18-Grip Shield Glory Days

LOPEZ FIRES GEM ON SAME MOUND HE PITCHED ON AS A PRO

Sunday, November 8 was a sweet homecoming for Gustavo Lopez as the Chamos’ righthander fired a three hitter to lead the East Coast All Stars to the 25 Wood championship in the NABA’s Florida World Series at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. Lopez struck out ten in the East Coast All Stars’ 4-2 victory over the New York All Stars. Lopez spent part of the 2002 season with the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League, the most impressive season of his six year minor league career with the Florida Marlins’ organization. The 34-year old Lopez, a native of the Dominican Republic, went 8-3 with a 2.33 ERA in 17 starts that year with Jupiter and was promoted to Portland (Class AA) before hurting his arm, ending his career. Overall, Gustavo won 27 games with a lifetime 3.55 ERA in the Marlins’ farm system, as was regarded as one of their top pitching prospects. Lopez was selected as the championship game’s Most Valuable player. Yestin Polanco, a Chamos’ teammate, and catcher Justin Lloyd (White Sox) also played with the East Coast team, and Leo Merced (Chamos, Rangers) acted as a base coach. .

In the 18 Wood championship, the Hudson Valley (NY) Mariners took the title from last year’s winner, the Orlando Cardinals, topping the Cards 5-2 behind Jay Monti’s two hitter over six innings and a stout three inning relief job by lefthander Jake Slate, who earned the save despite battling leg cramps.

The Palm Beach League’s only entry, the South Florida Beach Bums, went winless in five games. Brian Holden (Rockhounds) turned in a brilliant pitching performance on Thursday, but lost a 2-1 heartbreaker in the Beach Bums’ best game of the tournament. The Beach Bums' bats finally came to life in their final game on Saturday, but they lost a 12-10 decision to the Southeastern Elites of Broward County. Palm Beachers Max Johnson, Rob Wiley and Emilio Vargas played for the Elites. Former Palm Beach Miracle player Jay Caddle managed the team. He is also the League President of the NABA Southeastern Florida League. Several other league players participated in the tournament with out of state teams.     

ROYALS SELECT FORMER PRO IN FALL LEAGUE DRAFT

In the Fall League draft, held on Sunday, September 20, the 18AAA Royals picked up Mike Zywica, who spent seven seasons in professional baseball, reaching theClass AAA level with both the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. The 6-4, 200 pounder played the outfield throughout his pro career, batting .262 with 82 home runs and 68 stolen bases. The 35-year old Zywica is a native of Illinois, but now lives in Boynton Beach. He drove in more than 300 runs in his minor league career. Zywica showed some of that pop in Sunday's tryouts, and also popped a few fastballs when he took to the mound. The Royals hope to use him as an outfielder and pitcher and feel he may help to turn their franchise around.

The only other 18AAA team to draft was the Ameriland Leones, who selected NickBruckner of Wellington in the fiirst round. The 19-year old infielder-outfielder played at Wellington High School, which has produced many professional players, some ofwhom have made the major leagues. In addition to high school, Bruckner played onthe Wellington American Legion Travel squad.

The Royals took another player in the second round, selecting 31-year switch hitter Brent Doolan, who played high school and American Legion ball in Ohio before moving to South Florida. Eight 18AA teams tabbed the 19 other players at the September 30 tryouts.

The Braves added some new faces, led by first rounder Michael Wallner of West Palm Beach. Wallner is 20, pitched at Summit Christian and is now at Palm Beach Community College. They also picked up Brandon Fassberg, a 19-year old pitcher-outfielder who attended Arizona State University and PB Community College. Both Wallner and Fassberg are righthanded pitchers. The Braves added a league veteran in outfielder-DH Harris Levitt of West Palm, whose has previous Palm Beach League experience.

The Marlins also took three players, including 39 year old pitcher Ed Wood of Delray Beach. Wood, who also plays first base and the outfielder played at Henry Ford Community College in Michigan, and played several seasons in the Norhtern Michigan Adult League. The Marlins went for 21 year old catcher Michael Mitchell of Wellington, who played for Palm Beach Central HS and on the American Legion Travel team out of Wellington. Mitchell also can play second base and the outfield. Charlie Carter, 25,of Hobe Sound rounded out the Marlins' draft picks. A lefthanded hitter and thrower,Carter plays first baseand the outfield. He played high school ball at Fort Pierce Central High School, moved to Orlando and now is back in South Florida.

The Warriors, who won a previous 18AA championship, selected two new players in 31-year old outfielder Richard Pierce of West Palm Beach and another outfielder in 24-year old Matthew Hoener of Boynton Beach. The Warriors' draftees will be placed on other teams because of the Warriors' out again, in again status. The Dodgers chose a seasoned Adult League player in 49-year Alan Fox, who has played and managed in the Palm Beach League and other leagues. Fox can play the infield, third base primarily, can catch and take the mound on occasion. The Dodgers' other pick is 29-year old infielder-outfielder Tim McManus of Lake Worth. McManus also has Adult League experience, having played in Broward County.

Michael Payne, who is returning to the league after having been with the four time 18AAA champion Twins through their four championship campaigns, has added three new faces to his new team, which may be called the Tigers. The new Tigers are 31-year old Tim Ritchie, who recently moved from New Jersey to Florida. The lefthanded Ritchie spent nine years, most of them as a player-manager in a very successful Adult League in Northern Jersey. He plays first base and outfield and may do some relief pitching. Ritchie was selected twice as manager of the year in the Garden State. Also joining the Tigers are 20 year old outfielder-third baseman Scott Conti of Wellington and 23-year old league veteran Ron Fernandez, a lefty who plays first and the outfield. Conti has some rec league experience, and Fernandez has played with a couple of Palm Beach league teams. Fernandez was hit alongside his left eye with an errant throw at first base in the tryouts and had to be treated by paramedics. He has fully recovered and is excited about his new team.

The Brewers added two rookies to their roster for the fall season. They are Jared Moore, 26 year old shortstop-outfielder from West Palm, 45-year old shorrstop Geoffrey Fisher of Boca Raton, and 19-year old outfielder Thomas McKeen of Wellington. Moore is originally from Jefferson City, Missouri.

The Rangers, who will be managed this season by Eddie Vasquez, who replaces Leo Merced as the field boss took only one player. Roberto Laboy, a infielder and pitcher, spent several seasons in the Palm Beach League and impressed everyone at the tryouts with a live bat and good glove despite the fact that he is now 53 years old. Merced will serve as a coach with the 18AAA Chamos this season.

The Palm Beach Wave, renamed the Rockhounds, will be returning to the 18AAA league after missing the Spring 2009 season, and manager Mike Soulen had a look at former Philadelphia Phillies' farmhand Alex McEnaney of Royal Palm Beach on Sunday. McEnaney is a 23-year old son of former Cincinnati Reds' World Series hero Will McEnaney, who also pitched with the Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals during his six year major league career and played in this league in 2003. Will also played in the Palm Beach League with powerhouse Club Boca, with former major leaguers Rennie Stennett, Mickey Rivers and Jackie Hernandez, as well as the West Palm Beach Tropics of the Senior Professional Baseball Association in the mid 1980's.

RANGERS MANAGE ONLY A TIE IN ATLANTIC CITY NABA EVENT

If they were playing blackjack, the Florida Rangers would have busted in the NABA's Atlantic City Labor Day weekend tournament. The Rangers, led by manager Leo Merced teamed with a half dozen players from te Hudson Valley (NY) Yankees. In their three A division games up north, the Rangers managed only a tie, or in casino jargon, a "push". That came on Saturday when they held the Philadelphia A's to an 8-8 deadlock. On that same day, they lost to the Pole Tavern Titans 12-11. On Sunday, with a very slim chance of making the playoffs, the Rangers were beaten by the top seeded NY Metros 8-3. There was some consolation for the Rangers in that that all three teams the Rangers played wound up with unbeaten records in pool play, and that the one team they tied, the Philadelphia A's were in Monday's championship final against the Monmouth County (NJ) Thunder, which ousted the Metros in Sunday's playoff. Monmouth County went on to capture the title. The Rangers' roster included these Palm Beach league players---The roster included Rangers' players Kelvin Jimenez, Junior Reyes and Anthony Munson, Kenny Rua (Royals), Tom Brodrick and Mike Alfinez (Cubs), Emilio Vargas (Cardinals) and Marcel Castaneda (Beach Bums). In the 18AA division, the Labor Day finale matched the Roberto Clemente team and the Virginia Beach (VA) Spiders. Virginia Beach claimed the crown on Monday. Despite their disappointment, the Rangers intend to enter a team in the NABA's Florida World Series at the Roger Dean Complex in Jupiter in November.

CARDINALS AND GLORY DAYS COP SPRING LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Cardinals won their first 18AAA championship, dethroning two time defending champion Chamos 7-4, and Glory Days scored seven runs in the top of the 9th inning to beat the Cubs 11-4 for the 18AA title on Sunday, Ausut 30, 2009. Both Spring 2009 league championship games were played at the Santaluces Complex in Lantana.

GHIANDA, JOHNSON LEAD CARDINALS PAST CHAMOS

n the 18AAA game, the Cardinals scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the first, added single runs in the second and third and held off rallies by Chamos in the sixth, seventh and ninth iinnings. Chamos never led in the game, although they closed the gap to one run at 4-3 and 5-4 before the Redbirds finally put it on ice with two more in the ninth. Ryan Ghianda led the way, pitching six innings for the win and contributing two hits, including a first inning two run double that gave his club a lead they were never to give up. Brian Holden pitched the last three innings to earn a save. For his pitching and timely hitting, Ghianda was chosen as the game's Most Valuable Player.

Cardinals' center fielder Max Johnson was the offensive star for the Cardinals, smashing two doubles and a mammoth 420-foot home run to dead center. Rob Wiley contributed a run scoring double, and Billy Brescia and Ryan McDonald chipped in with RBI singles. Another run scored on a throwing error in the 9th inning. For Chamos, Ralph Velez smacked an RBI double, Harving Lejarazo a run scoring single, with Victor Prieto driving in a run on a fielder's choice and Gustavo Castillo plating the final run with a sacrifice fly. However, Chamos left thirteen men on base, including the bases loaded twice. Chamos pulled to within a run at 5-4 with a run in the 7th on Gustavo Castillo's sacrifice fly, scoring Geraldo Vasquez. However, on the same play, Prieto was doubled off first base to end the inning.

Brescia and Emilio Vargas each had two hits for the Cardinals, who won the regular season title with a 16-4 record, including three wins in four meetings with Chamos. Although many of the Cardinals' players have played on championship teams in the past, including the Rockets, Indians, and Los Tigres, this was the first title for them as a Cardinals squad, managed by Rick Brescia.

GLORY DAYS BRINGS BACK THE GLORY WITH A PATENTED BIG INNING

The oldest franchise in the Palm Beach League, Glory Days, which joined the league in 1993, had not been to a league championship game since they lost a 6-5 heartbreaker to the perennial champion Caribbean Stars (Los Tigres) in the spring 1999 season. This time, though, Joe DeSantis' team was not to be denied, using a typical big ining to knock off the top seeded Cubs 11-4. Long noted for high scoring innings, Glory Days posted seven runs in the top of the 9th inning to send the regular season National Division champions down to a resounding defeat.

With the score tied at 4-4, Glory Days loaded the bases on a single by Brian Barnes, a long double by Jerry Matarazzo and a walk to manager DeSantis. Troy Glover followed with a bullet to left, scoring both Barnes and Matarazzo to make it 6-4. Glory Days followed with five more on a two run single by Jeff Bishop, an RBI hit by Marc Provencher and another two run single by Steve Arnold.

There were other stars for Glory Days, including leadoff hitter Troy Dean who opened the game with a home run to right field, plus another hit and a sacrifice fly. Matarazzo and Bishop had three hits apiece as Days pounded out sixteen hits. Arnold wound up with two hits, including a double, but it was Glover's clutch two run two bagger in the 9th that earned Glover the game's MVP award. Mike Alfinez almost stole the show for the Cubs as he had a single, double and four stolen bases, including a daring steal of home with two strikes on the batter in the 7th inning to create a 4-4 tie. Mario Perez had a triple and a single for the Cubs, but also took the loss in relief of starter Ruddy Garcia, who pitched six innings.

The Cubs were forced to play without their star pitcher and hitter, Matt Weihs, who spent three days in the hospital with an inflamed pancreas. Weihs was released from JFK hospital Sunday morning, but could only sit helplessly in the stands as his teammates saw their dream of winning a league championship in their first year go by the boards. Althougfh it had been more than a decade between championships, the title was actually the third for Glory Days. They won 18AA championships in the spring 1997 season and the 1998 Fall campaign, when the 18AA division was the league's top division. The Spring '97 title game was the last game ever played in historic West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium, the former spring training home of the Atlanta Braves and now defunct Montreal Expos.

RANGERS BOW OUT IN SEMIFINALS AT COOPERSTOWN

The Florida Rangers lost a 2-0 heartbreaker to the NY/NJ Cardinals in the 18A division semifinals of the NABA's Hall of Fame Classic at Cooperstown, NJ. The Rangers, managed by Leo Merced, had battled their way into the playoffs with a pair of wins on Saturday. Mike Alfinez, who pitches with the Palm Beach League's Cubs, pitched the team to a 6-4 win over the Main Street Pub A's. Later that day, Kenny Rua of the Royals hurled a one hit shutout in the compeltion of a game suspended by rain on Thursday, opening day of the weekend event. The Rangers picked things up with a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, and added three more runs for a 6-0 victory over Triple Threat from South Jersey. The NY/NJ Cardinals went on to capture the 18A division of the tournament.

The 18AA championship went to the Maryland-based Essex Express. Several Palm Beach League players, along with others who had previous tournament experience with the Rangers in the Puerto Rico tournament, made up the Rangers' Hall of Fame roster. Jose Pena Jr. represented his own Palm Beach League Rangers in Cooperstown. Other included Tom Brodrick and Mike Alfinez (Cubs); Steve Grove and Pat Wilson (Braves); Emilio Vargas (Cardinals); Marcel Castaneda (South Florida Beach Bums) and Kenny Rua (Royals). =============================================================================================================================================================================================