CAPE CODE CLASSIC SCHEDULED FOR LABOR DAY WEEKEND Tweet
9/02/10: The 16th Annual Cape Cod Classic will be held Labor Day Weekend on the fields of the Cape Cod Baseball League – the country’s premier amateur collegiate summer league.
This year’s Classic will showcase 14 teams from five states. Teams crossing state lines to participate include the Washington Monuments from Connecticut, the Merrimack Dodgers from New Hampshire, the Rome Dodgers from New York and the Burlington Black Sox from Vermont.
BACK FOR ANOTHER 100 INNINGS OF BASEBALL OVER COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND Tweet
9/02/10: The world's longest game continues 100 straight innings and lasts about 33 consecutive hours. To date, the annual game has raised $464,000.
The 100 Innings of Baseball Spectacular was born in 2004 with the arrival of Curt Schilling to the Boston Red Sox as a fundraiser for Curt's Pitch for ALS program to aid the fight against Lou Gehrig's disease. For the 7th Annual game in 2010, proceeds will support ALS and the Walter Bentson Scholarship Fund.
Date: Saturday, October 9, 9:00 a.m. through Sunday, October 10, mid-afternoon
FROM THE LOWELL NIGHT OTB, DIAMONDBACKS CROWNED CHAMPS Tweet
9/01/10: The Diamondbacks defeated the Mets, 9-7, at Holman Stadium in Nashua, NH to win the Lowell Night Over Thirty Basebabll Championship.
MANCHESTER-ESSEX MARINERS WIN 3rd STRAIGHT ITL TITLE Tweet
8/29/10: Last weekend at Evans Field in Rockport, the Manchester-Essex Mariners defeated the Rockport Townies in Game #4 by a score of 3-1 to clinch the north shore's Intertown Twilight League (ITL) Championship. For the Mariners, it was their 3rd straight championship. For the second time in the series, Steve Stout of the Mariners tossed a complete game allowing only 1 unearned run. Read more from the ITL Baseball article.
The 2010 Machester-Essex Mariners celebrate their 3rd straight championship.
(Credit: Desi Smith Photography)
OLDTIME BASEBALL GAME IS A BLAST FROM THE PAST Tweet
8/27/10: In the 17th annual Oldtime Baseball Game at St. Peter's Field in Cambridge, MA, starting pitcher James Greeley earned MVP honors after leading the home team, sponsored by Bejoian Family Trust, to a 9-2 win over the away team, sponsored by Abbott Financial. Along with a solid effort on the mound, Greeley also drove in a pair of runs to become the first player in Oldtime Baseball Game history to win the MVP award twice. Greeley has played in the game six times, dating back to 2005. Read more from the New England Baseball Journal article.
Lennie Merullo, Bill Monbouquette, Lou Merloni & Johnny Pesky.
(Credit: www.oldtimebaseball.com)
Alex Lee takes his mustache down the line during player introductions last night.
(Credit: Stuart Cahill, Boston Herald)
CARLSON CLUB WINS 2nd STRAIGHT PARK LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP Tweet
8/27/10: Carlson Club defeated Palmer Club to win the Boston Park League Championship for their second straight year, this time under the leadership of rookie skipper, Nick Faggas. In the series, Wandy Rosario saved three of the four victories, as Carlson took the series 4 games to 1 in the best of seven. Pablo Reyes took the series MVP.
BASEBALL INDUSTRY NETWORK CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY IN BOSTON Tweet
8/27/10: The Boston Baseball Industry Network annual conference was held last night at Genuine Interactive with many speakers from across MLB, MiLB and various baseball businesses. Tyrone Brooks co-founded the group, and spoke about careers in baseball operations, as well as strategies to break into field. Other highlighted speakers included:
Chris Kline (left) is the Northeast Area Scouting Supervisor for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He said he logged 108,000 miles in 18 months scouting!
Brian Porter, Director of Baseball Initiatives for MLB Advanced Media, gave a review of the challenges in working for a demanding boss and management staff under Chicago White Sox GM Kenny Williams.
Dr. Chrystal Denmark Porter is the Assistant Dean of Sport Science at Endicott College and warns that sports management jobs are extremely limited after receiving a degree, so line internships up before graduating.
The post-speech Q&A found the wine and beer flowing as fast as the conversations. Everyone was very candid and supportive. Thanks SupahFans for the photo.
SWAMPSCOTT SOX CAPTURE THE NORTH SHORE BASEBALL LEAGUE TITLE
Tweet
8/21/10: The Swampscott Sox were crowned North Shore Baseball League champions for the first time since 2006 with an 8-4 triumph over the Peabody Champions at Twi-Field in Danvers during the deciding Game 7. Prior, Peabody had won three straight titles, including the last two years against Swampscott in the Finals. Read the full article from the Salem News.
Peabody Champions' Ben Hart knocks fists with catcher Mike Giardi after finishing an inning.
Swampscott Sox starting pitcher Fred Cole releases some heat for one of his many strikeouts in the North Shore Baseball League title game.
(Photos from Mark Teiwes| The Salem News)
LEXINGTON BLUE SOX WIN 4TH STRAIGHT INTERCITY LEAGUE TITLE
8/19/10: The Lexington Blue Sox won the Intercity League title for the eighth time in their 16-year history after beating the Watertown Reds, 7-1, at Lexington High School in a 3-game sweep of the Best-of-5 series. Read the full article from the Lexington Patch.
(Photo from Jon Pelland | Lexington Patch)
COLLEGIATE SUMMER CHAMPIONS ARE KETTLEERS AND NAVIGATORS
8/13/10: We are fortunate in New England that two of the top NCAA sanctioned collegiate summer baseball programs in the country are in our back yards: The New England Collegiate Baseball League and the Cape Cod Baseball League. Congrats to our 2010 champions!
Cotuit Kettleers, Cape Cod League: The Kettleers capitalized on four Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox errors to cruise to a 6-0 win in Game 3 of the best-of-three series and capture their first title since 1999. Cotuit pitcher Nick Tropeano, didn't allow a hit and struck out seven over 6 2/3 innings. Read the full article from the Cape Cod Times.
North Shore Navigators, NECBL: The Navs claimed their first NECBL title with a dramatic win, 5-4, over the Danbury Westerners. The Navs took the lead for good in the bottom of the 7th inning when BC catcher Garrett Smith dumped a two-run double. Read the full article from the Lynn Daily Item.
Nick Tropeano pitches Kettleer shutout innings.
(Ron Schloerb/Cape Cod Times).
MABL & MSBL ALL-STARS TAKE A SPIN AT LELACHEUR PARK
8/07/10: The Boston Men's Baseball League held their 2010 MABL and MSBL All-Star Games today at LeLacheur Stadium in Lowell for the 10th straight year. LeLacheur is home to the Lowell Spinners, Single A Affiliate to the Boston Red Sox.
National 15, American 4, MSBL: The National League team, featuring a Heisman Trophy winner in Doug Flutie and a former Major League pitcher in Kevin McGlinchey, pounded out 17 hits and 15 runs on their way to beating the American League All-Stars. The hit parade was lead by Doug Flutie, George O'Conner and Dana Levensaler who each had 2 hits. Levensaler, who was also an MABL All-Star, led the team in RBIs with 3 followed by Rob Linn, Flutie and Stan Demartinis with 2 a piece. Tom Dowey pitched 3 innings of middle relief to pick up the win and Kevin McGlinchey pitched the ninth.
Atlantic 6, Bay State 2, MABL: Bay State took a 1-0 lead into the 9th inning. It was then that Atlantic bats came to life with 6 runs started by a hit by Eric Fuderman. Adam del Rio knocked in the tieing run with his 3rd hit of the game. Julio Gonzales, Anthony Tomoro and Steve Vaneeran also had RBI hits in the inning. Steve Shaw picked up the win pitching a scoreless 8th. Del Rio was the offensive star for Atlantic going 3-4 with an RBI. For the Bay State, Mike Cook struck out side in the 3rd while consistantly breaking 90mph on the gun.
Dana Levensaler strokes a hit for the Nationals.
Doug Flutie reaches for the MSBL All-Stars.
A BASEBALL LIFER, IN HIS OWN WORDS
8/02/10: A professional amateur is a guy who is an amateur baseball player for life. Nobody is that more than Steve Pinner, currently playing and managing the Boston Rangers in the Boston Men's Adult Baseball League.
Steve Pinner
The Professional Amateur
The Men’s Adult Baseball League was founded in 1993. Only one player remains in the league from that inaugural season: Steve Pinner. During Pinner’s 18-year MABL career, he has played with 11 different teams. Pinner’s desire to seek out more baseball, year after year, is what amateur baseball is all about. The following is Pinner’s first-person account of his eventful baseball career.
7/31/10: From Little League to American Legion, we have our Massachusetts State Champions!
East Longmeadow Post 293 ousted Milton Post 35 by a score of 11-3 behind the pitching of hurler Steve Moyers to complete a doubleheader sweep for the 2010 Massachusetts state American Legion baseball tournament title at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton. East Longmeadow (24-3) will represent Massachusetts at the New England Regional tournament in Middletown, CT beginning August 5. Read the full article in Mass Live.
The Southborough Little League team defeated the storied Peabody Western program 10-4 in six innings, capturing their first ever state Little League title and advancing to the Eastern Regional in Bristol, CT. Watch the Channel 7 TV segment.
Mike Ahmed congratulates Ken Morrisino.
(Republican file photo by Dave Roback).
2010 Little League Champions
Southborough, MA
PARK LEAGUE TAKES FANS, PLAYERS BACK... WAY BACK
7/31/10: Franz Strassman, the coach of Grossman Marketing, has his team fighting for a playoff spot in the Boston Park League. This is a great story on the oldest continuing amateur baseball league in the country. Below, Jim Murphy, a retiree from West Roxbury, enjoyed a free front-row seat for a game at Fallon Field in Roslindale. Read the full article from the Boston Globe.
(Photo from Dina Rudick/Globe Staff)
PEAPODY PLAYERS PLAY AT YANKEE STADIUM
7/29/10: Patrick Ruotolo (16yo) and Nick Turco (13yo) of Peabody played at Yankee Stadium for the Boston RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) sqad. Read the full article from The Daily Item.
Nick Turco photo from The Daily Item
CAPE COD LEAGUE MAKES DREAMS A REALITY AT FENWAY PARK
7/29/10: In the Cape Cod League All-Star Game, the West beat the East,5-0, before 10,470 fans at Fenway Park. For many amateur ballplayers in the game, this may not be their last chance to shine on a professional field. Below, Zach Wilson of the Wareham Gatemen slips safely into home ahead of the tag by Yarmouth-Dennis catcher Joe Pavone. Wilson was named MVP for the West. Read the full South Coast Today article.
Photo by Ron Schloerb/Cape Cod Times
BLIND BASEBALL?? YUP, AND THE BOSTON RENEGADES ARE BEASTS
7/25/10: The Boston Renegades Beep Baseball are the Beasts Of The East, having defeated Long Island, 13-3 in the Finals. This was the first ever Blind baseball tournament in New England as teams from Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania & Boston competed. Required to wear a blindfold so every player is equal, Boston Renegades' Joseph Ward (below) hits. Read more from the MetroWest Daily News.
BRAINTREE WHITE SOX WIN THE CRANBERRY LEAGUE
7/19/10: The Braintree White Sox won the 2010 Cranberry League Championship. The White Sox held off the Foxboro Knights 1-0 behind a shut out from CBL Pitcher of the Year CJ Hillyer at Rockland Stadium. Fives CBL teams will now play in the upcoming Stan Musial Tournament.
Thanks to standouts such as (above from left) Ryan Morgan, Roger Hill, Frank Curreri (named league MVP), and (at left) CJ Hillyer (named Pitcher of the Year), the Braintree White Sox took the Cranberry League title and are in the regionals. Read the Boston Globe article. (Photo ABOVE by Tom Herde for The Boston Globe.)
MABL ORIOLES WIN THE COOPERSTOWN CLASSIC
7/15/10: Led by pitcher Bo Gillette, the Orioles went 4-0 in this year’s 7th annual tournament to secure their first Cooperstown Classic title, ultimately outlasting a tough Ben’s Dream White Sox team in the finals by a score of 8-6.
Gillette was nothing short of legendary, garnering both a complete game win (against the Brockton Reds) and then a save (against the Diamond Baseball League Diamondbacks) on the tournament’s first day, only to come out of the bullpen on the following day in the Finals to throw another 3.1 innings and collect his second win of the tournament. The Orioles also were carried by timely hitting, particularly by first baseman Paul Solini (5-12, 6 BB, 2HBP, 7R) and pitcher/DH Jose De Los Santos (9-19, 3 2B, HR, 5R, 9RBI) who in addition hurled a complete game 4-hitter in the semifinals. The Boston Tigers and Boston Blue Jays from the MABL also participated in the 6-team tourney.
Mike Pollak of the White Sox
with the web gem of the tourney
2010 Cooperstown Classic Champions
Boston Orioles
NECBL NEW BEDFORD BAY SOX OUTLAST THE CANADIAN JUNIOR BASEBALL TEAM
7/15/10: The Canada Junior National Baseball Team, a team of 16-18 year olds, battled the New Bedford Bay Sox of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The Bay Sox won the game 2-0 in 7 innings.
New Bedford's Stephen Wells slides safely into second base with a steal when Canada's Justin Atkinson cannot hold onto the baseball during Wednesday's exhibition game at Walsh Field. Photo left from Mike Valeri/The Standard-Times.
7/10/10: The Park League's Edwin Pena makes the Boston Herald...
The sweet-swinging Pena, a 22-year-old Fisher College graduate, has cemented his name as an MVP candidate with half a season to go. Heading into the holiday weekend, the native of the Dominican Republic was leading the league in batting average (.460), RBI (26), doubles (nine), slugging percentage (.740), and OPS (1.231). Not surprisingly, Pena, a catcher with an above-average arm, enjoyed a recent pre-draft tryout with the Mets at Citi Field, although he did not get drafted.
7/09/10:US Military All-Stars 16, Yawkey League 6. Revere's Lalliberte homered to cut the lead to 8-6 at one point, but the USA's Ross Blondin hit a 3-run homer to effectively put the game away. MVP Doug Flutie went 1-3, with 3 RBI for USA, and also closed out the game at pitcher in the 9th.
Some other All-Star Games around town:
Cranberry Baseball League All-Stars 2, Boston Park League All-Stars 1. In a rain-shortened game over the the Boston Park League All-Star team at Campanelli Stadium. The game was called in the top of the sixth inning.
New England Baseball League All-Stars 10, Royal Rooters Baseball League All-Stars 9. Matt Prunier took MVP (3 for 3, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 2 IP, 2 K, save). Jason Encarnacao won the HR Derby.
Eastern Division All-Stars 10, Estern Division All-Stars 0. In the 17th annual New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game at Cardines Field in Newport, R.I., the West pounded the East. See College Baseball Blog recap.
DIAMOND DOGS WIN DOWNEAST CLASSIC
7/05/10: The 13th annual Downeast Wood Bat Classic was played 4th of July Weekend. The Southern Maine Men's Baseball League hosted this tourney in Portland Maine.
Fittingly, the Maine Diamond Dogs won the 2010 MSBL Downeast Classic, winning the championship game over the Seacoast MSBL 35s. Scott Ellis, of the BMBL was named tournament MVP.
Last year's winner, the Medford Mets of the Boston MSBL, lost in the semifinals to Seacoast. The Boston Red Sox, in the 25+ bracket, also fell short in the championship game to the Rome Bombers. The North Andover Thunder also participated in the 35+ division.
6/20/10: The Amateur Athletic Union is a baseball network that enables kids to play against a wider range of competition than what they could get by playing on their town team. Kids sign up nationally, and are placed onto local teams that travel to play each other. Typically, AAU provides kids a higher level of coaching than town baseball, as the coaches tend to be former athletes, as opposed to parents coaching their child’s team. These kids get to work out at top-notch facilities, and play against the region’s top talent. Many AAU players also play baseball on their local town teams to supplement their travel baseball seasons.
Pollard manages NE Stampede
Marc DesRoches plays for the Somerville Alibrandis of the Yawkey League and Easton Huskies of the Cranberry League. He manages the AAU RBI Hawks.
Jonathan Pollard Plays for the White Sox of the MABL and Malden Bulldogs of the Yawkey League. He manages the AAU New England Stampede. (shown left)
6/28/10: At historic Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, New York, the MSBL Wayland White Sox took both games of a doubleheader over the Cambridge Cantabs, 8-6. See box score from Game 1 and Game 2.
BOSTON GLOBE ANNOUNCES ALL-SCHOLASTICS
6/27/10: The Boston Globe has named their annual scholars and athletes of the year. See Boston Globe All-Scholastics going back to 2002. The top honors in 2010 went to the ballplayers below:
Eddie Campbell, Bridgewater-Raynam (D1) - A two-time All-Scholastic, Campbell hit .507 (with a .658 on-base percentage), slammed two home runs, knocked in 17 RBI, and stole 17 bases. His real value came as a pitcher, going 7-3 with 119 strikeouts in 66 innings and a 0.64 ERA as the OCL co-MVP.
Conor Ressel, Glouster (D1) - Ressel eviscerated opposing pitching, hitting .571 with two homers and 28 RBI after starting the season with 10 consecutive hits. The Northeast Conference MVP is one of the state's top running backs in football, a two-time hockey aall-star, and will attend UMass-Lowell in the fall.
Jamill Moquete, Madison Park (D2) - This four-year varsity starter has been the catalyst of the two-time Boston City League champions. He hit .405 with eight homers and 29 RBI, all with an injured shoulder that kept the third baseman from playing his natural position.
Brendan Doonan, Cohasset (D3) - Doonan anchored his champion team both at the plate (.330 batting average, 28 RBI), on the mound (6-0), and on the basepaths (21 stolen bases). He goes to URI with a .462 career average and has been a key player for the football and hockey teams.
MASSACHUSETTS HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONS
6/20/10: State Championships for Division 1, 2, and 3 were held yesterday for Massachusetts high schools at LeLacheur Park, home of the Lowell Spinners, Single-A affiliate to the Boston Red Sox. The Division 4 Championship game was held earlier this week at Frasier Field in Lynn.
Amherst pitcher Kevin Ziomek
Division 1: Amherst 3, Xaverian 2 Ziomek K's 17, leads Amherst-Pelham to D-1 state title. Catcher Steffen Herter, who dislocated his left shoulder in the second inning, returned in the seventh and rallied the Hurricanes. Sean Cunningham hit a game-winning, two-run double in the seventh as Amherst- Pelham Regional beat Xaverian 3-2.
[Read more from masslive.com]
Northbridge captain Ben Richards
Division 2: Northbridge 3, Duxbury 1 Northbridge High baseball coach John Demagian finally got his jersey washed in the best way — while he was still wearing it. Demagian received a celebratory postgame soaking from his players after the Rams captured the Division 2 state title with a 3-1 win over Duxbury today at LeLacheur Park.
[Read more from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette]
A.J. Bashaw for Norton
Division 3: Norton 7, Ware 4 A first-inning grand slam by Mike Twitchell and a 129-pitch effort by A.J. Bashaw led Norton to a 7-4 victory over Ware in the Div. 3 state championship game at LeLacheur Park.
[Read More from Boston.com]
Jamie Faber rips for Cohasset
Division 4: Cohasset 15, Matignon 3 Three of Cohasset’s first four batters reached to load the bases. Jamie Faber then ripped a triple past diving center fielder Colin Smith to make it 3-0, and the floodgates were opened. Cohasset stunned underdog Matignon with 11 runs in the first inning leading to a 15-3 victory at Fraser Field.
[Read More from the Patriot Ledger]
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES DRAWS TO A CLOSE FOR GREATER BOSTON TEAMS
5/31/10: Update on College World Series performance by local teams:
Division 3: The UMass-Boston Beacons lost to Linfield (OR), 12-0, on Friday May 28 and to University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, 13-3, on Saturday to get elminated from the Division 3 College World Series.
Division 2: Franklin Pierce was eliminated from the CWS semifinals with a 6-3 loss to California-San Diego.
Division 1: Boston College finished 1-2 in the ACC Tourney. The highlight was Game 2 vs. Miami where after overcoming a 10-5, 9th inning deficit, BC won 12-10 in the 12th inning on a walk-off homer by Andrew Lawrence. The Eagles were not selected for the NCAA Tourney when the 64-team bracket was announced today.
LOCAL TEAMS AWAIT COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
5/25/10: The College World Series is about underway, and just one local college remains from each of Divisions 1, 2 and 3.
Division 3:Tim Fontaine hit a go-ahead two-run home run as part of a five-run fifth inning to propel the seventh-seeded UMass Boston Beacons baseball team over top-seeded Tufts University, 12-6, to capture its first-ever NCAA New England Regional Championship at Eastern Baseball Stadium in Mansfield, CT. The Beacons have won a school-record nine straight games and 15 of their last 17 to improve to 32-15 on the season.
Division 2: The Franklin Pierce Ravens (NH) lose their first Series game to Kutztown (PA) in the bottom of the 12th inning. Though Jose Macias did not allow an earned run over eight innings against Kutztown on Sunday, junior Brett Wigder blooped a single off Brian Maloney to give his team a 2-1 victory. With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 41-16-1 and face elimination.
Franklin Pierce will play Minnesota State at Cary, NC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex at 3:00PM on Tuesday, May 25 in the Division 2 College World Series.
Division 1: The Boston College Eagles team have earned the eighth seed in the 2010 ACC Championship and will face top seeded and top ranked Virginia in the opening game of the tournament on Wednesday, May 26 at 12:00PM at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, NC. As the eighth seed, the Eagles have been placed in Division A with the Cavaliers, fourth-seeded Miami and fifth-seeded Florida State. Division B consists of No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Georgia Tech, No. 6 Virginia Tech and No. 7 NC State.
BRIAN BAUDINET OF UMASS LAUNCHES 4 HOMERS IN A GAME
5/02/10: On Sunday, Brian Baudinet carried the UMass Minutemen to a series-clinching victory over George Washington, becoming the first player in over 130 years of UMass baseball to hit four home runs in a single game. Baudinet drove in half of UMass' runs in the 14-13 win, going 5-for-5 in the contest and scoring four times. His record-setting homer in the eighth proved to be the deciding run. He was then named co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and is one of the Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week, according to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Take a peek!
NORTHEASTERN and BOSTON COLLEGE ADVANCE TO BEANPOT FINALS
Huskies at the Beanpot
4/15/10: The Northeastern University Huskies will look to defend their Beanpot title against the Boston College Eagles on Wednesday, April 21 at 7:00PM at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, MA. From Round 1 action:
Northeastern 8, UMass 5 - For NEU, JT Ross shined on the mound, tossing six innings of three hit ball while allowing no earned runs. Brendan Stokes smashed his first home run of the year and Jon Leroux, Matt Miller and Frank Compagnone added RBI doubles. [more]
Boston College 10, Harvard 9 - Harvard scored five times in the top of the ninth but left the bases loaded as BC held on to win. For BC, Matt Hamlet went 2-for-3 for the Eagles with two doubles, two RBI and a pair of runs. Mickey Wiswall hit his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot. Garret Smith hit a two-run double and Brad Zapenas went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. Kevin Moran got the win in relief, throwing 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball and allowing one hit. [more]
BOSTON BASEBALL BEANPOT TOURNEY RETURNS TO CAMPANELLI STADIUM
4/07/10: The Brockton Rox will be hosting the Beanpot tournament at Campanelli Stadium once again in 2010, with the baseball teams from Boston College, Harvard, Northeastern and UMass Amherst participating in the two-day event.The teams will each play one game on Wednesday, April 14 and Wednesday, April 21. Purchase tickets to the Beanpot Tourney.
BC plays in the ACC and is 12-15, Harvard plays in the Ivy League and is 8-14, Northeastern plays in the Colonial Athletic Conference and is 6-12, and UMass Amherst plays in the Atlantic-10 and is 2-15. Last year's Beanpot Title was captured by Northeastern.
2010 Beanpot Tourney
DIAMOND BASEBALL LEAGUE TO BEGIN PLAY IN 2010
Diamond Baseball League
3/27/10: Welcome to the Diamond Baseball League, who begins play in 2010. The new league has 8 teams across the South Shore playing doubleheaders each Sunday. Teams hail from teams from Brockton, Easton, Middleboro, Taunton, East Bridgewater, Dorchester, Avon, Quincy, Randolph and Boston. The league is actually a restructuring of the former Massachusetts Independent Baseball League, which is now defunct.
STYLE BOSTON TAKES A DETOUR WITH SOUTH SHORE BASEBALL AND THE MIBL
3/17/10: New England Cable News ran a "Detour" segment featuring various BABN members. Anchor Chris Talanian is excited that the weather is warming up and that baseball is back in Beantown. With ball on the brain, he heads over to the South Shore Baseball Club in Hingham. President and CEO Frankie Niles is there to help Chris get back in the baseball form. Then, with his swinging down pat, Chris goes to Brockton to James Edgar Playground. Chris knows that defense wins championships and with the help of the Brockton Reds and Frank Alexopoulos, President of the Massachusetts Independent Baseball League, he could be well on his way to getting a championship ring!
NEW ENGLAND BASEBALL JOURNAL ENHANCES AMATEUR BASEBALL COVERAGE
New England Baseball Journal
3/07/10: Have you read New England Baseball Journal yet? They are new to the Boston Baseball Community and have monthly coverage on amateur, high
school, college, minor league and Major League Baseball. Magazines are free at batting cage locations and $3.99 at newsstand.
The Boston Amateur Baseball Network's Brett Rudy will be contributing a column each month. Read the first column on local amateur leagues coming together. The article includes interviews with Park League president, Walter Bentson, Massachusetts Independent Baseball League president, Frank Alexopolis, and Boston Amateur Baseballers' Union president Dan Weldon.
Other amateur coverage this month includes a 2010 New England College Preview of Division 1, 2 and 3, as well as coverage of high school baseball.
Next month's Boston Amateur Baseball article will focus on how successful managers prepare for their season, with interviews from two managers who know how to win league titles. Visit http://www.baseballjournal.com.
CAL RIPKEN, JR. HOLDS SUCCESSFUL CLINIC FOR BOSTON BASEBALL COMMUNITY
2/20/10: Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. hosted a clinic for adult amateur baseball coaches and enthusiasts at Milton High School. Cal Ripken, Jr. was joined by his brother Billy, and former MLB pitcher John Habyan. The day began with a VIP Breakfast where Cal detailed the experience of his Ripken Baseball Camps in South Carolina and Maryland. The remainder of the day was filled with interactive clinics on pitching, hitting and defense - all the Ripken Way.
Mike Moyer of the Boston Braves was the Boston Amateur Baseball Network lucky winner of a breakfast with Cal. When the clinics began later that morning, many amateur athletes got to participate. Ryan Bere of the MABL Blue Jays & Yawkey League Cyclones got to participate in fielding exercises, while Earl Murphy of the MABL Tigers got to take some soft-toss with Billy Ripken with tips from Cal. The event concluded with autographs and one-on-one conversation with the MLB stars, Cal, Billy and John. (Billy even admitted that his controversial 1989 Fleer baseball card was indeed staged!) The day was truly a best-in-class event, and the clinic was top notch. See event photos here. Below, you can see the Ryan Bere's interview with Cal Ripken, Jr., where they discuss his camps, clinics and amateur baseball. You can also watch Earl Murphy of the MABL Tigers take soft toss from Billy Ripken while being critiqued by Cal Ripken, Jr.
CARIBBEAN WINTER BASEBALL TOURNEY BRINGS A TASTE OF SPRING
2/15/10: Three teams from the Boston Men's Baseball League competed in the 16th Annual MSBL Caribbean Winter Baseball Championship in Puerto Rico beginning over Valentines Day weekend. The Rhode Island Cardinals won the 35+ division, going 5-0 in pool play and sweeping the playoffs. Congrats! The New England Bandits and Dorchester Dodgers each went 1-4, also representing Boston in this 5-game stadium tournament played in Puerto Rico.
2010 MSBL Caribbean Winter Baseball
Richard Pacino pitches for New England Bandits
(Photo credit: Richard Pacino)
INAUGURAL BASEBALL NETWORKING EVENT, HOSTED BY GRIP N' RIP
2/12/10: Last evening, Grip N' Rip hosted the largest amateur baseball league event to ever come to Boston in an effort to bring the baseball community together and raise funds for Kevin Youkilis Hits for Kids.
More than 200+ adult ballplayers were in attendance. Amongst the guests were the leadership of many amateur baseball leagues, including Kyle Provost of the Royal-Rooters Baseball League who oversaw the event raffle, Walter Bentson, president of the Boston Park League, Dan Weldon, commissioner of the Boston Amateur Baseballers’ Union, Frank Alexopolis, new president of the Massachusetts Independent League, Vinny Bertrand of the Boston Amateur Baseball League and Matt Englander of the Boston Men’s Baseball League.
Booths were set up for a dozen baseball businesses, including Barnstable Bats, Glove Inc., SupahFans Streetwear, and Checkswing.com - to name a few. Former Boston Red Sox GM, Dan Duquette was on hand to answer questions on all things baseball.
Participants also had a chance to hit in a Boston Red Sox' visiting team batting cage at Fenway Park. Read the article Boston Sports U18 wrote on the event.
Former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette interviewed
Baseballers Scott Miller, Matt Englander and Steve Pinner
BOSTON TEAMS PARTAKE IN DISNEY HOLIDAY CLASSIC IN FLORIDA
1/17/10: Three teams from Boston played in Florida over MLK Weekend to compete in the 11th Annual MSBL / MABL Disney Holiday Classic. In pool play, the Boston Wolfpack went 3-0 in the 45+ Division, the Boston Braves went 0-4 in the 35+ Division, and the Boston Cutters went 2-1 in the 18+ Division.
The Wolfpack became Age 45+ Champs for the 5th time, defeating the San Antonio Brewers, 3-0 in the Finals. The 'Pack defeated the Orlando Blazers 15-1 in the Semifinals after going 3-0 in pool play with wins over the Atlanta Braves 9-3, the Orlando Blazers 12-4, and the LA Crude 18-3. In the Age 18+ Division, the Cutters advanced to the playoffs, where the were defeated 13-10 in the semifinals by the Tampa Bay Shockers. The Shockers had also beaten them in pool play, 5-1. The Cutters had previously defeated the Philadelphia Yankees 22-1, and the Orlando Padres 9-5. Tony Ramos was the standout, having launched a grand slam.
Boston Cutters' Slugger Tony Ramos with Grand Slam
2010 MABL / MSBL Disney Holiday Classic in Florida
CHARITY EVENTS HIT BOSTON: NEW STARS FOR YOUNG STARS & HOT STOVE COOL MUSIC
1/09/10: It was a philanthropic day in Boston as Red Sox players were all over town giving back to the community. In the morning, the 5th Annual New Stars for Young Stars event ran flawlessly at Jillians to benefit the Jimmy Fund. This autograph-signing event provided a unique and memorable opportunity to meet and greet some current and former players, such as Manny Delcarmen, Josh Reddick, Curt Schilling and Trot Nixon. See more from the Boston Herald's Inside Track.
Then that evening, the 10th Annual Hot Stove Cool Music event was held at House of Blues to benefit the Foundation To Be Named Later. In the house were State Radio, Tinted Windows, Low Anthem, Theo Epstein, Peter Gammons and the Hot Stove All Stars with Bill Janovitz, The Dropkick Murphy's Ken Casey, Letters to Cleo's Kay Hanley, Bronson Arroyo, Mike O'Malley. Watch a short clip of Theo jamming on WHDH.
Manny Delcarmen cues up at New Stars for Young Stars.
Photo credit: John Wilcox, Boston Herald
Sox GM Theo Epstein rocks out to some cool music.
Photo credit: WHDH, Channel 7
