THE COMMISH CORNER 10/09/15 The Commish Corner IT S NEVER TOO LATE TO BECOME A LEGEND! Issue 1/Weeks 1-4 FALL 2015 FAN CAM!
THE COMMISH CORNER Issue 10/09/15 2 Redlegs Four Games into the Fall Season Without a Win by Robert BobbyK Korn The Redlegs rolled the dice and took on some new players to Legends, but it may take a bit to work off the rust, as they started an unimpressive 0-4! New to the league and the team are Tideman (coolest first name in the league!) Penland, Steve Foster, Lonny Schwartz, Alan Meyer, Matt Gaugler, brothers Craig and Chris French, and the newest addition, Pete Greenwood. Returning are long-time veterans Nelson Taveras, and co-manager Ron Cortese. Also returning are Jeremy Bourque and Kris McFall from the 2015 spring championship team, as well as Aaron Tooke, Fred Leiby, and MVP Casey Ray from the 2014 fall championship squad. Joining the team in his first year as a coach is long-time Redleg, Rich Oliver, who has been on previous championship teams, including the 2015 fall and 2014 spring winners! Even winless so far, this team is a lot better than their record shows. We have some all-star players in our lineup and they re starting to put up some big numbers. Hopefully, we can catch some breaks from here on out and into the playoffs, stated comanager Robert BobbyK Korn. Those players with big numbers for the Reds so far are centerfielder Jeremy Bourque, Casey Ray, Steve Foster, Aaron Took, Nelson Taveras, and Tideman Penland. When everyone else gets hot, and I expect they will, we can compete with any team in this league, added BobbyK. Opening day saw the Redlegs make up a huge deficit against the always tough Padres, to from them, said coach Rich Rich Man Oliver. Another winnable game against the Expos in the second week of the season saw some great pitching performances from Ron Cortese and closer Steve Foster who kept the Redlegs within striking distance. Going into week three against their perennial rival, the Black Sox, the Redlegs were ready for a tight game. And, just like the 2014 fall semi-finals, the game went down to the wire with both teams playing some intense baseball. Only this time, the Black Sox emerged with the victory by one run. I ll take the win in the playoffs versus this regular season game any day, Rich Man added. (article continued on page 3) Ted Williams Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer. Upcoming Feature Game The undefeated Nationals aim to continue their perfect fall season run when they face the preseason favorite, the star-studded Black Sox, this narrowly lose by two runs. We almost stole one away Sunday, October 11 th. Game time is 12:15 to 3:15 in Woodbridge at Veteran s Park, Field#3 (Vets #3).
THE COMMISH CORNER Issue 10/09/15 3 The stage was set in week four in a rematch of last fall s championship game with the Nationals. And, the big bats came alive. Jeremy Bourque went 4-4 with three RBI and six stolen bases. Casey Ray continued to crush the ball, going 4-4 with two triples, four stolen bases and one RBI. And, Aaron Tooke grooved his swing with a 4-5 day, including a double. Despite their effort, the Redlegs were no match for the wellbalanced attack of the Nationals. They definitely have a strong team this fall, and I must say, are a favorite to win it all, said the Commish. I just hope we play them tougher in the playoffs, he added. https://legends.smugmug.com/legends-baseball/pre-finals/fall-2015 Mickey Mantle It was all I lived for, to play baseball.
THE COMMISH CORNER Issue 10/09/15 4 Dodgers at 3-2 by Peyton Hale The 2015 fall season has gone well so far for the Dodgers, who currently sit at 3-2. The season started with a 2-1 victory over the Outlaws, in a hard fought pitching and defensive battle. The offense broke out in the second game against the Knights, ending in a 15-1 victory. Game three was close throughout, but hard hitting from the Hurricanes and shaky Dodger defense in the 9th led to the first loss of the season, 5-11. Week four resulted in a double- header split, with the Dodgers beating the Biscuits 12-6, and falling to the Outlaws 2-13. A strong pitching rotation is currently being led by Christian who has shut out the opposition in nine of his 10 innings pitched. Also on the mound, Cody has only given up two earned runs in his nine innings pitched, while Nick leads the team with 10 strikeouts. Austin, the team s catcher, is leading the Dodger offense with 12 hits. The team s two first basemen, Carson and Peyton, Jr., are demonstrating strong clutch hitting with runners on base by each racking up 5 RBI. The Dodger s defense has been very strong this season. The outfield has committed no errors in the five games played due to the exceptional hustle of centerfielder, Harrison, and corner outfielders, Tommy and Alex. The infield has turned in many fine plays as well, led by second baseman, Peyton, III, and third baseman, Demetric. Tommy Lasorda: There are three types of baseball players: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happens. Eagles Impressive on Offense By Cody Dudley Dom Tripodi is seen here with his wife, Megan, and their infant son, Arthur. Dom just retired from the military. Megan s Air Force duties are requiring the family to move to New Jersey. The Eagles began their third fall season with four new players, new uniforms, and a desire to be ready for the 2015 Legends playoffs. Led by John Moore with a.538 batting average, the team is currently batting.348 with a.441 on-base percentage, posting 33 runs through four games. Todd Savage has one home run. The Eagles played sound base-tobase offense in its last game with the Gashouse Gang, falling short of beating the top team 12-11. Our record may not show it, but our pitching and defense are improving and we hope to be ready for a good playoff run. We also say goodbye to another Eagle this season. Dom Tripodi has been our extraordinary leadoff hitter for the past 3 years. As has happened with a lot of our original team, family military duty is taking him away from the area. We salute all our Eagles and other Legends players in the military. Thank you for your service!
THE COMMISH CORNER Issue 10/09/15 5 Hurricanes Post Dominant Undefeated First Half of Season by Greg Budnik Trying to recapture their 2014 back-to-back championship lightning, the Hurricanes took advantage of all the great weather we ve had this season and stake a claim on first place by going undefeated through the first five games. Edging each of their division opponents by a solid margin, the Canes pitching, hitting, and defense has been continually improving each week as playoff baseball nears. With the deepest pitching staff in the division, the eight Canes pitchers have held opposing batters to a season total of 13 runs, averaging less than 2.0 earned runs per game for combined staff. Kudos to starters John Brixius, Nick Dean, Alan Oberheim, Jamie Spencer and Greg Budnik, with closing and middle relief help from Adam Ninteman. Catching for the season has been solid as usual with Will Glover, Mo Arias, and Roy McDaniel creating a collective wall behind the plate with a few great putouts at the plate on outfield assists as well. Defense has seen some amazing webgem-grade catches in the outfield from Keith Krause, Joe Riley-Ryan and Nick Dean, while Darren Mann has been a standout rookie at third base. Team tall guys, Mike Romano and Greg Budnik, have anchored error-free first base. Offense has been impressive, averaging 12 runs per game and is led by the slugging of Romano, Dean, Brixius, Spencer and Arias. Particularly clutch RBI hits in the games have been contributed when it counted the most by McDaniel, Krause, Romano, Budnik, Dean, Brixius, Glover and Arias. The one HR notched for the season was a laser to left by Arias. Also, Budnik has been up to his old tricks with two successful suicide squeeze bunts. Alan Oberheim has stolen pretty much everything on the field except home (which he s eyeing up for the playoffs!). Hats off to Legends rookies Roy McDaniel, Darren Mann, and Adam Ninteman (left to right above) for stepping in to complete a Canes roster that had lost a few players in the offseason due to surgeries, job transfers and even an upcoming wedding (congrats to Alex Budnik!). All in all, a great season thus far!