Commish Corner – Opening Day!
This is a periodic report when we have interesting happenings on the field – enjoy!
Top News
- DO YOU FEEL THE EXCITEMENT!! The Spring Season opened with 10 teams going at it, while 2 unfortunately had to sit due to poor field conditions. There were some exciting games and it felt great to get on the field again!
- As you may know, the schedule and resultsare updated on the website. Feel free to view this page often:
- Please remember to wear your full Legends uniform including your hats. It really looks bad to see an off-color hat spoil the look of the team. No pictures will be taken, and this rule will be enforced in the playoffs, so get used to wearing everything now!
- Legends welcomes 5 expansion teams this season – a 50% increase in growth! Two teams are coming over from another league, and you can tell they’ve played this game before – and recently! They are the Rebels and Expos – both with opening wins! Two others may be younger (19+ division vs. 30+ division), but you can tell there is a bit more rust there! They are the Thunder and Hillies. And of course, the Warriors – they were rained out, but rumor has it, they are very tough!
- With two solid 19+ and 30+ divisions of 6 teams each, who are the favorites?! Look for predictions soon!
- Funniest Manager Report – Cards’ Gerry Britt.
- Featured game in Week 2 – the two new veteran teams to the league take their 1-0 record into this interesting matchup – Will the Rebels or Expos continue undefeated?! Unless Bud Selig makes an appearance, we will know after the game!
Game of the Week!
Expos 9 / Redlegs 8Expos’ Perspective
Though I don't think it could be totally truthful to say that the Redlegs got beat in the Expos home opener, the new guys did manage to come up on top, 10-9. I don't know if it was a particularly sweet win for the Expos because of the good team they faced or if it was because it wasRon's team; but either way, it was a well played, injury free (for the most part), fun game that was held at the spaciousLee High School Varsity Stadium.
For the first time in a long time the Expos pitching staff all showed up for the same game. The mixture of slow, breaking ball hurlers and hard throwing fire ballers kept the Redlegs slightly off balance as the Expos erased a first inning 2-0 deficit. The home team's balanced attackbounced back with 3 in the bottom of the inning followed by 2 runs in the second. The Redlegs rallied for 3 in the third and one in the fourth to take the lead, 6-5. But it was the last lead they would hold as the Expos' bats came to life againin the 5th with 3 runs and added one more each in the next 2 innings. The Redlegs fought back but couldn't hold on in the bottom of the last inning.
Did he catch it?!
Redlegs’ Perspective
The 2011 Redlegs suffered a tough 9 to 8 loss to the Expos to open the season. When asked what he thought about the game, Redlegs Manager, Ken Petrocelli stated, “the loss was disappointing, but I did see some goods things from the team, such as scoring a couple times with two outs and some solid pitching. We need to strengthen our defense though, can’t give a good hitting team 4 or 5 outs each inning.”
Standouts for the Redlegs were John Freck with an outstanding job behind the plate and some great relief pitching from Ron Cortese and Ryan Huntley.
The game only went 7 innings and there are rumors that the Redlegs may be protesting the contest. Petrocelli’s comment on the shortened game, “I think the plate umpire had somewhere else to go because he disappeared before I could even say protest!”
Other Games
Rebels 16 / Explorers 4Rebels’ Perspective
Manager Tim “The Wall” Sarah looking oh-so good in Legends Red!
After 6 innings of good baseball with the score tied at 4 runs apiece, Rebels batters dug in at the plate looking for good offerings but had nothing to swing at from Explorer's bullpen, drawing 10 walks in final two frames while pulling the game out of reach. On the hill for the Rebs on Opening Day was Mike (Gordo) Gordon who held the Explorers to 2 runs while pitching out of a couple jams. Mark (the Car Salesman) Cowdin threw 3 middle innings recording four Ks, while giving up only two runs, and closer Dave (Mr. Serious) Narins moved the ball around keeping Explorers bats quiet thru end of the game. Rebels bats started out strong as Jeff Lerner led off with a 1st-inning double despite numerous complaints that his new Legends pants being too tight, though it was overheard in dugout that it might have been caused by an oversized cup...Other offensive Rebs highlights included two singles by Scott (Don't Get Hurt) Day, three hits from Special Agent Ski, and a timely hit by Ricardo (the Chef) Planas. All and all, a good start, though Lenny "Dykstra" Winter's contract was revisited post-game for taking two strikes then whiffing on a lunar shot over his head. Asked after the game, whether the move to Legends from a nearby League was a good one, Manager Tim (The Wall) Sara was overheard saying "..Yes, we are all very happy with the move....personally am glad to be around my former teammates and think we all look good in Red....but will look even better holding the Spring 2011 trophy come June..."
Explorers’ Perspective
The Explorers naturally drew the earliest possible start-time to open the 2011 Legends season and,looking to work in new blood to replace some key offeason departures,fell toa veteran Rebels squad that has newly joined the Legends League. Pitcher Bruce Aft yielded only a run and departed with a 2-1 earlylead. The efforts of two Explorer rookies, Keith Derbenwick (2 for 4 with 2 RBIs) and Stephen Gross (3-for-3 with a double), led the visitors at the plate, along withRBIs by Pete McFadden & Brian Skow.Southpaw Aft and righty Donnie Dyeworked out of several jams, with the Explorers tying the score at 4 in the top of the fifth. However,the Explorers missed some golden chances to extenda lead. The Rebs pulled back in front with two runs in thebottom of the fifth, and pulled away big late, as early-season jitters confounded the Explorers, who now look to get back on track against a loaded Cards team that proved its bona fides with a close,season-opening win over the defending fall-season champion Padres.
Cards 9 / Padres 7Cards’ Perspective
The newly reconstituted Cards got a small measure of revenge vs. the Pods, coming from behind for a 9-7 (might have been 12-9) win at beautiful Leitch Park. Joel Robinson pitched 5 strong innings to keep the Cards in the game as they made up for some spotty mound performance early by coming back strong after being down 7-4 (or maybe it was 9-7). New Card Mike Romano and some other Cardinal took Pods pitching deep. And when the Pods threatened in the 9th , sending the runner from 3rd on a fly ball with one out, CF Joel Davidson threw a strike to home for a game-ending double play. The officiating was superb, especially the handsome Wayne, who cut a dashing figure behind the plate in his official Nestor Shylock Umpire’s Dinner Jacket.
An unnamed Cardinal source declared, “It was all about the manager today. The Padres simply got outcoached.” Most Cards players immediately distanced themselves from the remark, with one sending an open message to all league teams, “Hit him in the back all you want. We won’t mind, believe me. Whatever shuts him up.” The Cards defense looked strong making several key plays, with Keith Davidson and Daniel Diaz among the standouts.
Padres’ Perspective
All is quiet at the reigning champs’ HQ! Rumors are swirling! Is it time to replace stellar manager RJ? After one game, are you kidding? Let’s give him one more to turn the ship!
Nationals 4 / BlackSox 13Nat’s perspective
Nothing here either! Who is the manager, anyway? Art? Wayne? Rich?! Perhaps no one is owning up to it after this debacle?!
BlackSox’ perspective
In thenightcap, the BlackSox rallied to overtake theNationals,winning the opener, 13-4. After a slow start, the BlackSoxgot a base hit fromeveryBlackSox player in the line-up andbenefited fromstellar pitching fromVinnie Robles, Kory Maxwell and Bryan Stountenburgh. JamesBoyddelivered the go-ahead run with abase clearing double andlater jacked a three-rundinger, going3-4 with 6 RBIs, and no errors.The BlackSox got multi-hit games from Greg Harnish (5-3 with a stolen base), Jeff Cavano (2-3 with a SAC RBI andstolen base),Mike DeMarr (2-3 androck solid defense behind the plate), andKiel Stone(2-4 witha stolen base). Game was shorteneddue to lightning.
Hillies 10 / Thunder 4Thunder Perspective
To start off their season in a head to head matchup oftwo expansion teams, the Thunder and Hillies clearly looked rusty on a cold breezy morning at Long Park. The Hillies collected 10 runs on 15 BB, 2 HBP, 2Hand 4 errors in a 10-4 win against a Thunder team thatseemed tobeat themselves this week. The only spark on the Thunders offense cameon a4 run 6th inning right around the time the sundecided to comeout and warm up. The Thunder would only have 1 moreinning before the game time expired. Top of 7 was closed out by a strong performance by #23 of the Hillies.
The Thunder look to rebound from their miserable mound performance next week when they meet theveteran squad Hurricanes. Some much needed cage time and back to the basic fundamentals is the only hope for this newest edition to Legends Baseball.
Legend of the Week – Expos Pitching Staff! Here are a couple of them!
Christian Weaver and Rich Mather off the mound!
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Story and pictures courtesy “the Commish” with game reports by the managers