Kohli’s Korner: Rome Men’s Softball Association Blog

How ironic is it that I wrote a blog about softball being a hobby and not my life now?  What a miserable weekend.  At least administratively.  On the field, this may have been the most competitive tournament Rome has ever seen.  I don’t remember the last time so many games were decided by less than 5 runs.  Great job by all the teams involved and the officials. 

Unfortunately, the weekend quickly became tainted prior to the McKie’s-Western game at 11:30 Saturday morning.  Before the game, a McKie’s player that had previously played for Western called Western out on one of their players.  The claim was that Western was using this player under another player’s name.  The disputed player ended up sitting out this game, somewhat validating the claim of the McKie’s player. 

As the game wore on, McKie’s and Western battled back and forth for seven innings with Western holding off McKie’s in the bottom of the seventh with the tying run on first for a two-run victory.  Following that game, it was brought to the attention of the McKie’s team (by a team from the Sunday league in which Western participates) that Western may be using a player that had not played the requisite three league games prior to the tournament.  McKie’s filed a protest regarding this player.  When the smoke cleared, the player in question was ruled ineligible for tournament play, thus Western forfeited their game against McKie’s. 

According to league rules, Western should have forfeited each game in which the ineligible player participated.  The Board President decided that the two-game forfeit was harsh for Western (a long-time participant in Rome softball) and gave them the one game forfeit, thus giving McKie’s the win and bumping Western into the loser’s bracket.  Naturally, other teams took issue with this ruling and understandably so.  Western should have been booted from the tournament. 

But instead of taking their medicine and dealing with it, Western decided to make a big stink about it and as a result tainted the entire mood of the tournament.   Because they got caught not playing by the rules, they decided to make everyone else pay for their indiscretion.  All of a sudden PBA/Palisades had an illegal player, McKie’s had an illegal player.  Inicidentally, the PBA/Palisades player called into question played for Western all season but decided to play for PBA/Palisades during the tournament.  The entire scenario smells of sour grapes.  

What happened to manning up to your screw ups?  Instead, McKie’s was called crybabies, sore losers, etc…because they called out a team they thought was cheating.  The team was proven to have cheated and then went on to cry for the rest of the weekend.  Another issue that factored into this was the fact that three of the league’s board members play for McKie’s.  Sorry if that’s the case, but as I’ve said before, every member of the league had the same opportunity last year when Korp stepped down to join this board.  One of the most vocal critics of our board was actually named to the board last year but dropped out because he didn’t want to have to make any decisions. 

I apologize for stepping up to help keep this league operating.  I apologize to all the many critics we’ve had all season.  I apologize to the guys that were asked to be members, declined and then criticised every decision made by the board.  But most of all, I apologize to my wife and kids who had to deal with my miserable mood all summer, all the phone calls, emails, text messages and message board comments. 

I was told on the message board last night that there are many people not happy with the way the tournament was being run.  You know what?  Step up and make yourself heard then.  I can take it.  Why do you need to bitch amongst yourselves in the parking lot about how the board is making every decision to benefit McKie’s?  We are the most transparent organization out there.   We put EVERYTHING on the website, from financials, to player decisions to schedules.  We do not hide anything from anybody.  If you want to know something, ask one of us, we’ll tell you.  

Regardless of what many of you may think, it’s not about us.  I could give a shit if McKie’s wins the league title.  It would be nice, but I know a.) It’s not realistic and b.) If we did, we’d be blamed for fixing it.  I play with these guys because they are my friends and I enjoy a night out during the week to hang out with them and have a little fun. 

This weekend was the furthest I’ve been from fun at the softball field my entire life when it should have been the most fulfilling.  We beat a very good Bucky’s/Korp’s team on Thursday night to get into the winner’s bracket; played Western (who finished the regular season undefeated) to a 2 run loss with the tying run on; played Advanced (the 3 time league champ) to a one-run game with the tying run on second and again played Bucky’s/Korp’s in an extra innings game with the winning run on first.  This was, by far, the best my team has played in the league tournament since we’ve been together.  It should have been fulfilling, even if we did lose three games.  It wasn’t. 

Last night’s games were done by 7:00.  The rest of the board members and I were in contact with each other and members of other teams until midnight.  After we were done playing tonight and watching the rest of the tournament at field two, my wife and kids came to see me (as they hadn’t seen me since Friday).  While I’m sitting there with my family, members of Western confronted members of my team, screaming expletives and continuing to argue their case that McKie’s used an illegal player and that their player wasn’t illegal.  My wife never goes to the fields.  The one time she does, she has to hear this shit?  She hears softball BS from me every night during the summer.  My wife screamed at this Western player to “Shut the ’F’ up.  I’m sick of it!”  and I didn’t blame her for doing it.  I’m sick of it too.  When this shit starts affecting my family life it’s just not worth it.  I didn’t sign up for this.  And for you Wetsel guys that want to tell me I should have known when I signed on…I say to you, Bullshit!  I didn’t sign on to help administer a recreational softball league to have these headaches every single night; to have my family life affected.  I signed on to keep this thing alive and now I regret doing it.   I’m sorry if I have a life outside of softball.  I’m not going to get any kind of financial reward for doing what I do.  My life isn’t going to change because I may or may not play on a good softball team.  And I’m sure as hell not going to let it change my family life. 

I arrived home last night miserable.  I was miserable from 11:30 yesterday morning until I went to bed.  When I walked in the door, my 4 year old daughter was supposed to have been in bed already.  I heard her fooling around, not being in bed, when I walked in the door and was ready to light her up.  I literally almost went straight upstairs to yell at my kid for not being in bed when I hadn’t seen her since 8am that morning.  What the hell is wrong with that?!  Instead, I took a deep breath and told myself, “I can’t let this shit affect my home life.”  I sat with her, read her a book and got the biggest hug from her before tucking her in.

That’s what life is about.  Not who won what softball game.  Not who caught whom cheating so we have to get back at them.  It’s about living life.  I’m sorry, but as cool as winning the league title is, it really doesn’t amount to shit in the whole scheme of things.  If I were to ever win one, I wouldn’t change who I am.  Unfortunately, there are some people in this association who live and die by the win on the field.  That’s just sad.  Play the game, hang with your friends and have fun.  That’s the meaning of recreation.  If you really need softball games to validate yourself, go see a psychologist. 

The above quote was written on the league’s message board today in response to my busting a guy’s chops for attending a concert the first night of the tournament instead of playing with his team.  His team won their game handily without him but he will be welcomed back with open arms come tomorrow when they take the field (that is, unless he’s also going to see Journey without Steve Perry, which I wouldn’t put past him). 

The above quote is EXACTLY what this league is supposed to be about and seems to get lost this time of year.  We are all a bunch of former or maybe never-were athletes that enjoy getting together one, two, three nights a week to play a game we all love to play….for fun.  There’s no purse for the champion.  Just a shitty trophy and a cell-phone picture in the Sentinel to go with the title of “Best Team in the Rome League.”  But it is sometimes hard to turn that ultra-competitive switch off when gametime rolls around.

Yes, we are all competitive.  You pretty much have to be to continue playing team sports at this stage in life.  But there has to be a point when the competitor in you has to say, “It’s just a game.  It’s just a hobby.  It’s not my life.” 

Would winning the RMSA League Championship help define who you are in the greater scheme of things?  If that’s how you define yourself, then you should really re-evaluate things a bit. 

This is a game, a recreation, an activity, a hobby, a night out.  It’s something to do during the summer months to get together with your friends and have a little competitive fun. 

Everybody wants to win.  That’s indisputable.  However, winning shouldn’t come with the costs it sometimes does.  Some teams do things to give themselves an advantage, whether it be shaving a bat, fudging a name on a score sheet, or forging a signature on a roster.  Is it really worth it?  Why soil the legacy of your team through such underhanded methods?  Does it really make you feel better about winning the title if you didn’t do it legitimately?  It’s recreational.  Nothing more, nothing less.  We’re out to have a good time playing a game we love to play. 

That said, softball doesn’t just affect the teams you’re playing with or against.  For the vast majority of us, it affects our families as well.  Witness the bleachers during a recent Yard Cat-State Farm game.  Both sets of bleachers were filled to capacity for that game, screaming and yelling and cheering their teams on.  It was a tremendous sight to see.  If City Hall could have seen that display they would realize what this league means to families of all kinds in this city and help this league continue to prosper. 

Softball brings families together to cheer.  It brings families together to socialize.  It brings families together to feel good.  However, softball can also bring families to trouble.  I know for a fact that softball has affected the family lives of at least a couple of us on this board alone.  My wife can’t wait for softball to be over so she can have a conversation with me that doesn’t involve softball, not to mention the fact that she’ll have me home a bit more during the off-season.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve often let softball become more my life than my hobby.  And I hate for that to happen. 

Another example of how softball can truly affect family can be seen in the case of the Brew Crew team.  I’ll be the first to stand in line to say I love watching those guys play.  They have an enthusiasm second to none when they are between the lines.  One of their players is getting married tomorrow (congratulations Mark!).  Talk about a true softball guy, he scheduled his wedding around the original tournament date (that being last weekend).  Unfortunately for his team, we rescheduled the date of our tournament (due to conflict with the Utica ADA tourney) after he had his wedding date set.  Despite the fact that he was getting married and a boatload of his teammates were to stand up in his wedding, they were still geared up to play in the tournament this weekend.  If you attended the game between Rite Aid and Brew Crew last night you know what I’m talking about.   

However, for the Brew Crew, life got in the way of softball.  And that’s the way it should be.  You should skip a more or less meaningless softball tournament to participate in the wedding of your brother, your friend, your cousin.  It’s unfortunate that they were unable to complete their run in the tournament but in the bigger picture, these guys are going to have lifelong stories to share about their friend’s, their teammate’s, wedding reception moreso than they would if they had gone two and out in the city tournament. 

Family should always come before softball.  And we should not lose sight of that.  After all, softball is our hobby, not our life.

RMSA Diamond Dust:  Week 13 

By

            [RMSA Diamond Dust is a weekly synopsis of happenings in the

            Rome Men’s Softball ended regular season play this past week, first with a whimper then with a roar as all three leagues engaged in mini-tournaments for the right to advance to the season finale, the Rome Men’s Softball League Championship Tournament, which gets underway at the complex Thursday with eight games. 

            As was often the case this summer, Mother Nature added fireworks and lots and lots of water to the Monday Burt Smith League, washing out almost the entire slate for the night. Only two games were held in the league play-in tourney, resulting in an anti-climatic berth in the tournament for the 7-4 Black River Ale House.  The Ale House was able to advance because of the washouts and live to play another day.  Ale House’s next opponent:  the formidable Advanced Auto in a first round tournament game this Thursday at 6:45. 

            Thursday’s Korpela League mini-tourney saw Aquino’s #2 and Smith Post #2 make their way through the bracket to meet in the finals.  Aquino’s proved to be the best team of the night on the score sheets, beating Sammy G’s 20-5 and then Smith Post in the final 18-8.  However, it was determined after the fact that Aquino’s had used an illegal player in their Sammy G’s game thus resulting in a forfeit loss. 

            The forfeit forced the RMSA board to scramble to get Sammy G’s and Smith Post together for a do-over of the play-in final. The game was scheduled to be played in the late slot on Sunday night. 

Smith Post #2 and Sammy G’s played late into Sunday night to determine the final playoff participant with Smith Post taking a 13-6 victory into the RMSA Tourney. 

Gary Reese, Sr. led the way for Smith Post, hitting a two-run home run in the decisive second inning.  Reese also had a double and a single on the night.  Bill Borst hit a home run with five RBI for Smith Post’s potent offense and Travis Piersall, Brad Vescio, Al Parent, and Josh Freeman all added three hits apiece for Smith. 

Pacing the way for Sammy G’s were Mark Bahr with a RBI triple and a single and Trinity Swancott, who had a two-run home run and a double among his three hits.  Sammy’s ended the season with a 5-10 record.  Smith Post #2 (7-8) will look to be the surprise team of the tournament when they face the number two seed PBA/Palisades (11-1) this Thursday in the nightcap on field two. 

            Sunday’s Community League provided many surprises in their play-in tournament as twelve teams vied for two spots in the big dance.  While the four top ranked teams received byes, the other eight contenders slugged it out in the early games. 

            R&S Steel eliminated the Benchwarmers in a close 9-5 game to begin the day’s action.  R&S turned it on in their final two at-bats, scoring seven total runs in the fifth and sixth and held off a four-run Benchwarmer rally in the top of the seventh in advancing.  Rod Armstrong was 4-for-4 in leading the R&S offense.  R.J. Armstrong added three hits of his own to help the cause. 

            The Benchwarmers were paced by Norm Baldomir’s 3-for-4 performance, which included a solo home run.  Rod Schnackenberg had an added two hits and an RBI in the season finale for the Benchwarmers who finished the season with a disappointing 1-11 record. 

            With the win, R&S advanced to play Dream City Mattress in a 5:30 game on field one.  The back and forth affair featured runs in the double digits from both teams culminating in a thrilling conclusion. 

            Down by two heading into the home half of the seventh inning,

            R&S finished the season with a 6-7 while

            The thriller of the night occurred in the final on field two in the 8:00 game between the favored State Farm Insurance and the upstart Yard Cat Excavating.  With a spot in the tourney on the line, both teams pushed all in.  Big innings characterized the emotional affair with each team posting big numbers several times giving what should have been comfortable leads. 

            Up 3-2 in the third, Yard Cat dropped nine runs on State Farm to take a commanding 12-2 lead.  Vinnie Waterman started the rally with a lead off triple to left-center field, which was followed two batters later by Chad Tennant’s home run, putting Yard Cat up by three.  Consecutive doubles by Josh Hedrington and Mike Ragonese padded the lead. 

            State Farm attempted to chip away at the Yard Cat lead for the next three innings but was answered at every turn by the Yard Cats.  Finally in the sixth inning, State Farm exploded for twelve runs to take a 21-17 lead heading into the seventh.  In the explosive sixth, Travis Oliver hit a two-run triple and Bryan Brockway added a RBI triple of his own to send the fervent State Farm fans into a frenzy.  Anthony and Larry Pendolf added run-scoring back to back doubles to add to the lead.   

            The Yard Cats were a team of destiny on this night, however.  Ragonese and Will Roberts drove in four runs total in the top half of the seventh to tie it up at 21.  State Farm failed to score in their half of the seventh, necessitating extra innings. 

            Louie Roach led off the top of the eighth for Yard Cat with a single followed by another single from Waterman.  After a flyout from Rich Tennant, Chad Tennant drove a two-run double in the left centerfield gap sparking an eight run rally that put Yard Cat firmly in the driver’s seat.  Roberts put icing on the cake, hitting a two-run blast into field one that gave him a cycle on the night. 

            State Farm again failed to score in their half of the inning and was sent packing 29-21.  State Farm finished their season with a 7-6 record while the tournament-bound Yard Cats improved to 7-6 en route to a date with perennial playoff contender Don’s Auto in the 8:00 game on field one this Thursday. 

            The final Community League game of the night between unbeatens Wetsel Seed Company and Western Legion, was billed as the “Game of the Season” by almost everyone.  This highly anticipated affair between two of the association’s powerhouse teams turned into a shocking blowout as Western made a very loud statement that they are the team to beat in the tournament. 

            Wetsel had trouble figuring out Western pitcher Dave Leonbruno all night as he scattered 10 hits and allowed just three runs in a 20-3 trouncing that was ended in the fifth by the mercy rule. 

            Western came to bat in the top of the first and decided to continue batting for the next twenty minutes as they put on a hitting clinic of the highest caliber.  JJ Calandra hit a grand slam and Donnie Blanchard and Jeff Lanigan hit back to back blasts that they are still looking for in the

complex as Western put thirteen runs on the board before Wetsel even had a chance to hit.

            Wetsel was able to plate one run in their half of the inning as Rick Swancott drove in Jared Tiffin, who had doubled.  They were only able to muster two more runs the rest of the night, these came in the third inning when the game was firmly in hand for Western.  Tiffin knocked in Bill Ryan and Albie Menendez drove in

             Both Blanchard and Anthony Morat finished the night 4-for-4 for Western with Blanchard hitting two home runs with five RBI.  Calandra and Monty Dibble each had three hits for Western, who finished the year with a 12-0 record and secured the top seed in the RMSA League Championship Tournament.  Western will face Rienzo Construction in the opening game on field one Thursday night at 5:15 while Wetsel, who earned the fourth seed in the tournament, will play the surprising Yard Cat Excavating at 6:45 on field two.

            The RMSA League Championship Tournament will begin Thursday August 21 and continue Saturday the 23^rd.  Games will be played throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday with the championship game scheduled for 4:00 Sunday, the “if necessary” game will immediately follow. 

            You can follow all the tournament action through the league’s website at www.romemenssoftball.org.  There you will find the tournament bracket and schedule of games along with running updates of games as they are completed on the league’s message board.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a history buff, a history major, and a future history teacher.  One of my goals for the future is to do a history of men’s softball in Rome, NY.  It’s something that I am looking forward to putting together once I have the full time to dedicate to it. 

I have done some research on my own.  I’ve been at Jervis Library looking at old Sentinels on microfilm.  I have talked to people like Jim Korpela, Dave Leonbruno, Al Marrello and Bill Fleet.  I am looking forward to talking with more former Rome softball players as well. 

I am also looking for any artifacts you, your parents, your relatives, etc…may have relating to softball history in Rome, NY.  While you’re prepping for your summer-end garage sales or just doing some cleaning around the house, keep an eye out for any softball-related items you may have. 

Also, if you know a former Rome softball player that would be willing to sit down and discuss “the good old days” with me, please let me know.  I would love to speak with them. 

If you find anything that I can use, please contact me.  Even if I have to drive to your house just to take a picture of it, it will help with this project.  Anything will do, whether you think it is significant or not, will help me in this project.  If all goes well, I will present this project for publication. 

 Thanks for reading.  I look forward to anything you may have.   I can be reached through email at mkohli@romemenssoftball.org or through my phone number listed on the contacts page of the website. 

Kohls

(Editor’s note: Diamond Dust is a weekly synopsis of happenings in the Rome Men’s Softball Association compiled by board member Mike Kohli. It features spotlight games and standout players from that week’s games.) By Mike Kohli

Normally, the final weeks of the regular season are a time when competition is at its most intense and a win-at-all-costs attitude prevails. This is the time of year when teams are angling for playoff seeds or looking to sneak into the year-end bracket. This week’s games provided all of the above but it all took a back seat to the feel-good story of the year in Sunday’s early game on field two.

The early game between Hawkins & Hurlbut and State Farm looked inconsequential at its surface as both teams still need to go through the play-in tournament to qualify for the season-ending tournament. However, the “W” was not the most important thing on this day for these two teams.

Long-time softball supporter and State Farm manager Mark Brockway played his first ever game of association softball. Anyone that plays softball in Rome should recognize Mark Brockway. He is a constant fixture at the fields and is always positive. Mark has been a fixture on the benches of State Farm in the men’s league and Jack Holmes Trucking in the women’s league for years. However, he hadn’t played an official game until this week.

With a huge throng of friends and family gathered on the State Farm bleachers, Mark stepped in to play right field for State Farm. State Farm put together a seven run fourth-inning that proved to be the death blow for Hawkins & Hurlbut. In the inning, Mark hit a liner to short that drove in the final run of the inning and tugged at the heartstrings of everyone present. State Farm went on to win 22-7 on the strength of that emotional spark leading into next week’s position week games.

Sixth-place State Farm will face off against fifth-place Chrome Pony in position week action at 7:00 on field two next week while Hawkins & Hurlbut will meet the Benchwarmers in a 4:30 game on field two.

Other Sunday action featured the marquee match-up between last year’s league champion Advanced Auto and undefeated Wetsel Seed Company. In an uncharacteristic low-scoring game, Wetsel prevailed 3-0 to continue their perfect season. Wetsel pitcher Mike Lee held the normally potent Advanced bats at bay, allowing just seven hits, and an error-free defensive effort solidified Wetsel’s postion at the top of the league.

Wetsel’s offense was led by Albie Menendez’ two hits Jeremy Butler drove-in the eventual game-winner with a single to left in the second inning, plating Bill Ryan with the only run Wetsel would need. Butler finished with two hits on the day. Josh Gagnon also had two hits for Wetsel, going into a huge position week showdown against undefeated Western Legion at 8:15 on field two this weekend.

Kevin Reiss was the only player from Advanced to collect multiple hits, hitting singles in the first and last inning. Advanced will play the other featured game on field one this week against once-beaten Rite Aid.

Monday’s position week games featured some of the best softball of the summer as the top four teams played a mini-tournament to determine seedings.

First-place Performance Wire held off a five-run Bucky’s/Korp’s Corner rally in the top of the seventh inning to win 11-10. The win advanced Performance to the winner’s bracket showdown against rival Don’s Auto in a game that required Don’s to score eight runs to win the league title outright.

Don’s won the game 13-6 putting them in a tie in the standings but in second place due to run differential. Don’s earned the right to play Performance by virtue of winning another tight game against Casey’s Brew Crew earlier in the night.

Casey’s took an early 8-1 lead but failed to score in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and allowed Don’s to claw back and take a one-run lead. Don’s went on to win as Casey’s came up short in a rally in the bottom of the seventh.

The top four squads in the Burt Smith will have next week off as the 5th-11th place teams play in a single-elimination tournament play-in this week. The winner of this mini-tournament earns a spot in the year-end RMSA League Championship Tournament.

Thursday Korpela League action saw heavy rains washing out two of the three position week games on field two.

In the lone game on field two, Aquino’s No. 2 finished off Smith Post No. 2 9-5 in a rain-soaked affair.

Field one witnessed PBA/Palisades suffering their first loss of the season at the hands of Casey’s Tavern in a high-scoring, lopsided affair. Casey’s, playing without two of their top players, came out swinging, scoring a season-high 29 runs to PBA/Palisades’ 19 to win and take sole possession of second place in the Korpela League.

The Korpela League leaders will also take next week off as the 5th-12th place teams look to earn their way into the season-ending bracket in another round of play-in games.

Updated standings and schedules can be found on the league’s website at: www.romemenssoftball.org.

RMSA Diamond Dust:  Week 11 (7/27/08-7/31/08)

By Mike Kohli (mkohli@romemenssoftball.org)

            [RMSA Diamond Dust is a weekly synopsis of happenings in the Rome Men’s Softball League.  It will feature spotlight games and stand-out players from that week’s games.]

            A tournament-type atmosphere surrounded week 11 play in RMSA action this week.  After consecutive weeks of canceled games due to weather, the Sunday Community League finally swung back into action with a full slate of 16 games.

A highly anticipated match-up finally came to fruition after weeks of trash talk on the message boards as Advanced Auto and undefeated Chrome Pony played in the 4:30 game on field two.  Advanced knocked the Pony from the ranks of the unbeaten, winning a low-scoring game 9-5. 

Kevin Reiss hit two home runs, including a pivotal two-run bomb in the four-run sixth inning, as Advanced pulled away and held on for the win.

  Josh Powell’s two-run shot in the fifth put Advanced in the lead for good as they continued their march towards defense of their City crown. 

Advanced pitcher Eddie Lewandrowski scattered four-runs and kept the normally potent Chrome Pony bats at bay most of the day.  Dave Byrne followed a two-RBI sacrifice fly by Eddie Gardner with a home run, giving Chrome Pony a short-lived lead in the fifth inning.  Mike Citric and Pete Byrnham had two hits apiece in the loss. 

The win helped Advanced keep pace with the two unbeatens at the top of the standings, Western Legion and Wetsel Seed Co.  They are sitting one game back in a virtual three-way tie with Rite Aid and Chrome Pony as they head into one of the year’s highly anticipated games against Wetsel in a 3:15 game on field one this weekend. 

Chrome Pony gets a gut check this week with a twin-bill against two top teams, Rite Aid at 2:00 and Wetsel at 7:00, in a pair of games that will hold great influence over the seedings in the upcoming RMSA League Championship Tournament. 

In other Sunday action, Rite Aid maintained their presence in the top of the standings, beating Dream City 11-6 and R&S Steel 14-8.  James Madera was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle for Rite Aid in the Dream City game and Gary Perry collected four hits for the victors.

  The hot-hitting Perry also had four hits against R&S Steel and Jim Roser and Paul Straney had three apiece for Rite Aid.  R&S was paced by Ron Blanchard’s three hit performance. 

Aquino’s #1 upset second-place Bucky’s/Korp’s Corner 11-8 to throw a wrench into the Monday Burt Smith League standings.  With the win, Aquino’s pulled to within one game of Bucky’s/Korp’s and have an outside shot at automatically qualifying for the league tourney with an upcoming game against Blue Moon.  Bucky’s/Korp’s faces first place Performance Wire in a mini-tournament of the top four teams in the Smith League this coming Monday.  A gutsy call to walk Bucky’s/Korp’s Vinny DiMaggio with the bases loaded paid off for Aquino’s as they held off a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh to take the W. 

In Thursday action, Midnight Mike’s pulled off a stunner, beating second-place Casey’s Tavern 14-9 in the 7:15 game on field two.  The loss dropped Casey’s into a second place tie with McKie’s Sports who beat the Firemen 12-3 and propelled Mike’s into the thick of the playoff race.  Mike’s is now in fifth place, one game behind supplementcentral.com heading into a pivotal position week.

Bob Menter, Matt Crye and Eric Kieffer each had three hits as Midnight Mike’s continued their unthinkable resurgence.

  Earlier this season, Mike’s took three consecutive losses, giving up 72 combined runs, which surely sent thoughts of a playoff bid to the ether.  Recently, however, Mike’s has reeled off three straight wins to put themselves in a position to gain one of the Korpela League’s four automatic bids. 

 Next week’s postion week will feature PBA/Palisades, who are looking to finish the regular season undefeated, playing Casey’s at 7:15 on field one while supplementcentral will look to avenge an earlier loss against McKie’s on field two at the same time.

RMSA Diamond Dust:  Week 10 (7/20/08-7/24/08) By Mike Kohli  (mkohli@romemenssoftball.org)

            Mother Nature once again played her tricks on the Sunday Community League in this week’s RMSA.  A half hour before the first games were to begin, the skies opened and Haselton’s fields became small lakes. 

     The Community League is now forced to play doubles the next two weeks to catch up on lost games.  Games will begin at 11:30 both this Sunday and next and will continue through the day for a total of 16 games each day. 

     Spotlight games for this week’s Community League include a 4:30 showdown on diamond two between Advanced Auto and undefeated Chrome Pony and a 7:00 tilt between Rite Aid and Dream

     Monday’s Burt Smith League held form with the league leaders handily disposing of the lower level teams.  The night’s fireworks were provided in the closer between Casey’s Brew Crew and Gulla’s Graphics.  The unheralded Brew Crew posted 25 runs, highlighted by an 11 run third inning en route to a 25-13 thrashing of Gulla’s.  The win helped Brew Crew keep pace in the Monday standings heading into the final two weeks of league play.

     Bryan Brockway was five for five at the plate for the Crew, posting a triple and two doubles.  Larry Fisher was also perfect at the plate, contributing five hits, including two doubles.  Dan Vescio, Rock Mosca and Jason Cadrette chipped in four hits apiece, helping fuel the Crew’s attack.

     Gulla’s balanced attack was led by Jeff Gran’s four hits, which included a double.  Brandon Ferrare, Matt Rafte and Canadian rocker Bryan Adams chipped in three hits apiece in the loss.  With the loss, Gulla’s dropped to 3-6 in league play with a must-win game against the always tough Don’s Auto upcoming.  The Brew Crew will close out the evening in week 11 against Blue Moon.

     Korpela League action featured several blowouts.  Palisades/PBA continued their perfect season, taking care of Smith Post #2 14-1.  Scott Parsons hit a solo home run and a triple while Don D’Aiuto had three hits, including a home run in the win.  The cops will take on Rhine Haus #3 in a 7:15 contest next week, while Smith Post will face Rhine Haus/All American Limo at 8:30.

     Other Thursday action saw the Firemen clobbering Dilligaf 23-4 in the middle game on field one. Phil Diehl had four hits for the Firemen in the lopsided victory. 

     Casey’s and McKie’s each kept pace with the first place Palisades/PBA with big wins.  Casey’s beat up on Sammy G’s 20-9, while McKie’s continued their torrid run-scoring pace in beating Rhine Haus #3 18-2. 

     Casey’s shortstop Chad “Cheese” Faber hit two home runs and Rome softball legend Donnie Blanchard had four hits, including a home run in the fifth and two doubles to pace Casey’s.  Adam Winters and Pete Civitelli had three hits apiece for Sammy G’s in the loss. 

     Sammy’s will face another tough contest next week against supplementcentral.com in a 6:00 game on field one while Casey’s will play a resurgent Midnight Mike’s team at 7:15. 

RMSA Diamond Dust:  Week 9 (7/13/08-7/17/08)  By Mike Kohli (mkohli@romemenssoftball.org)             

[RMSA Diamond Dust is a weekly synopsis of happenings in the Rome Men’s Softball League.  It will feature spotlight games and stand-out players from that week’s games.] 

            Weather, once again, wreaked havoc with the Sunday schedule this week in RMSA play.  Heavy rain throughout the day on Sunday prevented any of the games from going off.  The Community League will attempt to get things back on track this week, playing a week nine schedule chock full of high profile games.  Five of the top six teams will face each other on field one this Sunday beginning with the Rite Aid-Chrome Pony game at 7:00, followed by the featured game between defending league champ Advanced Auto and league-leader and undefeated Wetsel Seed.  Chrome Pony and Dream

          In the Burt Smith League, Performance Wire took it to Don’s Auto in the nightcap 11-3 to take sole possession of first place.  Double-plays and comebackers were the order of the day for Performance as pitcher Kris Wutsch kept the formidable DA bats at bay.  Both teams return to action next week in 6:00 contests.  Performance will face Waste Management and Don’s will play Smith Post #1. 

          In other action, Bucky’s/Korp’s kept pace with the leaders, creating a second-place logjam with Brew Crew and Don’s.  Bucky’s/Korp’s scored runs in all but the first inning on their way to a 16-8 victory over Blue Moon.  Jimmy Guy had four hits and Bryan Costello hit a triple and two-doubles on his way to a four-hit performance.  Jason Bartolotti kicked off the scoring for Bucky’s/Korp’s with a two-run home run in the second inning. 

           Blue Moon had home runs from Timmy Karhnak and Matt Karhnak in the loss. Timmy also contributed three singles to the effort.  Adam Tornatore also had four hits.  Bucky’s/Korp’s gets the week off next week while Blue Moon faces Black River Ale House at 7:15 on field one. 

           Thursday’s Korpela League was a mostly lop-sided night with the closest game occurring in the nightcap between the upstart Aquino’s #2 and a veteran McKie’s Sports team.  With ardent supporter Kaitlyn Salce tuning in, McKie’s weathered a slight Aquino’s rally to win going away 11-6. 

           The victory was McKie’s fifth straight in a stretch where they have averaged seventeen runs a game. Fundamental hitting carried McKie’s to victory as shortstop Chris Marrello sprayed hits to all fields in a 4-for-4 effort.  Marrello also collected four RBI on the night.  Mike Kohli and Jerry Switzer contributed three hits and an RBI apiece to help pace McKie’s, who are now alone in third place in the Korpela League after Casey’s knocked off supplementcentral.com in a 19-6 affair earlier in the night. 

            Aquino’s Joe Mazzaferro hit a two-run homer, splitting McKie’s outfielders Travis Oliver and Kohli, to kick off a mini-rally in the sixth.  Mazzaferro finished with three hits on the night.  Jeff Tarbania had a double among his two hits in the losing effort. 

            Both teams return to action next week in 8:30 contests, with Aquino’s facing a resurgent Midnight Mike’s on field one and McKie’s facing Rhine Haus #3 on field two. 

RMSA Diamond Dust:  Week 8 (7/7/08-7/10/08)  By Mike Kohli (

     With the RMSA season entering its final leg, Don’s Auto, the Burt Smith League leaders, flexed their muscles in a big way, showing they will be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming City Tournament at the end of August. 

     Don’s put on a hitting clinic while continuing their six game winning streak, mercy-ruling a shocked Aquino’s #1 squad that had once worn the City crown.  That seemed long ago to the members of Aquino’s #1 on this night.  Consecutive crooked-numbered innings put the game solidly in the hands of Don’s as they won 27-4. 

     Don’s elder statesman Mike Dominic hit home runs in consecutive innings, loudly declaring his candidacy for Diamond Dust Player of the Week.  Dominic also had a double while collecting six RBI in the rout.  Left fielder Jake Bates also hit a home run in the decisive nine-run third and collected six RBI of his own on five hits while pitcher John Harter had a triple among his four hits and three RBI. 

     The anemic Aquino’s offense, obviously missing the bats of Brandon Lovett and Derek Utter, was led by Jason Spann, who hit an early double along with two other hits and Dave Raux, who clobbered a long home run to lead off the second inning. 

     Aquino’s will look to bounce back in week nine next week as they square off in the field one opener with last place Waste Management.  Don’s, meanwhile, will face perhaps their toughest test of the season as they play their first place cohorts, Performance Wire at 8:30 on field one.  Performance will be coming off a 19-4 thrashing of Blue Moon in what should be a high-scoring affair.   

     In another Burt Smith match-up, two teams vying for the final automatic bid to the City Tournament went down to the wire.  Gulla’s Graphics scored three in the top of the seventh to take a four run lead over Smith Post #1 heading into the bottom of the inning.  Aaron Breault’s two-RBI double proved to be the game-winner as Gulla’s held off a Smith Post rally to win the game 10-9. 

     The win pulled Gulla’s into a tie for sixth with Smith Post #1 and Aquino’s #1, all with 3-4 records heading down the stretch.  Gulla’s will face another tough test next week when they face Black River Ale House, who lost a 6-5 heartbreaker to Casey’s Brew Crew this week.  Smith Post #1 will play Rienzo General Contracting in a 6:00 start on field two. 

     The week’s featured matchup was the closing game on field two between the two undefeated teams in the Thursday Korpela League, Casey’s and Palisades/PBA.  However, this game was overshadowed by the game between the two youngest teams in the league; supplementcentral.com and Aquino’s #2 on field one in the early game.

     Aquino’s was looking to gain ground on the league leaders in a make-or-break game against their third place rivals.  A short-handed supplementcentral went down 4-1 early.  Their bats came alive in the third and fourth, when they scored six unanswered runs to take the lead and never looked back, winning the game 9-6 to keep pace with McKie’s Sports in third place.  Dave Smith, Rich Recchio, Bryan Costello and AJ Aquino the quartet known as Los Jugadores, combined for eight hits to lead the offensive attack for supplementcentral.  Anthony Morat, another Jugadore, belted a home run in the four-run fourth to keep supplementcentral in the Korpela League race. 

     Aquino’s #2 was led by yet another Jugadore, Matt Mastrangelo, who had a home run and a double along with three RBI in the losing effort.  TJ Abone, Joe Meier and Jeff Tarbania also collected two hits apiece.  Aquino’s will face McKie’s in the field two closer next week, while supplementcentral faces another tough contest against Casey’s, who dropped to second place in the league standings after losing to PBA/Palisades 11-6, next week. 

By

            Weather and the Fourth of July holiday contributed to a light schedule in Rome Men’s Softball Association action this week.  The season has reached the halfway point and each of the leagues still has tight races for playoff spots. 

            The week’s featured bout occurred Monday night in a Burt Smith League game pitting first-place Casey’s Brew Crew against second-place

            Brew Crew drew within one in the bottom of the inning as Pete LaPointe hit a two-run home run to left-center field. 

            The teams then traded runs for the next three innings.  Bryan Costello split the outfielders in left-center field for his first home run on the season for

While Casey’s Brew Crew’s Gary Roth’s solo shot in the sixth tied it up once again.

            In the

            Brew Crew mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh as Rock Mosca, Larry Fisher and Andy White hit successive singles.  White plated Mosca but was called out on a play at second to end the game. 

            With the 7-6 victory,

            Brew Crew will face a tough battle when they take on the once hot Black River Ale House in the 7:15 game on field two.  The Ale House will be looking to bounce back from a 10-6 loss to first-place Don’s Auto this week. 

            Sunday’s Community League’s spotlight game featured some more Matt Woodman heroics as Woodman helped carry Anson Construction to a 11-10 victory over State Farm Insurance in a 7:00 tilt. 

            Woodman hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth that proved to be the game-winner in the rain-shortened affair.  Chris Bruno also contributed a home run and two RBI for Anson, who improved to 2-5 with the win. 

            Travis Oliver and Bryan Brockway each hit two-run home runs in a six-run third to get State Farm back in the game.  Both finished with two hits on the night as teammate Brian Chase finished with three hits. 

            State Farm will jump right back in the fire next week when they face a determined Rhine Haus #1 squad, who fell hard to Rite Aid this week 15-6, in the closer on field one.  Anson’s will face the Dreamers in a 5:45 contest on field one.  Also featured in next Sunday’s Community League action will be a 7:00 game between the still undefeated Western Legion and the 4-2

            Western is coming off a 15-0 thrashing of R&S Steel, while

            Sunday’s late games were both rained out and will be made up in the coming weeks.  Teams should check the league’s website for information on the rescheduled games.

            Thursday’s Korpela League was off this week due to the Independence Day holiday and the Sunday league will also be off for the long weekend.  Games for the Sunday league will resume on July 13^th, while the Korpela League resumes play on July 10^th with a featured game between the two unbeatens PBA/Palisades and Casey’s at 8:30 on field two, which should be the game of the season so far.