The Nation's Pastime ...
Twenty diamond gurus were divided into five divisions to play
round-robin games in the preliminary round of this year's Superstar
Baseball tournament. After 3.5 hours, the out-and-out league
champions were: Darren Valez's Lothian Knights, Mike Destro's
Da St. Louis Buds, Harry Flawd's Hairmen, and Devin Flawd's
Thunderbolts. League One's champion had to be determined
via tiebreaker (least runs allowed) amongst three 2-1 teams and
Ken Samuel's Jaguars took that slot. Then three wildcards
were chosen by weighted lottery (each win increased a team's
chances). Joining Henry Richardson's Sliverhooves were League
One's other two 2-1 teams.
The preliminaries had several exciting moments... Mike Destro's
five-run bottom-of-the-ninth comeback defeated teammate/father
Bob, who was competing for Team Tournament points. The loss cost
Bob advancement to the quarter-finals. Other last-inning heroics
(several in extra innings) ensued, but the prize late-inning
heartbreaker went to Adam Gugliamini's Wildcats. With advancement
on the line, the 1-1 Wildcats went ahead of Da Buds 3-1 in the
top of the 12th inning. But to do so, Adam had to pinch hit for
his last available pitcher, leaving him without a hurler going
into the bottom of the inning. Hence, he had to use the special
dugout coach card (a woeful performer) which is supplied to managers
for just such situations. And the coach gave it his all by not
offering any gifts, but Mike's stars surged for three runs to
advance to the quarters. This wasn't the only time a coach card
was used, as Da Buds found themselves without a centerfielder
in a foregone 10-5 loss to Roger Cox's Inman Eels when Mickey
Mantle pulled up lame in their second game, but that result wasn't
nearly so devastating.
In the quarter-finals, the Jaguars thumped the Knights 5-0
in a battle of first-timers. Chris Palermo's N.Y. Ripper Kevin
Brown was perfect through six innings in a 2-0 defeat of past-champion
Harry Flawd's team. Meanwhile, another past champ, Henry Richardson
III, kept Greg Maddux in for 13 innings without ever tiring,
in his 4-1 victory over Da Buds. And a thwarted suicide squeeze
attempt by Roger Clemens forced Cal Ripken to attempt an ill-advised
steal of home in the Thunderbolts 4-3 loss to Carl Coscia's Minneapolis
Monarchs.
Thus, the stage was set for a semi-final including all three
of League One's 2-1 teams along with the Sliverhooves, meaning
that, for the second year, all three Wild Cards advanced to the
semis. In the first game, Carl's Monarchs stole five bases (including
home once) to squeak by the Rippers 5-4; and in the other bracket,
the Sliverhoove's weak-hitting pitcher, Kevin Brown, somehow
kept the 7th inning alive with a single, only to be followed
by Cesar Cedeno's three-run homer. This proved decisive in Henry's
5-4 triumph.
Just as Fred Merckle has become synonymous with bonehead plays,
Tommy Glavine has become the kiss of death in our Superstar
Baseball tournaments. Last year, to save a better pitcher
for a potential championship game, Henry decided to go with Glavine
early, leading to a 7-0 quarter-final loss. This year, Henry
was down to Smoky Joe Wood or Glavine to face off against the
Monarch's #3 man, Dwight Gooden. Again, the ball was given to
Tom. And it was a typical Glavine outing, giving up several hits
in a 3-run first inning which set the tone for the game. The
Monarchs won in a walkover, 9-4.
Championship MVP honors went to Monarch catcher Buck Ewing,
with a 3-for-4, 4 RBI performance. Of special note is the fact
that our champion purchased a one-day admission and competed
only in this event. That must be assuredness, confidence, or
both.
League 1 |
Won |
Lost |
Runs |
Opposing Runs |
Jaguars | Ken Samuel |
2 |
1 |
17 |
8 |
NY Rippers | Chris Palermo |
2 |
1 |
12 |
10 |
Minneapolis Monarchs | Carl Coscia |
2 |
1 |
11 |
16 |
Wormy Apples | John Reiners |
0 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
League 2 |
Won |
Lost |
Runs |
Opposing Runs |
Da St Louis Buds | Mike Destro |
2 |
1 |
16 |
19 |
B. Bombers | Bob Destro |
2 |
1 |
14 |
14 |
Wildcats | Adam Gugliamini |
1 |
2 |
8 |
9 |
Inman Eels | Roger Cox |
1 |
2 |
15 |
13 |
League 3 |
Won |
Lost |
Runs |
Opposing Runs |
Hairmen | Harry Flawd |
2 |
1 |
13 |
10 |
O. H. Reds | Brian Salvatore |
2 |
1 |
16 |
11 |
Morris Polecats | Mike Ellsworth |
1 |
2 |
12 |
18 |
Bangin's Offense | J. Scarborough |
1 |
2 |
8 |
10 |
League 4 |
Won |
Lost |
Runs |
Opposing Runs |
Thunderbolts | Devin Flawd |
2 |
1 |
15 |
12 |
Sliverhooves | H. Richardson III |
2 |
1 |
20 |
14 |
Hard Coal | Bob Jamelli |
1 |
2 |
13 |
20 |
All Stars | Chris Nolan |
1 |
2 |
11 |
19 |
League 5 |
Won |
Lost |
Runs |
Opposing Runs |
Knights | Darren Valez |
3 |
0 |
11 |
7 |
Lanterns | Terry Coleman |
2 |
1 |
8 |
6 |
Riverdogs | Donald Webster |
1 |
2 |
9 |
7 |
Yaks | James McCarthy |
0 |
3 |
4 |
12 |
Preliminaries -
Jaguars 10-1 Monarchs; Rippers 1-0 Apples; Jaguars 5-1 Apples;
Monarchs 8-5 Rippers; Rippers 6-2 Jaguars; Monarchs 2-1 Apples;
Buds 7-6 Bombers; Wildcats 2-1 Eels; Bombers 4-3 Wildcats; Eels
10-5 Buds; Bombers 6-4 Eels; Buds 4-3 Wildcats; Reds 5-3 Bangin's;
Hairmen 7-5 Polecats; Bangin's 4-3 Hairmen; Reds 10-5 Polecats;
Hairmen 3-1 Reds; Polecats 2-1 Bangin's; Sliverhooves 10-8 All-Stars;
Thunderbolts 7-6 Hard Coal; Sliverhooves 7-0 Hard Coal; All-Stars
3-2 Thunderbolts; Hard Coal 7-0 All-Stars; Thunderbolts 6-3 Sliverhooves;
Riverdogs 7-2 Yaks; Knights 5-4 Lanterns; Lanters 1-0 Riverdogs;
Knights 2-1 Yaks; Lanters 3-1 Yaks; Knights 4-2 Riverdogs.
For all you GMs waiting for next year; pre-register before
May 15 and send in your team request. A list of available players
and team-building procedures is available from the GM or via
the web site at www.innova.net/~randycox/ssb.htm.
The sun is up, the grass is green, the 'dogs are hot, the beer
is cold, and the infield dirt is pristine. It's time to play
ball.
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