped all
of them. The Backs beat them, 9-4 and 10-9. The Kore beat them, 13-5
and 4-2.
TWO GOOD ONES ON A DRY DAY
THURSDAY, JULY 30 The
last four teams to play this week finished up the rainiest July in
memory. This is one month that I can say I am happy to see fade to
black. Two good sets of doubleheaders were on the schedule for the last
games of July 2009. The Shamrocks and the Reruns met for a pair of
games and I knew it would be a good match up. The Shamrocks took the
first game, 5-2, but the Reruns returned the favor with a, 10-7 win.
Oscars played and took two from Double R, 18-6 and 10-8.
GOT THEM IN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29 Every
time I look at the weather radar it seems as if it is always green and
heading our way. We got them in yesterday even with the threat of rain.
The AC Generals took the first game from Damage, Inc. and then the Inc.
came back for a win. The Master Batters took the first game from the
Highway Homers and they could not finish the second game, because of
darkness the second did not go the full 5 innings, so both teams will
get a win.
WARRIORS TAKE TWO
TUESDAY, JULY 29 The
Warriors met up with an old foe in PCI Services. The stage was set for
a nice showdown. The two teams have been getting after it for years. In
the end the Warriors had just a little more in their arsenal. They took
two, 11-10 and 13-9. Gios Pizza, because they play on Tuesdays, always
draws a tough team. It was no different on this Tuesday. They faced off
with the Apaches a tough opponent for any team. The Apaches took care
of business in the first game. However, Gios rounded up the their posse
and took the scalps in the second game winning, 7-3.
RENEGADES AND ORGANIZED CHAOS ROLL
MONDAY, JULY 27 As
the last Monday in July came and went, Organized Chaos took their first
doubleheader of the year. They beat the Horsemen, 10-8 and 8-7. The
Renegades had a little to much offense for the Killer Kleats. They took
two, 21-2 and 17-2. Another good match up was the Silver Bullets and
Sportin' Wood. These teams played each other last week and the Bullets
took two close games. The Wood took the first game this time, 21-17 and
then the Bullets shot back for a, 18-6 win.
$#%&@*% RAIN
SUNDAY, JULY 26 I
cannot worry about it, but I can curse up at the sky. I mean really,
when is the deluge of the Summer of 2009 going to end. Two days of
games on Tuesday and Thursday were rained out and we came very close to
having a wash out this Sunday. If it was not for getting the fields
prep for the rain over the course of this summer we might be finishing
the summer off sometime in October. So far so good for the amount of
rain that has fell. We have played a lot of softball around the rain
drops.
There were some good games in Nassau. Sorry that the
Untouchables did not get to play. The Ballbreakers failed to show, they
had 4 players and that is that for that team. They are officially out
the the conference. The Bellmore Knights took two from the Meat,
12-9 and 18-12. The Rockies took on and beat the Raging Bulls, 15-3 and
18-9. Lock & Load took on their old nemesis Evolution and both
teams took home a win. The L's won, 17-14 and Evolution won, 21-14.
In
the Suffolk Night division we have a team that is white hot. McBrides
started out the first after the first two weeks, 1-4. Since that time
they have run off, 13 straight and they beat some good teams in that
duration of games. The boys have been playing for years, they might be
the oldest team in the league on average. Great guys and a great run.
They took two this week from the Smithtown F.D. on Sunday. The
Degenerates and Bulldogs met up at Hidden Pond. The Degenerates took
the first game, 15-14 and the Bulldogs came back for a, 14-6 win. The
Top Guns and 5150 split. The Top's winning, 10-6 and the 50's winning,
18-11. The Sluggers and the Slackers split as did The Go Hards and the
Heavy Hitters. Twelve Angry Men had a good night they took all three
games from the Beavers.
I had my doubts about some of the
fields in Suffolk after the sky opened up Saturday night. However, I do
some of the fields the night before. I guess I am living right, all
fields were playable. The Blue Balls were very apologetic to the Road
Kill for not having a full team at the game. It is their first forfeit
in ever in many, many years of playing in this league. Their manager,
Rockie and co-manager, Eric were a little annoyed to say the least at
some of their players. UTI called at 8am and told me they could not get
a team to the field, so at least I could call off the Rebels. The
Panthers and Platinum Hits split. The Hits won, 7-1 and the Panthers
won, 6-0. The Outfield Pub took on and beat Eight Men Out, 25-6 and
11-10. Prime Time and the Brentwood Yankees split. The Prime won, 15-4
and the Yanks won, 13-6. The Diamondbacks took two from Keep It Green,
8-5 and 8-0. The Kore are playing good softball. They took two from
Butang, 18-4 and 7-6. A big match up was the Gorillaz and Predators.
The Preds won, 12-10 and the Gorillaz won, 15-10.
RAIN OUT
THURSDAY, JULY 23 All games were rained out.
HIGHWAY HOMERS, WEEKEND WARRIORS & GAS HOUSE SWEEP
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22 Well,
we got them in around the rain from the night before. The Gas House
took two well played games from the Muck Dogs. Winning, 10-9 and 10-6.
The Weekend Warriors took on and took two from Damage, 13-4 and 9-8.
The Highway Homers beat their old friends the Raiders in a pair, 21-1
and 10-9.
RAINOUT CITY
TUESDAY, JULY 20 Just
when I thought it had rained itself out, guess what rears it's very
ugly and wet head, the rain monster. All games washed out.
WINS FOR THE GENERALS AND SILVER BULLETS
MONDAY, JULY 19 The
AC Generals took two games from the Killer Kleats. That was there first
sweep of the season. The Silver Bullets took two from Sportin' Wood and
Chaos and the Horsemen split.
PERFECT DAY FOR SOFTBALL
SUNDAY, JULY 19 It
is about time we are getting some great summer weather. The sun shined
and the teams played. In Nassau, the Ballbreakers, who are having a
tough time winning, cancelled their game because they could not muster
a full team. My apologies to the Raging Bulls. The Untouchables took
two good games from the Diamondbacks at Seamans Park. Winning, 8-5 and
20-7. Evolution met up with The Meat and dropped two close games. The
Meat won, 10-5 and 23-13. The Bellmore Knigts won the first game
against Lock & Load, 23-11 and then the Load bounced back for a
16-15 win. The Heavy Hitters took three games from the Slackers at
Hidden Pond. Some of the night teams in Suffolk played three games to
catch up with some of the rain outs. The Go Hards played three close
games with 12 Angry Men, unfortunately they dropped all three. Close
games, but three losses. 12-3,11-8 and 9-5. The Degenerates got the
best of the Top Guns. They took three from them, 15-3, 25-16 and 21-9.
The Bulldogs took on and beat 5150 in a pair of games, 12-11 and 6-4.
The
Panthers got after and took two from Road Kill at the Band Box,
winning, 9-6 and 13-10. Prime Time and UTI got their games in, but were
pressed by the league that follows at Nichols Road. The teams split.
The Kore, Rocco was right, took two games from Keep It Green, they won,
14-5 and 12-6. Rocco of The Kore said he had his best team ever. The
Outfield Pub took two from a tough Platinum Hits, 26-10 and 10-5. The
Diamondbacks took their games against the Brentwood Yankees, 19-5 and
16-7. The Predators and Gorillaz split. The Preds won, 19-10 and the
Gorillaz won, 25-7. The Rebels are playing good softball. They took two
from Butang, 17-5 and 15-10.
RERUNS AND OSCARS SWEEP
THURSDAY, JULY 16 Organized
Chaos has a good team. They are new, but their core players have played
previously in Major Sports. The trouble is they have played most of
their games on Thursday and that is the day some of the best teams in
Major Sports play. For their make-ups I will try and get them some of
the other teams in the league to play against. The Reruns took a pair,
26-7 and 18-3. Oscars came up with two well played games to beat Double
R, 16-7 and 11-9. Make ups for the Suffolk Twilight divisions start
this week.
AC GENERALS TAKE TWO
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15 The
AC's picked up their first doubleheader sweep of the year last night.
They took on and beat the Horsemen, who have been playing good
softball. The Generals won, 14-2 and 12-11. The Raiders got
dogged in their first game against the Master Batters, 12-0. However,
in the second game they came back to win, 19-10.
At Venetian
the Weekend Warriors met up with Damage, Inc. The Weekender's took the
first game, 13-7 and Damage took the night cap, 14-2. So far it has
been the best weather we have had in some time. I hope it stays dry.
GIO'S PIZZA TAKES A PAIR
TUESDAY, JULY 14 Gio's
painted itself into a tough corner when it had to have most of its
games on Tuesday. Some of the best teams in Major Sports play Tuesdays
in that Suffolk night division. Last night they met up with a team that
that they matched up with and they took two from Sportin' Wood. The
scores were, 9-2 and 8-7. These two teams will be in the same playoff
bracket, so they will see each other again. PCI Services got the best
of the Highway Homers. They took the two games, 8-7 and
6-12.
RENEGADES, TWO BIG WINS
MONDAY, JULY 13 Anthony
Rizzo has put together a well balanced team this year with the
Renegades. They beat a tough team in GSI for a sweep. The first game
was a back and forth, 10-9 win for the Gades. I quess GSI went home
after the first game, because the score was not one you would expect
after a very close first game. The Gades won it, 19-0.
The
Muck Dogs and a new team the Killer Kleats, who have been practicing
down at Brookwood Hall all summer. I would see them and would ask them
to get off the field because I had to do it. So they called me and
asked if I could get them in for a half season. I told them yes, if
they could play on Mondays. They said let's go and off they went. The
Kleats won the first game 7-5 and the Muck's came back for a 12-7 win
in the night cap.
At Hidden Pond the Warriors and Apaches met
up with the Apaches taking the first game 13-12 and then the Warrirors
taking the second game, 13-9.
FROM MUCK TO SUNSHINE
SUNDAY, JULY 12 The
fields were done on Saturday night and then I got home and as I always
do, before I go to bed, I took a look at the omnipresent weather
channel. What I saw at 10pm did not look good, but I do not worry about
the weather, because I cannot control it. Well, the rain came down that
night and on my way out at 6am on Sunday morning I could only
hope for the best. I drove by Brookwood at 6:15am and saw that they
needed work and headed up to Hidden Pond. As I passed Nichols Road I
could not see any puddles. I thought we might luck out. Hidden Pond was
not bad and I knoced that field out and headed back down to Nichols
Road. Again, from my truck it looked wet without puddles. I even
dropped balls off for a pick up by the Panthers and told them at 8am
the field was fine. It was not. You just could not see the puddles from
the truck. Kennedy in Nassau was wacked as was Newbridge. However, the
waited patiently some of the players chipped in and helped work on the
fields and we got all the games in. Thanks to all those teams that, as
always, just hung in there and had the time to wait it
out.
Evoulution and the Rockes split
at Kennedy. Evolution won, 10-9 and the Rockies won, 9-7. The Meat took
on Lock and Load and the Load prevailed. Winning, 3-2 and 9-8. The
Bellmore Knights took two good ones from the Untouchables, 14-10 and
16-12. The Diamondbacks took a pair from the Ballbreakers, 18-4 and
17-11. Road Kill did just that to Eight
Men Out. On a wet and soggy field the Eight just could not score. They
posted one run in two games and the Kill won, 14-0 and 14-1. Jay
Finneran pitched well, needless to say. Outfield Pub split with the
Predators. The Pub won the first won, 11-2 and then the Predators
answered, 15-3. UTI split with The Kore.Winning, 10-5 and losing, 6-1.
The Brentwood Yankees could not finish the second game, because they
had a dust up between themselves. So, Butang won two, 13-3 and 6-4.
Platinum Hits are playing good softball. They took two from Blue Balls,
14-9 and 12-5. The Gorillaz had a little two much for Prime Time, they
won, 7-4 and 13-0. The Rebels and Panthers split at the swinning pool
that was Nichols Road. Sorry about that boys..next time I will get out
of the truck look at the field. The Rebels won, 17-11 and the Panthers
won, 7-6. Keep It Green kept looking into the parking lot as 9:15am
came and went. They only had 7 players. However, the Diamondbacks,
being the gentlemen they are said they would supply the catcher to the
Greenies 8 men. Keep It Green were not going to let 8 men hurt their
chances of softball glory on a Sunday morning, The won, 8-7 and 20-3.
In
the Suffolk Night division we had two top teams meeting face to face
for the first time. McBrides and the Degenerates. I cannot find the
scores, but McBrides took the two games. 5150 played 12 Angry Men and
5150 won the first game, 16-12 and the 12 bounced back for a, 12-7 win.
Smithtown F.D. took two from the Heavy Hitters, 9-7 and 7-3. JJK took a
pair from the Bulldogs, two good games, 12-6 and 15-11. Top Gun played
the Beavers winning two, 13-12 and 11-8. The Sluggers and The Go Hards
split at Brookwood.
DOUBLE R AND RERUNS SWEEP
THURSDAY, JULY 9 The
Reruns took two big games from their arch rivals Oscars. Oscars took
out the Reruns in last years playoffs. So, this had to feel sweet. I am
sure this sets the table for a very interesting playoff match up in a
few week. The Runs won, 17-5 and 6-5. Double R took a pair from
Organized Chaos, 19-7 and 18-8. We had a good week of games except for
that washout on Tuesday. I will be talking to all the teams this coming
week to go over make ups. Some teams are way ahead and may be pulled
from this weeks schedule so some teams can catch up. I want all teams
finishing at the about the same time.
THE TRADE OFF
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8 It
has been the a season of copious amounts of rain, but when the sun
shines it is as nice as it gets. I do not think there has been one
humid day since the middle of April. We have got in a ton of games even
with the rain, so no complaints here. Last night Sportin' Wood got back
on the field and took the first game from a tough Warriors team, 4-2
and then the Warriors came back for a 16-7 win. The Gas House played
the Weekend Warriors and took two, 11-10 and 16-1. A couple of the
Weekend Warriors had to leave for the second game. The other night the
Highway Homers split with the Master Batters, winning 11-1 and losing,
9-6.
ANOTHER WASHOUT
TUESDAY, JULY 7 The
fields were done and then the rains came. As Brookwood was under water,
Hidden Pond was bone dry. I had no games at Hidden, but did the fields
for another league. I got my work cut out for me this morning. After
last nights mini-hurricane, the fields will be a watered up. However, I
say, lets play ball.
SHAMROCKS AND GSI SWEEP
MONDAY, JULY 6 I
hope everyone had a great weekend the weather was perfect and hopefully
that will be a sign of good weather for the rest of the summer. The
Shamrocks took two from the Silver Bullets, 7-6 and 18-15. GSI got
their wins against Damage, Inc. winning, 7-3 and 7-4. The Horsemen came
out smoking and had the Muck Dogs on the ropes and were going to 12 run
them at the end of 5 innings. However, the Muck Dogs started hitting
and had the Horsemen a little worried as the 7th came around. The
Horsemen prevailed in the end of the first game and won, 20-15. The
Muck Dogs kept on hitting into the second game and took it, 14-6.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY
SATURDAY, JULY 4TH I
know the weather was perfect for softball, but I think it was a good
weekend to take a little time off and reflect. God Bless America...The
land of the free, because it is the home of the brave.
APACHES AND RERUNS SPLIT
THURSDAY, JULY 2 The
last day of games before the 4th of July break had the Apaches and
Reruns mixing it up. The Apaches took the first game, 3-2 and the
Reruns showed the Apaches they can still play with the best of them and
took the second game, 8-0.
DAMAGE, INC. TAKE TWO
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1 The
rains came, the rain went, a likely start to July. However, we got the
games in. Damage, Inc. took two close games from the Gas House Gorillas
over at Venetian, 6-4 and 6-5. The Horsemen and Master Batters got to
play. With one team not being able to play, I had to change some games
around. These two teams played each other last week, but at least they
played. Two teams had to sit yesterday, because their opponents could
not make the games. The Horsemen won the first game, 11-8 and the
Master Batters came back for a 8-5 win.
A few teams said they
want to play this week, but it is looking bleak. Some teams has already
said they want to play and then they don't want to play. I just do not
want to be the messenger if I set up two teams and one of those teams
backs out two hours before game time. It happened on Memorial Day
weekend twice. So we will see.
WARRIORS TAKE A PAIR
TUESDAY, JUNE 30 The
last day of June was dry and the teams played on well-groomed fields.
The Warriors took two games from PCI Services, 14-2 and 17-10.
Ken, the manager of PCI, says he is having a tough time getting
players down to the games. Sometimes teams just cannot lock in players.
Gios took one of their games against Oscars after they dropped the
first one. Oscars won 14-8 and the Gios won 5-4.
MUCKDOGS SWEEP
MONDAY, JUNE 28 It
was a beautiful night for softball. After last week when one of the
teams mis read their schedule the poor Muckdogs were left all dressed
up with no one to play. By game time yesterday it looked as if they
might be all dressed up with no one to play again. The AC Generals only
had 4 players at game, because sadly, the manager had to put his dog
down. However, the sun was shining and it was shining on the Muckdogs.
The AC's mustered with 8 and the Dogs, yes there was still life left in
these dogs, went on to take two,18-10 and 19-7.
GSI and the
Silver Bullets met up at the Pond and GSI came out with some offense
and took the first game, 9-7. The Bullets bounced back and took the
second game, 9-7.
The Kore and the Diamondbacks
split in their Suffolk match up. The Kore won, 5-1 and the Diamond's
won going away, 18-4. The Gorillaz had two big games against the Road
Kill, winning, 11-6 and 11-6. UTI came out smoking and took two from
the Butang, 22-8 and 14-9. The Rebels took a big win from a tough
Predators team in 9 innings, 13-12. Then the Predators got predatory
and took it out on the Rebels, 13-1. A Suffolk-Nassaau match up had two
teams facing off for the first time ever and these teams have at leat
28 collective years in Major Sports. Evolution and Platinum Hits. The
Hits kept coming for the Platinums, winning two from a very good
Evolution team, Blue Balls took two from Prime Time, 9-4 and 7-2.
Outfield Pub was ready to play the up and coming Panthers. The Panthers
never had a chance to roar in the first game, losing, 9-0. Not much
offense in that second game for either team, but the Pub won, 5-3. Two
old friends met up for a pair a games Keep It Green and the Brentwood
Yankees. Mutual friends on both teams, mutual fans on both teams. It
was like a mutual admiration society get together. Of course, the teams
split by the same scores, 7-6 and 7-6. A perfect end to a perfect day
of softball.
THE 4TH OF JULY BREAK
SUNDAY, JUNE 28 Before I get
into the scores of the games for this past Sunday I want to post this.
I was going to call all the teams and try and put together a schedule
for those teams that want to play. However, I know what will happen on
one or more of douleheaders. One of the teams will call me two hours
before the game and cancell it. So, no games this weekend. We might
triple up on two of the make up weekends. Plan on doing so.
The
Degenerates took two from the Smithtown F.D., 8-5 and 4-2. Two big wins
for "5150" they took two from JJK, 6-3 and 5-3. The Slackers split with
The Go Hards, winning, 18-8 and losing, 12-11. McBrides took the fist
game from 12 Angry Men, 20-8 and both teams will get a win, because
they tied, 17-17, before the umpire and his laziness decided he did not
want to finish the game. I will take care of him. He is a NSA umpire,
not mine.
In Nassau, the Diamondbacks and Untouchables split.
The D's won, 9-6 and loss, 9-6. The Rockies looked strong aganist the
high flying Bellmore Knights. The Knights came in with 1 loss, but the
Rockies pierced their armor and hung two losses on them. Winning, 12-5
and 17-5. The Meat had a little two much for the Ballbreakers, winning,
9-3 and 22-12. Lock & Load and the Raging Bulls traveled into
Suffolk for a pair at the Homer Dome, The Load was hot and took two
from the Bulls, 13-3 and 14-4.
THANKS SILVER BULLETS
THURSDAY, JUNE 25 PCI
Services called me at 11am and told me they could not get their team
down there (This happen three times this week, I got two teams to
muster in 5 hours, but please, try and give me a heads up the day
before you cannot play so I can get a team to replace you) With one
call to the manager, Vinnie of the Silver Bullets, he said he could get
his team down to play Double R. After having to move the teams, because
the Town of Islip, once again giving no clue as to what they are doing
had teams on my field. We made the move and got them in. Double R took
two, 20-8 and 13-5.
Sportin' Wood had a good week. They played
Monday and Thursday, they were one of the teams that filled in with not
a lot of notice, they won all four games. They beat Organized Chaos,
10-5 and 6-4.
THE GROUNDS CREW AT WORK.... Before....  And After.....

Play Ball!
HORSEMEN AND GAS HOUSE SWEEP
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24 I
mean are you kidding me. When is the rain going to stop. I am out of
town, but never far from the phone or computer to look in on the
weather channel. I see no rain in the forecast, I go out for a long run
and when I return I have 8 messages on my phone asking me if the games
are rained out. I do the little chinese fire drill, calling umpires to
get local updates and at 5pm it is the point of no return, I just have
the teams show up at the fields and hope for the best. We did get them
in, but down at Venetian it was a wet two games. The Gas House Gorillas
beat a very good Reruns team, 7-6 and 9-1. Two big wins the the House.
Up at Hidden Pond the Horsemen met up with the Master Batters. Two
close games with the Horsemen galloping to two wins, 14-12 and 11-1.
The
Weekend Warriors did not play because the Highway Homers could not get
a full team down to the field. I want to thank the manager of the
Weekend Warriors for being a gentleman about it when I passed that
message on to him. Look, teams want to play and some players take time
off from work to play. So, when the messenger tells some teams that
their game is off because a team cannot muster I can feel the
frustration coming through the phone. Thanks, Gary.
APACHES ON WARPATH
TUESDAY, JUNE 23 The
first year the Apaches were in the league was three years ago. They
played in the Suffolk night division. At that time I had some real good
teams in that division and on the days the Apaches could play they had
to match up with the best of those teams. So, their first year was a
little tough. Not many wins and a lot of frustration. They came into
their own last year playing good softball in the Suffolk twilight
division. This year they are taking on the best in the division and
coming up with impressive wins. Tonight they beat a formidable team in
the Warriors, 11-10 and 16-9.
The Renegades are another team
that are playing their best softball in a couple of years. Last night
they did not win two, but split with a hungry Gios Pizza team. The
Renegades won, 7-3 and Gios took out a couple of weeks of losing some
real close games by beating the "Gades, 13-0.
SHAMROCKS AND SPORTIN' WOOD SWEEP
MONDAY, JUNE 22 First
things. My apologies to the Shamrocks and Silver Bullets for the field
not being done. I am out of town, but always make arrangements to have
the fields done. The individual who said he would do it and he did do
the Brook Wood fields, plane out saw the rain and copped out. He
thought it would rain out the game and it did not and he did not do his
work. Then he tried to tell me the fields were not playable. I know
different. Again, my apologies. The poor Muck Dawgs were ready to go,
but Gios Pizza read the schedule wrong. When I got the call from Keith,
the manager of the Mucker's saying there was no team at the field I
knew that is what happened. The manager of Gios got to me about 7pm and
was very apologetic and felt bad about missing the game. Gios like the
Muck Dawgs, show up about a half hour before the games. So, when there
were no players at all at game time I knew what had happened. Life goes
on...
The Shamrocks took two from the Silver Bullets on a
ruddy Hidden Pond field, 8-5 and 7-4. Sportin' Wood took their first
double header by beating the AC Generals, 7-1 and 11-7.
MOTHER NATURE OR MOTHER F&%$@#...
SUNDAY, JUNE 21 Well,
I have seen fire and needless to say,I HAVE SEEN RAIN... What a wet
spring and wet start of the summer. I reflected back to last fall and
the Autumn Classic league of 2008 and if you all remember it was rain
out city the whole fall. I had teams doing 3 games two weeks in a row
to make up some games, I will do that for the Sunday teams in the next
couple of weeks. So, it has without a doubt been the rainiest four
months ever for Major Sports.
With all that said, some teams
did play on Sunday. It says a lot about at Town, that is the Town of
Hempstead that will go out and work on fields early Sunday morning to
get games in. The 8:30am starts were a washout, but the Diamondbacks
and Ball Breakers got two in at 12pm, The Backs took two, 14-2 and
12-4. In Suffolk all morning games were washed, but I saw a window of
opportunity to work on some fields and I got two fields up and running.
Hidden Pond was one of them and the Degenerates took two from the
Beavers, 15-7 and 5-4. The night game was a split with the Bulldogs
winning, 14-2 and Smithtown F.D. winning, 11-10.
The only
other field I got up to speed was Brook Wood North. I was working on
that field for two hours bucketing clay onto the really wet spots. One
of the players showed up an hour before the game saw the field and
looked at me and said, "No way is this field going to be playable". I
had to make a believer out of him. The Grand Sorcerer of the the Toro
Tractor, the Marquis de Sod would not be denied.
At 5pm it was
ready for a double header,looking real nice I might add, to much
thanks from both teams for a job well done. The poetry of it all was
both teams won a game each by one run.
WASHOUT CITY
THURSDAY, JUNE 18 Well,
it is hard to believe, but we had another wash out. Mother Nature is
pounding us and it does not look promising for this weekend. However,
the grounds crew (that would be me) will be ready and diligent in hopes
of getting some games in this weekend.
GSI LOOKING GOOD
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 GSI
has been in the league 3 out of the last 4 years. This year they have
played their best softball out of those 3 years. They beat the Highway
Homers, 13-1 and 8-3. The Masters Batters, the newest team in the
league, three weeks, and the Raiders, one of the oldest teams in the
league, 16 out the 18 years of Major Sports, played last night. The
Batters got the best of the Raiders in the first game, 19-14 and both
teams got a win in the second, because they had tied after 6 innings,
9-9.
My apologies to the Gas House Gorillas and the Weekend
Warriors for the condtions of Venetian Shore. The Town of Babylon does
not let me do it and it was very rough yesterday. It is amazing,
because they have a machine right in that little shack of theirs and
they do not have the common sense to take 5 minutes to do the field. I
have been there many a time and have been denied when I have asked to
do the field, as they sat in that shack in the middle of the day doing
NOTHING. I will look into it and will sneak over again if I have to.
WARRIORS AND APACHES SWEEP
TUESDAY, JUNE 16 It
was nice to see the sun for a change. The twilight division is moving
along with most of the teams getting all their games in even with this
wet weather. The Warriors met up with PCI Services and the Warriors
were on their game. They took two, 16-9 and 11-10. That second game was
a heart breaker for PCI. A one run loss. The Apaches in their third
year with Major Sports, are collecting some scalps. They took two from
Gios Pizza, 16-9 and 8-6. Gios has a nice team, but playing most of
their games on Tuesdays is tough, because some of the big guns play on
Tuesday, also. They always hold their own and will get their share of
wins as the season moves on.
SHAMROCKS, RENEGADES AND SILVER BULLETS SWEEP
MONDAY, JUNE 15 As
bad as the weather has been, we are still getting a lot of games in. To
me, that is all that matters. The Muck Dawgs took on the Silver Bullets
and the Bullets got the best of them for a two game sweep,18-6 and
11-4. The Shamrocks look good taking on a Damage, Inc. team. Two wins
for the Shamrocks, 14-2 and 17-2. The Renegades met up with the AC
Generals and took a pair, 15-6 and 22-16.
WE GOT THEM IN AGAIN
SUNDAY, JUNE 14 More
rain than I can remember and I have been doing this for 18 years. I
woke up early Sunday to look at the weather channel and looked at a
huge rain storm just passing north of Long Island. We lucked out. After
working on the fields all day on Saturday I would have been a little
annoyed if Mother Nature would have knocked out those games. However,
we played in the morning and by the afternoon it was a sunny day.
The
Kore and Diamondbacks split. The Kore, won, 6-4 and the Backs, won,
11-2. The Panthers are coming of age and playing real good softball.
They took two more this Sunday against a veteran Platinum Hits team,
12-6 and 20-9. Road Kill ran over Eight Men Out for two wins, 22-4 and
17-8. Blue Balls took the first game from the Outfield Pub, 15-12. The
Pub came back for a,9-7 win.The Rebels took two from UTI, 10-4 and
17-5. Prime Time and Butang split. Prime won, 13-6 and Butang won,
17-9. Friends on the field, friends off the field. Keep It Green and
the Brentwood Yankees split. The Green won, 3-1 and the Brentwood
Yankees won, 8-6. A big game was the Predators and Gorillaz. Two good
teams and both teams went home with wins.
In Nassau, the
Untouchables took two from their pals the Ballbreakers, winning, 13-1
and 13-1. Lock & Load and the Bellmore Knights split two good
games. Evolution came back to return the favor from two wet wins for
the Rockies over at Shell Creek in a rain soaked doubleheader. The
Rockies won in April and Evolution won today, 18-5 and 23-15. The
Diamondbacks got two wins from a depleted Raging Bulls team, who only
had 9 players. The Backs won, 22-16 and 21-0.
It was a long day
for the Heavy Hitters. They played 4 games to catch up with some of the
other teams in games played. Unfortunately, they dropped all 4 of them.
Losing two to Smithtown F.D. and the Bulldogs. McBrides took a pair
from Top Gun in a pair of good games. McBrides are coming on. Top Guns
were, 7-1 going into that doubleheader. JJK took two from 12 Angry Men.
The Degenerates took two, as did "5150". Old friends met up at for two
The Go Hards and the Beavers. The Go's won, 12-9 and the Beavers won,
13-3.
OSCARS AND RERUNS ROLL
THURSDAY, JUNE 11 A
wet, rainy week, but we got most of them in. Tuesday was the only wash
out. The fields were game ready last night and so were Oscars and
Reruns. Oscars took on Sportin Wood and won, 13-1 and 18-6. The Reruns
met up with Double R and took two from them, 10-5 and 5-4. Even with
all the rain this year, we are in good shape with the amount of games
played. A couple of teams are behind, but with the weather we have had
this could have been a real disaster. So far, so good.
RENEGADES & WEEKEND WARRIORS SWEEP
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10 After
a long afternoon of getting the fields ready we got them in. The
Weekend Warriors played the Horsemen and took two. Winning, 20-8 and
19-7. A note to all teams, if you get run ruled after the 5th inning
you do not get your final at bat if you are the home team. There was a
question about that in this doubleheader. The Renegades came out strong
and took two from the Master Batters, 14-0 and 18-4. Over at Venetian
the Gashouse Gorillas took the first game from Damage, Inc.,11-4 and
the Inc. came back for a stunning, 3-0 victory.
MONDAY, MONDAY
MONDAY, JUNE 8 The
week got off to a good start, I think Tuesday's games will be a washout
and Wednesdays could be rain-out mode too, we will see.
The
Warriors filled in for Chaos, who could not play, and took on a hot GSI
team. The Warriors evened up their record at 4-4, taking two from GSI,
16-7 and 13-1. The Muck Dawgs got back to playing softball and split
with the AC Generals, winning 18-6 and dropping the night cap to AC
18-17. The Shamrocks took the first game from the Silver Bullets 8-3,
and then both teams tied when time ran out 10-10. Both teams will get
wins for the tie.
SUNNY SUNDAY
SUNDAY, JUNE 7 After
the deluge on Friday, I knew my work was cut out for me on Saturday,all
day, and Sunday morning getting the fields game ready. The nice day on
Saturday dried the fields up and I did the rest.
M&V Limos
is out of the Sunday night league. They forfeited last week and after
me calling him 3 times, talking to the manager each time, but he kept
telling me that HE was HIS brother and that HE was not in. Thanks for
the money and enjoy the summer...
Road Kill met up with the
Gorillaz in a good match up. The Gorillaz were winning in the first
game but the Kill came up with a bunch of runs in the top of the 7th to
take the win. The Gorillaz came back for a, 10-6 win. It was nice
talking to the boys on Keep It Green. I asked them what the name meant
and they told me. Keep It Green and Keep Up The Good Work, guys. They
split with the Diamondbacks. The Kore took on their pals Butang. The
Kore is playing good softball and took two from the Tang, 28-5 and
12-7. UTI took two close games from the fun loving Brentwood Yankees,
12-10 and 7-6. Two good games. The Panthers came out real slow against
Eight Men,The Out had them in the first game until the 7th when
the Panthers got their hitting shoes on and put up 13 runs for a 20-8
win. They took the next game, 18-13. Blue Balls met up with Platinum
Hits. To competitive teams, two good games, one win each. The Balls
won, 12-9 and The Hits won, 18-7. Prime Time took two from the Rebels,
6-4 and 10-8. The Outfield Pub took two from their rivals the
Predators, 19-7 and 5-3.
In Nassau, the Bellmore Knigths are
playing the best softball they have ever played in this league. They
could always compete with any team, but this year they have cut through
some tough teams. They took two from the high flying Rockies, 9-4 and
7-5. They are now 8-0 Lock & Load took a pair from the
Ballbreakers, who were the Wizards of Oz. The Untouchables took a pair
from their dear friends the Raging Bulls, 18-7 and 10-9. Evolution and
The Meat played two and each team went home with a win. Evolution won,
17-5 and The Meat won, 12-8. The Nassau schedule is done and will go in
the mail on Tuesday.
Sunday night divisions had some nice match
ups. The Slackers and the Sluggers split at Brookwood Hall. Smithtown
F.D. took on The Go Hards and both teams went home with a win. The
Hards won, 7-6 and F.D. won, 7-6. Old fores the Denerates and JJK met
up and as it happens most times when two good teams meet up the teams
split the doubleheader. The D's won, 20-16 and Zillaz's won, 15-13.
McBrides took two from the Beavers, 18-12 and 19-18. "5150" split with
the Bulldogs. They lost 24-16 and won, 15-13. 12 Angry Men took on Top
Gun and the teams split. The 12 won, 12-10 and Top Gun came back for a,
8-7.
A little side bar. McBrides has been playing some good
softball lately. They have come back in the 7th inning of a couple of
their last wins. This week they won one of their games with a 2 out
homer in the bottom of the 7th. They may not have the talent they use
to have, as they brought to my attention, but they are having as much
fun as ever. Before it is all over, McBrides will be a team to contend
with.
WE GOT TWO IN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3 With
even a hint of rain on any given day the phone starts ringing. Is the
game on...Is it rained out... The rain is cominm, etc. etc. That is
what I do all day if there is a threat of games being rained out. I
just try and assess if I think we can get them in. Last night was a
good call for the teams that played in the south of Long Island.
Venetian and Brookwood Hall games were played. The Hidden Pond games
were not. All the teams mustered, as they should have, and we got in
two out of the three. The Apaches are playing good softball, they took
two from Damage, Inc. 24-14 and 16-15. The Gas House Gorillas met
up with a team that just got started, because of college, the Master
Batters. The House took the first game, 12-9 and the Batters came back
for a, 13-10 win for their first victory. The Highway Homers and
Raiders showed up at Hidden Pond, but decided it was to wet to play.
PCI SERVICES SWEEP
TUESDAY, JUNE 2 A
tough team that because of the days (day) they play most of their games
on, always matches up with a tough opponent, and that team is Gios
Pizza. Tuesday is their day and on that day most of the toughest teams
in Major Sports play. Oscars, Warriors and PCI Services. Now, there are
other teams in that Suffolk Twilight that are as tough as those teams.
However, all of those teams have Tuesday as their day and so does Gios
Pizza. PCI took both games, one was by the score of, 3-2 and the second
game was a barn burner, 17-14. Gios will win their share of games
before the season is over. The Renegades split with the Warriors. Two
low scoring games. The Warriors won, 4-3 and the Renegades won, 3-1.
SWEEP CITY
MONDAY, JUNE 1 The
first games of June, I just like saying that month, JUNE...It is
usually the end of the real nasty spring weather even though it is not
quite the summer solstice yet, that would be the first day of summer
June 20. Six teams played and three teams walked away with two wins.
All good games and all good match ups. The Muck Dogs got back to doing
what they love doing and that is playing softball on Monday nights. The
met up with Organized Chaos, who have played some tough teams their
last two weeks. So, it was a nice match up and the boys from Chaos took
two, 23-4 and 16-11. The Horsemen took on the AC Generals and they took
a pair, 17-5 and 7-5. The Horsemen's first sweep of the season. Up at
Hidden Pond Park GSI, who are playing as good as anyone in the twilight
divisions took two from a game Silver Bullets team, 14-10 and 15-10.
Let's hope the rain holds off for Tuesday.
BACK TO PLAYING SOFTBALL
SUNDAY, MAY 31 I
am always glad when May passes into history, because it is always a
busy month getting all the teams up and running and you never know if
it is going to be 85 degrees and sunny or 45 degrees and raining. Well,
the last Sunday in May was a nice one, but not the Friday leading up to
it when the rains fell and the winds whip. One or two fields were a
little slushy on Sunday, but we got the games in. My apologies to the
Rebels and Sluggers. Keep It Green only had half a team, so they
forfeited to the Rebels and M & V Limo called at 1pm to say they
would not have a full squad. I started calling the Sluggers manager at
1:15pm, put could not reach him. I kept calling and calling, but no
luck. The Sluggers showed up, but had to be told they had no game. They
were very nice about it and they told me their manager was in Cancun
and that is why I could not connect with him.
Also,
my thanks to the Rockies and Untouchables for going into Suffolk to
play. With a lack of one field in Nassau they were nice enough to make
the trip in. I get my field back in Nassau in a week, so now I can send
out the schedules to those Nassau teams. Once again, thanks to those
all managers and players for their kindness and patience.
The
Outfield Pub took two from Road Kill on a slushy field at Brookwood
South. They won, 11-6 and 15-7. The Predators had two much for Prime
Time, taking two, 21-5 and 12-2. UTI got back to playing ball and split
with Blue Balls. They won the first game, 13-4 and dropped the second
game to the Balls, 18-11. The Brentwood Yankees took the first game
against The Kore, 5-4 and The Kore bounced back for a close and well
played, 9-8 victory. Platinum Hits played their old foes, Eight Men Out
and both teams went home with wins. The Hits won, 16-9 and the Eight
won, 14-13. The Panthers have only been in the league for two years,
but in those two years have proved they can play with the best of them.
They met up with the formidable Gorillas and lost a hard played first
game, 17-12, but came back for a big, 13-6 victory in the second game.
The Diamonbacks and Butang, split their two games.
In Nassau,
Lock & Load dropped two to a tough Evolution team. These teams have
been going at it for 14 to 15 years. The scores, 13-11 and 9-6. Always
close games and good games. The Bellmore Knights had two much offense
for the Diamondbacks. They took two, 15-1 and 23-11. The Meat took two
from the Raging Bulls, 30-5 and 21-7. The Rockies won their games
against the Untouchables, 7-3 and 13-9.
The only scores I have
from the late games are the Degenerates taking two from the Heavy
Hitters, 16-5 and 96. JJK taking two from the Smithtown Fire
Department, 11-7 and 11-3. Down at Brookwood, 12 Angry Men beat The Go
Hards in the first game, 7-5, but Hards came back in the second game
for a sweet, 12-5 win.
SILVER BULLETS ARE PLAYING GOOD SOFTBALL
THURSDAY, MAY 28 The
Silver Bullets have come a long way in two short years. Last year they
played as Fed Ex and had a bunch of up and coming players, not a strong
team at all, but they could hold their own every now and then. This
year Vinnie Perri, the manager told me they had step it up a notch and
their schedule reflects his call for some more competition. So, far
this year they have split with two of the top teams in the Suffolk
Twilight divisions. They split with the Warriors, for years the
Bulldogs, and yesterday took a second game, 13-12 from the always
formidable Reruns. The Runs took the first game, 12-2. The Shamrocks
took two from Double R, 13-8 and 13-5.
GSI SWEEPS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 GSI
took on Organized Chaos and put up some offense against them. Organized
Chaos is a new team and with no point of reference you never know what
competition level they will be comfortable with. Anyway, GSI took two,
18-6 and 21-5. The Gas Hose Gorillas split with the Weekend Warriors.
They won the first game, 10-8 and the Warriors came back for a, 13-12
victory. The Horsemen and the Raiders split with the Raiders taking the
first game, 19-12 and the Horsemen came charging back for a, 10-9
victory.
UPDATE: APACHES TAKE TWO FROM PCI SERVICES
TUESDAY, MAY 26 Sometimes
you just get the scores wrong. With cell phones these days it is hard
to hear the scores. I made a mistake by saying the Apaches split, when
in reality they took two. They won that second game, 18-10. So, it was
a very good night to be an Apache!
NOTHING LIKE BEATING YOUR DEAR FRIENDs
TUESDAY, MAY 26 In
the annals of sports there is nothing like beating your someone you are
close to. Oscars and the Warriors met up last night, the Warriors are
last years Bulldogs, and both teams were juiced before, during and
after the games. Jay Finneran, one of the big dogs for the Warriors
plays with Road Kill, the old Oscars on Sunday morning. As do one or
two of his children. So, when the teams meet before the game it is
handshakes and pleasantries before the first pitch, but after that the
competitive fire starts to flame and it is, "Katie bar the door"...
Last night with good pitching from Gary Smith, Oscars took two, 10-3
and 17-7. As the sun set the teams mingled and reflected on a nice
night of softball among friends.
The Apaches thought they were
going to be out gunned as they got to the field. PCI has a formidable
team, put so do the Apaches when they play well. The Apaches drew first
blood and got a,7-6 win. Then PCI settle in and bounced back for a
18-10 victory.
THE NASSAUS SUNDAY SCHEDULES
TUESEDAY, MAY 26 All
the schedules have been completed except the Nassau Sunday morning
schedule. Since the beginning of the season we have been on a week to
week schedule, as were some of the teams in Suffolk County. At the
beginning of the year it is impossible for me to complete all the
schedules at the same time. So, my main priority is making sure all
teams know where they are going a couple of days ahead. All the
schedules are now done and sent out, if one or two teams do not have
them as of yet it is because I do not have their address. All the
schedules, except the Nassau Sunday morning schedule.
For ten
years the Town of Hempstead has given Major Sports at least one slot
with a 9:00am starting time(usually Seamans Park or Newbridge Park)and
on every other Sunday I have two slots with 9:00am starting times. This
year when I went to pick up my permits, I was told that they made a
mistake and handed out my allotment to someone else. Now, the
individuals who run the Town of Hempstead are the nicest and have
always gone out of their way to help me out and I am sure other
leagues, too. So, my first reaction was to just see what could be done
to work things out. They said they would reel some back in, but it
would be in the middle of June and on through the summer. They asked
that I call each week to find out if someone had given back a Sunday
morning field and if they did I would get it. However, week in and week
out for the last month there were no fields given back. Honest mistakes
are made and they said I would get my fields back next year, but this
year it has been a little disconcerting for me and the Nassau morning
teams. I few said they would not mind coming into Suffolk for a
doubleheader or two and we have done that. So, the update is I will
start to get my one and then two fields back soon enough. I have
Newbridge Park every Sunday at 1:30pm, but teams did not sign up for
and afternoon league and I understand that. So, I hope the Nassau teams
can bear with me for another two weeks and then I will start to get at
least one of the fields back each Sunday starting June 14(except, June
28) and on a few of those Sunday I will have two fields and Kennedy
Park for morning games. Thanks for your cooperation and I appreciate
the respect and patience you all have shown. So, I will call the teams
this week and get this schedule finished up.
TOP GUNS AND PLATINUM HITS SWEEP
MONDAY, MAY 25 There
were suppose to be four doubleheaders go off this weekend, three did in
Suffolk and the one in Nassau did not. The Top Guns took two from the
Slackers. The Top Guns started late because of some players in college,
so they made up a doubleheader. The Panthers split with the
Rebels and Platinum Hits took a pair from The Kore.
A NICE WEEK FOR SOFTBALL
THURSDAY, MAY 21 After
what seemed like weeks of rain, we had a great week of weather and all
the twilight teams got their games in on dry turf. Double R and the
Reruns took advantage of the great weather and posted two wins each.
Double R took on and beat Organized Chaos, 22-6 and 18-5. Organized
Chaos is a new team and I think I put them up against some teams that
were a notch better. I will adjust that schedule a little for them. The
Reruns took on Sportin' Wood, the hybrid ex Techno Cats team, made up
of some old and some new players. The Runs were the sporting wood on
this night beat S.W., 13-1 and 16-9. Likewise with Sportin' Wood, I
think I will have to adjust their schedule a bit. With a new team you
never know how they shape up until you see some scores come across.
Both teams will do fine as the season moves on.
DAMAGE, INC. AND THE RENEGADES SWEEP
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 Damage,
Inc. one of the few new teams in the Suffolk Twilight division took two
from the Raiders at Brookwood Hall. Winning, 11-10 and 8-7. Two good
games for Damage and the Raiders, even though the Raiders came up on
the short end of both games. My thanks to the Gas House Gorillas for
taking a bye this week at Venetian when they were schedule. They
vacated so that the Weekend Warriors and the AC Generals could get
their first games in against each other. The W. Warriors took the first
game, 17-5 and the AC took the second game, 5-4. The Renegades, last
years Brewers, have turned it up a notch. They added a few players and
took two from a formidable Highway Homer team, 14-4 and 16-3.
PCI SERVICES TAKE TWO
TUESDAY, MAY 19 PCI
Services met up with Gios Pizza and took a pair. Winning, 24-5 and
15-9. The Apaches got started after a couple of weeks of rain and the
Town of Islip going back and forth with field allocations. They played
Oscars and both teams went home with a win. The Apaches won the first
game, 10-9 and Oscars came back for a, 15-9 victory.
ALL TEAMS ARE UP AND PLAYING
MONDAY, MAY 18 After
what seemed like non stop rain for three weeks it looks like a good
week for softball. The Silver Bullets, last years, Fed Ex team, has
added some good softball players and are playing good softball. Any
team that can go toe to toe with the Warriors, last years Bulldogs,
shows that they are a solid team. The Warriors took the first game,
10-2 and then the Bullets came back for a. 15-4 victory. The Shamrocks
split with GSI, with the Rocks winning 10-2 and GSI winning, 15-3. Both
teams were without some of their good players, so it worked out fine.
The Muck Dogs got two wins because their opponent showed up with 7
players.
WE GOT A FEW GAMES IN
SUNDAY, MAY 17 I
was in Florida the whole winter and I think it rained five days in five
months. I have been here about 35 days and I think it has rained about
20 of those days. Even with all the rain we have still had the
opportunity to get a lot of softball in around the rain drops. Now, we
have been able to do that, because I have been able to work the fields
with the machine and get some of the fields just playable for some of
the games. In Nassau we got 3 doubleheaders
in during the morning and in Suffolk no games were played in the
morning. The Bellmore Knights are smoking. They took two from Evolution
last week and took two from Lock and Load this week. They beat Lock
& Load, 11-5 and 14-3. Evolution got in the winning column by
beating The Meat in two games, 9-7 and 7-6. The Raging Bulls played the
Wizards of Ox again, just because they match up well and they could in
Suffolk. What I did on Saturday was check out the small field at
Kennedy Park, the one on the left when you get to the fields. There is
that Little League fence in left at 210 feet, but 70% of that outfield
is open. Here is a little side bar for you, the old Polo Grounds where
the Giants use to play and the Mets played back in 1961 to 1963. Do you
know what it was down the foul lines? 259FT and 262ft.That was a Major
League stadium.So, that secondary field is short in left, but it is a
nice field. The Raging Bulls took two from Oz.
In Suffolk 3 doubleheaders were played in the evening, 4 doubleheades
had to be cancelled due to field conditions. The Degenerates took two
from M & V Limos, 10-9 and 6-4. The Bulldogs took it out on 12
Angry Men, winning, 15-0 and 12-0. The Top Guns got their first games
in with The Go Hards. They took two, 15-3 and 17-5.
Schedules are done and will go in the mail today and tomorrow and I
will call all the Sunday teams to see who wants to play this week. A
few teams will, must teams do not want to.
Have a nice Memorial Day weekend and think of and thank our men and
woman who defend us and who have defended us over the years of this
great country. As George Orwell, who wrote, 1984,said, " We can sleep
peacefully at night, because rough men stand ready in the night to
visit violence on those who would harm us." Well put, George. RERUNS AND SPORTIN' WOOD SWEEP
THURSDAY, MAY 14 We
got the games in around the rain and darkness. The Reruns won, 14-13
and 9-7 in two games. The second game did not go a full 5 innings so I
will work something out for the teams. Sportin' Wood, which in reality
is the core from the old Techno Cats, that is Lew Cordina and his sons,
took two from Organized Chaos,14-2 and 18-8.
GAS HOUSE GORILLAS AND HIGHWAY HOMERS WIN
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 The
Suffolk Twilight division is starting to get some games in. I hope I
can get them in on Thursday as rain is in the forecast. Last night the
Horsemen gave the Gorillas a fight in the first game, but lost a close
one 8-7. Then the Gas House got going and took the night cap, 18-6.
Thanks to Anthony and the Horsemen for making the trip to Venetian.
Anthony Manco is one of many real gentlemen managers. My type of guy.
Damage, Inc. a new team that is a pleasant addition to the league,
split with GSI. GSI took the first game, 15-14 and Damage can back for
a, 4-1 win. The Highway Homers met up with their rivals the Raiders,
taking two, 9-7 and 19-5.
SCHEDULES
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 First,
I want to thank all of the teams for their patience in waiting for
their final schedules. All schedules will be done by this Friday, May
15. I will be calling all Sunday teams for their games this week,
Sunday, May 17. Then I will be sending out those schedules that I do
not drop off on Sunday. For the Suffolk Twilight teams I will call them
for their games next week and drop off or mail out their final
schedules. It took a little longer to finish them due to waiting for my
final field allocations.Once again, I want to thank all the managers
and players for displaying their flexibility and patience.
All standings will be posted by Monday and updated two to three times a week.
WARRIORS TAKE THEIR FIRST TWO
TUESDAY, MAY 12 The
Warriors, last years Bulldogs, got off to a good start on a cloudy
night at Brookwood Hall. They took the first game, 9-1 and the second
one, 8-3. Two old foes, PCI Services and Oscars, met for a pair. PCI
took the first game, 9-8 and Oscars bounced back for a,12-10 win.
Twitter and Lance Armstrong: A Winning Strategy
 Lance Armstrong and friend Kevin Lynch training in Kona, Hawaii Also see: Mike's brother Kevin mentioned on Lance Armstrong's Twitter blog.
MAJOR SPORTS SOFTBALL 2009
THURSDAY, JANUARY
15
Well, gentleman, I hope you all had a nice holiday season as 2008 faded
into the history books. It seems like it was only yesterday when I
returned from a trip to Florida in 1992 and decided that I would start
Major Sports Softball. That was 18 years ago and over that span of time
3367 teams have played in Major Sports.
The evolution of softball on Long Island since 1992 has been epic in
more ways than one. First, back in 1992 there were so many more
softball leagues it was hard to believe. It seemed that every year
there were leagues that came and went with the bigger and
better ones getting most of the teams. At least 50 leagues have come
and gone since, 1992. If my memory serves me correctly without doing
any hard research, there must have been 30 to 40 softball leagues
operating each year. The big guns in those days were Wesco Sports,
Spartan Sports and Alliance, which did modified only. I know for a fact
that Spartan Sports had over 300 teams in one of their summer leagues
around 1986. Leagues came and went as fast as the pretenders who ran
them realized it was a work intensive running a good softball league.
I started in 1992 and I believe ABA Sports started the following year,
1993. My first year I did not start advertising my league until the
middle of February and I still got 90 teams for that first season. That
is 90 teams with no night teams. All the teams played on Sunday or
Twilight. Some of the fields I used were given to me as afterthoughts
by some school districts. Commack, Islip and Copiague gave
me fields that were like cow pastures and I went out there
with a roto tiller and turned three fields over completely. Those
fields were Long Acres in Commack, Copiague Junior High School and one
more that I cannot even remember the name of it. It was an Islip
elementary school on Commack Road.
New Alliance came around about the time I started and a league that
flew out of the ashes like the mythical Phoenix was Island Sports.
Island Sports was around for years going all the way back to the mid
and late 1970's. I think the gentleman who ran it was Joe Matarazzo. I
hope I got the name right. He ran it for a long time, but gong into the
mid 90's he did not have many teams at all. I think he may
have been down to 12 to 16 teams and then the late John Balbi took it
over from him and then Mike Alicea, who managed a team in my league for
a year or two, joined Balbi and now Island is a power house softball
league along with ABA Sports, Wesco and New Alliance. I am proud to say
that Major Sports can be included in that august company.
When I started Major Sports I promised myself I do would go the extra
yard for the teams to enhance the softball experience, because I played
in some dubious leagues to say the least and was appalled at how they
treated the teams and players. I put down the foul lines each week no
matter what field it was. I roto tilled 20 infields over he years until
I started getting better fields. I sent out a newsletter,The Rebel
Yell, that got better every year and that went out every week to every
team for years, until the next epic change... the internet.
As you all know now it seems like the 19th century as to what we were
doing only 10 years ago as to what we can do now by clicking
away. The computer and the internet have streamlined the
industry and now we all have so much information at our finger tips.
Sign ups, daily updates, paying by credit card over the internet and so
much more.
All the big softball leagues that operate now have to run good leagues
to compete with the rest. That has made it better for the teams and the
players. As I reflect, I remember writing down some things that winter
back in 1992 just before I started Major Sports. What is the perfect
softball experience day in and day out for a team? I wrote in my
manifesto that it was team going to a nice playing field with the
infield dragged and smooth with foul lines, knowing that there would be
a competitive opponent on the other bench, with a good umpire. Also
knowing that if something did happen that the manager could contact me
at any time and I could resolve that problem if one did occur. Finally,
at the end of the game, shaking hands with the opponent,
knowing that whether you won or lost that it was a joy to be playing a
game you love to play.
I am looking forward to 2009 and the softball season and I am sure you
are, too.
|
|
MAJOR
SPORTS TOP 25 1. Outfield Pub 2. Evolution 3. Degenerates 4. Oscars 5. Lock & Load 6. JJK 7. Bellmore Knights 8. Reruns 9. Gorillaz 10. Panthers 11. Predators 12. Warriors 13. Shamrocks 14. Platinum Hits 15. The Meat 16. Untouchables 17. Gios 18. Rebels 19. Renegades 20. Gashouse Gorillas 21. Double R 22. Damage, Inc. 23. Road Kill 24. 5150 25. GSI
|
|
|