Andre Chiefs

Chiefs “2014 Championship” Chatter….. The Chiefs celebrated the 19th championship in franchise history with a late night victory party at the Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus, MA after their Game Five victory on Tuesday night. The organization thanks Kowloon owners Bobby & Andy Wong for their hospitality & generosity. The Wong Brothers provided the beverages and complimentary champagne for the 2014 ICL Champs and kept their place open “extra late” to help the Chiefs welcome their latest title. The relationship between Chiefs’ championships and the Kowloon have become synonymous and goes back decades. The franchise has had an ongoing bond with the Route One establishment since the 1970’s. The legendary restaurant and the Wong Family have been instrumental in helping the Joey Fund, which was named for the late son of former Chiefs’ manager and ICL Hall of Famer Joe O’Donnell, and the tradition continued once again Tuesday night…..The Chiefs’ will be honored at dinner hosted by former Chief pitcher Victor Garo next Wednesday night at Maury Carroll’s Carroll’s Restaurant in Medford Square. Garo, a prominent local attorney, pitched the first Chiefs’ no-hitter in 1958. Several Chiefs’ alumni, including O’Donnell and Eddie Rideout, are expected to be in attendance…..The dinners don’t end there as the team will be guests of the Boston Red Sox and the Bo Sox Club on Wednesday, September 24 at the Boston/Dedham Hilton Hotel. It will at this annual luncheon that the Chiefs will receive their 2014 ICL championship trophy. In addition, the 2014 individual awards, including the prestigious ICL MVP Award, will be presented at the annual ICL’s Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner at the Montvale Plaza in Stoneham, MA in mid-November….Despite giving it his best try, Chiefs’ first baseman Peter Copa was unable to go in Game Five with a quad injury he suffered in Game Three. In addition to Copa, Chiefs’ DH Mike Andre unceremoniously played through the entire playoffs with a hamstring pull he suffered back on July 30 in Lexington on a play when Mike Hart robbed him of extra bases with a spectacular catch of a right-centerfield gap shot. Andre missed two games to conclude the regular season, despite being treated by former Chiefs’ hurler and current Emmanuel College head trainer Ron Laham on a daily basis. Andre made a return for the playoffs despite not being close to 100%. The Chiefs certainly wanted the veteran in the lineup for Game Five as the six time ICL all-star has owned Blue Sox ace Matt Karis over the last few years, hitting four homers of the Lexington ace, including a 10th inning walk off grand slam walk in Game Four of the 2011 Championship Series….Manager Chuck Andre chalked up his tenth ICL ring, winning four as a player and now six as the Chiefs’ skipper….The Chiefs got five straight outstanding pitching performances in the championship series. Two from Jared Freni in Games One and Five, a big Game Three extra inning win from Mitchell Clegg, and strong performances from Mike DiCato in Game Two, and Timmy Dunphy in Game Four. For the first time in ICL history, each of the Chiefs’ starters in the championship series all pitched complete games…..The series was well covered by the ICL, the Blue Sox, and the Chiefs’ media staff. Kudos go out to Bruce Hack, Sam Feeley, Bruce Tillman, Local Sports Productions, John Connolly of the Boston Herald, www.Pointstreak.com , Todd Bloniarz, Allison Goldsberry of www.insidemedford.com, and www.intercityleaguebaseball.com  for another job well done. Of course the ICL is always well covered in depth by ICL Hall of Famer Steve Freker, editor of the Medford Daily Mercury and Malden Evening News, and the 2014 season was no different….Special thanks go out to Joan Bell and Orazio Azzarello for their coordination and help with Morelli Field in Melrose, where the entire Championship Series was contested……More Coverage is Coming Soon…Text By B.T