Doctor's Orders

As a silhouette of oranges, pinks and blues cascaded across the evening sky in left field at Trum in Somerville, you could sense that a great game would ensue. The Alibrandis would not go quietly into the night, down one games to nothing in a best of three series against the Bluefish of East Boston.

It took only one lucky hop for Somerville to find it's bearings and beat the Bluefish 4-1 in front of a sparse home crowd Sunday night.

After two singles sandwiched around a bunted third strike gave Eastie runners on first second with one out, Marc Desroches broke a curve off that bounced in the dirt, allowing both runners to advance. Two pitches later, a fastball sneaked by Somerville's catcher.

East Boston's Kyle Jones broke for the plate immediately, but Somerville's short backstop created a favorable bounce and, with Desroches covering plate, he was able to slap the tag on Jones just in time to cut down the run and preserve the scoreless tie.

After a pop out to the third baseman ended the top of the third inning, a resounding "let's go!" rang from Somerville's already chirping bench, a clear sign that the Alibrandis would not let this game slip away.

East Boston's Matt Vezina had pitched well through two innings, but the third would prove to be his undoing. After a single and an error by the shortstop gave Somerville two on and no one out, a 3-2 curve missed in the dirt to load the bases for Dave Scioli.

After a chat on the mound, Vezina and his sharp curve ball faced off against Scioli and his quick bat. Somerville's short stop jumped on the second pitch he saw -- a waist-high fastball -- and deposited it high and deep over the scoreboard in left field to give his pitcher all the run support he would need on this night.

A smattering of Malden Bulldogs were in attendance as well, presumably scouting out their potential next opponent.

I know Somerville and Malden aren't the most popular topics in these parts, but who in their right mind wouldn't want to watch these two teams duel for five games?

In fact, if you're not interested in that, you can not consider your self a baseball fan.

There, I said it.

Please Check all Bats at the Door, Please.

Now that’s the way baseball playoffs should be: Crisp, quick and full of pitching duels.

I love pitching. Especially great pitching. The winning pitchers in the game ones (Sandini, East Boston; Tenney, South Boston; Del Rio, Malden; Christina, Brighton Brewers) combined for 26 innings. Only 12 hits were surrendered and no runs or earned runs were allowed by the fantastic foursome.

Sandini did his beat heart attack impression by walking seven Alibrandis.

Del Rio was his old dominant self, whiffing eight and walking one over five innings.

Christina proved me wrong by pitching his ass off in a two-hit, two-walk, four-strikeout complete game win. Mucc 26 is probably smiling as he reads this

Tenney reminded me what South Boston is capable of with his seven-strikeout, no walk effort against Gildea and the Medford Maddogs. Gildea worked it as best he could, hopefully silencing some of his nay-sayers. Props to him.

More to come tomorrow.

An appearance at a playoff game tonight may be in the works.

Boo, rain. Hooray, pitching!

All I Want for Christmas is the Playoffs

With weather that Seattle residents and the Irish are used to, I figured a few photos of worse scenarios would be a good way to uplift the spirits of the Yawkey League faithful.

Check these out:

This is a Field in Zionsville, Indiana. This is the wretched destruction that happened in May of 2002.


And you thought Ronan Park had pooling water...


Speaking of Ronan Park... This photo was taken by Stefanie Burns, loyal McKay Club fan and girlfriend of the Blog Man. This was Sunday, as lightning sparked up Boston's inner harbor and rain turned Ronan's infield from clay pot to mud puddle.





Oh, look at that beautiful sunset over that lake, er, I mean ... baseball field? Yup, Carol Kathleen, care of Flickr submits this photo of a baseball field from a school in her area.



Admire the splendor and despise the water. If only Ross Field were this beautiful...



The weather will figure its self out. The water will be gone eventually. It always evaporates. That's the great thing about Mother Nature. She's a catch-22 bitch, isn't she?

Playoff Previews

With all but one playoff spot sewed up (thanks again, Mother Nature), I figured it was time to preview a few of the upcoming playoff match-ups, compare teams and make first-round predictions.

The first round should be like a UFC fight: quick, and fun to watch.

first up . . .



#2 Somerville Alibrandis vs. # 7 Revere Rockies

2007's Champion takes on a team that got bounced in the first round last season. The Rockies and the Alibrandis split their regular season meetings with the road team coming out on top each time.

I hear that Alibrandis Steve Durant will not be eligible for the playoffs, but a fresh Doc and Co. will take care of business on the mound. With Bucci setting the table and Steve Corda and Ned Coffee cleaning it up, Revere might be able to get some work done offensively, but the absence of base path menace Pete John will prove costly for the Rockies here.

Mike McCarthy is a solid number one starter, but he can't start every game and I don't have enough confidence in any other Revere pitcher silencing Somerville's bats long enough to escape with a win in this series.

My prediction is Somerville in two.



# 3 South Boston Saints vs. # 6 Medford Maddogs

This series could be the one to watch in the first round. South Boston's Jon Tenny is well rested and ready for the playoffs, only throwing 32 innings this season. Opposing him on the mound will be Cy Young candidate Sean Gildea, whose 0.50 ERA will be tested by an offense that was sixth in batting average, fifth in home runs and seventh in sacrifices this season.

The Saints' well-rounded offense is led by Rob Linn (only 5 K's in 103 AB, 20 RBIs), while Medford's cagey offensive game relies a lot on sacrifices, running and timely hitting.

Even though Southie took both meetings against the Maddogs this year, these two teams seem evenly matched. I want to give the edge to Medford, but I need to know if Gildea can put the 2007 playoffs behind him and keep his spectacular season going into the playoffs. Whoever wins game one wins the series.

Look for Gildea to step up and Medford to advance in three.



#4 East Boston Bluefish vs. #5 Brighton Brewers

Teams don't win championships with offense, but they could win a three game series with it. This series has the potential to be a barn-burning fiasco, with East Boston and the Brewers top three in the league in hits, hitting, slugging, RBI's and OPS.

The Brewers are the most patient team at the plate with 159 walks and they have nine players with at least 10 RBI's. The Bluefish are second in home runs (11) and first in triples (14), but have also swiped 47 bases and sacrificed 17 times, showing their ability to play different styles of baseball.

What East Boston possesses that the Brewers don't is power arms. East Boston's pitching staff has the most strikeouts in the league and they defeated the Brew Crew twice this season, 8-1 and 4-1 respectively. Their high walk numbers are a bit troublesome and may haunt them in later rounds, but against the Brewers, Kyle Jones and Chris Sandini need not worry. They should have just enough pitching to make it by the Iafolla-led Brewers in the first round.

East Boston in three lengthy, high scoring games.


Pitcher and Hitter of the week, 7/28 - 8/03


Pitcher

Pitching was Where It's At this week in the Yawkey League, as 9 shutouts were thrown and 21 times a team was held to two runs or less. Hooray, Location!

Another one of the Maldenites has earned himself one of these awards made out of milk chocolate, fiberglass and shrapnel.

Ken Olinsky threw his best game of the season against a Savin Hill team who came ready to play.Malden sqeaked out a 1-0 victory behind Olinsky's 10 K's, 0 BB's and two hits. He needed only 80 pitches to swat the hornets away in complete game fashion and the game took only 90 minutes to play. Umpires everywhere smile.



Hitter

I'd first like to acknowledge the Yawkey League single-game performance of the week. Doesn't happen very often (actually, it's never happened), so enjoy it. Somerville's Justin Crisafulli drove in all four runs in his team's 4-1 win over the South End Astros with two homeruns. He also hit a double.

In related news, Somerville is on fire at exactly the right time. Giggity.

Al Becker takes home this week's trophy with this body of work: 7-for-12 over three games with a homerun, four RBI's and five runs scored. Becker's home run, his second of the season, came against the South End Astros, who seem to be giving up home runs to just about everyone, including the milkman. Becker is having himself quite the nice season in East Boston, where he's hitting a robust .407, and getting on base once every two at bats.

The Sinker and the Sniper

Prior to July 14, the last time Eamonn McDonough threw a pitch in the Yawkey League was the last time we were this upset with Manny Ramirez. On August 5, 2006, McDonough, the Medford Maddogs' ace at the time, pitched against the Revere Rockies and was hit hard, allowing five runs on 14 hits over seven innings. He absorbed that 5-2 loss and the 14 hits he allowed (a career-high through two-plus seasons) and said goodbye to his Maddog teammates and the Yawkey League for 23 months.

Then, during the second week of June, 2008, Maddogs head coach Dave Henley received a phone call from his 6-foot-7 pitcher. Still in Iraq, Army Sergeant Eamonn Mcdonough had a question for his coach. The answer was easy for Henley.

"He called us [the Maddogs] about a month before he was coming back and said 'what are the chances of me pitching when I get back there?'" Henley recalls. "I said 'hah, just come to the game. I'll have a uniform ready for you."



On July 14, in his first game back on the mound in almost two years, the Maddogs' missing ace was rusty, not his usual formidable self. In a case of ultimate irony, McDonough allowed 14 hits, which led to 11 Savin Hill runs, eight of which were earned. The good news, though, for McDonough, Henley and the rest of the Maddogs, was that they won the game and their other ace was back.

For the time being, anyway.

Eamonn, prior to the game on the 14th, had been through the U.S. Army's basic training and gone to Iraq as a Military Police officer. He was part of a team of body guards and was given the responsibility of protecting a Sergeant General in the middle of an unpredictable and unstable Baghdad city. "He's been hit with shrapnel," says Henley, also McDonough's friend of six years. "You know, not bad, but he's been shot at [too], and he's shot back."


Like many soldiers returning from overseas deployments, McDonough needed something to get his mind off, something to fill the void. Baseball was at the forefront for him, the same way it was for Yawkey League veteran Chris Deane 16 years ago.



Deane, currently a member of the Malden Bulldogs, spent a year between Somalia and Iraq as a U.S. Marine in 1992 after the battle of Mogadishu in Somalia. When he got home, he only had two things on his mind: His family, and baseball. "For me," he says, "I [wanted] to see my family and play some ball.

"It was awesome to come home and not have to worry about anything. You go to baseball and that's all you think about."

Although McDonough's stay back home was short -- only two weeks -- he managed to pitch in five games for the Maddogs, a team that has as legitimate a shot as any other at knocking off perennial powerhouse Somerville. He finished his 2008 stint with the Maddogs with a 2-0 record, one save and a 4.20 ERA in 15 innings pitched. Those numbers don't portray just how good Eamonn was before he joined the army.

Starting in 2004, when Medford first entered the Yawkey League, the rotation consisted mainly of McDonough and Sean Gildea, who is currently one of the front-runners for this season's Cy Young award. Henley says it was between him and Gildea as to who the ace was. In 2004, McDonough had more innings pitched (72.2), more strikeouts (76) and a lower ERA (1.44) than Gildea. In 2005, Eamonn matched 2004's win total of seven games while his ERA dropped to 1.36.

Back then, Deane says, the battle for ace status was fierce. "He [Eamonn] was always Medford's number-one and Gildea hated that. He was the number-one guy, he was the go-to guy, so if he's a number-one with [Gildea there ...] then that says something about him.

"He's definitely a very good to great pitcher in this league."

What makes McDonough special in Henley's eyes, and in his former teammates' eyes, is his unselfishness and his great attitude at all times. "He's the perfect teammate," says Henley. "Whatever you ask him to do, he'll do it. He never gets upset.

"You could make 42 errors behind him and he wouldn't open his mouth. He'll say 'gimme the ball, we'll get him next time.' He never, ever complains."

Henley adds that "the kids love playing behind him" because he works quick and throws a lot of ground balls due to a three-quarters delivery that produces a high-quality sinker.


"They'd just like to see him come back [from Iraq]."

The odd thing is, says Henley, is that he wants to go back to Iraq. Eamonn wanted to go back so badly that he re-upped his service time. "He had six more months of a tour and he already extended it an additional six months," Henley explains. "He would obviously much rather stay here, but he knows he can't."


Luckily for McDonough though, there's a chance to play softball while he's back in Iraq for another year.



It'll be as close to baseball as he can get for now.

Hey Blue, You Blew it!

If Yawkey League umpires were as good as MLB umpires, then they wouldn't be in the Yawkey League, they'd be at Fenway, Wrigley or Petco Park doing games there.

I know the umpires in this league can be frustrating and they leave something to be desired, but you have to play the hand you're dealt. It sucks at the time, I know. We've all been through it at one time or another, but just keep your chin up and play the game hard, whether the calls are for you or against you, and whether your record is 22-4 or 5-18.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your disposition), baseball doesn't reward pouting, yelling, cussing, screaming, bantering, throwing bases or calling an umpire something that would have had a bar of soap in your mouth when you were a child.

Just like the prevailing majority of us baseball players, umpires are no where near perfect and can be inconsistent at times, make mistakes and even look foolish.

Give them a break, because in the end, it all evens its self out.

Comin' Out Swingin'

Two teams with histories that couldn't be any different. One team with a storied history, one trying to make its own.

Somerville wrote the YBL book on winning championships, while Malden is looking for their own chapter. Only their second season in the Yawkey League, the Bulldogs have put a strangle hold on the number one seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs thanks to their 22-3-1 record. Somerville, plagued by rain outs and wash outs, has played only 20 games. The Alibrandis, their 13-7 record in hand, would like to improve their playoff standing -- sixth place as of July 22 -- before the season's end. Of course home-field is important, but Somerville's season doesn't start until the field has been trimmed to eight.

Teams like Malden and Somerville, no matter how different they may be in terms of league history and tenure, amount of playoff appearances, uniform color or managerial philosophies, they will always have one constant and one distinct trait in common.

They play to win in the post-season, not to make it there.

Before any games were even played in 2008, Somerville's ticket to the playoffs was punched. They were a given. A lock. A no-brainer. Then Malden flexed and, after about two weeks, the Bulldogs' ticket seemed punched as well.

One team with all the experience imaginable, the other with none at all. But they both set it up the same way. Or that's the way I see it anyways.

Let's look at Somerville first, since they are defending champions. Steve Szathmary and Jon Morse have all but carried Somerville's pitching staff through their first 20, the two of them combining to start 15 of those 20 games. Sprinkle in a little bit of Jared Leiderman and that's been Somerville's staff so far.

That's weird, a name seems to be missing . . . a very familiar one . . .

DesRoches is it? Mark DesRoches? Yes yes, that's the one.

Over the last two regular seasons, "Doc" has thrown 86.2 innings in the regular season and 38 in the playoffs. Seems like a lot of innings for a guy in his early 30's, but a 5-0 mark and a 0.96 ERA over six games in the last two post-seasons says it all for me. This guy knows when to turn it on.

Now, let's cut those regular season innings waaaayyyyyy back. Like, all the way back to 2 IP through 20 games played. What would you have? Well, you'd have a big-game pitcher with experience AND a fresh arm in the playoffs.

What a marvelous idea.

A dark horse/wild card for Somerville may be Steve Durant, a stud pitcher from Suffolk University who got wrangled away from Medford after one start this season presumably because of his relationship with Somerville head coach Mike Powers. If Durant can become playoff eligible, there's a good chance his 3.42 ERA, 72 K's in 73.2 IP and no-hitter against Rivier College as a Suffolk Ram would translate almost seamlessly into YBL success.

With Liederman mixed in, look for Somerville to slowly work DesRoches back into prime pitching form so he's ready for the playoff run, but plenty fresh to be the workhorse he's been in years prior.

Kevin McGovern, Malden's head coach and pitching coach, has been masterful this season at managing his pitching staff, making sure not to over work any one pitcher while keeping all arms fresher than a Cod fillet in Gloucester.

Their stud, Adam Del Rio, the favorite to win the YBL Cy Young, has thrown more than six innings only once this season. His 38.2 innings aren't even top-15 in the league, yet his strikeouts (51) are eighth. That speaks volumes about his effectiveness and his coach's staff management and foresight.

Lenny Carter, a former Nashua Pride pitcher has not pitched since June 19 because of a shoulder injury but the injury may be a blessing in disguise. If Carter, who had 32 K's in 18 IP before getting injured, can come back fully healthy and ready for the playoffs, it will be almost like the DesRoches situation down the road in Somerville. Carter is top-of-the-line, as good as it gets in terms of YBL starting pitching when healthy.

The one question mark for Malden may be closer Jay Wisner, who has pitched in more games this season (20) than in either 2006 (12) or 2007 (16). At 30 years old and not getting any younger, can his arm hold up for a playoff run too? The positive for Malden is that the hard-throwing righty has regained control, bringing his walk numbers way down from 06' and 07'. Maybe the innings are higher, but the pitch counts should be lower. 400hitter doesn't have a pitch counter.

Obviously, all teams don't have this luxury. Many of the pitchers atop the innings pitched leader board are on teams in contention, but not locks to make the playoffs.

The major difference between these mid-level teams and Somerville and Malden is that they're striving for the playoffs, while the Alibrandis and the Bulldogs are yearning for playoff supremacy.



Pitcher of the Week, 7/14 - 7/20




If you recognize this name, sorry in advance but filthy is as filthy does around here. The Donkey, Adam Del Rio once again has roped his fingers around a Pitcher of the Week award, this time for his five-inning show against the Brookline Dodgers. It probably looked like Del Rio was toying with the team with the most strikeouts (205) in the Yawkey League and the fifth-worst team batting average.

Del Rio was masterful in this game, dealing for five innings, giving up only one hit while striking out 10 and walking three. The Bulldogs won the game, 3-0, and Del Rio won his seventh game in as many starts.

A few numbers for you: This was Donkey's fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season; He now has a 51:8 K:BB ratio, which may be illegal is 17 of 50 states; It's the second time this season Del Rio has played to the tune of five innings, one hit and 10 K's.

If you stretch the numbers out, this season is reminiscent of Pedro Martinez' glory days with the Red Sox in 2000/2001. Down right filthy.



Hitter of the Week, 7/14 - 7/20



East Boston All-Star Chris Santosuosso was like a hungry wolf amongst a flock of stray sheep last week, as he and his team feasted on some of the weaker pitching staffs the Yawkey League had to offer. In games last week against three of the six worst pitching staffs in the league (Chelsea, Cambridge and Brookline), the Bluefish outfielder went haywire.

In 14 at-bats over a four game span, Santosuosso collected eight hits including a grand slam and two doubles. He finished the week with 11 RBIs and four runs scored. The Bluefish went four for four as a team, including a win over the Stewert Division leading Brighton Brewers.


As the season plays out, the cream always rises to the top.

Excuse me, Somerville? I Believe Someone is Knocking on your Door...

What if Somerville didn't win the Championship this year?

What if the Malden Bulldogs weren't trying to surmount Somerville as cockiest team in the YBL?

I saw "it" when the McKay Club faced those Bulldogs last week. That "it" is cockiness. I saw it before the game started when Malden did their full infield/outfield routine. I saw it on their bench, on their players' faces during the game. I heard it in their voices.

They're ready to climb the great Mt. Alibrandi and compete against the most formidable opponent in Yawkey League history. And it doesn't scare them one bit.

Set aside the playoff experience that Somerville has, and their ability to "flip the switch," much like the Detroit Pistons teams of the early 2000's, and Malden is in prime position to knock off the champs from the birthplace of Fluff.

The confidence/cockiness that I had seen in previous years from only Somerville has now made its way farther north into Malden. The Bulldogs are damn good, and they know it. Their swagger this season is unmatched and that's what gives them the legitimate chance at winning it all. Oh, yeah, the pitching staff of Lenny Carter, Adam Del Rio, Evan Tardungo, Mike Steele and Jay Wisner has a bit to do with that too.

With those five arms shouldering the load, Malden's team ERA (1.11), strikeouts (183) and WHIP (1.060) are best in the league and their offense (third in batting, first in runs scored) and defense (best fielding percentage) aren't too shabby either.

It's quite possible that Somerville and Malden could meet in the YBL Championship. Then we would see what wins: the desire to stay atop or the desire to conquer.



Weekly Awards

Mother Nature has once again thrown a monkey wrench into the Yawkey League schedule, as her rain, lightning, thunder, wind and all around meteorlogical tomfoolery have limited the weekly schedule of games. Luckily enough, Sean Gildea was able to stick it in her craw and beat the Brookline Dodgers between thunder cells.

Gildea, the 2006 YBL Cy Young award winner, dazzled on this summer afternoon, fanning 10, allowing five hits and walking only three en route to his second shutout win of the season, a 7-0 decision. In his first start of 2008, the Colby-Sawyer College product shutout West Roxbury, while striking out seven.

His season numbers for a good Medford team are what you'd expect from a pitcher of Gildea's caliber: a 5-2 record, fewer hits than innings pitched, more strikeouts than innings pitched and a K:BB ratio of almost 4:1. His 0.64 ERA is second in the league, his five wins are a tie for first and his 48 punchados are third best, tied with teammate Talal Saleh.

Needless to say, just another notch in a great pitcher's belt of success.

yup, just another complete game shutout. Yawn...



This will be the only week (hopefully) that an offensive player wins Hitter of the Week with only one game played. Jason Recore, batting in the 2-hole for the East Boston Bluefish last week, helped open up the flood gates against the Brighton Braves.

The Blackstone native and Eckerd College alum had a game for himself, going 3-for-4 with a double, four RBIs and two runs scored to lead his team to an 11-4 win. The way Recore is swinging this season (.356 BA, 7 RBI in 16 G) is very reminiscent of his 2007 season at Eckerd College (FL) when he hit .307 for the Tritons with 9 doubles and 9 steals.

A lead-off hitter at Eckerd, the 5-foot-9 175-pound second baseman has been hitting in the 2-hole or in front of the clean-up hitter in East Boston's line up this season. His ability to get on-base (.418 OBP) ahead of the Eastie's boppers has been a welcome addition to the Bluefish's order.

With the Fourth of July fast-approaching, not too sure about a report for next week. It's the mid-way point of the Yawkey League's season, so look for my All-Star Break awards next week in place of the regular awards.

Have plenty of fun and take part in drunken debauchery, just don't end up like this guy.

The Chemist Always Wins

Idiot Nation.

You all know what I'm talking about. 2004. The biggest come back ever. Kevin Millar's Jack Daniels shots. Pokey's flip. Mientkiewicz's own hidden ball trick. Johnny Damon's hair.

The players involved in the Red Sox' 2004 World Series victory had the most chemistry, camaraderie, togetherness, stick-to-it-iveness, goofiness and team-wide buffoonery that I have ever seen in my sports viewing lifetime. But you know what? It worked perfectly.

All those guys trusted each other and they would have gone to Hell and back for anyone, even for Curtis Leskanic. (Maybe they would have left Nomar there to rot, but you get the point.) These guys had the ultimate chemistry going.

I think the Sox were down 15 games-to-one in a best-of-31 series, Millar still would have said "give us game 17, then we go home for eight more, then we win all those, get to game 31 eventually, and you never know what'll happen... Don't give us the chance..."

Millar was a whack job then, and he still is now, but that's almost what a team needs. We'll call him a "loosener-upper." His job is to, when shit gets tight around the clubhouse, give himself a wedgie, make a joke about the second baseman's facial hair, make everyone laugh and that reminds them just to play baseball.

We have one on the McKay Club, and his name is Brad Gerbus. He's our Kevin Millar. We could be getting no-hit and losing by 10 runs, but he'd be out there, laughing it up, making some insane out-of-deep-left-field comment that had absolutely nothing to do with baseball and talking about some sexual experience from a few years ago that he can't fully remember. The guys is a goof. But aside from that, he's a very good baseball player and he keeps us loose and he contributes to that chemistry that can never be fully explained.

I mean, how do you think the Colorado Rockies made it to the World Series in 2007? Sure, they got hot, but they were able to run it off because their team was so closely knit. They all trusted each other, picked each other up, everyone had confidence through the roof and there were no cancerous players in the club house.


The Yawkey League is no different. In order to win, you need (talent, obviously. and) that close knit group of guys that has been jelling for either four months or four years, doesn't matter to me. If there is trust, mutual respect, an even level of confidence throughout the whole team and an eagerness to win, success will follow close behind.

I just have a quick story before I get to the Pitcher and Hitter of the Week awards. (if you're reading this, thank you for not scrolling down to the awards section.)


I was talking to a former member of the McKay Club today. He plays for the Malden Bulldogs and wears number 4. Well, he does now. At the beginning of the season, catcher Joey Eugenio had the number and actually sacrificed it to him (for a bag of chew in return) since he had been in the league a lot longer. It was a show of class, a show of reverence and respect and it no doubt helped the chemistry on the team.

When it came to pitcher and catcher of the week, it just happened that the two guys that won are good chemistry guys, guys who sacrifice, and who understand what it means to win and lose as a team.

I could use a lot of superlatives and adjectives to describe the way Adam Del Rio pitches. Nasty is a good one. Del Rio, after having surgery on his knee last season to repair a torn ACL, has come back this year and shown the league what he is made of. It's not quite plutonium, but something very hostile and deadly.

"Donkey" Del Rio, as his coach and players like to call him (because he just acts like a donkey, apparently) is the first YBL pitcher to make two appearances on the bump in one week and win the POW award.

Del Rio made two starts last week -- against the Brighton Braves and Medford Mad Dogs -- and dazzled in both. Last Tuesday the 17th, The Donkey muled his way to five innings of one-hit ball against the Braves. No hits through four, then a "blooper" to start the fifth. He didn't walk a batter and he struck out 10 Braves. He got the win, as the Bulldogs plated five and held Brighton scoreless the rest of the way.

Later in the week, on three days of rest, Del Rio took the mound against the Medford Mad Dogs and led his breed past Medford's in a decisive 14-1 drubbing. The Donkey once again went five innings, giving up four hits, one unearned run, and one walk. He didn't record a strikeout, but when your team plates three runs in the first inning and 13 after three, the idea is to let the other team hit the ball, so he did just that.

Total for the week: 10 IP, 10 K, 1 BB, 5 H (four singles) and two wins.

Del Rio moves to 4-0 in four starts this season, accruing 23 K's in 22 innings, while walking only four batters and having a 0.63 ERA. Goodness gracious, those are gaudy numbers.

While on the topic of things of a gaudy nature, Tony Iafolla is doing his best to tear the cover off the baseball right now. In medias res an 11-game hit-streak, the Brighton Brewers catcher and team stalwart has been swinging his best bat in the last week.

The Yawkey League All-Star played in four games last week (the Brew Crew won three of them) and put together a line usually only seen in MLB 2K8: 7-for-15 (.466 ba), 9 rs, 7 RBIs, 4 bb, 2 2b, 1 3b, 1 hr and a slugging percentage of .883. Now that's carrying your team to victory, if I've ever seen it.

The 11-game hit-streak is just as impressive as the last week of games for this Brighton beast. The Brewers clean-up hitter has flaunted a .463 (19-for-41) batting average during the streak and has racked up five doubles, 12 RBIs and 16 runs scored. Want another impressive number? Only six times has Iafolla struck out during the streak, and never more than once in one game.

Now only if one of these teams could knock off Somerville....

Crooked Voters! Bah!

I thought popularity contests ended in high school.

But they didn't. I've learned this as I've matured; that life is full of popularity contests and a great example of this is voting for any All-Star team. In particular, for Major League Baseball's All-Star teams.

Just because Japan's population is roughly 137 million (holy crap sprawl!), that doesn't give them the right to overload MLB.com with internet votes for Hideki Matsui, Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka (even though I'm a Red Sox fan).
There have been two or three years when Ichiro deserved to be All-Star bound, and he was. But there have also been two years that his numbers weren't All-Star caliber, but he started because of the Japanese population's absurdly frequent voting online.

The Japanese aren't getting singled out. There are plenty of other players who are/were voted into All-Star games when they did not deserve to be. Manny Ramirez in 2007 is a great example. Pre-All-Star break, Manny was hitting under .300 with 11 dingers and 45 batted in. Not All-Star numbers by any means, but with his reputation, there he was, on the team for his 11th go-around.

Pudge Rodriguez is the classic example. At the break last season, the Indians' Victor Martinez had more hits, home runs and runs batted in than Pudge (not to mention he smoked the Tiger in batting average too), but the well-known, perennial All-Star catcher got the knod and Martinez was on the All-Star bench.

It should have been the other way around, but the "fans" that vote for All-Star teams are just that: Fans. And fans of their own teams first.

I'm a Red Sox fan through and through, but Manny wasn't on my ballot in 2007, and for good reason. There were other, more deserving candidates who would cherish the opportunity 1,000 times more than Manny. And I love Manny as a player, but to be frank, it doesn't seem like he cares much about the "All-Star festivities" when that time of year comes around.

Yawkey League All-Star voting might not be on as grand a scale as MLB's, but it would be an honor to see some of the guys I have mentioned the past few weeks get some consideration at their respective positions.

One week's worth of stats shouldn't make an All-Star, but neither should a name.



Hitter and Pitcher of the Week for the week of 6/09 - 6/15

This is a big deal for us, here at Yawkey League News and Action. By us, I mean me, and by big deal, i mean that this week marks the first week there will be co-players of the week in a category. And the two players could not be more different, in terms of league longevity, overall speed and savvy.

Al Becker of the East Boston Blue Fish and Drew Tambling of the McKay Club Beacons have each won half of a Yawkey League News and Action trophy made out of fusilli pasta and pine tar.

Congratulations to both of you.

Both Becker and Tambling had monster weeks for their respective clubs, as each hit .500 or better in their three games. Becker, an elder statesman of the YBL had himself a week for the books.

In three games (all wins, including one over The Somerville Juggernaut) last week, Becker was 6-for-11 (.545 ba) with a double, a triple, a grand slam, five driven in and four scored. He neither struck out nor walked during that span.

Becker, in his last three full seasons with the Bluefish, hit .328 combined; but this season he's at .436 through 11 games and on pace to garner a (wink, wink) spot on the Yawkey League All-Star team.

Tambling, a young first-year player in the Yawkey League got his first taste of success last week by batting .500 (4-for-8) over three games (all wins for the Beacons). Known for his speed and agility, and not home run power, young Andrew drove a ball into the right field lettuce at Brighton's Rogers Park for his first YBL long shot. His line for the week was two home runs (the other was inside-the-park), five RBIs, four runs scored, two steals and one walk.

Playing for UMass Boston this past season, Tambling hit over .300 and stole 10 bags for the Beacons. His background story is an interesting one, and his excursion to the Gay Pride Parade is even more interesting.

The first place Malden Bulldogs now have another accolade to add to their Wall of Fame: A Pitcher of the Week award!

Young Evan Tardungo dealt strikeout hands to the Brighton Black Sox all game last Wednesday, June 11 en route to a complete game four-hitter. The former UMass Boston and Fisher College pitcher allowed only four hits and four walks, while striking out 11 in his second win of the season.

Tardungo is a horse on the mound. In his last three years of collegiate level pitching, the righty has 13 complete games under his belt to go along with 14 wins.

In seven career Yawkey League games and 31 innings pitched, Tardungo has an itty bitty 0.54 ERA to go along with 46 fanned.

This just in: The Malden Bulldogs have a lights out pitching staff.

Ooohhhh-Keeeeeeeeeeeefe

Nick O'Keefe returned to action for the first time in over two weeks, and everything went well. Well, maybe not if you ask him.

Nick, being the young, over-zealous whacked-out left-handed pitcher that he is, wanted to continue pitching but after four innings of two-hit, four strikeout baseball and the Beacons having a sizable cushion in the run column, the youngster's evening was through.



O'Keefe then pined to get an at-bat, and after that proceeded to bother a teammate for sunflower seeds. What dude, you can't bring your own or something?

Well, O'Keefe is back, and ready to be the Beacons' token lefty. Way to be, youngster...

Oh, Those Savvy Vets

The old adage in Major League Baseball used to be that experience and service time were more valuable to a team than youth, potential and the exuberance that young (early 20s) players brought to their teams.

That may have been true at one point, even as recently as three or four years ago. But once drug testing became prevalent, MLB cracked down on the use of amphetamines by players and the Mitchell Report was released, a lot of things have changed in the game.

No longer are veteran players who may be on the down slope of their careers valued higher than young, healthy, prospects who can contribute at the Major League level. At the beginning of the season, the two may seem even, and maybe the veteran player would get the edge, because of his experience.

But wait until the dog days of summer, day games after night games and those grueling August and September tilts that either put veterans into slumps they can't ever seem to get out or land them on the DL.




Johnny Damon is the perfect example.

A guy with 14 years of Major League experience that can do many things for a ball club. But is contributing everyday at 100 percent in August and September one of them? Don;t think so.

On the other hand, someone like Jacoby Ellsbury is the exact opposite of a player like Damon. Ellsbury may not have the "seasoning" or the "experience" that Damon has, but managers, owners and fans can probably rest assured that 120+ games into the season, a 24-year-old Ellsbury will be in a much better position than Damon to run out an infield single, track a gap shot in the late-innings or steal a base when the team needs a runner in scoring position.

Damon, now a 34-year-old left fielder, will most likely be battling a calf pull, knee sprain, back spasm, sore elbow or a case of dyslexia at that point and won't be able to perform like Ellsbury would without the assistance of amphetamines or some other performance-enhancer.

The days of veterans in the latter halves of their careers being more valuable than rookies and young guys who may make a "rookie mistake" sometimes is over. Guys like Ellsbury, outfielder Jay Bruce and first baseman Joey Votto of the Reds and third baseman Evan Longoria of the Rays will replace the Damons, Scott Rolens, Juan Pierres and Adam Dunns of the world.

In this day and age, youth equals extended health and sustained energy. And without amphetamines and other "useful" substances, the old guys just won't be able to keep up in the latter third of the season.

Apparently this theory doesn't apply to the Yawkey League though, as the weekly awards are being dished out behind-the-back style to two Yawkey League pillars of longevity.



The slate of games for this past week was a small one because Mother Nature felt the need to soak New England in the middle of baseball season. What a crude bitch. To make matters worse, she then hit us with July's weather in the first week of June, officially confusing the hell out of everyone.

With Wednesday being a wash and only three games total between Thursday and Saturday, the sample size for the YBL's Pitcher and Hitter of the Week was reduced.

There were still some impressive numbers out there though, as the Brighton Brewers, Somerville Alibrandis and McKay Club Beacons all put up at least a dirty dozen in their Monday games.

The offensive Man of the Hour is someone who you could say earned himself a Kobe Byrant-like life-time achievement award this past week for his performance against the Brookline Dodgers. Ted Tracy, a 12-year Yawkey League veteran, hit his first ever YBL home run to propel his Brighton Braves to a 7-3 win last Tuesday.

Tracy finished the game 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBIs when his three-run shot cleared the fence in the fourth inning.

What a relief, huh Ted?

What took you so damn long?

Tracy, in 11 games so far this season, is hitting a rather robust .424 (14-33) with six extra-base hits and his OBP is a Barry Bonds-esque .545. His 14 hits are third behind Dave Scioli of Somerville and teammate Jeff Cashman, who both have 16.



Another Yawkey League veteran earned himself honors this past week for his performance against the Brighton Black Sox. Steve Szathmary of the juggernaut Alibrandis did his best Bob Gibson impression as he baffled the Black Sox for six innings last Monday, fanning 11, walking two while giving up five hits (all singles) in six innings.



The Alibrandis, who have won 812 of the last 815 Yawkey League Championships (or something like that), won the game 5-0. The win ran Szathmary's record to 2-1 on the season and he has 25 punchados (seventh in the league) in 23 innings.

Boy am I Lazy

Life is busy. We all work for a living, or at least for the summer, those of us in college. Mix work with playing baseball, enjoying life and acting like a college student, and you've got yourself a schedule busier than Bono's.

The point here is that I haven't been holding up my end of the bargain. How are you supposed to enjoy and laugh at my writing when it's not there? My point exactly.






Now that everything is relatively calm, I can dedicate some time to musing about the Yawkey League, our heart and soul (and cause of cerebral hemorrhaging sometimes, too). I mean, we're almost a month into the season and I have made an effort similar to that of Mark Blount after he signed his 6 year, $38.5 million contract a few years back. Kind of hard to do.

What's going to happen is that each week a Committee of One (me) will determine a hitter and pitcher of the week. These are stat-driven and win-related awards so don't expect one if you go 4.1 innings on a gimpy calf or you hit a home run with a sprained left pinky finger. And of course, if you help propel your team to victory, that's a plus.

Winning is the point, after all.

Awards for the week of May 26 - June 1.

The Yawkey League is now officially hot. As the temps creep, so do pitcher's ERAs. And that means offensive production. Seven different games this past week saw one team put up a baker's dozen or more, so that means lots of RBIs and extra-base hits for those of you holding the sticks.

It was a tightly contested race for Hitter of the Week this week, as multiple guys helped mash their respective teams to victory. But when it came down to it, I had to go with a certain high-number wearing New Hampshire-native from Dorchester's own McKay Club Beacons.

From one Beacons uniform (UMass Boston's) to another, Connor Reinfurt has been hitting the ball extremely hard since he came into the Yawkey League two weeks ago. The first baseman/DH had himself a week for the ages.

The majority of the damage off of Renifurt's absurdly large bat came against West Roxbury on May 28, when he launched a grand slam at Ronan Park that cleared the left-centerfield fence by a considerable margin to break open the game.

Renifurt finished the game with two singles, a double, the grand slam and five RBIs. He himself crossed the plate twice too. Number 99 finished the week going 7-for-11 in three games with three runs scored, three extra-base hits and 9 RBIs.

While at UMass Boston this past spring, the 6' 2" 215 pound Reinfurt hit only .206 in 30 games, but led his team with five home runs while driving in 15 runs.







Four starting pitchers eclipsed the 10 strikeout plateau this past week, but only one pitcher K'ed 12 hitters en route to a complete game shutout for his team.

Greg Potts, a rookie in the YBL and a freshman at Bridgewater State, went the distance for the Al Thomas Athletics against the Chelsea Cyclones. The win, his first ever as a Yawkey Leaguer, came at a perfect time, as the Athletics' offense (.247 BA) hasn't been able to pick up much of the slack.

Potts gave up hits over the seven innings, walked two and blew away 12 Cyclones to dominate in his team's 4-0 victory.

The start was important in the big picture too, because Al Thomas had allowed 30 runs the previous two games and the complete game (I'm guessing) gave the A's staff much needed rest.

Potts, a Milton resident, made eight starts for Bridgewater State this past spring, posting a 4-2 record and a 4.85 ERA.

Apparently, he also loves to smile




If you disagree with my assessments of players or teams, feel free to rant and rave below.

Bulldogs Squat on Rockies

And in the process, beat Revere, 12-3 behind a bevy of walks and a hefty nine-run first inning at Maplewood Park in Malden.

After missing the playoffs by three points in 2007 (even though they won 9 out of their last 10 games), the Bulldogs are off to a quick 2-0 start in 2008, outscoring Revere and the Brighton Black Sox a combined 15-2.

"I think we have the best offense in the league," veteran outfielder Chris Deane said after his Bulldogs beat the Rockies, last season's number-two seed in the Yawkey League playoffs.

Malden worked eight walks in the victory, with second baseman Troy Ingemi leading the way with three while driving in two runs for the Bulldogs. Ingemi led Malden last season with a .473 on base percentage in 28 games.

Mike Barthel, a member of the McKay Club Beacons in 2007, pitched the final three innings of the game to pick up his first win of the season. Barthel allowed two hits, walked two and struck out two.

How important was this game to Malden? "It's huge," Deane said. "That's the kind of team that will be in our way in the end of the season."

Deane, who spent more than a dozen years with the McKay Club, has added leadership, some offensive pop and a good glove to an already deep Malden team this season.

Youth Movement, Anybody?

The Beacons started off 2008 with an under-aged Nick O'Keefe throwing slow curves, "nasty" knuckle balls, according to catcher Andy "Deuce" McAllister and a well-spotted fastball. The Anna Maria College freshman, who was 2-2 with a 4.33 ERA in six games this season for the AmCats, fanned 10 in his Yawkey League debut.

O'Keefe walked only one and scattered six hits over six innings before giving way to the cookie monster, Tom Prykucki. Prykucki allowed an unearned run and struck out one to end the game and give the Beacons their first win with their new, younger, more energetic nucleus of players in place.

The offense was led by Dan "I didn't get enough playing time at UMass Boston, so I'm gonna take it out on the Yawkey League" Ciocca. The third baseman had two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored to pace the offense.