The Boston Amateur Baseball Network draws amateur baseball players from across Metro Boston together. Keep up with local amateur baseball news, review the Boston Amateur Baseball League Directory, find a collegiate baseball program, explore local batting cages, check Upcoming Events, and more.

PLAY BASEBALL IN 2010

1/20/10: Looking for an amateur baseball team for the 2010 season? Now is the time to Sign Up for 2010. Your name will be added to our database and made available to more than 300 adult baseball teams in the metro-Boston area. Don't delay, as most teams fill the bulk of their roster in the winter months!

CAL RIPKEN, JR. IS STREAKING TO BOSTON FOR AMATEUR BASEBALL SESSION

1/20/10 Cal Ripken, Jr. himself is hosting a clinic for adult amateur baseball coaches, players and enthusiasts. Cal will be joined by his brother Bill Ripken, and former MLB pitcher John Habyan. The day begins with an introduction to The Ripken Way and focuses on the specific instructional blocks regarding core aspects of the game: pitching, hitting and defense. The price of admission is $99 ($75 for BABN members), and includes a catered lunch, a comprehensive take-home instructional manual, and other giveaways and prizes.

When & Where: Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 10:00AM to 4:00PM at Milton High School

One attendee from the Boston Amateur Baseball Network will be selected to have breakfast with Cal Ripken prior to the clinic. To enroll, select ATTENDING to the Cal Ripken Event in Facebook. You MUST ALSO email Sean Grode of Ripken Baseball to receive the reduced rate and your chance to have breakfast with Cal Ripken. Book now, as space is limited.

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.

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.

HIGH SCHOOL PROPSECTS GET LESSON FROM FORMER RED SOX HITTING COACH, PAPA JACK

12/06/09: Former Boston Red Sox Hitting Coach Ron "Papa Jack" Jackson recently partnered with JMJ Bat Company and invited Jonathan Pollard, President of The Stable Baseball Academy to JM Sports Academy in Walpole to discuss hitting. Pollard brought two members of The Stable, Jeremy Roberts of Malden Catholic and Sean Loughran of St. John's Prep, to try out the new Hitting Mat designed by Papa Jack. Papa Jack coached the two on hitting for 2 1/2 hours and agreed to visit Extra Innings Woburn to work with more members of The Stable on Monday Dec 7.

WINTERBALL A SUCCESS FOR TOYS FOR TOTS, NOT FOR SANTA

12/05/09: For the 9th straight year, the Boston Men's Baseball League hosted amateur baseball players throughout the Boston area to take part in Winterball, a freeze-fest baseball game held to benefit Toys for Tots and the United States Marine Corp. Temperature was 42 degrees at game time with a steady mist. The field was muddy and the turf was a mess. But more than 50 athletes, two umpires, and about two dozen fans were in attendance to watch Team Rudolph defeat Team Santa, 8-6. Patrick Slattery of the Boston Fire Department was on hand to address the athletes, collect more than 50 toys, and delivery the Ceremonial First Pitch. Read more.

YAWKEY HALL OF FAME & AWARDS BANQUET COVERS 2008 & 2009

11/25/09: Over the weekend, the Boston Yawkey League celebrated their last two seasons at the IBEW HALL in Dorchester. Honored were the 2009 Champion West Roxbury Bluefish and league award winners and Hall of Fame inductees from the prior few seasons. Tony Iafolla of the Brighton Brewers received the MVP Award, Jason Paul of the Malden Bulldogs received Cy Young, Matt Deeb of the Brighton Brewers received Rookie of the Year, and Sean "Skip" McCarty received his 2nd Manager of the Year for leading the West Roxbury Bluefish to consecutive titles. Join their Facebook Group and see 300+ photos!

WINTERBALL FREEZE-FEST FOR TOYS FOR TOTS - SIGN UP NOW!

Winterball 2009

11/19/09: Boston Baseball is pleased to announce the 9th Annual Winterball Extravaganza. This will be the 6th straight year this freeze-fest baseball game has been held to benefit Toys for Tots and the United States Marine Corp. The 9-inning game will be played Saturday, December 5 at 11AM at Boston English High School - snow or shine! To participate, each athlete is required to bring a new unwrapped toy for a child in need as their entry fee. Winterball stories from prior years can be found here. RSVP via Facebook or email me. The game is hosted by the Boston Men's Baseball League, though any athlete aged 18+ is welcomed to participate.

MABL'S JAY SARTORI NAMED DIRECTOR OF BASEBALL OPERATIONS, WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Jay Sartori MABL Red Sox 1998-2002

11/16/09: Boston Men's Adult Baseball League veteran, Jay Sartori, was named as Director of Baseball Operations for the Washington Nationals this afternoon. Jay played for the MABL Red Sox in from 1998-2002 during which time he batted .244 and compiled a 5-6 record on the mound with a 4.99 ERA. Sartori worked for the Commissioner's Office as salary and contract administration manager in Major League Baseball's labor relations department before accepting his position with the Nationals. [See full mlb.com article].

CAPE COD LEAGUE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION WELCOMES GREG VAUGHN, OTHERS

Greg Vaughn Cotuit Kettleers 2009 CCL H.O.F.

11/15/09: The country's most prestigious summer college baseball league inducted its 10th class yesterday at Chatham Bars Inn, headlined by Greg Vaughn. Bobby Valentine spoke at the morning brunch. ESPN's Peter Gammons was the first speaker at the induction ceremony. Former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette and Boston Amateur Baseball Network member was there to present Vaughn. [See full Cape Cod Online article]. Greg Vaughn, the 1985 Cape League MVP while playing with Cotuit Kettleers, also helped the team win two Cape Cod Baseball League titles. Vaughn then enjoyed a 15 year MLB career (1989-2003), which included four All-Star Game appearances. He hit a career high 50 home runs in 1998 as a member of the San Diego Padres.

NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES WIN NEW ENGLAND CLUB BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

11/01/09: The New England Club Baseball Association held it's final playoff games this weekend. Congratulations to Northeastern University for winning their third straight NECBA championship, defeating Bridgton Academy, 9-6. Northeastern had defeated Fairfield University, 8-7, to advance to the Finals, while Bridgton Academy had defeated Boston University, 6-0, to earn their birth. The finest collegiate club baseball New England has to offer is officially concluded for the season.

BOSTON MEN'S BASEBALL LEAGUE HONORS THEIR BEST

10/31/09: Earlier this week, the Boston Men's Adult Baseball League celebrated their season at The Greatest Bar. The Cutters and White Sox received awards for their season, and the league's top players were recognized. Jonathan Pollard of the White Sox received his 3rd straight MVP Award, Rich Wlodarczyk of the White Sox received Cy Young, Omar Ortiz of the Dbacks received Manager of the Year, and Jose De Los Santos received Rookie of the Year.

BEN'S DREAM BASEBALL BASH BRINGS LEAGUES TOGETHER FOR CHARITY

10/19/09: On Saturday, October 17, the Men's Adult Baseball League's Ben's Dream White Sox battled the Yawkey League's Brighton Brewers in a double-header at Moakley Park in South Boston. The charity baseball event was organized to raise research dollars and awareness for Ben's Dream: the Sanfilippo Research Foundation.

In Game 1, Anthony Tomaro of the White Sox and Brewers pitched a 9-inning complete game for the Sox to beat Brewers ace and Cy Young candidate Kevin Christina, 6-4. Mike McLaughlin's 2-run single in the first gave the Sox a lead they would not relinquish. Game 2 featured former White Sox great Al Wiesner going up against the Brewers' Sean Tupper. The Sox held a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 7th. Tony Iafolla led off the inning with a single. After a Mike Pollak sac-fly tied the score 4-4, Iafolla mysteriously re-appeared in the batting order in the 5 spot to hit a walk-off single and earn a split of the Ben's Dream Baseball Bash.

2009 Ben's Dream Baseball Bash Participants: Ben's Dream White Sox vs. Brighton Brewers.

Former White Sox player, Al Wiesner, returns. Event organizer, Mike Pollak, does the catching.

SANDLOT TOURNEY WON BY D-BACKS OF THE MEN'S ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUE

10/18/09: The inaugural Sandlot Tourney featured 4 teams over the weekend: The Padrinos from the Men's Senior Baseball League, the Hit Squad from the Lowell 30+ Baseball League, the Diamondbacks from the Men's Adult Baseball League, and the Eagles consisting of players from Lawrence and the surrounding area.

The D-backs won the championship 8-3 over the Padrinos. With the D-backs down 3-2 in the bottom of the 6th inning with the bases loaded, Hector Marte hits a 2-RBI single en route to the victory. Nelson Castillo notched the Game 1 win with 11 K's while Joshua Valerio notched the Championship win with 10 K's. Omar Ortiz batted .429 in the tourney and Julio Gonzalez was dominate behind the plate. Marte was named Championship Game MVP for his GWRBI.

Sandlot Tourney Won by MABL Diamondbacks.

BOSOX CLUB HONORS BOSTON'S FINEST BALL CLUBS

10/09/09: The West Roxbury Bluefish, champs of the Yawkey Baseball League, were honored by the BoSox Club at its annual awards luncheon on Friday, Oct. 2. Also honored were the city champs from the Park and Intercity leagues, Carson Club and the Lexington Blue Sox, respectively. Plus, recognized for their 2009 accomplishments were the Peabody Little League team, BC High, Boston College and URI, the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League, Newburyport Post 150 American Legion and Norwood Babe Ruth. Mike Lowell was the featured speaker and honored as Man of the Year. The Bluefish were warmly hosted at their table by Maureen Cronin, daughter of Red Sox Hall of Famer Joe Cronin.

Yawkey League Champs: West Roxbury Bluefish Al Becker, Larry Charbonneau, Sean McCarty & Sean Glavin.	Boston Park League Champs: Carlson Club Walt Mortimer, Owen Carlson & Josue Feliciano.

THANKS TO CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, WE HAVE LOTS OF BASEBALL COMING UP!

10/08/09: There's lots of baseball this Columbus Day Weekend!

New England Red Sox Vie For Women's Baseball Title
The best women baseball players in the country will come to Huntingburg, Indiana on Friday, October 9-12 to determine the American Women's Baseball Federation national champion. Five teams will compete for the title, including the New England Red Sox from Boston, who have won the national tourney five years in a row. Coming from Chicago are the Pioneers and the Stealth, the PacWest Wildcats from San Francisco and the Washington, D.C. Thunder. The Sox will open defense of their title in the 11:30 a.m. game.

The New England Sox Women's Baseball Team was established in September of 2004 by Janet Miller and Keri Lemasters, with the support of Coaches Kevin Marden and Jonathan Pollard. Since 2004, the NE Sox have compiled an unprecedented record of 63-3. The Sox have won nine Championships, five of them National Championships.

UPDATE: New England Red Sox go undefeated, ultimately defeating the DC Thunder 2-1 to take their 6th National Championship!

Janet Miller fires away.

Stephanie & Kira Wagar display a recent Cup.

	Western Mass Wood Baseball League Tourney Beginning October 10, this 30+ tourney showcases up to 8 teams across 2 four-team brackets. Each team will play a minimum of 3 games with the winner of each bracket meeting for the championship. Games will be played at Holyoke Community College, Booster Field (Easthampton) and Daley Field (Easthampton). Learn about the WMWBL.
	4th Annual Central Mass Fall Classic What began September 26 resumed October 10 after multiple weekend rainouts. The 4th Annual Central Mass 40+ Fall Classic showcased the Central Mass Storm defeating the Boston Wolfpack in the Finals, 12-0.
	The Ben's Dream Foundation: Baseball Bash The Brighton Brewers of the Yawkey League will take on the Ben's Dream White Sox of the MABL in a doubleheader weekend series to raise research dollars and awareness for Ben's Dream: the Sanfilippo Research Foundation. Gams will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17 beginning at 10am at King in South Boston. Each player must raise a minimum of $100 for Ben's Dream to participate. All current and former Brewers and White Sox players are eligible to play. UPDATE: MABL Ben's Dream White Sox take Game 1, 6-4. Anthony Tomaro, who plays for both teams, notched the Sox win. The Yawkey League Brighton Brewers won 5-4 on a walkoff single by Tony Iafolla in Game 2.

MYSTERY CAFE PRESENTS: MAJOR LEAGUE MURDER

10/08/09: The Mystery Cafe hosts "Major League Murder" - a murder mystery dinner theatre. Have dinner and a murder! Sat., Oct 10 @ 7:30PM -- The Elephant & Castle, Boston, MA ($49.95/ea. - get tix) Sat., Oct 17 @ 7:30PM -- The Charlie Horse, West Bridgewater, MA ($39.95/ea. - get tix) The dust has settled from all the allegations, the scandals have cleared and now one of the greatest pitchers to play the game, Roger Lemons is finally ready to make a triumphant return to the Boston Green Monsters! Everybody who’s anybody will be at the celebration dinner… including you! But right off the bat the celebration gets thrown a curveball when there’s a murder in the midst of it all and not just any murder… a Major League Murder! Don’t stay safe at home when you can get out, step up to the plate and take a swing at solving this case and prove you’re really on the ball. Join us for a night that covers all the bases.

AMATEUR BASEBALL HITS THE BIG SCREEN: TOUCHING THE GAME

10/08/09: Touching The Game, Alaska follows up the 2004 documentary "Touching The Game, Cape Cod" about the best amateur baseball leagues in the world. Players spend summers in Cape Cod and Alaska, developing their baseball talent while getting a minor league experience, all the while looking for their chance to break into the Majors. The Cape film will air on PBS this weekend, while the Alaska film will show on the big screen for the first time in Boston on Tuesday, October 13 at 7:00pm at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge. Tickets are $10, or call 617-775-8169.

DUQUETTE SPORTS ACADEMY REGISTRATION FOR 2010 IS OPEN

10/07/09: Dan Duquette may be best known in Boston as the General Manager of the Red Sox from 1994 through February 2002. Today, Dan is director of baseball operations for the Israel Baseball League and he also presides over the Duquette Sports Academy in Hindsdale, MA. The academy has released the 2010 Travel Team Tournament Schedule and teams may now register!

Duquette with a young player from Japan.

Morning stretch.

BOSTON ROCKIES SCORE A LOT AT NABA WORLD SERIES

10/04/09: The Boston Rockies just wrapped up participation at the NABA World Series in Phoenix, Arizona. The team, consisting of mostly athletes from the Yawkey League's Revere Rockies and MABL's Boston Cutters, were one of 18 teams in the Age 18+ Wood Bat Division. The Rockies went 0-5 in pool play, but were not starved for offense, scoring an average of 8.2 runs per game. Losses came at the hands of the San Francisco Bay Kings 8-5, Casa Grande Cottonkings 9-7, Kansas City Puma 5-4, Colorado Reds 13-9 and the New York Ironhorse 18-16.

AMATEUR LEAGUE WRAP-UP: AROUND THE HORN

10/04/09: Most amateur leagues are now wrapped, and many others are near completion of the post-season as of this writing. Provided are some of the highlights.

Brockton Reds	Men's Independent Baseball League: Brockton Reds Go Undefeated for 2009!! After finishing the regular season 20-0, the Brockton Reds went on to sweep the MIBL Championships and win their 7th straight title. The Reds, led by the Alexopoulos brothers, Frank and Christos, are no strangers to perfection. The pair also led the Reds to 4 straight Cooperstown Classic titles going into 2009, going 16-0 during that stretch. Congrats on the Red hot season and continuing the dynasty!
Boston Men's Senior Baseball League: Senior Circuit Titles Won By Scituate, Newton & Metro American League 30+: The Milton Breakers defeated the Newton Red Sox in the deciding Game 3 by a score of 2-1 in 10 innings to repeat as AL Champs. For the second year in a row, Milton won in walk-off fashion as Rob Kisiel drove in AJ Joy, who doubled to lead off the tenth, with the winning run. National League 30+: The Scituate Tides swept the Somerville Senators to capture their third National League title in 5 years. Team MVP Rob Monti, who pitched a complete game victory in Game 1, homered twice in Game 2. Masters Division 40+: The Metro Red Sox repeated as Masters Champs. In Game 1, rain suspended the game at 5-5. The MetroSox won the continuation, then also won Game 2 later that evening to sweep the series.
Moloney & Coveney, Cutters	Boston Men's Adult Baseball League, 18+: Cutters split the day, but win the MABL Crown With the Cutters up 2-0 in the series over the Ben's Dream White Sox, both squads returned to the diamond to complete Game 3 after it had been suspended due to rain. The Sox saved that game 5-1, and brought the series to 2-1. Game 4 followed the same evening. While the Sox took an early lead, the Cutters scored 7 unanswered runs to win the series and their second MABL title. Adam Del Rio earned the Finals MVP, going 1-0 and tossing 9.1 scoreless innings. Cutters outfielders Mike Moloney and Greg Crossman, along with skipper Jeff Coveney, all now hold 5 MABL titles, a record they share with MABL Hall of Famer Mark Doucette.
Bobby Foote, Bluefish	Yawkey League: Bluefish Repeat as Champions With Heroics from Foote The West Roxbury Bluefish repeated as Yawkey League Champions, defeating the Malden Bulldogs 4 games to 0. The pitching was dominated by both sides, while the Bluefish tossed 2 shutouts and allowed just 3 runs overall. Bobby Foote was the offensive hero, with a remarkable 3 game-winning RBIs in 4 games. Congrats to both teams on their season.
Josue Feliciano, Carlson Club	Boston Park League : Carlson Club Captures First Title Carlson Club won their first Boston Park League Championship in Game 6 over Stockyard as Vantroi Medina outdueled Kevin Cobb in a 2-1 showdown. Josue Feliciano hit a clutch double in the fifth inning and scored the winning run for Carlson -- and also batted .476 in the Finals. Carlson had won the first two games of the Best of Seven, but Stockyard won the next two game. Congrats to sponsor Owen Carlson on on Carlson Club's third trip to the Finals and first Championship.
Lexington Blue Sox	Intercity League: Lexington Blue Sox Continue their Domination Lexington captured its third consecutive Intercity League championship with an 8-1 win over the Andre Chiefs. The Blue Sox took the series in four games and for the third straight season won the title. This was also the third straight year the Sox won the title after losing the first game of the finals. This was the seventh championship in 15 seasons of existence for Lexington. It was the sixth title of this decade as Lexington also won in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.

FRAMINGHAM ORIOLES TAKE CAPE COD CLASSIC

9/07/09: The 16-team tournament concluded on Labor Day as the Bourne Division winners, Framingham Orioles defeated the Sagamore Division champs, Mashpee Pirates, 3-1. In the semi finals, the Orioles edged the Worcester Stars, 2-1, while the Pirates nipped Club Franz, 4-3. For the Orioles of the Metro West Adult Baseball League, it was their first CCC Championship in 6 years. Eric Cormier and Phil Shaffer were the O's tournament co-MVPs as each had a win and a save. In the Championship game, Shaffer got the win going 7 2/3 giving up just 3 hits and 1 unearned run. Cormier was 1-3 with 2 RBI, including the game winner and save in the title game.

100 INNINGS BASEBALL SPECTACULAR IS ONCE AGAIN IN THE BOOKS

9/06/09: Curt Schilling and the ALS Association of Massachusetts hosted the 6th annual 100 Innings of Baseball Spectacular over Labor Day Weekend. The game lasted 31 straight hours and Team Schilling defeated Team Curt, 103 to 59. More than 100 ballplayers from across more than a dozen different baseball leagues participated. Fundraising over the history of the event is right at $500,000. Learn more at www.100innings.com.

Curt Schilling and Family address participants. [Watch the Video]

National Anthem from Adams Field in Quincy, MA.