Drilled.... and Pissed

Question for you: what do Nick O'Keefe, Brian Curran, Adam Kulis, Jim Farrell and Brian Millea have in common?

Answer: earlier this week, they all plunked one batter or more in South Boston's 9-5 win over the McKay Club. It was a weird game that saw a first inning grand slam by Kent Anderson, some poor base running and flaring tempers.

While it was fun on the bench, trying to figure out what make-shift weapons we would take to the field with us in the case of a brawl stemming from seven hit batters in one game, the occurrence was more an aberration that anything else. Seven HBPs in one game? Really? That shouldn't happen.

Mike Barthel of the Beacons took the brunt of this extravaganza, as he took one off the hands in the first inning and another between the numbers in the third. After his back got zapped by a Jim Farrell (now 3-1 this season) fastball, he took two steps towards the mound, probably more in frustration than anything, and tempers flared momentarily.

But the bigger question I pose to you guys out there is this: have you ever seen a legitimate bench-clearing brawl in the Yawkey League? When was it? Was it an all-out Donnybrook? Care to share your experience?

The other, less-interesting and colorful question is, Have you ever seen seven hit-batters one a YBL game? Share if you'd like. It's such a once-in-a-career occurrence that I'd love to know if it has ever happened before.

Thanks for returning if you frequented this blog last season. If you're a first-timer, welcome and know that the YBL News Blog should be back in mid-season form soon. Summer is upon us, and the Yawkey League is teeming with story lines. If there's anything you'd like to see here this summer, shoot me an email.

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.

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.

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

Drum roll please . . .

Cue the trumpets . . .

I know it’s been a while, but I had to make a grand entrance.

After about a two week hiatus from the time of my last blog post, a lot of teammates of mine were asking about the blog.

Where has it been?, they asked me. ‘It’ has been dormant and now that I am back from a short vacation and finally have the energy to string together coherent thoughts, here ‘it’ is.

Dana, you may have been writing more than I have recently and good for you. But now it’s my turn to write and your turn to read. It’s funny though, because when I was writing more consistently, there was rarely a mention of the blog at the games. From time to time, a comment and a remark about it, but nothing over the top. But over the past week, the questions have been rolling in asking where it is, why I haven’t posted any thing lately. Well, if I knew all of you (mostly my teammates and anybody else who happens to browse over it from time to time) read my blog consistently, I would be more inclined to write on a consistent basis. I love writing these things, but if I knew my readership was this large, it would be that much more inclined (don’t worry Deano, I just deflated my head).

Before I get to my main topic, I would like to thank my coach and the host of The Boston Baseball Heads show, Dave McKay for having me on as a guest this past week. Appearing on television and being able to discuss the game of baseball with him, Medford Maddogs pitcher and statistician Sean Gildea and all around baseball mind Al Ditilio was a fantastic experience and I hope to return to the set of the show and make another appearance. Thank you Dave for giving me the opportunity to promote what I am doing right now, I greatly appreciate it.

Now to the matters at hand, what you’re here for.

Since the Yawkey League All-Star break is upon us, I figured it was time to hand out some mid-season awards to our guys. Even though the McKay Club’s record is hovering just over .500 at 13-11, there is plenty to be happy about in the Land of Awards. We have a few athletes in our midst who have been going above and beyond, proving to both our team and to the entire Yawkey League that our McKay Club has some stardom within it.

In the game of baseball, pitching is key to success. You know that. Actually, why am I even telling you this? You already know it. Well, because it needs to be reiterated. The pitching staff of the McKay Club in 2007 has been pretty good overall with our team ERA under three at 2.91, hovering around the middle of the Yawkey League pack.

But there has been one guy who has stood out for us, and more so in recent weeks. He doesn’t have all the innings, or all the strikeouts, or that extra giddy-up on his fastball that some other pitchers may have. But what he may lack in those categories he more than makes up for in his win-loss record, his ERA and his WHIP (walks + hits / innings pitched). Of all the pitchers that have made significant contributions for the McKay Club this season, Adam Kulis is the only one not to have a loss to his credit.

His record stands at 3-0 in four starts and two relief appearances and his ERA is below two at a stymie 1.81. The numbers that really jumped out at me were the minimal walks and low WHIP. In 27 innings pitched Adam has allowed only five walks and his WHIP is .926, good enough for third in the entire Yawkey League. What also stood out to me was his stellar performance against the East Boston Bluefish and Yawkey League K-man Kyle Jones. In the game, Adam needed only 79 pitches to go the distance in a 1-0 quickie of a game in which he allowed only two hits and one walk. Half way through the season, my pitcher of the year for the McKay Club has to be the soon-to-be married Adam Kulis. Good luck with the wedding Adam, and don’t tighten those shackles too much.

Next up for me has to be the defensive whiz of the team. They say it in some professional sports that defense wins championships. In the game of baseball, defense doesn’t single-handedly win them, but it certainly helps a bunch. The teammate I am choosing for this award is probably the best at his position I have ever had the pleasure of playing with. His range is amazing, his jumps on balls are impeccable and it just seems as though every game he makes at least one play where you have to say to yourself ‘wow’.

What Jackie Owens has been lacking at the plate this year he has more than made up for in his stellar defensive play in centerfield. In 19 games so far this season, Jackie has 28 putouts, the most of our outfielders. He has not made an error, or even come close to one for that matter. To his credit he has collected two outfield assists, but could have more than that. Many teams don’t run on his arm for fear of being gunned down. I for one have been saved by Jackie Owens while on the mound more than once this year and I’m sure most of our other pitchers have as well. So I tip my cap to you, Jack, and I thank you for your top-notch play in the outfield. You are the Defensive Whiz of the 2007 season so far.

Did I mention that he’s got a Gold Glove to his credit as well? Icing on the cake baby.

Now, I left the first half MVP for last because I respect him tremendously and I didn’t want you to know who he was until the end. This guy has been doing it all for the McKay Club this season so far. If you play with us, or have played against us, you probably already know who I’m talking about. You might have seen him at first base. Or maybe it was second? Some may have caught a glimpse of him at short or third. If it was early in the season, you caught him in right field or even on the pitcher’s mound.

Yea, he’s even been there.

Versatility aside, Dan Ciocca has been an offensive force this entire season and his numbers back it up. Through 22 games, number 11 has been number one on the McKay Club. Ciocca is batting .379 while slugging a robust .579 thus far. His 19 RBI, not including last night’s game versus West Roxbury landed him third in the Yawkey League. He is also tied for third in the league with seven doubles and has one mammoth homerun against the tops dogs of the league Somerville.

All the versatility in the infield hasn’t hurt his defense either, as Ciocca has only committed five errors while collecting 35 assists (first on the team) and 34 put outs (second on the team).

The majority of Dan’s RBI’s have been difference makers in games as well. Any time there is a big spot for him to plate a few runs, he’s there to get the job done, just ask the opposing team. Now, some of this credit has to go to the three gentlemen (and it pains me to call them gentlemen by the way) ahead of him in the line-up. Dana Levensaler, Rob Linn and Chris Deane have been getting on base for Danny so he has these RBI opportunities. I know I would have heard it from at least two of them if their names were not mentioned within this piece. Ever since our line up was shuffled to get Ciocca in the clean-up spot, it has been nothing but good news for us and bas news for opposing pitchers. The first half MVP of the McKay Club goes to Mr. Versatility himself, Dan Ciocca. Just don’t let him be your wingman and Tom English’s. Just ask Dana.

The McKay Club Beacons are Officially Fun to Watch

Well then, back to business as usual. Memorial Day has come and gone. And what a Memorial Day it was. In Boston, we saw weather with timing as impeccable as the Boston Red Sox offense. And speaking of those Red Sox, they just keep sweeping right along as the New York Yankees keep getting swept away.

I’m sure that McKay Club outfielder Dana Levensaler won’t be too happy about the Yankees, but he has a team closer to his heart than those hapless Bronx Bombers. And that team would be our McKay Club Beacons. Dana has been a great example of how this team has already seemed to have come together more cohesively this season that at any point during all of last season.

This past Friday night proved to be a prime example of how this team sticks together and, above all else, just wants to win and have a great time doing it. I mean, how many times do you see a team get three runners gunned down, at home plate have you, and still end up pulling out the win, 8-4? If you were thinking ‘not too often,’ then you were right.

I digress. Dana is an old man. It had to be said. Now for the good part. He is an old man who can swing one hell of a bat, even under the weather. Suffering from a neck injury that, earlier in the day had limited him from scoping women on Newbury Street in Boston, came through with three hits in our 8-4 come-from-behind victory. Two of the three hits Dana delivered were a few of the hottest, hardest scorched balls I have seen in my two years in the Yawkey League.

That’s just one of the many finer points from Friday night that I believe solidified our team and put into our minds that, much like the 2007 Red Sox team, this team can come from behind, score runs and win games with ability and with timely hitting. This year, more hits seem to be falling and the stats are showing it.

Through six games, the Beacons’ offense has been putting out like a, um, well you guys know here I’m going with that one. I’ll just leave it at that. The team is currently ranked fifth or better in team batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS (ob-base-plus-slugging for those of you who might not know) doubles, hits and runs scored. Now, some of these stats may have been inflated by the eight-run, 17 hit performance on Friday night at Towne Field, but I can say this much. This team, as constituted, is much more gifted offensively than last year, and I don’t mean gifted in a special-ed kind of way either.

Last season, I looked at Dan Ciocca as a pitcher first, and an offensive player second. This season, not so much. Ciocca has absolutely been hitting the cover off of the ball, spraying hits to all gaps and fields so far this season. His biggest hit of the young season by far occurred after an intentional walk of Chris Deane to load the bases. Fearing the Yawkey League power threat, Savin Hill chose to pitch to Dan Ciocca instead of Deane and he made them pay for it big time. That was the biggest hit of the season so far for the team, as it gave us a 5-4 lead that would not be relinquished.

What allowed us to come from behind, and what will allow us to come from behind again and again is the pitching. Adam Kuils, Friday’s starter, didn’t get the win that he deserved, but he pitched well enough for it and that’s what has happened for the most part this season. Good pitching performances by the group I am officially deeming The Four Horsemen have allowed us to rank seventh in the Yawkey League in ERA while allowing only 10 earned runs while striking out 40 in 41 innings. The Four Horseman are as follows: Sean Sullivan, Adam Kulis, Dan Ciocca and Ryan Thomas. With three consistent starters and one very reliable bullpen arm, this team is poised to shut down opposing offenses and win ball games.

The only troublesome area, the one that may have cost us a game or two already, is the defense. In particular the infield. Now i’m not pointing fingers, but the infielders have allowed all 11 errors so far this season, leading to our rank of 13^th in the Yawkey League in fielding percentage. What can be done to fix this? A longer infield practice before games, or games of pepper to strengthen muscle memory and reflexes? Sure, whatever works. Maybe the kinks are out and more ground balls will start finding gloves. I’m an optimist, what can I say?

With a 3-3 record, a top-five offense and solid pitching, I can’t bitch about much. Yes, the defense needs a little bit of work. That will come. The important part is that, as of now, we know how to win and we believe that we can win no matter what. Three run deficit in the seventh? Big deal. With Chris Deane, Rob Linn, Dana Levensaler and Dan Ciocca in the middle of the line-up, bring on your closer. Or your starter after six innings. I know we can win and my team mates know we can win. Come to the games and watch, drink with us afterwards at Tom English’s Pub and enjoy the ride.