News from the North, from Dirk McCall and the Crabbies:
Crabs season opener ends on a drop dead ball, 7-6 vs. Da Guys
Games this Sunday
Crabs vs. Ikaikas @ 12.30
Crabs vs. Menehune @ 2:15
read more www.eteamz.com/crabs
Archive for the ‘Leagues’ Category
Around Town, May 9, San Francisco
Monday, May 9th, 2005Four Top 25 Teams Square Off in Wisconsin Classic League Play
Monday, May 9th, 2005Any time four Top 25 teams (from the ISC rankings) square off, it is deserving of some attention. This past weekend, it was #5 Circle Tap, #14 The Bar on the Avenue, #17 Shoots/Townline, and #22 Happy Hollow, in Wisconsin Classic League play.
The weekend produced one upset, with #17 Shoots/Townline knocking off #5 Circle Tap in the final game, Tane Richardson picking up a 5-1 win. Perhaps the most exciting game of the weekend was an almost-upset, with The Bar on the Avenue falling to Circle Tap 8-6 in 9 innings. The Bar’s John Zipperer hit a home run in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game and send it into a 9th inning. Circle Tap’s pitcher Robbie O’Brien helped himself out by driving in a run in the 9th to pick up the win. Fastpitchwest readers will remember Circle Tap and The Bar as the “combined team” that won the 2005 AAU International Tournament in January. Circle Tap finished the weekend 5-1, ahead of Shoots/Townline at 4-2, The Bar on the Avenue 3-3, and Happy Hollow winless in six tries. The State of Wisconsin is becoming the fastball capital of the U.S., with six teams in the top 25, including the four mentioned above, and of course, the top 2, #1 ranked County Materials and #2 The Farm Tavern, of Madison, WI. It’s only fitting then, that the Badger state will host this year’s ISC World Tournament in Eau Claire, and the ISC-II Tournament of Champions just down the road in Chippewa Falls, WI. Eighty of men’s fastball’s finest teams.. (40 at the ISC and 40 at the ISC-II)
WI Classic League Results, Weekend of May 7-8, 2005 (Al’s Fastball)
Golden Horseshoe Fastball League season opener tonight
Thursday, May 5th, 2005Golden Horseshoe Fastball League season opener tonight (Al’s Fastball)
The Golden Horseshoe Fastball League is expanding to 14 teams this year, with 7 in each of two divisions. Thanks to my good friend Blair Setford, the league now has a permanent home on the internet, GHFL.ca. Another “must visit” website, chock full of information, stories, photos and more. Tonight’s opener features the Waterdown Hammer team against the Waterdown Coyotes. NAFA fans may remember Waterdown Hammer as the epitome of the “NAFA-3-game-guarantee” rule. In 2002, at Salem, Oregon, in the “A” division, the Hammer lost their first two games, but under the 3 game rule, they kept playing — winning 9 straight games with Tim Neil on the mound. They finished third, behind the California Crew and runnerup Rice Lake, Wisconsin. (Current So Cal Bomber Nate Devine was the Most Valuable Player that year, for the Crew, and while teammate Ed Gasper (now with the NorCal Mavericks) was the Most Valuable Pitcher)
Around Town, May 4
Thursday, May 5th, 2005Fred Hanker had two home runs in consecutive at bats last night in the Artesia league, (CA) driving in all 5 runs in his team’s 5-0 victory. The first was a towering drive to deep left field, landing somewhere in the vicinity of the South Street Deli, scoring three, while the second was a line drive into the right field corner, bringing home two. Hanker played like a veritable action figure. Leadoff batter, shortstop Andy Martinez had 3 hits, scoring two runs, while Andy de La Rosa had two hits including a triple that travelled nearly as far as Fred’s home run. Randy Clay was perfect in his three innings in relief. Fred’s Long Beach Black Sox will return to So Cal ASA Alliance league play May 21-22, 2005 in Lancaster, CA. Always something interesting at Fred’s Long Beach Black Sox website, if you haven’t visited lately. Check out this month’s “Hot Seat” interview with Dale Lopes. It’s in the “Sox News” section.
Around Town, April 20, 2005
Wednesday, April 20th, 2005The Guerreros (Damian and his dad Bennie) drove in all three runs as the Black Sox topped the Panteras, 3-1 in Artesia league play, Wednesday night. Damian drove in a pair of runs with an RBI single in the first and Bennie added an RBI single in the fourth. Damian also had a long double in the game, (and I do mean long), but has been relieved of his base coaching duties. You’ll have to ask him about that one.
And speaking of the Guerreros, they won Fred Hanker’s Black Sox contest for the month of March, for having the most hits among the competing duos. If you haven’t visited Fred’s Long Beach Black Sox team site lately, there’s lots of great stuff, including plenty of photos, and April’s contest, which pairs Black Sox players with a major league player in the “who’ll hit the most home runs contest”.
Not sure what Fred is putting in the team’s water, but no less than three Black Sox players have gotten engaged this year, including Dale Lopes, Dan Fleming and the latest, Chuck Chapel. No report on who might be next, but those Black Sox room reservations are getting larger all the time.
Bombs Away at Santa Fe Springs
Sunday, April 17th, 2005Ralph Trejo’s So Cal Bombers awed the fans at Santa Fe Springs with a prodigious display of power this weekend in SoCal ASA A/B league play, enroute to a perfect 5-0 record in SoCal ASA A/B league play. The Bombers defeated arch rival Team Rainey 4-2 Saturday afternoon, then pounded out 7 home runs Sunday morning against the NorCal Mavericks — including 3 in a row and 6 in one inning, and finished up the day with an 8-1 win over the “Young Bucks”, Clyde Bennett’s 23 and under team. Young Anthony Martinez (Amigos) looked strong in his season debut for the 23 and under “Young Bucks”, against upper division competition, shutting out the Bombers for 5 solid innings before the Bombers went to work in the final two frames.
Mike Butler homered for the Bombers on Saturday and Sunday, while Arturo Solano had two home runs in the 9am game against the Mavericks. Dan Winnick, Nate Devine and Jason Porto also got into the act, with homers for the Bombers on Sunday. Butler came up big Saturday against his former team (Team Rainey), hitting a solo home run to straight away center and making a spectacular diving foul line catch against Rainey to end an inning. In the “feature” game between the Southland’s top two teams, TeamRainey took a 2-0 lead, but the Bombers scored a pair to tie it, and two more for the win, as Tony Peeples pitched well down the stretch for the win, outdueling Rainey’s Bricklen Anderson.
The Bombers have dropped only one game all year, to Castlewood Utah, in the Las Vegas Spring Swing tournament, which they avenged with two wins in the championship of that tournament, and have two tourney titles to their credit already, in Norwalk, and Las Vegas, and look loaded for bear as they head to Red Rock in two weeks.
Team Rainey bounced back after Saturday’s loss to the Bombers, with wins over the River City Rockers and NorCal Mavericks Sunday, to finish 4-1 on the weekend. Team Rainey’s new ace, Bricklen Anderson tossed a 3 hit, 3-0 shutout over the Mavericks, with Ed Gaspar throwing well for the Mavs, yielding only two earned runs, and nothing after the third inning. The Mavs threatened in the 5th with runners at second and third before Anderson struck out the side.
Both the Bombers and Rainey will travel to St. George Utah in two weeks (April 30-May 1) for the Red Rock tournament. So Cal pitcher Mark Bennett, who pitched for his dad’s 23 and under team in Santa Fe Springs will join Portland CR/Adidas for Red Rock.
The River City Rockers and Raymar also competed in the weekend event at Little Lake Park,with Raymar picking up a win against the Young Bucks, while River City topped Raymar in their final game of the weekend Sunday morning. The Rockers have been a contender for the ASA “B” National crown the past several years, while Raymar finished 3rd amongst 70 teams at last year’s ASA “C” National, and were bumped up to the “B” division under ASA rules, and competing at the A/B level for the first time.
Watch the Morning Brief for a link to Maddy’s “Monday Night Photos” taken at Santa Fe Springs, and be sure to check the SoCal ASA website for more.
GHFL All-Stars to Play Australian Junior Men
Friday, February 25th, 2005My friend (and broadcast partner) Blair Setford sends the following news from the Ontario province in Canada:
[Niagara Falls, Ontario] – The Golden Horseshoe Fastball League is pleased to welcome the Australian Junior Men’s National Team to Niagara Falls, Ontario on Monday June 13, 2005 when the GHFL All-Stars will play the defending World U19 Champions.
Led by young hurler Adam Folkard, the Aussies will follow a day of sightseeing at one of the seven wonders of the world with a doubleheader at Ker Park in Niagara Falls against the best of the GHFL, one of Ontario top intermediate men’s fastball leagues.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to showcase some high quality fastball for fans of the game in the Niagara Region,” said GHFL President Blair Setford.
Several events are being planned to make the evening a special one for players and fans, including a possible webcast.
Stay tuned to the GHFL’s web site at www.GHFL.ca for further information.
Cheers,
Blair Setford
Golden Horseshoe Fastball League
www.GHFL.ca
mail to: blairjs@rogers.com